To some, the city is a text asking to be read; to others, the city is a multi-layered phenomenon that defies readability. None of this has ever prevented writers writing about the city - so much so that city literature has become a genre of its own. In this course we will study examples of city writing and then will try our own hand at writing the city: Berlin.

In our reading of literature we will explore various possibilities of turning urban structures, urban encounters and urban experience into text. Reading assignments will be from European and American city texts, but will eventually zoom in on representations of Berlin. How can literature, through the use of images, narrative perspective, plot structure, rhythms and juxtapositions, capture the voices, spaces and characters of the city? What meanings of the city do individual texts create? What are the traditional expectations of and perspectives on Berlin, and how have specific motifs and techniques developed?

We will study the texts both in order to understand how the city is written and as starting points for your own writing of the city. Writing assignments will draw on your own experiences of Berlin: capture the moment of your arrival, the strangeness of the new environment, possible misunderstandings, and turn them into a text.

Walk through a neighbourhood, ride your bikes or the subway looking for motifs and characters. Describe people you meet and turn them into characters. Research the history of a person, a building, a trend, a scene, and take ownership of your urban experience - observe how you become a writer of Berlin. Writing will take place in-class, on-site and in take-home exercises. Be prepared to share some of your writing in class and learn to give and receive constructive feedback.

• You will receive a total of 45 hours (one lesson equals 45 minutes; 11 hours per week)
• Lessons are held three times a week.
• Lessons will comprise lectures, group work, discussion sessions, excursions
   

Schedule
The courses are grouped into different time tracks.
Your course will take place in Track C.

Cultural activities
You are welcome to join our cultural program with an excellent selection of excursions, sports activities, and social gatherings. It is the perfect setting for getting to know each other and for experiencing the varous facets of Berlin. There are no additional costs for participation in the activities.

Activities and tours we offer regularly: Federal Chancellery, German Parliament, House of Representatives, Topography of Terror, Political Archive, Museum Island, Kreuzberg Tour, Daytrip to Potsdam, Exhibitions…

Undergraduate students of all subjects with an interest in interreligious and intercultural issues.

This course is taught in English, including readings in English. For the understanding of the texts and the discussions in class a language level B2 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) is required.

Participating students need to be at least 18 years old.

Donna Stonecipher grew up in Seattle, Washington, and Tehran, Iran. She received her MFA from the University of Iowa and her PhD from the University of Georgia. She is the author of four books of poetry, most recently “Model City” (Shearsman, 2015). Her third book, “The Cosmopolitan”, won the National Poetry Series. Her prose and poetry have been published in many journals, and her poems have been translated into six languages. She has taught at the University of Iowa, the University of Georgia, and the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and has conducted workshops on poetry and translation around Europe and the United States.
She translates from French and German, and her translation of Austrian poet Friederike Mayröcker’s collection “études” is forthcoming. She lives in Berlin.