Middlebury School in Germany Rheinstraße 42 D-55116 Mainz Germany Tel. (06131) 22 10 40 (in Germany - outside Mainz) 011.49.6131.22.10.40 (from U.S.) Fax. 011.49.6131.55.4.33.9 Director: Heike Fahrenberg, Ph.D. mailto: hfahrenb@middlebury.edu Office hours during the semester: Johannes Gutenberg Universität Room/Hours TBA http://www.middlebury.edu/study-abroad/germany International Programs 127 Sunderland Language Center Middlebury, VT 05753 Tel. 802.443.5745 Fax. 802.443.3157 mailto: schoolsabroad@middlebury.edu Please note: Information in this handbook is subject to change. Copyright 2016 by Middlebury College. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photographic or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Middlebury College. TABLE OF CONTENTS LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR................................................................................................................... 6 PRE-DEPARTURE INFORMATION ............................................................................................................... 7 Approximate Program Costs ........................................................................................................................... 7 Expenses .......................................................................................................................................................... 7 Student Visas.................................................................................................................................................... 7 Customs ........................................................................................................................................................... 8 Registering with the U.S. Department of State ............................................................................................... 8 International Students ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Travel to Germany ........................................................................................................................................... 9 TSA Regulations ..........................................................................................................................................9 Airline Luggage Regulations ........................................................................................................................9 Comfort in Flights .................................................................................................................................... 10 Immunizations .............................................................................................................................................. 10 List of Things to Pack: .................................................................................................................................. 10 General Packing Suggestions ........................................................................................................................ 10 Clothing .................................................................................................................................................... 10 Bed and Bath Linens ................................................................................................................................ 11 Toiletries ................................................................................................................................................... 11 Prescriptions ............................................................................................................................................. 11 Electrical Appliances ................................................................................................................................ 11 Computers ................................................................................................................................................ 11 Gifts .......................................................................................................................................................... 12 Moodle-Registration ..................................................................................................................................... 12 ARRIVAL IN GERMANY .............................................................................................................................. 12 Immigration .................................................................................................................................................. 12 Upon Arrival ................................................................................................................................................. 12 How to Get to Mainz from the Frankfurt Airport (FRA) ........................................................................... 13 How to Get to Downtown Berlin from the Berlin-Tegel Airport (TXL) .................................................... 14 Temporary Accommodation ........................................................................................................................ 14 Orientation .................................................................................................................................................... 15 Berlin, Wellesley Students:........................................................................................................................ 15 ACADEMIC AND ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS .......................................................................................... 15 Program Sites ................................................................................................................................................ 15 Berlin ........................................................................................................................................................ 15 Mainz ........................................................................................................................................................ 15 Middlebury School in Germany Page 1 Credit............................................................................................................................................................. 16 All Undergraduates ................................................................................................................................... 16 Middlebury Undergraduates ..................................................................................................................... 16 Students from Other Colleges and Universities ....................................................................................... 16 Transcripts ................................................................................................................................................ 16 Program Philosophy, Mission Statement, Learning Goals ......................................................................... 16 Program Philosophy ................................................................................................................................. 16 Mission Statement and Learning Goals ................................................................................................... 17 Mission Statement .................................................................................................................................... 17 Learning Goal No1: Improvement of Language Skills ........................................................................... 17 Learning Goal No 2: Intercultural Communicative Competence ........................................................... 19 University Courses ........................................................................................................................................ 21 A) Hauptseminar – Seminar or Course / Module on the Advanced (Graduate) Level .......................... 21 B) Proseminar – Seminar or Course / Module on the Basic Level ......................................................... 21 C) Übung / Übungs-Module, all levels .................................................................................................... 21 D) Vorlesung ............................................................................................................................................ 22 PROGRAM POLICIES ................................................................................................................................... 22 Language Pledge ........................................................................................................................................... 22 Plagiarism ...................................................................................................................................................... 22 Attendance .................................................................................................................................................... 23 Tardiness ....................................................................................................................................................... 23 Deadlines and Extension Policies ................................................................................................................. 23 Exams............................................................................................................................................................ 24 Research Papers ............................................................................................................................................ 24 ABCs of Paper Writing and the Writing Workshop Platform ................................................................. 24 Navigating the German Academic World .................................................................................................... 24 Unspoken Expectations and Practical Suggestions .................................................................................. 24 Etiquette ........................................................................................................................................................ 26 Punctuality ................................................................................................................................................ 26 Course Materials ....................................................................................................................................... 27 Conduct in Class ....................................................................................................................................... 27 In-class Discussion ................................................................................................................................... 27 Criticism and Praise .................................................................................................................................. 27 Attendance--Missing class due to sickness ............................................................................................... 27 Drop Policies ................................................................................................................................................ 28 Dance, Music, and Studio Art Courses......................................................................................................... 28 Course Listings.............................................................................................................................................. 28 Middlebury School in Germany Page 2 FAQs Concerning Mainstream-Course Selection ........................................................................................ 29 Do I have to take three Proseminare per semester?.................................................................................... 29 Do I have to write three research papers per semester? .......................................................................... 29 When do I have to make the final decision about which classes I am going to take? ............................. 29 How does choosing classes work? ........................................................................................................... 30 FAQs Class Work and Absences .................................................................................................................. 30 How do I find a paper topic if the professor doesn’t hand out any lists? ............................................... 30 How many times do I have to meet with a professor? ............................................................................ 30 Why do classes scheduled to start on the hour start 15 min. late and end 15 min. early? ....................... 30 Can I get help with writing my paper? ..................................................................................................... 30 INDIVIDUAL WRTING-AND-COMPOSITION WORKSHOPS ....................................................................... 30 Guidelines ..................................................................................................................................................... 31 Purpose ..................................................................................................................................................... 31 Attendance................................................................................................................................................ 31 CULTURAL LEARNING INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM ........................................................... 31 Effective Immersion and Intercultural Learning .......................................................................................... 31 Documenting your Learning Progress: Your IDI- Profile ........................................................................... 31 Reaping the Benefits of Effective Immersion .............................................................................................. 32 Only Active Immersion can Become Effective Immersion .................................................................... 32 How to Turn your Experience into Insights ............................................................................................ 32 Culture, Competence and Composition: The Culture Portfolio of the School in Germany ....................... 32 Internships .................................................................................................................................................... 34 Internships for Credit ............................................................................................................................... 34 Getting Started ......................................................................................................................................... 34 Our Responsibilities: ................................................................................................................................ 35 Your Responsibilities: ............................................................................................................................... 35 Previous, current, and future internship providers: ................................................................................. 35 Cultural Activities.......................................................................................................................................... 36 LIVING IN GERMANY ................................................................................................................................. 36 Housing ......................................................................................................................................................... 36 Mainz ........................................................................................................................................................ 37 Berlin ........................................................................................................................................................ 37 Finding Your Own Housing in Germany ................................................................................................ 37 Meeting Germans.......................................................................................................................................... 38 Character of the City ..................................................................................................................................... 38 Meals ............................................................................................................................................................. 38 Travel/Ticket Agents ............................................................................................................................... 39 Middlebury School in Germany Page 3 Working in Germany .................................................................................................................................... 39 HEALTH AND SAFETY ............................................................................................................................... 40 Sexual Harassment and Assault .................................................................................................................... 40 Health ............................................................................................................................................................ 41 Drugs............................................................................................................................................................. 41 Psychological Health and Counseling ........................................................................................................... 42 Student Safety ............................................................................................................................................... 42 Medical and Accident Insurance ................................................................................................................... 42 ON-SITE MONEY MATTERS ..................................................................................................................... 43 Currency Exchange ....................................................................................................................................... 43 Money and Banking ...................................................................................................................................... 43 Emergency Cash ........................................................................................................................................... 43 Credit and Debit Cards ................................................................................................................................. 44 COMMUNICATION WITH HOME & FRIENDS ........................................................................................... 44 Communication and Immersion ................................................................................................................... 44 Mail................................................................................................................................................................ 44 Internet and E-mail ....................................................................................................................................... 44 Language Pledge ........................................................................................................................................... 45 Phones........................................................................................................................................................... 45 Skype ............................................................................................................................................................. 45 Fax/Xerox..................................................................................................................................................... 45 Semester printing account and Studicard in Mainz .................................................................................. 45 Semester printing account and Mensacard in Berlin ................................................................................ 46 LOCAL INFORMATION ........................................................................................................................ 