German 110 has been a great learning experience for me. I want to minor in German so this class was key for me to understand why Germany is the way it is and its relationship with the neighboring countries. We covered a lot of topics ranging from the historical unification to modern youth culture in Germany. The movies we used in class worked very well to explain the situations and issues that were dealt with then and now. Berlin Calling and The Baader Meinhoff films were the most effective in my eyes. Berlin Calling shows some of the issues that modern teenagers and young adults deal with when they live in a city that never sleeps. The Baader Meinhoff movie on the other hand helps show why German law and ideals are the way they are today by showing the struggles that the baby boomer generation had to get through.
There were many opportunities to learn about culture like foods, traditions, and regional economic and population levels. The foods and traditions were the most informative for me. it is easier to understand a group of people if you know what they have to eat or what they put their values into.
Overall German 110 was an amazing class and would highly recomend it to anyone who was interested in learning about a new culture or German in general!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Flammkuchen:
Flammkuchen is a specialty in the Black Forest region of Germany. It is thought to have originated in Baden or Alsace in France. It wasn't a well known food outside of that region until the Pizza "craze" in the 1960s. The ingredients are always varied, you can make Flammkuchen with meat, veggies, or anything. It just needs the bread, cream, and cheese.
Sources:
http://www.rezeptewiki.org/images/thumb/a/ab/Flammkuchen.jpg/300px-Flammkuchen.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarte_flamb%C3%A9e
Flammkuchen is a specialty in the Black Forest region of Germany. It is thought to have originated in Baden or Alsace in France. It wasn't a well known food outside of that region until the Pizza "craze" in the 1960s. The ingredients are always varied, you can make Flammkuchen with meat, veggies, or anything. It just needs the bread, cream, and cheese.Sources:
http://www.rezeptewiki.org/images/thumb/a/ab/Flammkuchen.jpg/300px-Flammkuchen.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarte_flamb%C3%A9e
Response to Baader Meinhof:
The film Der Baader Meinhof Complex was very interesting to me. It showed the internal struggles as well as the external for political activists. Although they were technically radicals there are still many similarities to those who wanted to do something, but didn't. They both had to live with what they felt was injustice, but when the members of Baader Meinhof attempted to make things better through their what they felt necessary the public began to disagree with them and just live under the injustice. It is one of the common downfalls of radical or extremist groups, because violence is never looked kindly upon. But sometimes it is the only tool at the disposal of a small group that is seeking change. I really liked how the group was portrayed throughout the movie due to its gritty reality. It was very well done in my eyes.
The RAF:
The RAF was the "Baader Meinhof" group that we watched in class. They were born out of a call for change in the 60s. They were a communistic/ new left wing "faction" that used violence as a means for negotiation. They were influenced by many post war writers like Mao Zedong, Che Guevera and even older texts written by Marx and Lenin. Because they were born after the second world war in the baby boomer generation they were torn between their parents views on the world and the newer more left sided ideologies that were becoming prominent. This put them in a situation where thier government was being run by their parents, but they believed something entirely different. The only way they thought they could get what they wanted was to use violence to attain it. Thus the Rote Armee Fraktion was born.
Since the first generation of the group has dissolved the later ones have become less violent, but still carried out attacks. After the Soviet Union collapsed the group took a morale hit but still managed to carry out activist missions against the "authoritarian" rule in Germany and even some US targets. But the final generation was defeated in the late 90s, which spelled the end for the RAF and its political goals and attacks in the future.
The RAF has similarities to modern terrorist groups like Al Quida, but mostly differences. They both use violence to achieve their mission, but against different targets. Osama Bin Laden attacked targets outside of Pakistan and Afghanistan like the Trade Center instead of focusing only on targets inside their country of origin. The RAF did attack US installations, but they were in Germany and were viable targets.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rote_Armee_Fraktion
The film Der Baader Meinhof Complex was very interesting to me. It showed the internal struggles as well as the external for political activists. Although they were technically radicals there are still many similarities to those who wanted to do something, but didn't. They both had to live with what they felt was injustice, but when the members of Baader Meinhof attempted to make things better through their what they felt necessary the public began to disagree with them and just live under the injustice. It is one of the common downfalls of radical or extremist groups, because violence is never looked kindly upon. But sometimes it is the only tool at the disposal of a small group that is seeking change. I really liked how the group was portrayed throughout the movie due to its gritty reality. It was very well done in my eyes.
