Final Post

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During the course of this semester, I learned a lot about different periods in Germany. I enjoyed the amount of different ways of learning we explored. Between the book, All Quiet on the Western Front, to the movie Berlin Calling, and the numerous Powerpoint presentations, I was able to absorb an abundance of information. I enjoyed reading the book in class, and learning about WWI in Germany, which usually isn’t talked about much in history classes. One of the topics that most surprised be during this semester was about gymnastics. I did not know gymnastics was used to prepare German youth for battle. I always thought of gymnastics as a sport, not a way for people of a country to build strong and powerful military members. I liked learning about gymnastics because I enjoy playing volleyball and saw how the similarities of discipline in the sport could be used to build a military. I liked learning about the political parties of Germany. It is very interesting to know that Germany has a female Chancellor, Angela Merkel. Women are still struggling to receive power in the government, but they are improving. This is similar to the United States. A difference between the United States and Germany is the support of homosexual couples. In Germany, since 2001, two people of the same sex can have a civil partnership. My favorite topic this semester was learning about the current youth in Germany through the movie Berlin Calling. I had never listened to techno music much before, but I appreciated the music in the movie. Ickarus was a character that was relatable and that had ambitions like many young aspiring people but just got lost on the way to his success. One thing I did not know about Germany is that they had individual states. While researching Bavaria and learning about other states, I was surprised that many people in the states do not belong to a particular religion. Even though many people do not belong to a particular religion, they like to practice their German heritage through food and beer. I enjoyed learning about Bavaria and the amount of inventions and industries in this state. Adidas and Pumas shoes originated from this state and so did BMW and Audi. The only recommendation I have to improving this class would be to put a time limit on presentations. At times the group presentations got a little long, but other than that it was a great experience!