Module Directory

Much like a palimpsest, Berlin has multiple layers of history accrued within its buildings, memorials, ruins, and topography. While this palimpsest-like quality is one that extends to countless cities, Berlin stands out for the extent to which it has been transformed by four major developments in twentieth century politics. The first was the rise of National Socialism, which, following the party’s 1933 assumption of power on a national level, resulted in the construction of new and often monumental buildings; a planned but largely unrealized expansion of the city; as well as the destruction and desecration of synagogues as part of the country’s systematic persecution of Jews. The second major development was World War II, which resulted in extremely heavy bombing and, after Germany’s 1945 defeat, Berlin’s division into four sectors controlled by the war’s victorious powers. A third and closely related development, which occurred a dozen years after the 1949 founding of East and West Germany, involved the construction of the Berlin wall, which physically cut off West Berlin from East Berlin and East Germany more generally. A final development was Germany’s 1990 reunification, which resulted in the dissolution of barriers between East and West Germany as well as Berlin’s new role as the reunified country’s capital.

Over the course of roughly a week, we will explore a range of sites that shed light on Berlin’s multiple historical layers. Some of these sites will include landmark buildings, museums, monuments and memorials, documentation centers, as well as various traces of the city’s destruction and division in Berlin’s sprawling topography. Besides visiting such historically charged sites, we will also discover the city’s exceptionally rich array of art museums and galleries, since both the works themselves and the buildings in which they appear nuance our understanding of the pivotal role that art has assumed both in Berlin’s history and the ways that we remember the decisive events that occurred within and beyond its borders.

The aims of this module are:

• To experience art and architecture in situ, and to be able to engage in sustained visual analysis of real art objects.


• To develop a deep and sustained sense of a single city's art, architecture, culture, and politics across time.


• To learn how to research and write about artworks and buildings in situ.


• To learn to summarise and re-present key theoretical and historical arguments concisely.


• To introduce students to specialised debates in past and recent literature around the city visited.


• To raise student awareness of different methods of approaching the discipline through analysis of chosen texts.


• To stimulate students to develop skills in written communication through essays and oral communication and debate in museums, galleries and architectural sites.


• To raise student awareness of different methods of approaching the discipline through analysis of chosen texts.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to have:

1. A sound grasp of the history, art and culture of the city studied.


2. The ability to interpret art based on sound knowledge of the appropriate historical and interpretative contexts.


3. The confidence to subject the artworks and texts studied to critical analysis.


4. Some experience in textual analysis relevant to works and theoretical debates.


5. An ability to analyse works of art, both with preparation and sight-unseen.
   

Skills for your Professional Life

By the end of this module, students should also have acquired a set of transferable skills, and in particular be able to:

1. Define the task in which they are engaged and exclude what is irrelevant.


2. Seek and organise the most relevant discussions and sources of information.


3. Process a large volume of diverse and sometimes conflicting arguments.


4. Compare and evaluate different arguments and assess the limitations of their own position or procedure.


5. Write and present verbally a succinct and precise account of positions, arguments, and their presuppositions and implications.


6. Be sensitive to the positions of others and communicate their own views in ways that are accessible to them.


7. Think 'laterally' and creatively (i.e., to explore interesting connections and possibilities, and to present these clearly rather than as vague hunches).


8. Maintain intellectual flexibility and revise their own position based on feedback.


9. Think critically and constructively.

The School provide a subsidy for students on this trip, with priority given to students on Art History and Curating courses. The School will cover travel, accomodation and entrance fees but students will be required to cover the remainder of their costs. 

Costs will differ each year depending on the destination and details for the trip.

Students must attend all teaching sessions prior to the trip; Students who miss teaching sessions without an excused absence will be asked to select another module. Students who do not engage and/or attend during the trip may be asked to repay costs to the School.

This module will be delivered via:

• Two preparatory lectures.
• Study trip.

Preparatory lectures will be given in the latter half of the spring term. The study trip abroad will take place in the Easter Vacation.