Classes

I am actually here for academic studies, not just travel and classes started this week so...yay, you get to read about my professors and classes!

German: I'm in the highest level German class (330) with six other people. We play games with words like hangman and rearrange colorful blocks of letter to make sentences and throw a ball to see who answers questions. We also discuss meaningful questions about "heimat" and talk about cultural differences. I really like the balance of the class and the teacher is only 27, but knows what she's doing. We have fun, but also really work on German.

US/EU relations: Unfortunately I was put on the wait-list for this course and didn't get in. I attended the first two courses in hopes of someone dropping, but alas it's a great course and the professor works at the European Parliament and no one did (even though it's at 9am on Monday). I'm considering just continuing to go to the class until someone makes me stop just because I want to learn, but come Monday morning we'll see how it goes.

Economics of the EU: This is the course I was hoping to drop. It seems kind of interesting and hopefully it'll count for my international econ course...if not it'll just count towards my concentration of "Europe." The professor has a weird nervous laugh that drives Kate and I crazy, but has promised that it will be more policy than "graphs and numbers" so it shouldn't be too bad.

Cultural Identity in a post-national world: Not what I expected, but still a great course. I thought it was going to be about the role of states in the EU and how their national identity is being challenged, but it's more about eastern cultures and Islam. It's all very relevant and the professor is classic German professor. He dresses frumpily, has long unkempt hair and speaks very low and quickly (similar to Milton from Office Space). He came in today and we were all discussing our upcoming test and he begins class with, "please stop talking, I'm not used to this." Evidently in Germany when the professor enters the room all students stop talking and immediately give him their undivided attention.

Foreign Policy Analysis: Unlike the previous professor our professor for this class joined us in the game of hangman we had started on the board in between classes (in german of course...the word was 'automekanicher'). He's a young guy who speaks very, very quickly. The information is good, when you can catch what he says. It'll be a practice in speed writing. He's very open to discussion and asks our opinion every few minutes. Doesn't look like he should be a teacher, but is working on his doctorate: shaved head, sweatshirt and very, very tight pants...super muscular guy (almost to a scary extent).

Integrative Seminar: Led by a British man who considers himself European above all else I think we have the best of the four seminars. He delivers his message very clearly and tells interesting scandal stories about the British parliament. He's also obsessed with Thatcher and Churchill. Through this course we'll act as a model EU...I'm hoping to represent Hungary.

So that's what's keeping me busy, EU/US is from 9-10:30 Monday and Wednesday, German M-Th 1:30-2:30, Econ M/W 4:30-6, Cultural Identity T/Th 1:45-12:15, Seminar T/Th 4:30-6, Foreign Policy T/Th 6:15-7:45...it's a full week, but looks like it'll be fun!