Lexia in Berlin offers an exciting course of study in German Area Studies and Culture, followed by tutorial coursework in Visual Culture, Architecture, or Pre-Architecture. Students develop an understanding of the language, history, art, politics, economics and culture of Germany, including the challenges of German unification since 1989. In addition, a combination of research, workshops, and excursions to other Lexia sites in East Central Europe introduces Lexia students to the role of Germany in this ongoing period of transformation in Europe.

The year 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. With Lexia, students examine the events and impact of 1989. Once defined by the postwar division of Germany and Europe, Berlin today has emerged as a pivotal city in the middle of a continent moving towards economic and political unity, while preserving traditions of regional and cultural diversity. Berlin offers a uniquely rich and layered experience. Culturally and ethnically diverse neighborhoods are collected into a city functioning not only as a federal state, national capital, and new center of European Union decision-making and business, but also as a springboard to Eastern Europe. Precisely these multifarious roles and tensions continue to make Berlin the setting for political and social experimentation, critical inquiry, and a flourishing art scene.

Lexia in Berlin is affiliated with Die Neue Schule, with instruction provided by the distinguished faculty of the Freie Universita¨t Berlin, Technische Universita¨t Berlin, and Humboldt Universita¨t, as well as artists, filmmakers, architects, and representatives from government and Berlin’s ethnic communities. To strengthen their grasp of Germany’s role within the EU, students also attend events sponsored by the European Commission, embassies, political organizations, and think-tanks, including lectures, seminars on European integration, and visits to grassroots organizations.

Spring 2005 marked the start of a unique collaboration between Lexia in Berlin and the International Forum of New Cinema. Each February, the International Berlin Film Festival, the Berlinale, attracts serious filmmakers, film students, and film lovers from around the world. Lexia has designed opportunities for students to immerse themselves in the global film community as they develop their own critique of media production and consumption. Students also screen films with significant social or political impact.

Students on Lexia’s program also have the opportunity for studio time during the Visual Culture elective track, which works with the Atelierhaus Mengerzeile, a cooperative of international artists. Classes for this meet at the FU in Dahlem, in Berlin’s museums and galleries, and in the Lexia Study Center in Scho¨neberg, a central and friendly neighborhood filled with galleries, cafes, specialty shops, and music stores. Our center, an updated industrial loft in a fin-de-siecle brick building, offers generous classroom and office space, including wi-fi, projection equipment, student lounge, and reading area. In addition to Lexia, the building houses a dozen architecture and design offices, artists and galleries, families and students, flamenco dance and Japanese gymnastics studios, bookbinders, a flower shop, and a bakery. Lexia also introduces students to Berlin’s rich public culture with theater and concerts, open-air markets, and parks and lakes.

Lexia encourages interaction between our students and German faculty and students. Berlin scholars, artists, and students provide direct access to the culture. No prior knowledge of German is required, as all courses can be offered in English. Intensive language training helps students to develop the skills and confidence to live and study in Berlin.