Author Archives: berkeleymgp

Film Review: The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen)

Posted in conjunction with the course Multicultural Germany in fall semester 2015. Author: Gradey Wang The 2006 German drama film The Lives of Others (German: Das Leben der Anderen) directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck follows the lives of playwright Georg … Continue reading

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Film Review: Head-On (Gegen die Wand)

Posted in conjunction with the course Multicultural Germany in fall semester 2015. Author: Andrew Christensen Gegen die Wand is a dark and dramatic romance directed and written by Fatih Akın. The film makes a powerful statement about the nature of … Continue reading

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“Still Alive: Memory of Economic Contribution of the Korean Guest Workers” by Jung Woo Park

As the wave of immigrants continues to flood into Germany fleeing the war-torn countries such as Syria, the refugee crisis in Europe dominates the newspaper headlines around the world. Interestingly, however, not all of the newspapers seem to have the … Continue reading

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“Made in Germany: Identity and Memory” by Jung Woo Park

Last Tuesday, we had the opportunity to watch the film Almanya – Willkommen in Deutschland, a German comedy film about a former Turkish guest worker. The film was very interesting, not only because it deftly wove comedy into the history … Continue reading

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Multicultural Germany Course: Week 6 Summary (Oct. 5 & 7)

Migration brings both culture and religion. This week in our course we focused on religion and secularism, acknowledging the complexity of the terms in context of past and current migrations related to Germany. Our discussion found its beginnings in questions … Continue reading

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Multicultural Germany Course: Week 5 Summary (Sept. 28 & 30)

This last week in class, we discussed the idea of German collective memory and screened the film Almanya – Welcome to Germany. The week’s discussions started with how the term “melting pot” was used to describe US culture in the … Continue reading

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Multicultural Germany Course: Week 4 Summary (Sept. 21 & 23)

Who defines identity? Germany’s struggle with inclusivity. This last week in class, we discussed the limits of Germany’s capacity to take in immigrants and what it means to be German. Proponents of reducing the number of foreigners in Germany believe … Continue reading

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True Stories of Being Black in Germany, Lakshmi Sarah

Lakshmi Sarah, one of the participants in the course Multicultural Germany, produced an article published in KQED entitled “True Stories of Being Black in Germany” in which she introduces a traveling exhibit from the Goethe Institut and its curator Victoria … Continue reading

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Multicultural Germany Course: Summary of the First Two Weeks

To summarize the first two weeks of the seminar “Multicultural Germany” (fall 2015) it is best to start off with the participants: One third of the class is exchange students, mostly from Germany. Due to this the class can benefit … Continue reading

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Multicultural Germany Course, Fall Semester 2015

This course addresses questions of mobility and borders in our increasingly connected and disjointed world. We will approach the history of post-World War II Germany through the lens of migration, reading a variety of texts critically and relating them to … Continue reading

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Deutschland 09 – 13 kurze Filme zur Lage der Nation (Germany ’09 – 13 Short Films on the State of the Nation)

Thirteen German directors present short films exploring the state of the country in 2009. Director and one of the project’s founders, Tom Tykwer, says, “Der Film Deutschland 09 vereint ein gutes Dutzend individuelle filmische Blicke auf das, was wir heute und jetzt … Continue reading

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Müll im Garten Eden (Garbage in the Garden of Eden)

This documentary follows villagers in Turkey’s Black Sea village of Çamburnu as they struggle with the central government’s decision to turn establish a garbage dump in the hills above their community. The film is not currently for sale in the US. Links: IMDB, Official … Continue reading

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Multicultural Germany Class Final Paper: Staged Realities

At the end of the past semester, students in the Multicultural Germany class at UC Berkeley wrote final papers on topics of their choosing. To conclude our series of posts from this class, we are delighted to share several of their papers … Continue reading

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Film Reviews: “Alles auf Zucker!”

As part of their work in the Multicultural Germany undergraduate seminar at UC Berkeley, students in the course reviewed recent German films relating in various ways to topics of migration, multiculturalism, and contemporary German identity. Jennifer Lau, Jenelle Mathews, and Brittany Scott … Continue reading

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“Alles auf Zucker!” Film Review by Jennifer Lau

Nothing brings an estranged family together like the death of a loved one and the subsequent promise of an inheritance. In Dani Levy’s 2004 comedy, Go for Zucker (Alles auf Zucker), two brothers are forced to overcome their animosity and … Continue reading

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