46 Mainz............................................................................................................................................................. 46 Emergency Services .................................................................................................................................. 46 U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt ............................................................................................................ 46 Temporary Accommodations .................................................................................................................. 46 Hospitals and Medical Services ................................................................................................................ 47 Drugstores and All-Night Pharmacies ..................................................................................................... 47 Public Transportation ............................................................................................................................... 47 Eating Establishments .............................................................................................................................. 47 Libraries .................................................................................................................................................... 48 Bookstores ................................................................................................................................................ 48 Movie Theaters ......................................................................................................................................... 48 Department Stores ................................................................................................................................... 48 Markets and Supermarkets ....................................................................................................................... 48 Middlebury School in Germany Page 4 Berlin ............................................................................................................................................................. 48 Emergency Services .................................................................................................................................. 48 Embassy of the United States Berlin ........................................................................................................ 49 Temporary Accommodations .................................................................................................................. 49 Public Transportation ............................................................................................................................... 49 Eating Establishments .............................................................................................................................. 50 Libraries .................................................................................................................................................... 50 Bookstores ................................................................................................................................................ 50 Movie Theaters ......................................................................................................................................... 50 Department Stores ................................................................................................................................... 50 GRADE CONVERSION SCALE ..................................................................................................................... 50 ACADEMIC CALENDAR ....................................................................................................................... 51 Academic Calendar ....................................................................................................................................... 51 Arrival Periods .......................................................................................................................................... 51 Weekends and Holidays ........................................................................................................................... 51 Departure from Germany ........................................................................................................................ 51 Middlebury School in Germany Page 5 LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR Dear Students, Congratulations on your decision to study at Johannes Gutenberg Universität in Mainz or Freie Universität in Berlin. I would like to personally welcome you and invite you to make the most of your time abroad. Immersing yourself in a different culture is an exciting adventure that can be challenging at times. Try to maintain the inquisitive spirit of the explorer you've already demonstrated by signing up for study abroad. A new world awaits and welcomes you, but you should inform yourself about what to expect. This handbook is designed to answer most of your important questions before departure. Please also consult the website of the School in Germany. http://www.middlebury.edu/study-abroad/germany Once you're here, the success of your stay depends mostly on your own initiative. Not knowing initially how everything works shouldn't hold you back. After all, going abroad is not about “knowing” but about “finding out”! If you're ready to make your stay an experience you'll cherish for the rest of your life, I'm more than willing to assist. This handbook is a companion piece meant to be read and used in conjunction with the Schools Abroad General Handbook. Please make sure you completely understand the information provided and bring them both with you in your carry-on luggage when you come to Germany for future reference. Welcome to Mainz and Berlin - I look forward to meeting you! Heike Fahrenberg, Ph.D. Director and Associate Professor Middlebury School in Germany Middlebury School in Germany Page 6 PRE-DEPARTURE INFORMATION Approximate Program Costs The following is an estimate of program costs for full and half-year students as of February 2016. Please remember that Middlebury College only bills you for the tuition portion and housing (if pre-arranged through Middlebury) and the $1,500 per semester study abroad fee (for Middlebury College students only); the remaining expenses will be out-of-pocket. Figures may vary depending on individual lifestyles and situations. Please note that the "Personal" figure covers some basic necessities (local transportation, cell phone, bank fees, program-sponsored excursions, etc.) and does not, and is not intended to include students' discretionary spending (e.g. entertainment, fitness, and travel). For financial aid budgeting purposes, the exchange rate is 1€ = $1.05. Berlin students who arrange dorm housing through Middlebury will be billed for the reservation fee only (500€ as of February 2016). This reservation fee minus 50€ will be applied to the rent once students sign their rental contract in Berlin. Year-long students may be required to pay this 50€ fee twice. Most dorms ask students to pay the first month's rent plus a down payment (one month’s rent + 10€) in cash when signing the rental contract. These students should be aware that the remaining rent will have to be paid by them via bank account transfer. Mainz students who arrange dorm housing through Middlebury will be billed for their rent on their Bannerweb student accounts once per semester. Fluctuating exchange rates make advanced planning of costs challenging. We advise that you overestimate your costs to accommodate these fluctuations. http://www.middlebury.edu/study-abroad/germany/fees *Tuition includes orientation, academic fees, health insurance and one group trip per semester. Tuition does not include housing or food. Students in Germany are responsible for paying for their own meals and personal expenses. Expenses Keep in mind that the amount of money you spend ultimately depends on the lifestyle you choose. The figures above do not account for nights out or restaurant meals taken every day. Remember to budget extra if you are planning to travel before or after your program. Plane or train travel may seem relatively inexpensive, but travel costs still add up quickly. If you are a big spender in the U.S., bringing more money would be a good idea. If you plan on regularly sampling the nightlife of your city, you should remember that this adds to your expenses, and also budget extra money for taxis. Student Visas Citizens of the U.S., Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, as well as EU citizens do not need to apply for a student visa to enter Germany. They may automatically apply for their permit of stay (Aufenthaltsgenehmigung) upon arrival in Germany without a visa. However, students with other passports will be required to apply for a student visa at a German Consulate in the U.S. prior to departure. While entry into Germany may be possible on a tourist visa, visas cannot be converted from a tourist to a student visa once in Germany. Unless exempted above, students cannot apply for a residence permit without a student Middlebury School in Germany Page 7 visa, and therefore cannot be enrolled at a German university. Please note that German authorities will require you to leave and return to your home country for proper documentation before readmission. In Mainz, the director of the School in Germany will help you complete the paperwork for a permit of stay (Aufenthaltsgenehmigung) during orientation. You are required to bring your passport to the first orientation meeting. In Berlin, the program assistant and tutors will help you complete the paperwork for a permit of stay (Aufenthaltsgenehmigung) and enrollment with FU before the beginning of Orientation. Getting the permit of stay may entail handing in your passport to German officials for a couple of weeks. Therefore you should plan to not leave Germany for the first two months after the beginning of the program to ensure that you will receive your permit of stay in due time. Customs If you plan to bring any new, non-U.S.-made articles of value, such as cameras, MP3 players, computers, bicycles, or jewelry that are less than six months old, you should register them with U.S. Customs and Border Protection before departure (CBP Form 4457). Alternatively, you can carry your original sales receipts to prove that you purchased them in the U.S. This avoids your having to pay a duty upon your return. Customs regulations vary from country to country; there are usually limitations on liquor, cigarettes, and other goods. To register your items, download and complete the form available online at http://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/CBP%20Form%204457_0.pdf and present it with your items to a Customs and Border Patrol Officer at an international airport. Registering with the U.S. Department of State All U.S. citizens are required to register themselves with the U.S. Embassy in Germany before departure from the U.S. In the event of an international, political, or family emergency, or in the event that a passport is lost or stolen, the U.S. Embassy will be much better able to assist registered citizens. Please visit the Department of State’s website and follow the links to register: https://step.state.gov/STEP/Pages/Common/Citizenship.aspx Registration is fast and costs nothing. Please print the confirmation page after you have registered; leave one copy at home and take one with you. Students of other nationalities should check to see if it is possible to register with their own embassy in Germany. International Students The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) require re-entry documents for some foreign nationals. If you are living in the U.S. but are a citizen of another country, check with the USCIS to determine the regulations that apply to you and be sure to obtain all necessary re-entry documents before you leave the United States. Middlebury School in Germany Page 8 Travel to Germany TSA Regulations The Transportation Security Administration regulates what items may be carried aboard aircrafts and these regulations are subject to change. Therefore, you should consult their website closer to your date of departure: https://www.tsa.gov/travel Possessing certain items while going through security may result in fines of $250 - $1,500 or, in the case of firearms, may be considered a criminal offense. Airline Luggage Regulations You should contact your airline to confirm exact luggage allowances. We strongly suggest you stick to these guidelines, or be prepared to pay excess baggage fees, which can be quite expensive. We also suggest that you consider insuring your luggage through a comprehensive travel insurance policy. Some travel insurance is included under the HTH Worldwide policy. Furthermore, it is possible that you may be covered under a policy held by your parents, so investigate this prior to departure. Travel insurance options can be researched at: http://www.insuremytrip.com. You are responsible for your own travel arrangements. We recommend using a student travel agency for flexibility and the best rates. Some agencies to investigate, among others, are: STA Travel: http://b2b.statravel.com/middleburyabroad.html StudentUniverse: http://www.studentuniverse.com Travel CUTS: http://www.travelcuts.com Arrival: Please consult the School in Germany calendar on the School’s webpage before purchasing any tickets and plan to arrive during the Arrival Period, unless you are searching for housing. Once you have your travel itinerary, please e-mail it to the director. If you do so early enough, we can arrange for an assistant or tutor to pick you up at the airport (Berlin) or train station (Mainz). Please ignore any emails from your host university with different arrival dates--follow the School in Germany calendar. Make sure you do not arrive at night, on a weekend, or on any national holiday. You will find it impossible to find a place to stay or move into any pre-arranged accommodation if you do so. If you have pre-arranged your housing, we strongly recommend that you arrive in your host city during the suggested “Arrival Period” on each site's calendar. PLAN TO ARRIVE EARLY IN THE MORNING. Nobody will be on duty on weekends or German holidays. Dormitory staff (holders of the room keys) will not be on duty around the clock and probably won't be in their offices on Friday afternoons either. University housing offices are only open on weekday mornings. If you are arranging your own housing, you should plan to arrive at least one month prior to the first orientation meeting. Make good use of your time to become familiar with and adjust to your new surroundings, to arrange for cell phone and email service and shop for food and supplies. If you decided to stay in a dorm, the assistant or tutor who picks you upake, will have your keys and you to your dorm. A program assistant or tutor will help you in the first days with food shopping, buying a cell phone and all bureaucratic affairs (stay permit, residence registration, trip to the health insurance agency, signing the rental contract, etc.). Departure: Since you will need to hand in your research papers, clean your room, and make an appointment with the dormitory staff to get your room checked before your departure, it is especially important that you plan your return to the United States or travel to another destination after the date of the last day of the semester. Exam dates will not be changed to accommodate students’ travel plans. No exceptions will be made, so please do not ask. Middlebury School in Germany Page 9 Comfort in Flights The following recommendations should help you during the flight and may ease the effects of jet lag when you arrive at your destination: Wear loose-fitting clothes while in flight, as well as shoes that can be removed easily. Replenish fluids frequently. Avoid alcoholic beverages, which are dehydrating. Too much coffee or tea can also cause dehydration. Contact lens wearers should remove them or use saline solution every few hours. Those with sensitive skin should carry moisturizing cream. Take a walk around the cabin when the seat belt sign is off. Immunizations Although no agency requires proof of any immunizations for travel to Germany, experts recommend that travelers take certain precautions. You should ask your doctor for advice regarding inoculations. We suggest you inquire as to the advisability of tetanus and flu inoculations, as well as immunoglobulin injections for hepatitis A and/or B. You may also check the most recent CDC recommendations at: www.cdc.gov/travel/. Some immunizations require waiting periods in excess of six months between doses and others cause brief discomfort, so, if you decide to be inoculated, we suggest you plan ahead; do not wait until only a month before you depart. List of Things to Pack: General Handbook for the Middlebury Schools Abroad: School in Germany Handbook CD-Rom College-Level Dictionary German-English-German CD-Rom College-Level Dictionary German-German (DaF) Airline ticket/electronic ticket information [+ 1 copy] Proof of Insurance from HTH Worldwide [insurance card + letter] Debit/Credit cards Certified copy of original birth certificate or Driver’s License [in case your passport is lost/stolen] Medications in original containers and copies of prescriptions International Student Identity Card (optional): http://www.isic.org/ General Packing Suggestions As you pack for the flight over, keep in mind that when you travel, you will be carrying your luggage by yourself, sometimes over great distances or on crowded trains. This means travel light. We cannot emphasize this strongly enough. Choose each item carefully and avoid duplication. Take things that are easy to manage and avoid over-packing. One rule of thumb is to pack your bags and carry them around the block three times; then re-pack. Most American products are sold in Germany, but you may find they are more expensive. Consider buying European products. If you cannot do without certain items or if you are not willing to experiment with European products, take along a sufficient supply. Clothing As the recent years have shown, winter in Mainz and Berlin may become quite severe: it is damp and has a penetrating chill, so you should bring warm clothing, including a heavy winter coat or a down jacket. Remember that German clothes are often expensive and sometimes require dry cleaning, so be sure to bring with you whatever you think you will need. Middlebury School in Germany Page 10 Bed and Bath Linens We do not recommend that you bring sheets, blankets, or pillows with you. They are heavy and take up too much space in your luggage (and you may find that sheets from home do not fit your bed properly). These items are also costly to ship in advance. Therefore, we suggest that you purchase them once you arrive in Germany; there are reasonable discount stores in both cities. You may want to consider bringing a towel with you, which should suffice until you are able to purchase more. Toiletries Toiletries, though readily available, may be more expensive throughout most of Germany than in the U.S. If you are particular about brands, you may want to pack an appropriate supply of the articles you regularly use. However, there are convenient discount stores like ‘dm’ and ‘Rossmann’, where you can find toiletries at reasonable prices. Prescriptions If you are taking any prescription medications, you should bring a full supply for the semester/year with you in your carry-on luggage and bring copies of all the appropriate prescriptions with you. Mailing medicines across borders is extremely difficult, time consuming and expensive, due to international drug trafficking laws, and we do not recommend it. Prescription medicines should be left in the original containers. You should carry a letter from your doctor, to avoid questioning. Please also note that in the event that a prescription must be replaced in Germany, you should have the generic name of your medication on the prescription, in addition to the American brand name. If you are under a doctor’s care for a specific condition, you may want to bring a copy of your medical history with you or sign a release form with your doctor in case your medical history needs to be sent to a doctor in Germany. Please note that medication in Germany, including Aspirin and cold medicine, is available only in pharmacies. Electrical Appliances The electrical current in Europe is 220 volts rather than the 110 found in the United States. You should make sure that any appliance you bring is 110/220. Transformers