The RAF:
The RAF was the "Baader Meinhof" group that we watched in class. They were born out of a call for change in the 60s. They were a communistic/ new left wing "faction" that used violence as a means for negotiation. They were influenced by many post war writers like Mao Zedong, Che Guevera and even older texts written by Marx and Lenin. Because they were born after the second world war in the baby boomer generation they were torn between their parents views on the world and the newer more left sided ideologies that were becoming prominent. This put them in a situation where thier government was being run by their parents, but they believed something entirely different. The only way they thought they could get what they wanted was to use violence to attain it. Thus the Rote Armee Fraktion was born.
Since the first generation of the group has dissolved the later ones have become less violent, but still carried out attacks. After the Soviet Union collapsed the group took a morale hit but still managed to carry out activist missions against the "authoritarian" rule in Germany and even some US targets. But the final generation was defeated in the late 90s, which spelled the end for the RAF and its political goals and attacks in the future.
The RAF has similarities to modern terrorist groups like Al Quida, but mostly differences. They both use violence to achieve their mission, but against different targets. Osama Bin Laden attacked targets outside of Pakistan and Afghanistan like the Trade Center instead of focusing only on targets inside their country of origin. The RAF did attack US installations, but they were in Germany and were viable targets.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rote_Armee_Fraktion
- The use of the adults in a country to fight a war with the influential young.
- How the human being can withstand the world at its worst.
- An entire generation devastated by the previous' political choices.
- The end result of the war was the cause for the second one.
- Such a widely read book, from high school to college.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Chapter 10 is both a mix of how terrible the effects of war are and also that sometimes it can still hold some vestiges of humanity. Paul and his comrades find a supply dump, where they acquire all sorts of luxuries including ingredients to make pancakes and fresh produce. It was a nice break from the constant warfare but also very short lived because the enemy found their position and shelled it. This was an important piece to include because it showed that they could still relax and enjoy a more humane living standard no matter what the situation or how short lived it might be. Soon after this Paul ended up going to the hospital with his friend and learned that war was not just momentarily terrible, but it would have long lasting effects of horror afterwards. The multitude of wounds he sees at the hospital makes him realize that his generation will grow up scarred. But it isn't all bad, the hospital also shows the bond between soldiers that is built in the trenches. One of the patients wives shows up and in order for them to have any privacy the other soldiers needed to work together so they could enjoy their time together. In essence chapter 10 shows that although Paul's generation will have long term negative effects from the war, they are still people and will survive through their struggle. This chapter is mostly about mans ability to survive the harshness the world will throw at him and still come out as a human being.
Kantorek is a major character in the story and symbolizes the nationalistic pride that led the nation to war. he is an energetic man who preaches to his students about doing a duty to their country. Because the students are easily mailable it is easy to shape their ideology. Much like a king or emperor would do to promote their regime. The students look up to him at the beginning of the novel, but after they experience war for themselves they despise him. They led them into an inhumane and harsh war where there is constant death and agonizing wounds that will last their generation a life time.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Konrad Adenauer Foundation
Abbreviated as KAS, this political foundation offers civic
education conferences and events. They state their main goals are, “our civic
education programs aim at promoting freedom and liberty, peace, and justice. We
focus on consolidating democracy, on the unification of Europe and the
strengthening of transatlantic relations, as well as on development
cooperation.[i]”
They are named after the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Konrad
Adenauer. The foundation was created in 1955 as the Society for
Christian-Democratic Civic Education, but adopted their new name in 1964. They
are not only focused on the people of Germany, they are also involved in other
countries, in fact they say, “Our offices abroad are in charge of more than 200
projects in more than 120 countries.[ii]”
They are considered a think tank for the basis of political possibilities in
Germany. Their Academy in Berlin focuses on the economy, politics, science and
society. The KAS offers over 2500 events per year for people to attend. These
events attract over 145,000 participants collectively. The group also provides
moral and material support to intellectually gifted young people across all of
Europe.
[i] http://www.kas.de/wf/en/71.3628/,
sept 15 2012
[ii] “
”, sept 16 2012
Group Work:
The group work was a little choppy, but turned out well during the presentation. Every ones parts made it up there and was spoken on. The communication was a little difficult due to the group size and available meeting times.
Group Work:
The group work was a little choppy, but turned out well during the presentation. Every ones parts made it up there and was spoken on. The communication was a little difficult due to the group size and available meeting times.
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