OVERVIEW
The Macalester German Study Abroad Program is a unique six-month program based in Berlin and Vienna that provides students with the opportunity to gain high proficiency in German and to immerse themselves academically, culturally, and socially in both Germany and Austria. It emphasizes German language acquisition, German and Austrian theater, and Austrian cultural and political history. Students study at the
Goethe Institut in Berlin, the
Austro-American Institute in Vienna, and at the
University of Vienna.
Eligibility
- All students must meet Macalester standards for academic, disciplinary, and other eligibility, as outlined on the Center for Study Away website.
- A minimum of four semesters of college-level German language or equivalent. German 305 strongly recommended; German 308 and/or 309 recommended for students sufficiently advanced.
- Students must be registered in a German language course or another course taught in German in the Fall semester immediately preceding their study-abroad semester.
ACADEMICS
Academic Structure
- Berlin
- 2 month intensive German course at the Goethe Institut Berlin (4 Mac cr.).
- Placement tests upon arrival.
- Students are placed in level-appropriate courses.
- the GI does its best to split up Macalester students such that no class is dominated by Mac program participants.
- Vienna
- Erlebtes Theater (Theater Alive) (4 Mac cr.)
- Macalester faculty-taught course on Austrian & German theater.
- Students read and discuss Austrian & German plays, operettas, and operas.
- Students attend performances of the pieces that they have studied.
- Multikulturelles Österreich (Multicultural Austria) (4 Mac cr.)
- Direct Enroll at the University of Vienna.
- Students may choose up to two courses from a wide variety of offerings in many subjects.
- Many courses are lecture-style, though seminar courses are also available.
Program Strengths
- Students take courses at the Goethe Institut with other language learners from around the world.
- Tickets to Viennese theater performances (at multiple venues throughout the city) are included.
- Students study standard German and are exposed to Berlin & Vienna dialects.
- Students study in two countries.
- Two excursions (subject to change) are included components of the program. Past destinations have included Prague, Budapest, Meran (Italy), Innsbruck, and Krakow.
- Students with double majors can get credit for a course / courses taken at the University of Vienna (English, Psychology, Biology, Media Studies, History, Classics, etc.).
>> Good to Know:
- Program participation is around 12 students.
- Students take courses
- with international learners in Berlin (adults of all ages)
- with one another, local students, and other international (Erasmus) students in Vienna.
- The program's emphasis on cultural learning means many cultural excursions are included.
- The program includes two extended excursions (around 5 days each).
- Transportation (night train) from Berlin to Vienna is included, as is an arrival meal (usually breakfast) in Vienna with the program director.
- Occasional meals and Kaffeehaus outings are included as a part of the program, including a welcome meal in Berlin.
Learning Opportunities
Applied Learning
Below are opportunities to apply knowledge outside of the classroom; examples of past student experiences can be found in the
Macalester Returnee Evaluations.
| Applied Experience |
Details |
| Independent Research or Study Project |
Not available. |
| Produce Creative Work |
Not available. |
| Civic Engagement |
Opportunities for volunteering, often as an English language assistant. |
| Internships |
During June or after courses end at the University of Vienna, students may complete an unpaid, non-credit-bearing internship (individually arranged). |
| Facilitated Excursions |
Two longer trips (4-5 days) and a series of day trips or shorter excursions are integrated into the program courses. Ex: Prague, Budapest, Kraków, Florence. A day trip, toward the end of the program includes a visit to Burg Kreuzenstein, Klosterneuburg, and a traditional, family-run vineyard. |
Cultural Learning
The Macalester German Department Study Away Program provides various activities and programs to help integrate you into the local and university communities.
Some opportunities are built into the program, such as:
Additional opportunities are available for students to deepen their immersion:
- students may volunteer as English teaching assistants in an Austrian public school while in Vienna.
- facilitated excursions are organized regularly by the Goethe Insitut in Berlin (museums, cultural exhibitions, performances).
Housing
Berlin
- Students live in rented rooms in apartments / homes throughout the city (organized by Goethe).
Vienna
- Students live in student housing / dorm rooms.
- Dorms are fully furnished and located in the 15th district, near Westbahnhof, with excellent public transportation connections.
- Students will each have a private room. Some students will share kitchen and bathroom facilities with two or three others.
Location
Berlin, Germany -- Vienna, Austria
Population: 3,400,000 -- 1,700,000
Local Time: Central European Time
Weather: Berlin &
Vienna
Known For: For hundreds of years, Berlin and Vienna have competed for the title of preeminent Germanic cultural and political metropole. Nowadays, the two capital cities - strikingly different from one another - continue to be the preeminent cultural and political capitals of their respective countries. Berlin, forced by the destruction of World War II to rebuild itself in two different ways and under two radically different political systems, is awash with mid-century, international style structures on the west and immense, concrete apartment structures in the east; Berlin is trendy and vibrant, embracing grit and informality despite its other role as the political heart of the Eurozone's most powerful member. Vienna, on the other hand, wows at first glimpse with regal Pracht, the self-evident former capital of a large, European empire. Its cobblestone-lined alleys spiral outward from its historical heart to the grand, circular
Ringstrasse - lined with 19th century government buildings and stately homes. Despite their differences, however, both cities play host to an array of diplomats and expatriates, international students and immigrants.
>> Good to Know:
- Study Location:
- In Berlin, students study at the Goethe Institut's location in the Hackescher Markt neighborhood of former East Berlin, just north of Alexanderplatz.
- In Vienna:
- students' program courses are offered at the charming first district home of the Austro-American Institute, located across the street from the eastern side of the famous Vienna Staatsoper.
- University of Vienna courses are offered at several locations. The Hauptgebäude.
- Transportation and Getting Around
- More information about
- Berlin's public transportation system can be found here.
- Germany's federal railway company, Deutsche Bahn, can be found here.
- Vienna's public transportation system can be found here.
- Austria's federal railway company, die ÖBB, can be found here.
Dates
Fall semester: Not offered.
Spring semester: early January - end of June
>> Good to Know:
- This program begins and ends significantly before and after its counterpart semester at Macalester.
- Part of the University of Vienna's Easter Break period will be used for program-related travel.
