MEMS In Mannheim

Explorations in the Holy Roman Empire

• Click here for the syllabus of MEM 3730
• Summer B – 2008
  (Note: one week later than the official Summer B!)
  July 4 through August 16, 2008
  There are 16 openings in this program
  Write to hasty@ufl.edu to be included in a listserve of interested students.

The University of Florida’s MEMS-Mannheim Program in Germany offers students the opportunity:

• to explore the rich political, literary, and artistic history of Medieval Germany during the age of the Holy Roman Empire in MEM 3730, “Explorations of the Holy Roman Empire,” offered in English. MEM 3730 can be cross-listed for credit in History or German Studies.
• to take Elementary German I, thus providing students from History and other fields the opportunity to begin studying German in Germany.
• to take Elementary German III, thus completing the CLAS language requirement.
• to complete a course of independent study in Medieval Studies (MEM 4905) or in German Studies (GEW 4905), under the supervision of the MEMS in Mannheim faculty.

MEMS in Mannheim is a flexible program consisting of a MEMS component and a German Language component. Although the components are designed to be complementary, students can structure their involvement in the program to place emphasis on MEMS or German.

The MEMS component: MEM 3730: Explorations in the Holy Roman Empire, involves coursework in English and weekly fieldtrips to sites of great historical importance in the Middle Ages, including cathedrals, castles, residential palaces, and monasteries. Interested students may also complete a course of independent study in Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MEM 4905).
The German language component: Students have the option of taking either GER 1120 (the first course in the beginning language sequence) or the GER 1104 (the final course in the beginning language sequence, thus satisfying the CLAS language requirement. Interested students may also complete a course of independent study in German (GEW 4905).

Housing

Students will be housed in dormitories of the University of Mannheim. Application deadline is April 1, 2008. The space in this program is limited and applications are considered on a space-available basis, so please apply early.

Contact Information

• Program Coordinator: Will Hasty – hasty@ufl.edu -
  352-392-2105 x212.
• UF International Center: Susanne Hill - shill@ufic.ufl.edu - 352-273-1500

Eligibility

Students in good standing who have completed the first semester of their freshman year, have earned a 2.5 GPA on 4.0 scale, and are at least 18 years of age. Students from other universities and community colleges are welcome to apply.
Academic Credits: As this is a UF program, credits taken can satisfy major, minor, and university requirements with prior approval. UF GPA credit will be granted for courses taken with UF faculty.

Transfer credit will be earned with courses taught by local instructors at the University of Mannheim.

Die Stadt Mannheim

The city of Mannheim, located in the Rhine river valley in the historic Palatinate, is close to the ancient Roman limes, the former imperial cities of Worms, Speyer, and Strasbourg, and provides easy access to a wealth of cultural resources that will be explored in program field trips.

• Much larger than the Palace at Versailles that inspired it, the Palace of Mannheim and the nearby palace at Schwetzingen are testimonies from the "Age of Absolutism" that followed upon the confessional conflict of the Reformation.
• Within a generation of the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the poet Friedrich Schiller and Ludwig van Beethoven articulated an artistic vision of the unity of peoples: "The Ode to Joy." The "Ode to Joy" was adopted as the anthem of the European Union in 1972.
• Beethoven's Ninth "Choral" Symphony, the final movement of which includes Schiller's "Ode to Joy," was performed by the Orchestra of Haifa, Israel, together with the Mannheim City Chorus, in the summer of 2007, in front of the palace in Mannheim.  Quicktime movie of performance excerpt.

MEMS in Mannheim . . .

• provides students with knowledge about the rich cultural history of the Holy Roman Empire and the ways in which this history continues to shape contemporary understandings of Europe.
• Weekly fieldtrips in MEM 3730 include excursions to:
  
  • The Roman and early Christian buildings and ruins of Trier, the first "Holy Roman Empire" north of the Alps, where the Roman Emperor Constantine reigned.
  • The “Royal Hall” in Lorsch, residence of Charlemagne and example of Carolingian cultural politics.
  • The Imperial Romanesque Cathedral in Speyer, or Kaiserdom (picture). This is the largest Romanesque cathedral in northern Europe. When Bernard of Clairvaux came here to preach the Second Crusade, legend has it that he moved from the west door to the altar with only three giant steps.
  • Martin Luther sites, the medieval Jewish Cemetery (picture), and the Nibelungen-Museum (picture) in Worms.
  • Palaces from the Age of Absolutism in Mannheim and its vicinity.
  • The Vienna of the Hapsburgs, centuries- long capital of the HRE.

Holy Roman Empire Links:

• Society for the Study of the Holy Roman Empire
• Current HRE museum exhibits in Magdeburg and Berlin

(Right: A facsimile of the crown of the Holy Roman Emperors kept at Trifels Castle.)

Information on Fees and Financial Aid Opportunities

FEES DUE UPON APPLICATION:
The estimated program fee is $3350. A non-refundable $250 deposit toward the total cost of the program is required at the time of application. The remaining fees are due no later than 30 days prior to departure. Health insurance is included in the program fee. Students receiving financial aid may defer payment for up to 60 days after departure. Not included in the program fees: Round-trip airfare, additional personal travel and personal expenses.

Financial Aid

University of Florida students needing financial aid should apply through UF Student Financial Affairs (SFA).
Non-UF students needing financial aid must apply to their home institutions.

Scholarships

The deadline for application for summer scholarships administered by the UF International Center is January 11, 2008. Applications for scholarshps are online. Partial scholarships for UF students are available on a competitive basis through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Honors program, as well as the International Center.

Students apply online at:

www.abroad.ufic.ufl.edu

For more information, contact any of the persons listed above. Major medical health insurance coverage while outside of the United States is included in the program fee.

Contact Information

• Program Coordinator:
  Will Hasty – hasty@ufl.edu -
  352-392-2105 x 212.
  Dauer 263
• Susanne Hill - shill@ufic.ufl.edu
  shill@ufic.ufl.edu - 352-273-1500
  UF International Center (170 Hub)

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