and adapter plugs (also for computers and modems) are available in Germany, but it is best to buy them in the U.S. before you leave. American transformers, for example, are lighter and cost less (approx. $15). However, some American transformers will not fit German outlets, as German outlets tend to be recessed (not flush to the wall surface like American outlets). Occasionally, even though a transformer is used, an appliance may not work properly. Because of this difficulty and because of their weight and bulk, you may want to leave most electrical appliances at home and buy those that you find absolutely necessary after you arrive in Germany. Computers You are expected to type your papers and should be advised that computer resources in Germany are more limited than in the U.S. Therefore bringing your own laptop is strongly recommended. In Mainz, you may use the computers and printers at the Zentrale für Datenverarbeitung. In Berlin you may use the computers in the Zentraleinrichtung für Datenverarbeitung (ZEDAT). In Mainz, you'll have wireless access on campus once you have enrolled with the university and have registered with the ZDV (approx. three weeks after your arrival). Up to this point, you can either use one of the internet cafés in the city or use free internet access provided by several cafés as the Extrablatt, ALEX, Starbucks, Kaffeemanufaktur Mainz (Betzelstraße) and Eiscafé Florenz in Mainz. In Berlin, you’ll have internet access once you’ve enrolled with FU, while countless cafès likewise offer free wireless connections. Middlebury School in Germany Page 11 If you do bring your own laptop, you should be aware of the risk of theft. Also, look at your power cord to determine whether it has dual voltage capability (110/220), if it does you will need an adapter but not a transformer. Gifts We suggest bringing small gifts for your future roommate. Something simple from your local area such as candy, pictures/postcards, baseball cap, t-shirt (medium size) etc. Choose a gift that has significance to you and is packable and light. Moodle-Registration In order to have access to all support materials, the Writing-and-Composition platform and the Culture Portfolio Course please register at: https://login.middlebury.edu/cas/login?service=http%3A%2F%2Fmoodle.middlebury.edu%2Flogin%2Findex.php You need to register with your Middlebury Email Account which you will receive two to three months before departure. Once you’ve provided all necessary information, you’ll receive an email confirmation of your registration and a notification that you now may log in on the Moodle Platform. You’ll have to join the following course-platforms: Writing and Composition Workshop School in Germany (major tutorial and communication platform for all students in the program) Culture, Competence, and Composition: The Culture Portfolio of the School in Germany (creditbearing course unit, mandatory part of academic and cultural program) You’ll receive the necessary passwords from the director shortly before your arrival. ARRIVAL IN GERMANY When purchasing your airline ticket to Germany, remember that you cannot be picked up or move into your dorm on a weekend or a German holiday and use Middlebury’s designated Arrival Period if you don’t need to arrive early to find housing. Once you know your itinerary, please email it to the director. The director will share it with the orientation assistants who will in turn contact you about arranging a pick-up at the airport (Berlin) or train station (Mainz). While it is not required that you be met upon your arrival in Germany, it is strongly recommended. The sooner you know your itinerary, the easier it will be to arrange a pick-up. Immigration Follow the crowd through passport control to the baggage claim area (Gepäckausgabe) (downstairs in all the Mainz terminals); get your bags and go through the customs exit with the green “Nothing-to-Declare” sign. Upon Arrival Call the director at (06131) 22.10.40 on the day of your arrival to let her know that you arrived safely. If you are being picked up by a tutor or program assistant, this person will notify the director in your place. Students are required to check in and/or inform the director of any delays in arrival. If you do not check in, the director will assume you have not yet arrived in Germany. Also make sure to notify your family at Middlebury School in Germany Page 12 home. If you do not check in within 48 hours after your announced arrival, we are obliged to assume that you are missing and will have to call the police. How to Get to Mainz from the Frankfurt Airport (FRA) • If you arrive in Terminal 2, follow the signs to the Sky Line. Take the Sky Line to Terminal 1. Once you are in Terminal 1, find the sign for the regional train station (Regionalbahnhof - NOT the Fernbahnhof), located below Terminal 1, one flight down. On the concourse level, go through the sliding doors to the automatic ticket machines and get a ticket (Einzelfahrschein) for Mainz Hbf, by pushing 6 + 5, then the adult fare button (identified by icons). The machine then shows the price for the ticket (appr. 4€) If the machine asks you to choose between über Frankfurt/Hbf or über Rüsselsheim, choose über Rüsselsheim. •If you don’t have any change or euros, there are banks in the arrival halls which will change dollars or break a euro bill for you. If the banks are closed, buy yourself a newspaper with a bill and get change that way. •Proceed to the platform level. All trains for Mainz leave on Track 3. Make sure you only board the S8 to Wiesbaden VIA MAINZ HAUPTBAHNHOF. Do not board any train going via Mainz-Kastel or you will end up on the ‘wrong’ side of the Rhine River. Under no circumstances should you board a train without a ticket. It could cost you €40 in fines. Do not get on an IC (Intercity) or EC (Eurocity) train: the tickets from the automats are not valid for them. Taking the S-8 is the safest way. The trip to Mainz takes about 30 minutes. The train will cross the Rhine, make one stop and then go through two tunnels, one short, one longer. Mainz Hbf (Hauptbahnhof) is the first stop after the two tunnels. Be careful: do not get off at any other station that has “Mainz” as part of a longer name (e.g. “Mainz-Gustavsburg” or “Mainz-Süd”). If the director of the School in Germany or an orientation assistant has been informed of your arrival date and has agreed to pick you up, give them a call from the airport as soon as you know which train you are taking to Mainz. S/he will come to the train-station and pick you up. If you have not made any arrangements with the director, you will need to pick up your key at the Studentenhaus: Put your bags in one of the coin-operated lockers (a Schließfach) at the train station. You will need euro coins for each locker you use. You don’t want to be carrying your baggage around the campus before you actually have your room key in hand. Plan your flight to arrive during the daytime. If you arrive so late that you can neither be picked up or move into your room by yourself, a reasonably priced hotel near the train station is Hotel Terminus, one-half block to the right (uphill) from the station. Have this Handbook handy for your arrival. Make sure you inform the assistant, so s/he can pick you up the next morning. Getting to your dorm If you have not arranged to be picked up by a program assistant or tutor, check online how to get to your dorm: www.mvg-mainz.de. (Type in the address of your dorm and you will receive information which bus to take from the main train station). Taxi from the Mainz Train Station A taxi from the Hauptbahnhof to the dorms will cost around €10-15, depending on the amount of luggage you have. Middlebury School in Germany Page 13 Housing Office If you have pre-arranged to live in a dorm but have failed to make arrangements for an assistant to pick you up, please go to the housing office on campus to pick up your room key. It is located in the Studentenhaus (‘Studihaus”) at Staudingerweg 2. It’s in the first of two clusters of buildings on your right, across from Inter I. Go to the Wohnraumverwaltung des Studentenwerks, located on the upper floor of the complex. Enter through Eingang C, go to the door marked Sekretariat der Wohnraumver -waltung. The office hours are: Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. There you will receive further instructions for getting into your dorm room. You may ask for Frau Gerold, but if she is not there, anyone else should be able to help you. How to Get to Downtown Berlin from the Berlin-Tegel Airport (TXL) Since Berlin is a rather large city and you will probably be jet-lagged, we strongly recommend that you make arrangements with the director of the program, so that an assistant will be able to pick you up and accompany you to your dorm or apartment. Berlin is currently served by two airports. Flights from the U.S. fly into Tegel. To figure out the easiest route to your new home, we suggest you visit the B.V.G. website (http://www.bvg.de/) before your arrival in Berlin. This website has a transportation calculator, called "Fahrplanauskunft". Just enter "Tegel airport", your final destination, day + time and it will tell which bus/subway/S-Bahn to take. It's a very convenient website that will also help you throughout your stay in Berlin. Note: the bus X9 takes you to the nearest S-Bahn station ("Jungfernheide"). From there you can easily move around with the S-Bahn. Tegel airport is quite small and in the shape of a ring, so you cannot get lost. When you get off the plane you’ll immediately spot the baggage claim area. Collect your bags and go through the customs exit with the "Nothing- to-Declare" sign. If you made arrangements to be picked up by one of the assistants, she/he will be waiting outside. Make sure you have the complete address of your room or the place where you will have to pick up your key if you’ve arranged for a dorm room. From the airport, you can take a bus or a cab into the city. By Cab Cabs leave from the inside of the ring. Take any of the exit doors across the hall from baggage claim and you’ll spot the taxis. You should carry at least €60 in cash if you’re planning to take a cab. You’ll find ATMs throughout the airport. By Bus Buses depart from the outside of the ring at Tegel. To get to the bus stop follow the exit signs that say "bus/BVG". BVG is short for Berliner Verkehrsgesellschaft - the transportation company in Berlin. Several buses leave for the city center every 5-10 minutes. Depending on where your dorm is you can take one the following buses: 109, 128, X9, TXL. Tickets can be purchased in the waiting area or from the bus driver. A one-way ticket (Zone AB is sufficient) costs €2,70, and an all day pass costs €7,00. Temporary Accommodation If you have not pre-arranged student dormitory room, you should make arrangements before you arrive in Germany to stay in temporary quarters until your search for permanent housing (apartment) is successful. It is not advisable to simply show up in Germany without some kind of housing already lined up. See our suggestions in the local resources section at the end of the handbook. Middlebury School in Germany Page 14 Please keep the director advised of your current address, no matter how temporary. Orientation The Middlebury-specific orientation period in Mainz and Berlin runs for approximately two to three weeks before classes begin. Participation is mandatory; do not plan to travel during this time. If you decide to arrange for your own accommodation, make sure that arrangements have been completed by the time orientation starts. During this time, you will, supported by native speakers, take the mandatory culture and language orientation course, do culture-projects, get familiar with your surroundings, apply for and receive your permit of stay, enroll (immatrikulieren) at the university, and receive an email account. You will also begin the process of selecting courses in consultation with the director of the School in Germany. Please note that registering for an email account at the local university is necessary in order to be able to use the on-line services of that specific university. You also should start looking around for activities you might want to engage in, clubs to join, places that might have the potential to become your favorite spots. Once classes begin, you won't have the same amount of time available to make yourself at home in the city of your choice--the earlier you start, the faster you'll feel settled. Orientation at both sites serves the purpose of making you familiar with your new surroundings, of giving you useful information on German methods of researching and writing papers and of doing oral reports for courses as well as on the culture you’ve come to study and explore. You’ll be introduced to your language tutors and will learn how the Writing Workshops and your Culture Portfolio work best to enhance your learning experience inside and outside the classroom, while intercultural training modules and specific language exercises will give you the perfect head start for your new life abroad. Please note that the orientation entails afternoon activities, so that it will take up most of your weekdays. Berlin, Wellesley Students: The Intensive Language and Culture Course includes Orientation Activities. For dates, check calendar at the School’s Website. ACADEMIC AND ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS Program Sites Berlin Students in Berlin enroll in courses at Freie Universität in a variety of subjects. Students typically enroll in three university courses and Culture, Competence and Composition: The Culture Portfolio of the School in Germany. Mainz Students in Mainz enroll at Johannes Gutenberg Universität. Students typically enroll in three university courses and Culture, Competence and Composition: The Culture Portfolio of the School in Germany. Middlebury School in Germany Page 15 Credit All Undergraduates Every student’s academic program must be approved by the director of the School in Germany. Four courses per term are required. One of the courses is the mandatory Culture Portfolio, a course called ‘Culture, Competence, and Composition: The Culture Portfolio of the School in Germany.’ While the Middlebury program in general encourages students to effectively immerse themselves in the host culture, this specific and mandatory course taught by director Heike Fahrenberg PhD and her assistant director, Barbara Wagner M.A., is designed to: help students turn their experience abroad into experiential learning provide a deeper understanding of both their own and the host culture increase students’ ability to negotiate cultural differences, i.e. increase their Intercultural Competence as defined by Michael Byram and as assessed by the test of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) developed by Michael Hammer. For two of the remaining courses, you must write papers of a minimum of eight pages. You may choose to take a written exam for the 4th course. Normally students are not permitted to alter their courseload (per the Schools Abroad General Handbook). Middlebury Undergraduates Middlebury College students receive five units of credit for the Wintersemester (fall), four units of credit for the Sommersemester (spring), and nine units of credit for the academic year. Where J-term equivalency credit is awarded, reduced course loads result in the loss of this credit. Students from Other Colleges and Universities Middlebury College considers a semester/academic year abroad equivalent to a semester/academic year in the U.S. Students who transfer their credits to other institutions typically receive 15-16 credit hours per semester or 20-25 quarter units per semester for 4 courses. Because your home institution determines the number of credits awarded for work abroad, you are urged to consult with your advisers well ahead of time. Transcripts All students can check their grades using their Middlebury ID and password on http://go.middlebury.edu/bannerweb a couple of days after they have been reported. Once a student’s transcript is complete, Middlebury forwards it automatically to the student’s home institution. For official copies for personal use, you can contact the Office of the Registrar. If you need to prove your academic standing before all grades have been reported, you can print unofficial copies directly from Bannerweb. Program Philosophy, Mission Statement, Learning Goals Program Philosophy Middlebury has designed overseas programs in which student independence and immersion in the local culture are primary goals. Language proficiency and integration into the local educational system are important stepping stones toward these goals. Middlebury School in Germany Page 16 In Germany, Middlebury offers programs in Mainz and Berlin that are designed to help you reap the benefit from the experience of living and studying in your city of choice, learning first-hand about the host culture while improving your skills in the target language. The program at both sites is dedicated to provide the opportunity for you to profit from a richness of experience and to achieve a level of maturity not easily available in the familiar surroundings of home. In order to support this process, the Middlebury School in Germany offers a blend of structure and independence in order to both encourage student independence and individual responsibility, as well as academic and social integration. As a result, the Director and staff abroad are always available for academic advising and general administrative matters. While we are responsible for helping students develop a deep understanding of the host culture, we’re also there to support your readiness to strike out on your own. Therefore, we’re ready to support you in your genuine efforts to make new discoveries about the host culture and yourself in dependence on your individual needs and preferences. Mission Statement and Learning Goals Mission Statement Like all of Middlebury's Schools Abroad, the School in Germany was designed to connect Middlebury to other places, countries, and cultures. Therefore, its program provides opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students striving to enhance their capacity for rigorous academc analysis and independent thought in the target language by directly enrolling in academic mainstream courses at either Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz or Freie Universität Berlin. Aside from encouraging the development of academic rigor, all elements of program design support students who want to improve their language skills and who are eager to obtain a deeper understanding of both their own cultural background and the host culture. Specific assignments as much as student-centered individualized support facilitate students' effective immersion to significantly and measurably increase their level of Intercultural Communicative Competence. Learning Goal No1: Improvement of Language Skills General Goal and Method 1. By o participating in writing workshops o keeping the language pledge o taking mainstream courses of academic content o actively immersing themselves in the host culture Students improve their language skills with regard to speaking, writing, and reading. Middlebury School in Germany Tasks Learning Outcomes Required: Expressive/Reflective/ Analytical Writing (Culture Portfolio) Optional: Creative Writing (Culture Portfolio) Required: Academic Writing ( research paper assignments, graded by university professors) Students improve their ability to handle German grammar. Students improve their ability to pick the adequate vocabulary and style depending on the sort of text they are asked or want to produce. Students improve their ability to use sentences, paragraphs, and chapters to create logical structure and coherence in their academic writing. Students improve their academic research methods and know how to pick the adequate materials for their in-class research projects. Page 17 Based on their research, students can conceive an answer to the question their paper topic entails. Students learn how to phrase a strong thesis statement. Students know how to use secondary material to prove that, from their point of view, and given the material they used, they came to a well-reasoned conclusion. Students' academic writing demonstrates that they are aware of other scholars' views but have developed their own independent point of view based on the research they did and based on the materials they used. Students learn how and when to use quotes or examples from secondary sources to support or illustrate their argument. Students' academic writing demonstrates that they have both the academic honesty and skill to master the mechanics of correctly citing the sources they used. 2. Speaking Speaking (oral reports or presentations in class. Optional: Interested students can engage in supported, selfdirected projects for pronunciation, oral presentation techniques , or interview projects that are documented in the portfolio Optional: Students may opt to join a language-tandem in order to improve their speaking skills). By keeping the Language Pledge, students perceptibly improve their ability to engage in German conversations inside and outside of the classroom. 