Harvard Summer Program in Munich, Germany
Related Link
Peter J. Burgard
(8 credits: UN, GR) Limited enrollment
Program dates: June 11–July 16
Application deadline: The application period is now closed.
Program cost: $7,000
Deposit due: April 16
Full payment due: May 15
“I have never been so completely engaged in any subject for such a long period of time, and the sense of mental satiation that resulted was incredibly fulfilling. I also appreciated the structure of the course; our outings were so enriching, invaluable, and fun!”
– Munich Summer School student
“An amazing class that taught me more German than I’d thought possible.”
– Munich Summer School student
“This course exceeded my expectations in every way. I never could have fathomed how much I have learned. The housing was excellent. All of the course outings were amazing and really well organized. The homework was very well paced and acceptably demanding. Professor Burgard is an amazing professor.”
– Munich Summer School student. Read more student comments.
See photos in the study abroad slideshow and 2005 photo gallery.
Located in the heart of Germany’s most dramatic landscape and most beautiful city, the Harvard Summer Program in Munich is a five-week intensive course on German language and the culture of Munich.
Munich was founded in the early Middle Ages, but is best known for its history since the seventeenth century: for its vital role in German baroque and rococo art and architecture; for nineteenth-century kings such as Ludwig I, who built one of the world's great museums (and crazy Ludwig II with his fairy-tale castles); for its efflorescence as the German center of literature and art around 1900, when writers such as Thomas Mann and artists such as Wassily Kandinsky were all the rage; for the darkest chapter in its history, when it was the willing capital of the Nazi movement; for its rise from the ruins of World War II, and the morally bankrupt ideology to which it had succumbed, to become Germany's poster-child city, the "Metropolis with a Heart"; for the 1972 Olympic Games with their inspiring structures and dispiriting terrorist attack; and for its role as a driving force in contemporary German life and in the world’s third largest economy.
Students encounter the cultural and political history of Munich at every turn: from the English Garden, larger than New York’s Central Park, to grand avenues with their classical facades, imposing arches, and elegant arcades; from baroque and neobaroque architectural monuments to the monuments of Hitler’s rise to power; from medieval city gates, lively city streets, and colorful markets to the glass structures of the Olympic Park; from countless theaters and museums to royal palaces, churches, and cloisters.
Despite its cultural and economic importance, modern-day Munich manages not to take itself too seriously. With more recreational offerings than any other German city and its legendary beer gardens, where the city whiles away its long summer evenings under canopies of chestnut trees, Munich presents almost limitless opportunities for relaxation and entertainment.
Course of Study
GERM S-23 Study Abroad in Munich: German Language and Culture (32093)
The Harvard Summer Program in Munich is a total immersion, second-year level German culture and language course. Encounters with Munich and Bavaria are both intellectual and material, occurring both in the classroom and on site as the class traces cultural and political history in books and follows its traces on foot. Afternoon sessions combine classroom discussion of texts with daily instructional excursions in and around Munich. These include walking tours of the historical and contemporary core of the city and class visits to art museums, the Munich City Museum, churches, the English Garden, an historical tavern, Nymphenburg Palace, Dachau, the Olympic Park, and the BMW Museum. Small-group explorations of contemporary German life complete the cultural component of the program, along with four full-day excursions further afield: to Salzburg, to one of Ludwig’s castles, to Nuremberg, and to a monastery, famous for its church and the beer its monks brew, overlooking a lake in the magnificent Bavarian countryside. In addition, every weekday morning there is a class devoted to review and expansion of grammar skills, followed by a writing workshop with supervised writing on topics arising from the afternoon classes.
Prerequisite: One year of college-level German.
Course Credit
Harvard College credit. For Harvard College students, this program counts as one full-year course (8 credits) of Harvard College degree credit. This course also satisfies the Foreign Cultures Core requirement and counts as two courses toward the total of four courses required for the foreign language citation.
Harvard Summer School courses and credits are accepted toward degrees at most colleges and universities. Since degree requirements vary among schools, students are advised to obtain transfer credit approval from their home institutions before registering for Summer School courses.
Faculty
Former German President Johannes Rau (far left) with Professor Burgard (far right) during a visit to Harvard.
