Memory and Identity

Fall & Spring | 3 credits | Core course | Study Tour: European Culture & History: Czech Republic European Culture & History: Germany European Culture & History: France
Area Studies and History

The ECH core course offers a study of European History and Culture that will allow students to understand the history and development of both national and “European” identity. The coursework includes a study of common traits in European history and culture and various expressions thereof within art, literature, politics and thought will be discussed in class. Through a historical study we discuss aspects of the collective memory and identity of Europe as a whole. The aim is to help each student to become an active traveler rather than passive tourist. Students will use Denmark and one other European nation as particular examples of how memory and identity unfold through art, literature, history and philosophy. Through an interdisciplinary approach, students will be able to compare and contrast various European nations and cultures in different times.

As a part of these case studies, students will travel with faculty through western Denmark and one other country to gain firsthand experience of the themes discussed in class. In addition to these study tours, field studies within Copenhagen throughout the semester will augment the study of Denmark’s history and culture and take advantage of the unique context of Copenhagen.

Students choose one of the following sections:

• Czech Republic: Prague-Cesky Krumlow
• France: Paris-Reims
• Germany: Berlin-Dresden

The course includes a one-week study tour to the cities listed in the section titles.

Download syllabus

Instructors

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  Jakob Due Lorentzen

  Cand. mag. (Philosophy, University of Copenhagen , 2004). M.A. (Philosophy, Stony Brook University, 2002). Editorial staff, P1 Debat, Danmarks Radio, 2005. With DIS since 2006.

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  Andrea Homann

  Dipl.-Ing. (Apparel Engineering/Fashion Design, Fachhochschule Mönchengladbach, 1989). Educator at the Danish National Gallery, the Thorvaldsen Museum, and the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. With DIS since 1997.

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  Ditte Marie Egebjerg

  Cand.mag. (Scandinavian Philology and French, U. of Copenhagen 2001). Studied French Literature at the University of Montpellier 1994/1995. Vice Consul at the Danish Consulate of Ethiopia from 1999/2000. Teacher of Danish to foreigners, mainly in private organizations, since 2002. With DIS since 2006.

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  Brian Soderquist

  Ph.D. (Philosophy of Religion, Søren Kierkegaard Research Center, University of Copenhagen, 2005). M.A.R. (Philosophy of Religion, Yale University, 1994). With DIS since 2000.

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  Thorsten Wagner

  Magister Artium in Modern History, German Literature, Political Science (Technische Universität Berlin, 1998). 1999-2000 postgraduate fellow, University of Wisconsin-Madison. 2001-2004 Danish Center for Holocaust- and Genocide Studies. Since 2001, educator at the Jewish Museum Berlin. Since 2007, research fellow and docent at the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin. With DIS since 2010.