3. Reading Reading (in-class assignments, study of secondary sources for paper assignments, course work in general. Optional: Self-directed reading projects or vocabulary projects are possible and can be Students improve their ability to read complex, abstract, academic texts. Middlebury School in Germany Students improve their familiarity with the specialist terminology they choose to acquire. Page 18 documented in the portfolio) 4. Listening Listening Comprehension (lectures, in-class activities, listening to radio, TV, German audiobooks . . .) Optional: self-directed exercises are possible and can be documented in the portfolio Students experience progress with regard to their ability to follow speech produced by native speakers inside and outside the classroom. Learning Goal No 2: Intercultural Communicative Competence Method Learning Outcome Students participate in regular, mainstream university-courses and engage in self-directed exploration of various elements of the host culture. Students increase their factual knowledge of various dimensions of 'culture' in general and the multiple layers and complexities of the host culture specifically. Which specific area(s) a student wants to explore outside of the classroom may depend on personal interests. With adequate support, students proactively seek the opportunity to interact with native speakers and to regularly engage with their new surroundings. Students improve their ability to communicate effectively in the target language with native speakers or people from a different cultural background from their own. Students are provided with the theoretical background necesssary to successfully engage in the analysis of culture and intercultural learning immersed in another culture. Students improve their ability to apply the terminology and method linked to cultural analysis, intercultural exploration and learning to their own experience abroad. Students are asked to complete specific writing tasks throughout the semester. Students document their own increasing ability to apply the terminology to their own experience, to reflect on their experience, and to put their observations and reflections into writing that adequately reflects their learning progress. Students are asked to keep an analytical notebook and to prepare monthly reviews of that notebook, while they receive weekly feedback from their culture-resource-person, who also does the monthly review with them. Students improve their ability to practice Close Observation and Thick Description. Rather than focusing on extraordinary events or adventures, students should focus on what they observed, felt, and thought while something happened, and why they thought and felt what they did while it was happening in their everyday lives abroad. They are encouraged to be as specific as possible and to provide concrete examples / descriptions for/of what they choose to write Middlebury School in Germany Page 19 about. Students are asked to respond to the feedback they receive. This feedback focuses on encouraging students to become aware of everybody's need to categorize the world and everybody's habit of attaching value judgments to the categories they created. Students increasingly replace superficial observation and judgment with self-reflection and analysis that, ideally, should accompany each piece of observation. Students are encouraged to repeatedly postpone judgment and re-engage in extended observation and communication. Students are asked to reflect on their own cultural point of view and understand that point of view as framing their judgment of whatever they exprience as 'strange' or different from themselves or their own culture. Students increasingly understand that the meaning and value of virtually everything is embedded in and defined by culture and develop their ability to apply this understanding to their own experience. When analyzing their observations, students ask themselves why they see things the way they see them, and which element in their own cultural background might be the cause for their seemingly spontaneous liking or disliking of certain elements of the host culture. Students are encouraged to perceive themselves from the point of view of a member of the host culture, so that they understand that cultural misunderstanding is always mutual. Students become increasingly aware that their own point of view and therefore their way of seeing things depends on their own cultural background. Students are encouraged to develop their ability to decentre and adopt another person's point of view: they can explain the meaning of their observations from more than one angle. Students are taught how to analyse critical incidents and how to solve cultural conflicts via intercultural (meta-) communication. When encountering a cultural conflict or critical incident, students are encouraged to ask themselves which expectation wasn't met. Rather than to immediately ascribe ill will or other negative characteristics to a member of the host culture who doesn't meet students' expectations, could the discrepancy be due to cultural difference? Students improve their ability to identify critical incidents as misunderstandings based on people's different cultural backgrounds, because they have learned to identify the symptoms of that kind of conflict. Students improve their ability to approach a native speaker and elicit information that leads to a deeper understanding of the host culture's customs and values. Students are asked to apply what they have learned Students reach a level of cultural understanding and from situations they've mastered to new, unknown competence that allows them to apply what they have situations or to conflicts between people from learned to the observation and reinterpretation of Middlebury School in Germany Page 20 cultures they do not know. phenomena they had not yet observed either in their own or their current/future host culture. Students are encouraged to increasingly apply their knowledge and skill to new circumstances and Students develop the kind of intercultural communicative intercultural situations in theory (tasks) and competence that enables them to initiate and maintain practice, as reflected in their analytical notebook. meaningful relationships with people from the host culture because they can recognize and respect cultural differences and value systems without necessarily embracing, adopting, or opposing and condemning elements of their own or the other culture. University Courses Please note that the requirements for Middlebury students may differ from the regular class requirements. The courses offered at Johannes Gutenberg–Universität and Freie Universität Berlin fall into the following categories: A) Hauptseminar – Seminar or Course / Module on the Advanced (Graduate) Level Normally taught in one two-hour session per week, the Hauptseminar, like its equivalents in the Bologna system, is the typical seminar for graduate students in Germany. Depending on the topics, in-class discussion, oral reports and short lectures might characterize the sessions. Students are expected to have read the texts before they come to class and also to have familiarized themselves with the time period with which they are dealing. Depending on the Fachbereich in which the Hauptseminar is taught, you are normally not expected to have taken a Proseminar on the same topic before you are allowed to take a Hauptseminar, but you should talk to the professor if you intend to take a Hauptseminar on a topic you’ve never studied before. You will write a paper of eight pages (minimum). If you are also required to give an oral report (20 minutes), you may develop the topic of this report into the paper, subject to the approval of the professor. The paper’s level of analysis should be fairly complex and demonstrate your familiarity with the primary source as well as your understanding of what has been written on the topic or in relation to the topic before. Therefore, the use of secondary material and primary sources is of utmost importance for building your argument. You should talk about the secondary material you selected with your professor at least once. B) Proseminar – Seminar or Course / Module on the Basic Level Especially designed for undergraduate students, but available to grads (see FAQs); the Proseminar serves as an introductory course into various fields and methods of scholarly work. You will write a paper of eight pages (minimum) or take a 90 minute written exam. If you should be obliged to give an oral report (20 min), you may develop the topic of this report into your paper, subject to the approval of the professor. You should make sure to ask your professor for guidelines applying to the Fachbereich where you take the Proseminar. C) Übung / Übungs-Module, all levels The Übung addresses specific interests and serves graduates and undergraduates alike. The level of in-class discussion mainly depends on the participants. German students tend to take this course type less seriously, because they don’t have to write a paper or take a written exam to gain credit for it. Please note: An eight page paper or 90 minute exam is required of School in Germany participants. You should also be aware that class discussion and the preparation of the assignments are to be taken just as seriously as in seminar courses, even if this course type normally asks for less preparatory work than the Proseminar. Middlebury School in Germany Page 21 D) Vorlesung The Vorlesung also serves graduates and undergraduates within the same session. This course type is supposed to provide students with background knowledge, but also may explore specific topics. While German students consider this to be the easiest course and do not earn credit for it since “all” they have to do is “listen” and take notes, listening and taking notes continuously for 45 minutes is a respectable achievement if you are not a native speaker of the language. For your convenience, the Middlebury School in Germany can provide you with audio recording devices to re-listen to the lectures at home and go over your notes again. If you would like to use an audio device please ask your tutor. Most “lectures” are taught in two one-hour sessions per week. If you are taking this type of course you should be prepared to have to check up on dates or facts in the library. To gain credit, you will take a written exam which covers a sensible chunk of the lecture but not all of it. In the Bologna System, students have to do exams for most lectures. Make sure you take note of whether there will be a central exam for the Vorlesung you want to take! If there isn’t, you should ask your Professor within the first week of class whether s/he is willing to create an individual exam for you or not. Please note: Due to the fact that different departments at both universities are in the process of implementing the Bologna System, you might find new course types listed along with the old course types. Do not worry about those different, and sometimes confusing, choices—pick the courses you are most interested in and present your list to the director for approval in any case. PROGRAM POLICIES Language Pledge To take fullest advantage of your time in the host country, you are required to maintain the spirit of the Middlebury Language Pledge to speak only the language you are studying. We expect no English to be used in the Schools’ offices or surroundings, except in emergency consultations with the Director and her staff. Please keep in mind that this Pledge plays a major role in the success of your study abroad experience, both as a symbol of commitment and as an essential part of the language learning process, as proven by the successes of our summer Language Schools. Speaking the host language to fellow students as well as to native speakers will help you to focus your energies on the acquisition of the language and to internalize the patterns of communication and the cultural perspective associated with the target language. That is why you are asked to agree to abide by the Language Pledge in the U.S. (electronically signed on your electronic application platform) and then again during orientation. Plagiarism Plagiarism is passing off another person’s work as one’s own. It is taking and presenting as one’s own the ideas, research, writings, creations, or inventions of another. It makes no difference whether the source is a student or a professional in some field. For example, in written work, whenever as much as a sentence or a key phrase is taken from the work of another without specific citation, the issue of plagiarism arises. Paraphrasing is the close restatement of another’s idea using approximately the language of the original. Paraphrasing without acknowledgement of authorship is also plagiarism and is as serious a violation as an unacknowledged quotation. The individual student is responsible for ensuring that his or her work does not involve plagiarism. Ignorance of the nature of plagiarism or of College rules may not be offered as mitigating circumstances. Students with uncertainties and questions on matters relating to footnoting and citation of sources should consult with the course instructor for whom they are preparing work. Graded assignments should be the work of the individual student, unless otherwise directed by the instructor. It is the student’s responsibility to seek clarification about such matters as paraphrasing lecture notes, giving proper citations and footnotes, and proper recognition of joint work on homework assignments and laboratory reports. A paper submitted to meet the requirements of a particular course is assumed to be work completed for that course; the same paper, or substantially similar papers, may not be used to meet the Middlebury School in Germany Page 22 requirements of two different courses, in the same or different terms, without the prior consent of each faculty member involved. Students incorporating similar material in more than one paper are required to confirm each professor’s expectations in advance. Should work you hand in for mainstream or in-house courses to your tutors and/or for grading be found to be plagiarized, Middlebury’s Academic Disciplinary Policies apply. Please review the policies contained in General Handbook for the Middlebury Schools Abroad: http://www.middlebury.edu/studyabroad/germany/handbooks Attendance Students are expected to attend each class session, writing workshops, field trip, internship/practicum session, and any other course- or program-related event. Attendance and class participation will influence their course grades. If a student expects to be absent from a course, s/he must notify the instructor and the Director in advance, preferably in writing. Regular or repeated absences without a medical excuse or similar extenuating circumstances may result in course warnings and will ultimately affect the final grade. When disruptive to the program, this can result in the student’s dismissal. Please note that missing a mainstream-course twice for reasons other than documented compelling conditions may result in dismissal from the course and an F as final grade. Early submission of course work is not an excuse to curtail class attendance or depart campus ahead of schedule for travel or other purposes. Travels and/or visits with parents, relatives, or friends do not constitute a valid excuse for not attending classes or handing in work late. Tardiness All students must make every effort to be on time for all scheduled meetings, writing workshops, and class sessions and should notify the appropriate persons by phone or written message of extenuating circumstances that result in tardiness. Deadlines and Extension Policies Unless specified differently, the deadline for all papers a student wants to submit for credit in a mainstream course is the last day of classes in each semester. Students must not negotiate individual deadlines with their Professors. Papers must be submitted to the director and on-site staff via email. Work handed in after the semester’s deadline will not be accepted and may lead to an F for the course in question. Middlebury undergraduates who receive two Fs during a semester abroad will be put on academic probation. Extensions are granted solely at the discretion of the director. Students who request extensions without documented compelling conditions, should be aware that their grade may be lowered by 15% per week. If an extension is granted for compelling conditions, the final grade will not be affected. Unless specified differently, extensions add three additional weeks after the last day of classes, while tutorial support ends two weeks after the last day of classes. Middlebury School in Germany Page 23 Exams Students are required to take all exams when and where they are designated. This means that students are required to sit for exams at the same time and place as students in the host country. Note that you cannot take a class if the exam is scheduled after the date you plan to depart from Germany. Please make sure you inquire about exam-schedules within the first three weeks of classes to make sure you can take a specific class for credit. If you should happen to take a course in which you are the only person who has to take a written exam in the end, you should suggest to the professor to send the examquestions to the director. You then make an appointment with your tutor, who will proctor the exam. You are entitled to use a German-English dictionary during exams. Please understand that a professor might not allow this dictionary to be stored on your laptop or be located on the web. Make sure you find out about your professor's preferences ahead of time. Research Papers Students are expected to write a minimum of two German research papers per term. (Exceptions may apply to students of natural sciences.) General rules concerning papers will be outlined during the on-site orientation and serve to define the standard of the School in Germany. All papers must comply with these rules. Specific rules concerning the form of the bibliography and footnotes might differ depending on the Fachbereich or the professor. Therefore, you should ask your professor for guidelines that apply to the Fachbereich where you take your courses. Each paper should reflect a complex analysis of the topic. The phrasing of a clear thesis statement that is supported by systematic presentation of evidence and a stringent, logical argument in the main body of the paper are basic requirements. The use of secondary material and primary sources is of utmost importance for building your argument. Professors usually help with selecting secondary material, so that you won’t be in danger of “drowning” in the mass of material usually available to students. ABCs of Paper Writing and the Writing Workshop Platform Once you have registered for Moodle and have joined the Writing Workshop Platform of the School in Germany, the ‘Hausarbeiten ABC’ detailing the process from making the first appointment with your professor to handing in the last draft will be available online for your convenience, amongst other useful resources that are meant to help you practice and enhance your writing skills. Indeed, the ‘Hausarbeiten ABC’ will become your main reference point because it gives detailed instructions on and support with meeting the writing requirements of the program. Navigating the German Academic World Unspoken Expectations and Practical Suggestions Professors may not express it, but they expect from students a fair amount of self-reliance, responsibility, and a willingness to learn things even though they might not be on the test or relevant to the topic of their paper. They furthermore expect students to ask questions whenever they feel they do not understand something. Professors can’t foresee which student might need which information at which point in time. Remember: they won't invite you to ask questions because they think it's a given that everybody who has a question will ask! Needless to say, you’re welcome to use that same technique with the staff of the School. When a professor hands out