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