Beyond the Classroom - Twelve Years of Partnership, Enrichment, and Friendship in Germany

BY LAUREN CHAMBERS, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF NATIONAL SCHOLARS

FOR THREE WEEKS IN MAY 2022, 28 students traveled to Germany to engage with peers from the University of Osnabrück to improve their understanding of German history and contemporary politics and to experience German culture as few tourists do. Now in its twelfth year, this highly successful program provides students with a unique and rewarding experience. Since its inception, the “Germany Beyond the Classroom” cultural exchange program has received financial support from the Max Kade Foundation, which sponsors programs that encourage the exchange of ideas among universities in the United States and in German-speaking countries.

A Celebration Long Overdue

The highlight of the program was the 10th Anniversary Celebration, which was originally scheduled for the 2020 trip. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the program was delayed for two years until travel could return in 2022. We were all very excited to finally celebrate the 10th anniversary of the program, in its 12th year! Held at the Lagerhalle in Osnabrück, the event brought together USF students with University of Osnabrück students and staff, past and present. The founder of the program, Dr. Georg Kleine, former Associate Dean of the Judy Genshaft Honors College, traveled from his home in Germany to Osnabrück while Dr. Charles Adams, Dean of the USF Judy Genshaft Honors College, traveled from Tampa to attend the celebration. We used Zoom to include two Honors College staff members who were instrumental to the development and implementation of the program, Dr. Reggie Lucien and Mr. Arnie Mejias. It was a wonderful treat for Dr. Kleine and our University of Osnabrück partners to see and hear from them. In preparation for the celebration, USF students joined students from the University of Osnabrück to cook their favorite American and German foods together for a cross cultural potluck. It was impressive to see the variety of foods the students prepared in their apartment and dormitory kitchens! The celebration concluded with an awards ceremony to recognize the founding members followed by an informal reception where guests socialized, reminisced, and made new memories.

Exploring the Past

Dr. Peter Funke, Associate Professor in Political Science, joined trip leaders Carter Harbert and Lauren Chambers to offer the spring course, which focused primarily on the socio-political history of the country. Once the group arrived in Germany, there were numerous valuable opportunities to engage with these themes and to see examples of the country’s development throughout the past several centuries. In Osnabrück, the host city for the program, students learned about the Peace of Westphalia, which ended the 30-year Protestant/Catholic war in the early 17th century, and toured historical buildings and structures dating back to the 1200s. We also learned about WWI and WWII through the eyes of two Osnabrück natives, artist Felix Nussbaum and author Erich Maria Remarque. In Berlin, students saw vestiges of the divided east and west in street signs, architecture, and monuments like the East Side Gallery. We visited the Reichstag as well as several museums showcasing diverse displays of German art, innovation, and history. Finally, in Hamburg, we toured the harbor and the old warehouse district responsible for much of Germany’s international trade, even waking up at 5:00 a.m. to experience the sights, smells, and tastes of the Sunday fish market!

Contemporary Connections

The University of Osnabrück continues to be a fantastic exchange partner. As many of the JGHC students are firsttime travelers, Osnabrück is an ideal city to explore safely and independently. The university coordinates an International FaceTime (IFT) partner for each student so that USF students can establish friendships with German college peers and begin to exchange culture and language before they travel. After our students’ arrival, the IFTs join them for excursions to Münster, Bremen, and a picnic at the Rubbenbruchsee park in Osnabrück. Honors students enjoyed learning about German life and cultivating friendships through local leisure activities, visiting family homes, and even traveling as far as Amsterdam with their partners. The pairing of German students with USF students throughout the life of the program has proven to be one of its most memorable features. The University of Osnabrück also offered about 30 hours of German language classes during the program. By the end of the trip, our students were delightedly buying meals and taking public transportation using their newly acquired German language skills.

We look forward to continuing this partnership, and this model of international education, long into the future. Prost!