a reading list in class, students may ask how many of the listed works they should actually read. A typical response from a professor would be that it all depends on a variety of decisions that the professor will not make for you. You should ask yourself what you are interested in and how much Middlebury School in Germany Page 24 you want to know about the material. Look at a couple of the sources. You may not find each of them equally helpful. Make an informed decision on what to include or exclude based on what is most relevant for your paper topic or the exam you need to prepare. Afterwards, you can draft a list and then consult the professor so that s/he may approve of your choice. Learning how to make those decisions is an integral part of your educational experience because it is a skill you will need in order to work academically in nearly every field. Nobody expresses this expectation—it's a given in Germany. Likewise, nobody thinks it's necessary to let students know they should have prepared the material before it is discussed in class. It goes without saying. In a way, the professor, by sharing his/her expertise, only points out fields of possible interest or provides students with the basis from which they are expected to start exploring the field on their own. In that sense, professors teach methods and support the students' efforts, but, in order to do so, they expect students to demonstrate efforts they then support. A professor might provide a course-binder and store it in one of the libraries. S/he might keep you informed on the binder's content and assume you know that it is relevant to the course, but s/he might not tell you how much you should have read by which time. It goes without saying that if you're interested enough in the course, you are going to check out the binder, copy it, and familiarize yourself with its contents as soon as possible in order to be a well-informed participant during in-class discussions or to benefit from a lecture. Likewise, nobody will tell you that you are responsible for keeping track of your academic assignments , obligations and appointments. If you haven’t worked with a calendar or time-management system before, the time has come to do so, simply to keep yourself abreast of deadlines and appointments that might either not be mentioned or mentioned just once. Be prepared to write them down whenever they’re mentioned – you might not ever hear about them again before you will have missed them. Sending reminders isn’t a practice here, where everybody is expected to keep track of their own obligations. Possibly the most ancient style of teaching, “lecture” was supposed to provide students with the opportunity to listen to the unquestionable “expert” who would share his (!) knowledge with those striving to become experts themselves. Many people think that it is due to this tradition that course syllabi or schedules are not seen as a necessity. Students are supposed to 'follow' their teacher, who will lead them but won't necessarily tell them exactly where they are going. The traditional belief that one who “knows can teach” goes back to times where pedagogy had not been invented. If you were an expert you were by definition capable of giving your knowledge to future experts who would “learn” by listening to you. While this teaching style may seem outdated and ineffective to students used to more interactive formats, you should realize that students today make a different use of those lectures than the students of the past. Students today look at lectures as a “service” provided by the professor who shares his or her expertise without necessarily implying that his or her perspective on the matter is the only perspective acknowledged in the field. So students gather background information they can apply to their seminars or use as a point of departure for their own further exploration of their topics of interest. That is why lecture halls are stuffed, even though German students neither receive a grade nor a Schein for attending courses of this type. You can get an overview of German literature in the 18th century within 15 weeks—which helps you approach this immense body of literature from a more informed basis—what you make of the material freely delivered to you is your choice. The seminars, whether at the graduate or undergraduate level, are designed to provide an opportunity for inclass discussion. The skill professors look for is your ability to reflect upon the provided materials, or the material your own research provided, and to bring your knowledge to the classroom. You cannot acquire this “knowledge,” however, by memorizing the points of the authors you've read. The professor will want to see that you have engaged the material and have gained a certain distance from it. They want critical reflection and analysis, not a simple repetition of the authors' points. What is true for in-class discussion (integral part of Übungen and all seminar-types) also applies to the papers assigned in the seminars. The assignment or topic mostly consists of a question that your paper should Middlebury School in Germany Page 25 answer. While you are not expected to reinvent the wheel, and while it is very likely that other people with greater expertise than you have written on the same subject, you are still supposed to develop your own thesis (i.e., your own response to the question your analysis strives to answer). The secondary sources (i.e., all those articles or books dealing with points related to your topic) should only serve one purpose, namely, to help you phrase your own thoughts more clearly. They should help you to find out what you think and why you do so. And the “what” and “why” should be clearly reflected in your paper. Spontaneous and unreflective responses are uncalled for. As soon as you can prove that your response is based on an intense involvement with the material by reflecting this material in your paper, you succeed. The paper then is graded according to the level on which it reflects your skill to perform the following tasks: 1. Adequate selection of material (focused, balanced, sufficient) 2. Presentation of a thesis you can prove by your argument, based on the primary sources and supported by or defended against secondary sources. 3. Structuring of your points and supporting material in a logical, coherent way. Professors do not care about what you think unless you can show them on what your thoughts are based—and they should be based on the material you used in order to write your paper. Given the all-encompassing emphasis on “Selbstständigkeit,” professors hardly encourage students to participate and rarely feel responsible for a student's failure to do so. You may choose to not participate at all. This will necessarily affect the quality of your learning experience and might also affect your final grade. But since professors expect you to know the natural consequences of your decisions, they don't feel responsible for you choosing to do the ‘wrong’ thing. Nobody will point that out to you, but it's seen as a given that bad decisions will affect your academic career in a very negative way. Students who make the wrong decisions might fail or pass the course with the lowest grade possible, but they won't distinguish themselves within the educational system or the program. They won't have the same level of knowledge as actively involved students. The decision to which group of students you want to belong is yours. You will not be treated as an underage high-school student but as as a young adult who is fully responsible for his or her own academic success and the knowledge s/he acquires. While the responsibility for what you learn is yours, you are perfectly welcome to ask questions. Because you don't have as much time to prepare your papers as German students do, it's perfectly legitimate for you to explain your situation to your professors and ask them for support. Usually this is taken as a sign of your being interested in achieving a high grade because you show that you're willing to work for the course. Everybody knows that no one (native speaker or non-native speaker) can understand everything. However, no one understands why the person experiencing a problem doesn’t come forward and ask questions (maybe twice if necessary). So don’t wait for a formal invitation--just ask! Etiquette Punctuality Being on time is a must. Even if you see other students come in late, be aware that your professor's impression of your overall performance will be seriously affected if s/he repeatedly notes your being late. In general, being late in German culture might be interpreted as a sign of disrespect and an indication of lacking reliability. The idea of “around nine” or “nine-ish” doesn't really exist. If you have an appointment with a professor or a member of the program staff at 9.30 a.m., s/he wants to start talking with you at that time, not wait for you to arrive. Middlebury School in Germany Page 26 Course Materials If you receive handouts or other class materials, you're expected to read them and bring them to the next session even if nobody explicitly states that you should. Teachers will assume that you've read and understood the material unless you ask questions, but they might neither ask you to read the materials, nor necessarily invite you to ask questions. Likewise, nobody will tell you when to take notes; it is taken for granted that you can decide what's important for yourself. Most students take notes in every session in order to keep a course-journal. This is especially helpful when you take a course on which you'll be tested at the semester's end. Conduct in Class Even if you might see German students wearing baseball caps or hats of any kind in class it is generally considered impolite. It is acceptable to bring a bottle of water to class, but snacking is not. Students who put their feet on tables or chairs are considered to be impolite. While you might observe students talking to other students during class time, this behavior is not accepted and seen negatively. It can ruin your rapport with the Professor in no time. In-class Discussion In Germany, in-class discussion may encourage students to criticize each other or challenge the opinion expressed by the professor. Remember that discussions in German might strike you as much too direct and even impolite or outright aggressive. Keep in mind that politeness and respect and their expression are culturally specific. Therefore, your notion of what expresses “respect” might differ from the German notion, and your emotional reaction to what you think you just observed, namely people attacking each other ruthlessly, might not be completely based on what actually happened. We’d like to encourage you to not be irritated if people tell you that they do not agree with you. They are not being rude--they are being honest, and their statement is not meant to express their appreciation or depreciation of you as a person. You might observe how people “fight” over issues for an hour and then see them have lunch together as if nothing has happened. For them nothing has happened, because they only fought over the issue, not against each other. There is a German saying that illustrates this point: An Evening during Which Everybody Agreed on Everything is an Evening Lost. Criticism and Praise You will notice that German professors rarely, if ever, praise their students even when they are happy with their in-class comments. Though this partly depends on individual teaching styles, German teachers tend to concentrate on “mistakes” while they seem to take correct responses for granted. They want to focus on helping students improve—that is why they sometimes focus only on the areas that need improvement. Once you arrive on site, more detailed information on cultural specificities and techniques of how deal with them will be available for your convenience. to Attendance--Missing class due to sickness In general, a professor can deny you credit for a class if you miss it more than twice without a serious reason. You may be asked to show a doctor's confirmation in case you claim you missed your class due to sickness. This is the standard procedure and is not meant to question your integrity. If you do get seriously sick, go see a doctor and ask them for an ärztliche Bescheinigung -- they'll know what to do. The unspoken cultural understanding in Germany is that if you are sick enough to miss class, you are sick enough to see a doctor. If you’re not sick enough to see a doctor, you might as well go to class. Middlebury School in Germany Page 27 Please note that you won’t find real medication in drugstores – you need a prescription for everything that actually contains active substances in adequate concentrations. Your insurance covers you completely, so do not hesitate to see a doctor – and never hesitate to ask a member of the program staff to accompany you if you do not want to go alone. Drop Policies During the period of course-selection, students may take up to 10 or 12 courses. They can reduce this number to the normal course load of 3 mainstreams and the portfolio by dropping courses throughout the three initial weeks of each term, according to the specific Academic Calendar of the School attended and with the permission of the Director. Withdrawal from a course after the on-site registration period will result in an automatic grade of “F.” Dance, Music, and Studio Art Courses Students wishing to take dance, music, or studio art courses for academic credit in their major or minor should confirm through a letter from their major department chair that they have reached a level of performance sufficient to make semi-independent work in the foreign context both feasible and profitable and indicating how many contact hours would be sufficient to obtain one unit of credit (three semester hours). Fees incurred will normally be covered up to the number of contact hours required for one unit of credit. Every effort will be made to find facilities and on-site supervision to facilitate the student’s project. All such projects must be approved prior to students’ arrival on site. The Schools Abroad will not cover the costs of applied music instruction [lessons], since they will not receive academic credit, though some funds may be available from Middlebury’s Music Department (for Middlebury music majors only) to offset the actual costs. However, you should be made aware that the cost of such lessons abroad can be considerably more expensive than in the U.S. Course Listings Most departments publish a listing of courses a few weeks before the start of the semester, complete with descriptions and reading lists. German studies majors may take courses in German Literature or Linguistics, in Theater and Film studies, in German Anthropology (Volkskunde), Political Science, Comparative Literature, History, Music, Religion, Jewish Studies, Art History, Economics. All courses have to deal with an aspect related to German language, culture, or history to obtain German credit. http://www.fu-berlin.de/vv/fb (FU, Berlin) https://jogustine.unimainz.de/scripts/mgrqispi.dll?APPNAME=CampusNet&PRGNAME=EXTERNALPAGES&ARGUMEN TS=-N000000000000001,-N000000,-Awelcome (JoGu, Mainz). In order to make sure you can take a course for credit, it is of utmost importance that you speak to the professor after the first session. The professor must be willing to assess your work in the class through the grading of an eight page research paper or by giving you a written exam of 90 minutes, no matter what kind of course type s/he is teaching. This negotiation process will be discussed in further detail at the on-site orientation. The following courses were among those offered by various departments in recent years. While we cannot guarantee that each of these courses will be available to students on a regular basis, they serve as a representative sample of the kinds of offerings you may expect. Mainz Berlin Goethe and Music Epochs in World History Middlebury School in Germany Page 28 Detective Stories Comparative Politics History of the German Language Descriptive Linguistics German Economic History since W.W. II Concepts of Femininity in the History of Dance Everyday Life in Nazi Germany Schiller-Reception in Modern Drama Thomas Mann Cultural History of the Federal Republic of Germany History of Europe 1919-1941 Introduction to Opera and Dramaturgy Literary Modernism Classical Myths in German Drama Emigration in the 18th and 19th Centuries Introduction to the History of the Theater Aspects of German Youth Culture Niklas Luhmann's Systems Theory Asia-Pacific in International Politics Nietzsche and Art German Family Names Monetary Integration of the European Union Introduction to Intercultural Communication Second Language Acquisition 1950s Art of BRD Bundestag in BRD Max Beckmann Frederic II of Prussia Social Values/Norms German Novel after 1945 Hitler's Way to Power Photography and Architecture—A History Kafka's Novels Drama of the DDR History of German Film German Syntax – Descriptive Linguistics Deutscher Impressionismus Virtuelle Welten (in) der Literatur Architektur der 60ger Jahre in Deutschland Adorno: Ästhetische Theorie Musik in Berlin: 1933 – 1945 Kontrastive Linguistik Sexuelle Orientierung und Menschenrechte Deutscher Kolonialismus Die Demokratisierung der Bundesrepublik Skulptur des Mittelalters und der frühen Neuzeit Wiener Moderne Musik und Lyrik Alfred Döblin: Berlin Alexanderplatz FAQs Concerning Mainstream-Course Selection Do I have to take three Proseminare per semester? No. The actual combination of course types depends on the workload demanded in each class. This workload may vary depending on the topic the class deals with and especially on the reading assignments. Students will normally take one Vorlesung per semester and the remaining course load will be comprised of Proseminar and Übungen. Do I have to write three research papers per semester? No. The minimum requirement is two papers per term, i.e. if you take three mainstream courses total, you may complete up to one of those with a written exam and the other two with research papers. You can also choose to write three papers instead. Please note that exams you take with the rest of the course carry the highest risk for non-native speakers. When do I have to make the final decision about which classes I am going to take? You should attend each class twice. By the end of the third to fourth week of the semester your schedule should be set. Middlebury School in Germany Page 29 How does choosing classes work? You’ll meet individually with the director during orientation after having browsed through the catalogues and decided what classes might interest you. In your first advising session, you get to ask all the questions you might have concerning the classes you’ve picked. In the first two weeks of class, you have the chance to check out those (and other) classes to see whether this really is what you want. After you’ve seen everything you wanted, you will again have an opportunity to meet with the director and ask more questions, change, or finalize your decisions. At the end of the third week of classes, you will be required to make a final decision and then hand in a list of courses you plan to attend for registration purposes. After you’ve handed in the final course list, you cannot add or drop classes. FAQs Class Work and Absences How do I find a paper topic if the professor doesn’t hand out any lists? Just like German students, you should go and talk to the professor during office hours at the beginning of the semester. It is especially helpful to have some thoughts on what you would like to work on before you show up at your professor’s door. Please insist on getting your assignment early enough for you to finish your paper by the end of classes, i.e. in the 4/5th week of class at the latest. How many times do I have to meet with a professor? At least three times. First, when you talk to him/her about taking you into his/her class and asking whether you should do the paper or the exam; second, when you approach them about a paper topic; and third, when you go back with your paper outline and suggestions about the secondary material you want to include. Why do classes scheduled to start on the hour start 15 min. late and end 15 min. early? This is common in German university classes. The fact is that these 15 minutes (called the Akademische Viertelstunde) are highly useful to get or keep in touch with fellow students. Universities are too big to run into each other accidentally. So, if you want to look for German friends taking the same class with you, here is your chance to start. Can I get help with writing my paper? Yes, from