Blog

A Note to Readers: Our blog includes news items, research materials,
and teaching resources – browse past posts by month on the right. If
you would like to contribute your own syllabus or other materials (in
English or German), please contact us at mgp@berkeley.edu.

Kebab Connection – Review by Sara Sellami

Kebab Connection is a comedy by Anno Saul, a German film director, and was released in 2005. The film tells the story of Ibo, a young Turkish-German who dreams about making the first German Kung-Fu movie. While waiting for a … Continue reading

Film Rezension: “Gegen die Wand”

As part of their work in the Multicultural Germany undergraduate seminar at UC Berkeley, students in the course have reviewed recent German films relating in various ways to topics of migration, multiculturalism, and contemporary German identity. Julia Schroeder reviewed Fatih Akin’s 2004 … Continue reading

“Gegen die Wand” Rezension von Julia Schroeder

Der Film “Gegen die Wand” von Fatih Akin ist eine dramatische und brutale Tragikomödie und gleichzeitig eine zärtliche Liebesgeschichte über zwei verzweifelte, leidenschaftliche Menschen, die sich nach ihrem Selbstmordversuch, (er fährt gegen die Wand und sie schneidet sich die Pulsadern … Continue reading

“Gegen die Wand” Film Review by Inga Keller

Within an initially hyperbolic narrative, farfetched in its extreme situations, Gegen die Wand (Head-On) manages to insert many small insights into the Turkish community living in Germany, characterizing the difficulty immigrants have in defining themselves when they no longer feel … Continue reading

Film Review: “Born in Absurdistan”

As part of the Multicultural Germany undergraduate seminar at UC Berkeley, students reviewed recent German films relating in various ways to topics of migration, multiculturalism, and contemporary German identity. Tanja Mehlo reviewed the 1999 film “Geboren in Absurdistan” (Born in Absurdistan):  … Continue reading

Multicultural Germany Class: Europe and Beyond

As the Spring 2014 semester is coming to an end, this will be the last post in our series of student reflections on the UC Berkeley undergraduate seminar “Multicultural Germany.” This week’s summary is by Tanja Mehlo:  In the last week of class, we continued … Continue reading

Multicultural Germany Class: “The Bridge of the Golden Horn”

This post is part of a series in which students reflect on their discussions in the UC Berkeley undergraduate seminar “Multicultural Germany.” This week’s summary is by Teddy Lee:  The Bridge of the Golden Horn (original title: Die Brücke vom Goldenen Horn) by … Continue reading

Film Review: “Brudermord” (Fratricide)

As part of the Multicultural Germany undergraduate seminar at UC Berkeley, students reviewed recent German films relating in various ways to topics of migration, multiculturalism, and contemporary German identity. Melissa Carlson reviewed Yilmaz Arslan’s 2005 film “Brudermord”:  Fratricide is a drama with … Continue reading

Film Reviews: “Auf der anderen Seite” (The Edge of Heaven)

As part of their work in the Multicultural Germany undergraduate seminar at UC Berkeley, students in the course have reviewed recent German films relating in various ways to topics of migration, multiculturalism, and contemporary German identity. Ying Ruan and Ann Huang both reviewed Fatih Akin’s … Continue reading

“Auf der anderen Seite” Review by Traci Fitzharris

Auf der anderen Seite revolves around death; in fact, the movie is separated into chapters titled “Yeter’s Death,” “Lotte’s Death,” and “The Edge of Heaven.” The final chapter, lasting only the last half hour of the movie, is the only … Continue reading

“Auf der anderen Seite” Review by Ying Ruan

Auf der anderen Seite is a German-Turkish drama directed by Faith Akin in 2007. The movie follows stories of six people from either Germany or Turkey, presenting political and social issues faced by elder and younger generations of Turkish, Turkish-German … Continue reading

“Auf der anderen Seite” Review by Ann Huang

In his drama Auf der anderen Seite, released in 2007, Fatih Akin depicts the fatefully interwoven lives of six individuals: two mothers, two daughters, and a father and his son. Each filial pair, distinct in its respective place on the … Continue reading

Multicultural Germany Class: European Borders

This post is part of a series in which students reflect on their discussions in the UC Berkeley undergraduate seminar “Multicultural Germany.” This week’s summary is by Melissa Carlson:  This past week, we started opening up our discussions on immigration, … Continue reading

Multicultural Germany Class: Multilingualism

This post is part of a series in which students reflect on their discussions in the UC Berkeley undergraduate seminar “Multicultural Germany.” This week’s summary is by Treasure Nguyen:  During the tenth week of class we delved into language, exploring … Continue reading

Book Review: “Why the Child is Cooking the Polenta”

As part of their work for the Multicultural Germany undergraduate seminar at UC Berkeley, students in the course have reviewed recent German books relating in various ways to topics of migration, multiculturalism, and contemporary German identity. Ying Ruan reviewed Aglaja … Continue reading