Peter J. Burgard, Professor of German, Harvard College. Professor Burgard has been on the faculty since 1989. He teaches departmental courses on Goethe, Nietzsche, Freud, and baroque literature and art. In the Core Curriculum, he offers courses on early modern German cultural history and on gender, language, and sexuality in fin-de-siècle Austrian and German culture. His publications include volumes on Goethe, Nietzsche, and the baroque, as well as essays on German literature since the seventeenth century, baroque and postmodern art, and intellectual history.
Application
A complete application consists of the following: an application form (download* form); official transcripts; a $50 nonrefundable application fee; a supplementary statement describing the student’s coursework in German, travel experience abroad (not a prerequisite), and interest in the program; and a confidential letter of recommendation from the student’s current or most recent German teacher.
Students must submit all materials to Professor Peter Burgard, Harvard Summer Program in Munich, Germany, Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, Barker Center 361, 12 Quincy Street, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA. Students must have official transcripts sent directly from their schools to Professor Burgard. Students must be 18 years of age or older. All application materials must be received by March 1.
Students are notified of admission decisions by mid-March.
Cost
The cost of the program is $7,000, plus a nonrefundable $50 application fee. In addition, students are responsible for a $120 health insurance fee (which is waived if students have US insurance coverage) and for their transportation to and from Munich. The program fee covers the following:
- tuition
- room and breakfast
- course materials
- scheduled excursions and extracurricular activities
- passes for the entire network of Munich’s public transportation system
A nonrefundable deposit of $700 must be received by April 16 to ensure the admitted student’s place in the program. Payment in full is due by May 15. A $100 late fee will be charged for payments received after this date.
Students who do not purchase health insurance through Harvard Summer School should confirm that their insurance providers offer coverage outside the United States.
Harvard College students are eligible for financial assistance through the Harvard Office for International Programs (OIP). Students may download a study abroad scholarship information sheet on the OIP website's scholarships page or contact the office for more information. Other Harvard students may be eligible for financial assistance through their Harvard financial aid offices. Students enrolled at other institutions should consult their respective financial aid offices.
Accommodations
Lodging is in a well-situated, modern youth hotel run by a nationwide service organization (which is associated with the Catholic Church and provides lodging to students and travelers throughout Germany, regardless of religion). The Kolping Ausbildungshotel provides dorm-style suites that consist of several bedrooms with a common room, shared bathrooms, a kitchen with refrigerator and space for preparing cold meals, and laundry machines in the basement. Lodging is in double and single bedrooms. The hotel is located a short walk from the famous Deutsches Museum, the Gasteig Cultural Center, and the glorious art nouveau swimming pool, Müller’sches Volksbad. A bus stops just steps from the hotel and arrives in the city center within five minutes; the city center is a 15-minute walk away.
Additional Information
Contact Professor Peter Burgard, Harvard Summer Program in Munich, Germany, Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, Barker Center 361, 12 Quincy Street, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA; burgard@fas.harvard.edu; (617) 496-4922; fax (617) 496-8240.
Students with disabilities should contact Joanne Eno, disability services coordinator, as soon as possible: (617) 495-0977, (617) 495-9419 (TTY), or disabilities@dcemail.harvard.edu. Request-for-accommodation forms (download* form) and supporting diagnostic documentation must be submitted by April 27. More information about disability services, including request forms and guidelines for documentation, will be online by early February 2007.
Students applying for admission to Harvard's study abroad programs should understand that although the University provides reasonable assistance and support to facilitate the participation of qualified students in its programs (including students with disabilities and health impairments), some of our programs are located in parts of the world where accommodations may not be readily available. Students are encouraged to be forthcoming with the disability services coordinator about any specific needs and functional limitations so that the Summer School can collaborate with those students in a way that fosters their safe participation and allows them to fully appreciate any barriers that they may face, depending on the location and rigors of the particular program.
Harvard Summer School is aware of the risks associated with international travel. Should the US Department of State issue a travel warning for any of the countries in which a study abroad program is planned, the program in that country may be cancelled.
* Adobe’s free Acrobat Reader is required to view or print PDF forms.