your tutor, and only from your tutor. You will include a statement in your paper that states that you have received no assistance other than this person who helped you with the grammar of that paper — that’s all you need to do. (See General Handbook section on Plagiarism.) INDIVIDUAL WRTING-AND-COMPOSITION WORKSHOPS You will receive the support of BabelGuide. This BabelGuide can devote up to 3 hours per week to you. Depending on what works best for the individual student-BabelGuide team, the team usually meets for 1 hour each week, while the rest of the time they exchange drafts via the Writing Workshop Platform on Moodle. Individual arrangements in accordance with specific needs are possible, while the total number of three hours can only be extended for special reasons. If you think that special reasons apply, don’t hesitate to notify the director. For feedback and assessment, BabelGuides will be using a systematic marking guide and are instructed to help you answer those questions that cannot easily be answered by consulting a dictionary or grammar book. Please note that BabelGuide will point out mistakes and problems but they won't proofread papers or fix mistakes. Middlebury School in Germany Page 30 From the third week of class, weekly participation is mandatory and counts towards the grade for the Culture, Competence and Composition course. Undergraduate students may gain College Writing Credit in addition to Course Credit. Guidelines Purpose Our individualized writing and composition workshops serve to support students with systematically improving their general writing skills throughout the term. While workshops will provide systematic writing exercises at the beginning of the term, they’ll focus on the writing and rewriting of your paper-drafts as soon as possible. Please note that not even native speakers could write a research paper in a single week – so please do not assume you can do it in even less time. Attendance If you have to miss an appointment, please notify the BabelGuide at least a day in advance. Please note that sessions will not be rescheduled unless you missed them for serious reasons of confirmed sickness or an emergency situation. CULTURAL LEARNING INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM Effective Immersion and Intercultural Learning Since the program is designed to promote and support your effective immersion within the local culture, every co-curricular requirement or supported activity aims to increase your ability to reach a level of intercultural competence that allows you to create meaningful and stable relationships with people from the host culture. Without this ability, effective immersion is not possible. Therefore, every piece of the program’s design is meant to support you in increasing your awareness of your own culturally defined point of view, and in enhancing your respect for cultural differences and their ability to negotiate cultural differences on a daily basis inside and outside the classroom, i.e. the ability to acknowledge different value systems without necessarily embracing, adopting, or condemning elements of your own or the host culture’s. If you utilize every element of the program, you should be able, after some time in Germany, but also beyond the duration of the program, to apply what you have learned to the observation and reinterpretation of cultural differences or specificities you had not yet observed. Documenting your Learning Progress: Your IDI- Profile In order to document the development of your personal Intercultural Competence as objectively as possible and to fine-tune support of your cultural learning progress in accordance, you will take the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) during orientation and again shortly before the end of your stay. The IDI is an online test that will provide you with feedback on where you are on the continuum of the Intercultural Development Inventory at the beginning and the ending of your stay in Germany. Middlebury School in Germany Page 31 The personalized results of this test will only be shared with qualified administrators, who will provide your individual competence development plan and will also give you a feedback session after you have completed you and the intercultural personalized the test. While Middlebury will not share your individualized test results with anybody, you are of course free to use the profile you receive once you have completed the program to prove your level of Intercultural Competence to future employers abroad and at home. For more information on the IDI, go to http://www.idiinventory.com/. Reaping the Benefits of Effective Immersion Only Active Immersion can Become Effective Immersion The School in Germany supports students in taking full advantage of their experience abroad by facilitating learning experiences outside the classroom. Internships, volunteer work, and cultural activities provide you with opportunities to deepen your social immersion in German culture, enhance your language skills, and help you to gain a better understanding of present-day Germany. Last but not least, the program supports you in your effort to establish and maintain relationships with native speakers from the host culture in order to facilitate meaningful cultural immersion. Effective immersion is not a passive, but an active process – and the program will help you to engage in this process from day one. What you have to do, is to actively check what your host city has to offer, pick an activity that you would like to engage in, and get involved! Start right away to get in touch with native speakers who are interested in the same things you are. Time spent alone in your room, chatting with English speakers on the web or surfing English webpages is time wasted with regard to your successful immersion in the language and culture you came to study. Don't hesitate: if you plunge in right away and disregard shyness, hesitancy, and self-consciousness about your language skills, you will reap the benefits faster than you expected! How to Turn your Experience into Insights Since having an experience, whether pleasant or not, does not automatically lead to greater insight or a better relationship with people from the host culture, the School in Germany provides you with a tool that will allow you to reap as many benefits from your experience as possible: the Culture Portfolio. Through reflection, your experience will not only increase your cultural knowledge and enhance your intercultural communication skills, but will cause you to have a happier and more successful life inside and outside of the classroom: it will speed up your transformation from a stranger into a happy sojourner who is able to establish and maintain meaningful relationships with people from the host culture. Culture, Competence and Composition: The Culture Portfolio of the School in Germany While the Middlebury program in general encourages students to effectively immerse themselves in the host culture, this specific and mandatory course taught by director Heike Fahrenberg PhD and assistant director Barbara Bosch M.A., is designed to increase students’ ability to negotiate cultural differences, i.e. increase their Intercultural Competence as defined by Michael Byram and as assessed by the test of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) developed by Michael Hammer: Middlebury School in Germany Page 32 “Building Intercultural Competence involves increasing cultural self-awareness; deepening understanding of the experiences, values, perceptions, and behaviors of people from diverse cultural communities; and expanding the capability to shift cultural perspective and adapt behavior to bridge across cultural differences. (Hammer, 2009 a, 2010, 2011). (Hammer, 2012) Intercultural Communicative Competence entails the ability to ‘decenter and take the perspective of the listener’, in order to engage in successful communication ‘focused on establishing and maintaining relationships’ by demonstrating one‘s ‘willingness to relate.’” (Byram, 1997) To help you develop the skills it takes, to increase your intercultural communicative competences, this course will ask you to complete assignments engaging you with different aspects of inter/cultural learning: 1) Writing Task(s) require you to: familiarize yourself with the course materials provided in the reader and accurately use the specialized terminology provided to observe, interpret, and analyze both your own and the host culture. increase your ability to differentiate stereotypical thinking from cultural analysis, no matter whether you are looking at your own or at the host culture, and no matter whether you're analyzing your own or somebody else's statements / behaviors. increase your ability to critically reflect on your own ways of making sense of cultural difference practice your ability to build an argument based on your own experience and the reading materials so that you demonstrate your understanding of the specialized terminology and of your role within the process of analyzing your own and the host culture. 2) Essay requires you to: practice the 'wissenschaftliche Hausarbeit'-Format applying to all papers you write for credit (thesis-driven, well-argued with all points backed up by examples / quotes cited correctly. See Academic Writing Scale for rubrics defining the quality of academic writing). integrate what you have learned from studying the 'theory' of cultural analysis to your observations / experiences in country. practice accurate use of specialized terminology and an increasing ability to view your own observations, interpretations and evaluations from a self-reflective point of view. 3) Analytical Notebook asks you to note and retell experiences you have while living abroad and turn them into intercultural-learning opportunities by practicing Observation Interpretation and Evaluation in a systematic way and to work on increasing your level of critical self-reflection to enhance your understanding and awareness of your role in making sense of and in dealing with cultural difference 4) Participation in individual Culture-and-Coffee-sessions provide intercultural coaching and allow to increase and deepen intercultural dialogue on a personal level. 5) IDI-Test and feedback sessions provide us with a common framework within to interpret your level of Intercultural Competence and to develop strategies to help you get the most out of your experience abroad. Middlebury School in Germany Page 33 Internships In your second semester abroad, you have the opportunity to undertake an internship designed to enable you to achieve greater exposure to the host culture through participating in a work environment while enhancing and strengthening your language skills. This experience will also provide you with new knowledge and skills that can lead to greater career or graduate school opportunities in the future. Please understand that while we help you arrange an internship, you must earn your place in an internship. Getting an internship is a highly competitive process. Which internship might be available in a given semester depends on a market that operates beyond our control. Therefore, participants should understand that we cannot guarantee internships for anyone. They are subject to the agreement of the school abroad and the prospective employer. Placements depend on availability, your active involvement in the application process, your previous experience, qualifications, and your language ability. Based on your accomplishments in the first semester, the School reserves the right to not support your application in case there should be documented reasons suggesting that an internship would harm or hinder your academic performance in the second semester. To create the best chance for a successful internship match, we ask you to define at least two to three different fields of interest and to make sure your application materials can be sent to future providers in the last week of November. Please also review past internships in Berlin and Mainz, and please refrain from applying if you do not intend to follow through: http://www.middlebury.edu/study-abroad/germany/internships. If you agree to pursue an internship, you are expected to follow through with your commitment until the end of the semester, unless documented compelling conditions prevent you from doing so. Internships for Credit Undergraduates have the opportunity to undertake a graded and credit-bearing internship in their second semester. For a credit-bearing internship, you must commit to: Work for 18 hours per week at the internship for a minimum of three months Write a weekly journal entry of 250 words each (40% of the grade) Write a research-paper focused on a topic linked to the internship (eight pages minimum) (60% of the grade) Submit an evaluation of the internship at the end of the term Submit a one to two paragraph summary description of the internship in English Credit-bearing internships will receive a letter grade and will be supervised by local faculty or the director of the School. Students who withdraw from the internship after the drop period will earn an “F” and will be ineligible to enroll in another course. Getting Started As you can imagine, doing an internship in Germany during your stay in Middlebury School in Germany Page 34 Berlin or Mainz is a unique opportunity. In order to make your internship experience a success, please keep the following points in mind: Finding an internship takes time. The earlier we start to identify possible providers, the better. Therefore, we recommend starting to look for interesting companies and writing your CV during the first weeks of your stay, i.e. ~5-6 months before the start of the internship Make sure you have a wide range of interests in order to increase the number of possible internships within your reach. Be aware that your application defines the first impression you make. Therefore, preparing an original, sincere, and convincing application is key to attaining an internship position. Content, linguistic correctness and adequate form are equally important to start communications with your future employer the right way. Our Responsibilities: To support you from the start. To provide model CVs and cover letters To proofread your application materials To identify up to 3 providers of adequate internships To send your application to internship providers and help arrange your interview To help you prepare for the interview To consult with you and the internship provider after the interview. To support you throughout your internship to ensure the best experience possible for you and the provider Your Responsibilities: To search for providers and internhip opportunities and pass this information on to your internship coordinator To give us a list of of at least two to three areas that are of genuine interest to you To review our list of internships and think about whether you might want to apply for one of them. To draft application materials in a timely fasion and submit them so the final versions can be sent to future providers before the end of November To keep track of your appointments with internship-providers meticulously To understand that you’re acting as the representative and ambassador of the Middlebury program To act as a reliable and personable member of the team you are placed with To fulfill your obligations throughout the period of time agreed upon To keep the internship-coordinator informed and updated on the application process and your development throughout the internship Previous, current, and future internship providers: Mainz Rathaus, Mainzer Medienbüro Johannes Gutenberg Museum, Druckladen Atomic Research Reactor TRIGA Mainz Middlebury School in Germany Page 35 Gymnasium am Kurfürstlichen Schloss Mainz ZDF Mainz Campus TV Staatstheater Mainz Staatstheater Wiesbaden State Parliament Rhineland Palatinate LABOR (Internet Media Design) Berlin Berlin Art Gallery Berlin State Parliament Biochemistry Department, Freie Universität Literaturwerkstatt Berlin Landesbank Berlin DEFA-Stiftung Mare Verlag Der Wedding (local magazine) ArtPod Gallery American Academy, Berlin German Chamber of Commerce Deutscher Bundestag, Department for International Exchange Programs Research Internship at Political Studies Department, FU Berlin Cultural Activities Other options that facilitate your immersion include a Middlebury-sponsored group excursion to Weimar, sports, and guided and self-directed cultural and outdoor activities, including trips to German cities. The director is available to advise you on the wide range of possibilities Germany has to offer. There is a cultural reimbursement each semester for students who undertake German cultural activities. You will be asked to produce original receipts to receive a reimbursement. Please ask the Director in Germany for details. LIVING IN GERMANY Housing Most School in Germany students are placed in dormitories run by Studentenwerk Mainz and are billed prior to departure by Middlebury College (who in turn pays the rent) in 6-month increments, or in dormitories run by Studentenwerk Berlin. You should understand that dorms are not operated by the university. Students from other institutions of higher education and non-students may also live there. Applications for the dormitories are handled on a first–come, first–served basis. Typical dorm accommodations are single rooms with communal cooking facilities much like suites in U.S. colleges. Rent is set by the Studentenwerk. A number of factors, including size of the room and age of the building, determine the cost; hence rent varies from room to room. There are no refunds for missed or unused time. You are reminded to exercise normal caution with respect to your personal safety and personal property while living abroad. Middlebury School in Germany Page 36 Mainz Dorm rooms are equipped with a bed, desk, chair, closet, nightstand, refrigerator, sink, and shelves. The newly renovated dorms may also have en suite bathrooms with a shower and a toilet. All of them provide Internet access as well. Each dorm has lavatory facilities. You will need to furnish your own bed linens (pillow, blanket, sheets). Former students recommend that you bring or acquire slippers, towels, and small pots for cooking. Berlin If you would like a dorm room administered by the Studentenwerk Berlin, you should notify the director in Germany as soon as possible. She will contact their main office to reserve you a room. The Studentenwerk will house you based on availability whenever possible. For information about the rooms administered by the Studentenwerk Berlin, please visit: http://www.studentenwerk-berlin.de/. Please note: There is no way to choose a particular dorm or its location within Berlin. If we apply for a dorm room for you, you could be placed in any of their properties around the city. Once the request for a dorm reservation is confirmed by FUs dorm administration, the director will have to transfer a 500€ reservation fee. Middlebury will bill your for this amount. Should you keep your room, the dorm administration will apply this fee minus 50€ to the total of rent you’ll be paying for your stay. Should you cancel your reservation, the reservation fee will usually be retained. If there should be a retrievable sum, the director will reimburse you on site once the dorm administration has transferred the remaining amount back to the School in Germany. If you live in a dormitory run by the Studentenwerk Berlin, you can purchase a reasonable ‘Einsteigerpaket’ in every dorm-center: "Gut schlafen": 49,40 € (Bettdecke, Kopfkissen, Bettlaken, Bettbezüge) "Gut essen": 20,00 € (Teller, Schale, Trinkpott, Edelstahl-Besteck) Finding Your Own Housing in Germany More and more students in Berlin are choosing to find their own accommodation in single rooms or Wohngemeinschaft. If you choose to arrange your own housing, you should be prepared to pay from one to three months' rent in cash as down payment upon signing your contract. In order to maximize both linguistic and cultural immersion, no one is permitted to share accommodation with another English speaker. Please note that the School in Germany is not in a position to arrange for individual housing outside of the dorms prior to your arrival. If you wish to arrange alternative housing prior to your arrival, you must use avenues employed by German students, e.g., ads in local papers in Berlin and Mainz and the Wohnungsvermittlung of the Studentenwerk in Mainz, which provides information on private rooms. Please keep the director advised of your current address, no matter how temporary. She also must have your permanent address as soon as you are settled. If you choose to find your own accommodation, we advise you to find a place in Mainz or Berlin and not in cities nearby. If you live too far away you might encounter trouble using the public transportation system to get home at night, it will cost you more time to commute, and your time to simply enjoy German student life with your fellow students will be limited. Middlebury School in Germany Page 37 Meeting Germans Developing friendships with locals can add significantly to your learning experience in Germany. Besides language practice, you can also gain insight into the local culture and society. Middlebury encourages you to meet and talk to local citizens. Building friendships with students can be a rewarding and insightful experience, and the School in Germany strongly encourages you to pursue such relationships. One of the questions we are asked most frequently is how to go about meeting German students. You will need some courage and a good deal of initiative; results may not live up to your expectations, especially right away, but be patient. Those of your predecessors who have been successful in this respect would say that the best approach is to find a group activity that includes German people: playing sports, choral singing, cooking/wine tasting courses, volunteer work, internships, etc. Keep in mind the strategies you would use at home to meet people you are interested in knowing: you try to be where they are, you try to share an interest or an activity that will bring you into contact with them, and you get to know people who know them. It goes without saying, if you have one or two German-speaking acquaintances to start, it can only make things easier. Conversely, if you insist on speaking English, it will make interacting with locals more difficult. Character of the City Mainz is the state capital of Rheinland–Pfalz and with its long and varied history presents an attractive mixture of the urban and rural. Its location makes many parts of Germany easily accessible by train or plane. For general information on Mainz check www.mainz.de. Berlin is the old and new capital city of Germany. The city’s rapidly changing appearance reflects its history as well as its future. Visit www.berlin.de to get an impression! Meals cafeterias, a campus restaurant and In Mainz, dorms are located in walking distance/short bus ride of supermarkets which close either at 8 or 10 p.m. Each dorm has cooking facilities either in the students’ apartments or in a shared hall kitchen. If you prefer to eat out the campus provides many convenient dining options. The biggest one with the broadest variety of dishes is the mensa, which serves lunch only. Located in the same building is the mensaria, which is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and serves a small variety of warm dishes, salads and snacks. Meals range from €2-4. All over campus there are several Dönerbuden (Opening Hours may vary.) In Berlin, dorms are located in walking distance/short bus ride of supermarkets which close either at 8 10 p.m., or 12 a.m. The mensas of FU provide subsidized cafeteria-style meals at lunch time for students at the university. Meals range from €2-4. Each dorm has cooking facilities either in the students’ apartments or in a shared hall kitchen. There are no vending machines in the dorms. Middlebury School in Germany Page 38 Travel Two books, Let’s Go Germany or The Lonely Planet Guide to Germany, are very useful for information on low-budget lodging and meals, sights and places of interest, transportation, and helpful addresses, such as post offices, consulates, etc. Both are updated yearly and sold in the U.S. Many students on Middlebury’s program buy the Bahncard (current student cost for one year is €127). This Bahncard, issued by the Deutsche Bahn, makes it possible to buy all subsequent train tickets at half price (plus an extra fee for fast trains). Also there are special daily tickets for weekend travel only on all local trains throughout the country. In Mainz, the Studiticket (which is issued at Immatrikulation) is good for free train travel in many parts of Hessen and some parts of the RhinelandPalatinate. In Berlin, the Studiticket covers all three zones within the city of Berlin and Brandenburg. When leaving Mainz or Berlin overnight or longer, you must leave an itinerary and/or addresses and phone numbers where you can be reached with the office in Mainz. This information will be kept confidential and used only in cases of emergency or urgent messages from parents. Once you return, please send an email to the director, so everybody knows you’ve arrived safely. Please note that hitchhiking is strongly discouraged as a matter of College policy. It is also considered to be extremely unsafe by security officials and is often illegal. Buses and trains provide a low-cost, safe alternative. Travel/Ticket Agents There is a travel agent on campus at Johannes Gutenberg–Universität (www.statravel.de) and many in downtown Mainz that offer special student rates. Please note that missing class or Writing Workshops because of travelling is not acceptable. In order to facilitate your learning progress, you should focus on Germany and/or German speaking countries while you’re in the program. Needless to say, we do understand that Europe is irresistibly attractive and therefore would like to advise you to do your travelling in Europe either prior to or after the program. Please note that travelling in English-speaking groups while in the program is as unacceptable as is housing with native speakers of English, because it is just as counterproductive to your learning goals and necessarily results in the continuous and repetitive breaking of the language pledge. If you’d like assistance with planning your weekend-journeys to any German city of your choice, do not hesitate to let us know – we’re more than happy to assist you with exploring this small, diverse, fun country as extensively as you wish! And if you should be willing to do a culture-project as a part of your journey, there might be funds available to help you finance that specific trip. Working in Germany It is not always easy for Americans to find a job in Germany, whether professional, clerical, skilled, unskilled, full-time, or part-time, primarily because there are more job seekers than there are jobs. Furthermore, a foreigner may not work in Germany without a work permit and ordinarily a work permit is not issued by Middlebury School in Germany Page 39 the German government in any instance when a foreigner is seeking to fill a position for which German citizens are qualified and available. Nevertheless, students who want to work often find part-time or temporary jobs. The Arbeitsamt on campus posts such jobs. It is not advisable to rely on a probable job to help finance your stay. Please note that internships coordinated by the School in Germany are unpaid, while the hours you spend there count towards the total number of hours you’re allowed to work. While your legal status as a student in Germany may allow you to work up to 20 hours a week while classes are in session, it is not advisable to ever work more than 18 hours a week if you don’t want to compromise your academic success. HEALTH AND SAFETY As a foreign student, you should take the same precautions you would in any large city, anywhere in the world. During orientation, we will address the issue of security in greater depth. For safety reasons, you are expected to have a local number and keep your phone charged at all times. The cost of this has been accounted for in your estimated personal expenses. Middlebury has partnered with Global Rescue LLC to provide travelers with access to an intelligence platform (GRID) that ensures that you are well informed and prepared before and during your travels. This arrangement allows you access to Destination Reports which outline medical and security risks in your host country and other countries you may visit. Through GRID, you are also able to view alert notifications for events that are happening around the world. In addition, while abroad, you will automatically receive health, safety, and security reports based on your destination, along with expert analysis and advice. You will receive user log-in information and instructions directly from Global Rescue in order to access this resource. (This email is not junk. Please save it!) If you have access to a smartphone/mobile device while abroad, we strongly recommend that you also download the Global Rescue GRID application which is available at the Apple Store (iOS 5 and above), Google Play (Android 4.4 and above), and BlackBerry App World (10.2 and above). Through this application, you will be able to reach out directly to Global Rescue in an emergency situation via its in-app emergency call button as well as run Destination Reports, view event alerts, and "Check-In" if there is a crisis (or even a sketchy situation) in your host country, and you want to notify key staff members of your whereabouts. This "check-in" feature should not be used if you are in a real emergency situation, and need immediate assistance, unless you're asked to do this by your resident staff. In cases of emergency, please contact your resident staff or contacts that they will give you during orientation, and if that fails, then Global Rescue. For more information on Global Rescue, please visit www.globalrescue.com. Contact Global Rescue Operations Center 24 hours a day by calling:+1.617.459.4200 (collect calls accepted) or emailing operations@globalrescue.com. Sexual Harassment and Assault A recent study has shown that studying abroad may increase the risk of unwanted sexual contact. Our on-site staff is a primary resource for you to stay safe and can also direct you to local support resources. Many forms of harassment have been recognized as violations of the civil rights laws by the Federal Courts, by the U.S. Equal Employment Commission, by the State of Vermont, and by the U.S. Department of Education. Students and staff & faculty employed by the School Abroad are considered to be governed by the same code of conduct as if they were on the Vermont campus and should conduct themselves accordingly. We all must be aware that while in a different country, with different cultural and legal standards, it is possible that official and legal procedures might be different from U.S. procedures. Nevertheless, we will not tolerate sexual harassment and will always listen to you and support you in case you Middlebury School in Germany Page 40 think that you or a fellow student have experienced sexual harassment. We would like to strongly encourage you to contact the director immediately in order for her to arrange adequate support and protection as fast as possible. While we fully understand that nobody who experiences sexual harassment or sexual assault invited that kind of experience, we’d like to recommend a number of measures you can take to avoid making yourself an easy target: 1. Avoid drinking alcohol to the extent that makes it difficult for you to be fully aware of yourself and the people in your surroundings. 2. While there is no way to say what will provoke an attack, be aware that dressing conservatively may be the safe way to go. 3. If you think a situation is developing into a direction you don’t like, don’t be polite – just leave! 4. Do not wait around in lonely places for public transportation -- cabs aren’t that expensive and are definitely the better solution if it’s getting late! 5. If you happen to take the U-Bahn or bus late at night, stay in eye-sight of the driver. 6. Keep your cellphone charged. Emergency calls (Police, Medical Emergency) can be made even if you shouldn’t have any deposit left. 7. Make sure you always have enough credit on your cellphone to call program staff and/or the director. 8. If you think you or someone else was subjected to sexual harassment, please don’t be ashamed to ask for the director’s support immediately. 9. If you or someone you know have been the victim of sexual assault, we recommend notifying the director and going to a hospital immediately. 10. Please know that our only interest is to support you – so please never hesitate to allow us to provide that support, no matter what time of day! HEALTH Whenever you go to any foreign country, you are exposed to germs against which your body has not yet built up a resistance. You may, therefore, be more susceptible to illness than local people are. This is as true for Americans going abroad as it is for those coming to the United States. Bring enough medicines for your entire stay, as they may be difficult to acquire, and customs may prohibit shipping of medicines. Any medication that requires refrigeration should be brought to the attention of Middlebury prior to departure as special arrangements may be necessary. The School in Germany’s staff reserves the right to send any participant home who, in the judgment of the staff, is not mentally or physically fit to continue in the program. Accommodations can often be made for students with allergies. Please notify program staff of any allergies before committing to a program so that a discussion can begin regarding necessary accommodations. Drugs Different countries view use of narcotics in a variety of ways. In most countries, drug use for other than medicinal purposes is illegal, and the local authorities may take official action against anyone found using or possessing any kind of drugs. The use of drugs by foreigners in Germany may result in jail sentences and penalties. Use of recreational drugs while attending the School in Germany is strictly prohibited. Middlebury School in Germany Page 41 Psychological Health and Counseling Students should be very realistic about their abilities to function in a high-stress environment. Rather than disappearing in the new surroundings, conditions like depression and eating disorders are often exacerbated by a stay abroad. Psychological counseling services are available in Germany, but are not always available in English. Students with particular concerns in this area are encouraged to consult with International Programs at Middlebury College prior to departure. Student Safety While living abroad in new and exciting places, one may neglect to be as careful as one would usually be. Please keep in mind that while Mainz and Berlin certainly aren’t New York City, it is advisable to exercise precaution and be aware that both places aren’t small rural college towns either. Let your enthusiasm not blind you to dangers you’d be very well aware of if you went to New York City over the weekend. Here are a couple of points you should observe: - watch your belongings, be wary of your surroundings watch other people’s behavior around you Whenever you move about on your own or with others: - - make sure you have enough money with you to pay a cab keep your cellphone charged and supplied with enough minutes to make that decisive phonecall in case you or others may need help do not expose yourself to danger by being inattentive to your surroundings while students over 18 years of age may drink alcohol in Germany, they are expected to do so responsibly, which includes a glass of wine or beer with dinner, but excludes drinking to excess, engaging in drinking games or losing control over your mind and body. stay in sight of the driver when riding a bus. carry the contact card provided for you upon arrival with you at all times. During the orientation period, you’ll be completing a questionnaire asking you to collect information about how to get to the nearest doctor’s office, train-station, airport, and the like. Submit a copy to program staff but keep your copy in a place that is easily accessible should you ever have to make use of it. Medical and Accident Insurance Students studying at the Middlebury School in Germany are automatically enrolled in a study abroad health insurance plan for the duration of the program through HTH Worldwide. This coverage is mandatory and cannot be waived. You will receive an insurance card and proof of insurance letter (required for university registration in Germany) from HTH. The HTH insurance plan provides up to $100,000 medical coverage (accident/sickness) with zero deductible. There is also medical evacuation and repatriation coverage. Coverage begins on the first day of your program abroad and ends on the last, with the option to purchase additional months of coverage by contacting the insurance provider directly. Please log on to the HTH-Website, https://www.hthstudents.com/ print your proof of insurance letter and bring it to the appointment with a German health insurance agency. This agency will issue a letter for you that you have to hand to the person who will enroll you with either JoGu or FU. Enrollment without this letter is legally impossible. Middlebury School in Germany Page 42 ON-SITE MONEY MATTERS Currency Exchange Fluctuating exchange rates make advanced planning of costs challenging. We advise that you overestimate your costs to accommodate these fluctuations. Please be sure to confirm the exchange rate shortly before your departure so that you budget accordingly. The easiest way to know the current exchange rate is to check on this website: http://www.xe.com/ The currency exchange office/bureaus in the airport arrivals building are generally open from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Money and Banking You should arrive in Germany with some cash in Euros, and debit/credit cards in order to cover your initial costs (phone card, train ticket, etc). All banks will change U.S. dollars into Euros at the current official rate, but bank fees will be charged. We advise you to change at least $200 to Euros before leaving the U.S. or immediately withdraw it from an ATM upon arrival at the airport. Withdrawing Euros from an ATM is usually the most economical way to get Euros. Personal checks drawn on U.S. bank accounts are not accepted in Mainz or Berlin, and even cashier’s checks or money orders may take up to two months to clear. Consequently you should bring enough money and have access to a debit card/ATM card to tide you over for the first six weeks. Since many ATM cards permit withdrawals in foreign currencies, you are strongly advised to check with your home bank to determine whether its ATM network is accessible from Europe. If this is the case, it is normally advantageous to keep the account in the U.S. replenished (perhaps have your family deposit financial aid distributions to that account) and to use your ATM card. Many credit cards also allow withdrawals in cash, but fees and interest vary greatly, as do their “small-print” regulations. Therefore, caution is advised. Past students have found it helpful to have access to at least 1,000 Euros to cover their stay in a hotel/hostel when they first arrive, book purchases, personal expenditures, and allowance for unexpected expenditures. If you choose to find your own housing, you should be prepared to pay at least three months’ rent up front. Since you’ll have to pay rent while in the country, you’ll have to open a bank account at a local German bank. This process is fairly easy, but we will certainly help you with the bureaucracy involved. Please note that for opening a student bank account, you need to bring your German Student ID, your Permit of Stay, and your passport. Once you have opened the account, the information on your account, i.e. Bankleitzahl and Kontonummer will be necessary whenever you sign up for any service that requires monthly payment (as a cell-phone contract or a newspaper subscription.) Accounts are free of charge for students under 27 years of age and include an ATM card, which works virtually all over Europe (with withdrawal fees at other banks). You can deposit travelers’ checks (and clearly marked cashier’s checks) to your account. Please note that German student bank accounts do not come with credit cards! Emergency Cash Before you leave the U.S., you should discuss with your family and friends a plan for getting more money during the program. Check ATM availability, Western Union details and service fees, and credit card services. Middlebury School in Germany Page 43 Credit and Debit Cards It is a good idea to obtain a credit card for use in Germany. Visa is the most widely accepted card in Europe, but MasterCard is also accepted. American Express is valid in many larger cities, but in smaller cities it is less known. Please also note that some stores and restaurants may only accept cash or debit cards – and yes, that is true even for Berlin! Throughout Germany and the rest of Europe it is possible to use credit and debit cards to get cash from a bank during business hours or from ATMs. You should make sure your card is valid for international cash advances. You should be certain to ask your bank if you will need an internationally valid PIN. Also check what the daily (and in some cases weekly) limit is for withdrawing funds, as well as the bank fee charged per withdrawal. COMMUNICATION WITH HOME & FRIENDS Communication and Immersion Students who seek maximum immersion in Germany should note that regular communication with home, in English, can significantly hinder their language progress and their adjustment to the new culture. If your goal is maximum immersion, you should prepare family and friends for the reality that you may be difficult to contact and that, even when possible, regular calling or e-mailing may interfere with your language acquisition. If something has gone wrong, your family will learn about it immediately. Otherwise, you can remind them that no news is good news. Mail Before you leave for Germany, you will receive your room assignments with the address of your dormitory and room number (if you have requested a dorm room from the director). This address becomes your mailing address for letters and packages upon arrival in Mainz or Berlin. Please note the School office is not equipped either to accept or store students' letters or packages. THE OFFICE WILL NOT ACCEPT LETTERS OR PACKAGES ADDRESSED TO STUDENTS EXCEPT IN EMERGENCIES. Mainz The main post office is in the Bahnhofstraße. Mail (including packages) addressed Hauptpostlagernd (General Delivery) can be picked up there. In emergencies only, first class mail may be addressed to you at the director's office, c/o MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE, Rheinstraße 42, D–55116 Mainz, GERMANY. Items you do not wish to carry may be sent by parcel post to your name, Hauptpostlagernd, D–55100 Mainz, Germany. The post office will charge for storage after three business days and some parcel post may have to be cleared through customs. Bring an official I.D. to claim your mail. The main post office also houses international telephone facilities. Berlin You will find many post offices at Bahnhof Friedrichstraße (Monday-Sunday 6am-10pm), at Budapester Straße 42 (Monday-Saturday 8am-12am; Sundays and holidays 10am-12am) and at Flughafen Tegel, (daily, 6:30am-9pm). In emergencies only, first class mail may be addressed to you at the director’s office, c/o MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE, Rheinstraße 42, D–55116 Mainz, GERMANY. If you want to find the closest post office near you, go to: http://standorte.deutschepost.de/Standortsuche?standorttyp=filialen_verkaufspunkte&lang=de Internet and E-mail Bring your laptop to Germany to complete your academic work. Be aware of how much time you spend on the computer and in your room. It’s a good idea to set a weekly computer time limit and then stick to it. Most Middlebury School in Germany Page 44 of your free time should be spent exploring life outside of the virtual world. If you do plan on bringing a laptop, please make sure you have an antivirus software installed. The universities in Germany are equipped with e-mail access for all students. In Mainz, you will be assigned an account upon enrollment. All of the dorm rooms in Mainz provide Internet access as well, while wireless access is provided on campus. In Berlin, your account will be ready to use once you have registered with Distributed Campus and enroll at the Akadamische Auslandsamt. Once you have your account, you will also be able to access your home school account. Berlin dorm rooms may provide Internet access though exceptions may apply. Past students have reported that, unsurprisingly, the less time they spend online while in Germany, the more they learn about the German language and Germany in general. Accordingly, it would be wise to minimize your time on chat, Skype, Facebook, etc. Try to keep your online experiences in German: read German newspapers and blogs, set your Facebook and Twitter to German and friend/follow German people. The on-site staff can suggest things for you in regard to this. Language Pledge The Pledge you will sign upon arrival in Germany reads: "I will speak only German for the duration of my participation with the School in Germany." German must be spoken at all times, except in the case of a genuine emergency, a visit from family (English may not be spoken with family when within earshot of anyone related to the program), or when an exception is made by the staff in Germany. Phone calls to family and friends overseas, whether over the Internet, from a land line or from a cell phone, are allowed as long as one is out of earshot of other students and roommates. Phones The telephone at the Middlebury School in Germany is for the use of the director only. Students may not receive telephone calls through this office, except in cases of emergency. The use of cell phones is common, and they are easily obtainable upon arrival. They are the most important device for quick communication (not only) in emergency situations. You will want to consider which plan best meets your needs before committing to one. Skype Students are now frequently using the Internet to speak to people around the world at low or no cost. Former study abroad students have recommended using Skype, an Internet phone software service. Visit: http://www.skype.com/ Fax/Xerox The fax and photocopier in Mainz are for office use only. Please note that any photocopying required for coursework is considered your responsibility. The School photocopier cannot be used for such purposes. You'll find public copy machines all over campus, and there is a phone-fax-booth close to the Mainz Hauptbahnhof, from where you can make worldwide calls and send faxes if you need to. In Berlin, you can go to local copy shops and send faxes from the post office. Semester printing account and Studicard in Mainz For printing copies on campus in Mainz, each student has a semester printing account, which allows you to print course readers, online materials etc. (up to approx. 200 pages/semester). Copying books is common practice at German universities since checking out books is sometimes only possible over the weekend, except for the books at the main library. Copying and scanning cost money. Middlebury School in Germany Page 45 Depending on the amount of copies you need to make, this might be a time-consuming process, especially because many students use the copy machines. To make copies or recharge your semester printing account you need the Studicard, which depending on your dorm may also be the key to your apartment. The Studicard comes with a deposit of 2,50€. It is also used for paying in the mensa and the washing machines in your dorm. To charge your Studicard you will find charging machines in your dorms and all over campus. If your semester printing account is used up you can recharge your account in the UB or ZDV. In order to use the card with the printers located in the main library and the Philosophicum, you have to transfer a specific amount of money to the printing account on that card. You can do so at the machines located at the main library. One page (black-and-white) is 0,03€, each page in color is 0,20€. Colored printing is only possible in the ZDV. Semester printing account and Mensacard in Berlin For printing copies on campus in Berlin, you have a semester printing account, which allows you to print course readers, online materials etc. (one-time free balance of 5 euros). To make copies or recharge your semester printing account you need the Mensacard, which you also need to buy food at the cafeteria. You can get the Mensacard from any cashier in the cafeteria and it comes with a deposit of 1,55€. To charge your Mensacard you will find charging machines all over campus. If your semester printing account is used up you can recharge your account in the ZEDAT, located inside the Silberlaube/Rostlaube building. In order to use the card with the printers located in the main library and the ZEDAT, you have to transfer a specific amount of money to the printing account on that card. You can do so at the machines located at the ZEDAT. One page (black-and-white) is 0,04€, each page in color is 0,05€. Colored printing is only possible in the ZEDAT. LOCAL INFORMATION Mainz Emergency Services You should memorize the following emergency numbers and carry them on your person at all times for emergency calls. In addition, you will receive emergency contact cards upon arrival. You are expected to carry those cards with you all the time. 110 Police (free of charge) 112 Fire Department (free of charge) 19222 Medical Emergency (Ambulance) (free of charge) U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt Gießener Str. 30 60435 Frankfurt am Main Tel.: +49-69-7535-0 Temporary Accommodations Jugendgästehaus Mainz Otto-Brunfelsschneise 4 06131 85332 http://www.jugendherberge.de/ Hotel Terminus Alicenstr. 4 D-55116 Mainz; 06131 229876 www.hotel-terminus-mainz.de/ Middlebury School in Germany Page 46 Hospitals and Medical Services Mainz has a University teaching hospital. During orientation, you will be asked to identify local offices of General Practitioners close to your dorm or apartment. Local recommendations are also available on site. On Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next morning, and on all weekdays from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. next morning, and on the weekend around the clock, you can count on the Emergency Services of the Hildegardis Hospital: Hildegardstraße 2, 55131 Mainz. Phone: 06131 19292. If you’re not well, take a cab to get you there. It won’t be more than 10€ and it is safer than taking the bus. Drugstores and All-Night Pharmacies There are many pharmacies in Mainz. The days and hours of opening vary but there is a list available in the local newspaper and online. http://www.apotheken-mainz.de/ApothekenNotdienst/2013_01/28.php4 Public Transportation Most students will live on or near the campus of the Johannes Gutenberg–Universität. As long as you live within the bounds of the city of Mainz or in one of its suburbs, your Studentenausweis , the “STUDITICKET” (which you will receive upon enrollment) allows you to use public transportation for free in all of Mainz including travel to and from campus. In addition, you may go to Wiesbaden, Frankfurt, and an extended area in Hesse. (Changes happen every year, so you should inquire at the local office how far your Studiticket will take you.) Public transportation (buses, streetcars, and trains) is on an honor system, but there are frequent controls by non-uniformed personnel. Passengers without tickets face embarrassment and a stiff fine. Please note that you’ll have to carry your student ID and a picture ID at all times. If you’re caught without the ID, you’ll face a situation of embarrassment and a fee. If it’s rather late at night, it might be smart to take a cab, especially because cabs are relatively inexpensive. (7 – 8 € from the train station to campus). The main stand is in front of the Hauptbahnhof. The radio–dispatched fleet will also make pickups in most parts of town, but allow up to ten minutes for them to respond: 06131 910910. Information on long distance Bundesbahn trains is available online at www.db.de. Eating Establishments Be sure to try some of the many restaurants scattered throughout the city. Besides restaurants serving “traditional” German food there are dozens of good ethnic restaurants, including those serving Chinese, Greek, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Portuguese, Syrian, Turkish, and Thai cuisine. Mainz has a large variety of pubs. On campus, the student-run Q-Kaff offers cheap drinks and, occasionally, live bands. Downtown, you might try Dr. Flotte in the Altstadt, with its Victorian decor, Schon schön on Große Bleiche, with its young crowd, or Bagatelle, Fiszbah or Schröder’s in the Neustadt with its high student population. Ask German students about their favorites, but don’t hesitate to see for yourself what you might like! For dancing, there are weekly parties in the Studihaus on campus. There are also many discos in the area. The Kulturzentrum (KUZ) in downtown Mainz offers a wide range of activities from dance parties to scientific exhibitions. Other diversions include trips to Wiesbaden and Frankfurt, a short ride with public transportation. Frankfurt offers all the amenities of a major city, including concerts (both classical and popular), museums, and nightlife. The opera, though expensive, is especially well known. Wiesbaden, located Middlebury School in Germany Page 47 right across the Rhine from Mainz, offers a change of pace nearby. The city offers some good theaters better suited to a student budget, as well as many good shops. As any student returning from Mainz or Berlin will tell you, every city is what you make of it. Getting out of your room is paramount--only then will you be able to enjoy the sights and diversions, meet people, and explore all that’s at your fingertips! Libraries Johannes Gutenberg–Universitätsbibliothek Seminarbibliotheken Anna Seghers Landesbibliothek Bookstores Gutenburg-Buchhandlung on campus and on Große Bleiche (Neubrunnenplatz); Hugendubel at the ‘Brand’ and in the Römerpassage, the Jokers for discounted books, audiobooks and DVDs Movie Theaters The major theater is located on Holzhofstraße close to the Südbahnhof. Another movie theater is the Ciné Mayence at Schillerplatz. For inexpensive movies there is a student-run theater on campus specializing in cinema classics. Department Stores Kaufhof Karstadt Sinn & Leffers H&M Zara Markets and Supermarkets Aldi Plus Penny-Markt REWE Real at Gutenberg Center (20min bus ride from Campus) Open-air farmers’ market near the cathedral which is open every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Berlin Emergency Services You should memorize the following emergency numbers and carry them on your person at all times for emergency calls. In addition, you will receive emergency contact cards upon arrival. They are expected to carry those cards with them all the time. 110 Police (free of charge) 112 Fire Department (free of charge) 112 Medical Emergency (free of charge) Legal Assistance (emergency number around the clock): 324.22.82 Ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst (Wednesdays/Weekends): 310031 Middlebury School in Germany Page 48 Dentist emergency: 89.00.43.33 Drugstores open after hours: 11880 Poison Center: 192.37 Embassy of the United States Berlin Clayallee 170 14191 Berlin Federal Republic of Germany Tel.: +49-30-8305-0 Temporary Accommodations Studentenhotel Hubertusallee Delbrückstraße 24, 14193 Berlin (Grunewald) Tel: 011 49 (30) 891 97 18 email: studentenhotel.hubertus@studentenwerk-berlin.de http://www.studentenwerk-berlin.de/wohnen/studentenhotel/index.html Jugendgästehaus am Zoo (Comfort Inn) Hardenbergstr. 9a D-10623 Berlin (U-Bhf. "Ernst-Reuter-Platz") Tel: 011 49 (30) 312 94 10 email: info@jgh-zoo.de Meininger City Hostels 3 in Berlin Tel: 011 49 (30) 666 36 100 email: welcome@meininger-hostels.de http://www.meininger-hotels.com Jugendgästehaus Central Nikolsburgerstr. 2-4 D-10717 Berlin (U-Bhf. "Güntzelstr.") Tel: 011 49 (30) 873 01 88 email: berlin@jugendgaestehaus-central.de http://www.jugendgaestehaus-central.de/index_de.shtml Public Transportation Since the FU doesn’t have a traditional campus, most students live all over the city of Berlin. Until you receive your Studiticket, you should inquire about the most reasonable tickets (day-tickets may not be the cheapest choice) at the major train stations (Hauptbahnhof, Bahnhof Zoologischer Garten or Alexanderplatz). With those tickets, you are able to ride the Bus or U-Bahn and the S-Bahn as well. You have to get your ticket stamped before you first use it, either in the bus or at the gate from which your train leaves. There are frequent controls by non-uniformed personnel. Passengers without tickets face embarrassment and a stiff fine. Taxis are relatively expensive. Their number: 0800.222.22.55. If it is rather late, it might be smart to take a cab after all! Middlebury School in Germany Page 49 Information for long distance Bundesbahn trains is available online: http://www.bahn.de/p/view/index.shtml or inside the "Reisezentrum" in the main train stations. There is a special "Bahncard" available for students. If you purchase this card, you’ll pay only half of the normal price on long-distance train tickets. Eating Establishments Be sure to try some of the many restaurants scattered throughout the city. Besides restaurants serving “traditional” German food there are dozens of good ethnic restaurants, including those serving Chinese, Greek, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Portuguese, Syrian, Turkish, and Thai cuisine. Libraries FU-Universitätsbibliothek Seminarbibliotheken Staatsbibliothek Berlin (Additional Library Card necessary, can be reimbursed by the School in Germany) Bookstores Hugendubel at Kudamm, across from Kaiser-Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche; Dussmannhaus at Friedrichstraße Movie Theaters A number of theaters are located near the Potsdamer Platz, the Kurfürstendamm and the train station Zoologischer Garten Department Stores Kaufhaus des Westens Karstadt H&M TK Maxx And many more GRADE CONVERSION SCALE Grades received at German universities will be evaluated by the director of the School in Germany and converted to U.S. grades. The following is an approximate conversion table for undergraduate students. This may be modified according to the course taken and the work required. The conversion takes into account the difficulties inherent in studying within a different university system. Due to the late reporting of grades by the individual universities, you should understand that you will not receive your grades until a few months after the end of the semester. German Grades Middlebury Grades as they may appear on your Schein as they may appear on your transcript: 1,0 sehr gut 1 A 1,3 noch sehr gut 1A 1,7 voll gut 2+ A2,0 gut 2 A2,3 noch gut 2B+ 2,7 voll befriedigend 3+ B 3,0 befriedigend 3 B 3,3 noch befriedigend 3B3,7 voll ausreichend 4+ C+ 4,0 ausreichend 4 C 4,3 noch ausreichend 4Clower: ungenügend no credit F no schein no credit F Middlebury School in Germany Page 50 ACADEMIC CALENDAR Academic Calendar You should consult the calendar of the School in Germany on our website: http://www.middlebury.edu/study-abroad/germany/calendar Please keep in mind that dates may change even after your arrival in Germany. Important: All students must remain in Germany until they have taken their final exams/turned in their final papers within the program’s deadlines. If you choose to leave early, you may forfeit credit for the entire semester. If you are a fall-only Middlebury student, you may not leave earlier than the Thursday before Middlebury courses start in February. No exceptions for deadlines apply. Please note that final exams may be scheduled after the last day of class, even though this information might not be listed in the course catalogue. You must ask the Professor of the course in question within the first three weeks of class when the final exam is scheduled. If you find out that you cannot take the exam with the course, or that the date of the exam won’t be announced before the middle of the term, you cannot take that specific course for credit. Arrival Periods Please note that for organizational reasons, we cannot accommodate students who arrive at times other than specified by the arrival periods listed on the calendar. Weekends and Holidays Please note that neither program nor FU-staff is on duty on weekends or holidays, so please check the calendar before you purchase your tickets. Departure from Germany Before you return to your home-country, make sure you have enough time to exmatriculate from FU and JGu and to notify the Bürgerämter in Berlin/Mainz that you’re about to leave the country. Failure to do either may result in your not being able to study at a German university again and/or may prevent you from being admitted back into Germany in the future. If you live in a dorm room, you’ll have to make an appointment with the janitor, who will make sure that your room is clean and that you haven’t caused any dorm damage. Please note that if you decide to leave your room uncleaned and damaged, you’ll be charged for the costs it’ll take to clean and fix whatever is found to be broken. If you live in private accommodations, check your rental contract and make sure your understand the conditions and the time frame for getting back your down payment. Attendance at all meetings is mandatory. All dates are subject to change. Middlebury School in Germany Page 51