Classes and Life in Freiburg

I think it's pretty important to at least briefly explain life here (again, with updated opinions of classes and people.) I'm in five classes. The first is Foreign Policy Analysis. In this class, we learn about the foreign policy of the EU, which doesn't really exist. I like the professor (he's Arndt, the one who went with us to Western Europe) and even if the class isn't hard, he's still a good professor. There is, however, one student who keeps flirting with him. This is Dena, the Egyptian girl who has a bad habit of comparing the Israel-Palestine conflict to the Holocaust. Honestly, she's not that smart, and she often doesn't understand what's appropriate. Around Arndt's birthday, she kept asking him how old he was, even though the rest of the class knew it was inappropriate and rude. She's always, literally, always late to class. And the flirting is just not ok anymore. The entire class is pretty much always at each other's throats, because we're all getting sick of each other. Luckily, Arndt is an easy grader (I got a 94 on a TERRIBLE essay, and it would have been around a 99 if it hadn't had such atrocious colloquialisms. I also got full points on an exam essay and an A on the exam. I studied for about 30 minutes.) We also only have two classes left.

The next class is German 101. I love the class itself, the teacher, and the people in the class with me. It's a good dynamic of people and the professor, Corinna, is great. We've all learned a ton of German, and she helps it to be fun too. It's definitely the best language class I've ever taken, and it's certainly my favorite class over here. It just happens to be a great bunch of people with a great professor. (So I can remember later, it includes Jon, Kyle, Soroosh, Zach, Evan, Danny, me, Kris, Shanna, Ruth, Allison, and Laurel.)

Then on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have Professor Dr. Rainer Hoffmann. He talks at his hands for an hour and a half. The class is Culture and Politics: A Quest for Civilizational Identities in a Post-National World. It ends up being the following: Hamas and Hezbollah have great social programs, Israelis bombed a mosque, Iran isn't that bad, and, most importantly, Western modernity isn't necessarily right for all nations. Basically, it's very pro-Middle East and rather anti-US and anti-West. However, it has no homework at all and it's fun to look across the table at John Forneris and just mouth stuff like "What is he talking about?"It's a ridiculous class. I've learned to stay awake through the worst class possible, sans laptop. It's a useful skill. (Also, Hoffmann cannot pronounce his r's. They come out as w's. It's really funny sometimes.)

Then I have German again, and after that is Regions of the EU with Hubertus. Hubie is the hardest grader, which basically means that he has some standards for papers. I'm currently avoiding writing his term paper (about the dissolution of Belgium) by writing these blog entries. The class as a whole is pretty interesting, even if completely irrelevant for my future. Oh well, I chose this over another class with Hoffmann. It was a good choice.

My final class is PO 350, the seminar that ties everything together. It's a joke. We love the professor, Gert, but we don't do any homework and we rarely learn anything in class. Gert always seems to make snide comments about the pope (who is from Regensburg, just like Gert) which always secretly angers Matt Shoemaker, who is the most conservative Catholic I have ever met in my life. Including Nana. Including priests and nuns. It's pretty funny to watch. One thing that we tend to do is impersonate Gert's explanation of how to pronounce Angela Merkel's name. Ahn'-gehlah Mehh(r)-kl. His name is Gehh(r)t. (I can do this for each of you. It's pretty fun to say.)

Conclusion: I'm not learning anything, except for German. But in exchange, I get to see nearly all of Europe. I call it a win.

classes, brief update

I'm trying to get into the habit of updating this regularly, since I've been so bad about it for the past two months. Let's just talk about how worthless today's classes were. The first class, culture and politics, Hoffmann, the crazy professor, talked at us for an hour and a half, which is standard. In German we had SOAR, where we talk about how we're adjusting to the program. We went to a cafe and talked for an hour. In Regions of the EU, we watched Goodbye, Lenin. It took me about halfway through the movie to realize that I'd seen it before. It was certainly good, though. Not altogether academic. And in PO350, the joke class, the professor asked us to get into groups of four and discuss the reading for the day, then he left the room. The class then realized that no one had done the reading. We confessed when he returned, and he was ok with it. Oh, study abroad.

Tomorrow I'm going to a vineyard/wine tasting for a field trip. I'm pretty excited about it. AND MEG'S COMING IN!!! I hope she gets here ok.

the start of classes

So we arrived back from Berlin at around 11:30. Classes start at 9 am. Again, well planned. My first class is Foreign Policy Analysis. There are a lot of people in the class that I know, and the professor is really cool. It looks like you'll actually have to put a fair amount of effort into the class because he'll call you out on not knowing stuff. Even though it's pretty early, I decided I was going to keep it (and pegged myself at a B, B+ for the semester.)

After that was Dynamics of Integration: From the Marshall Plan to the Eastern Enlargement of the EU. I'm in two classes with this professor, this and Culture and Politics: A Quest for Civilizational Identities in a Post-National World. We had an academic advising meeting, and I was warned that this professor basically lectures for an hour and a half straight, but he's a genius and you'll learn a ton from him. For those of you from WM, the advising meeting basically leaves me expecting Jerry Bledsoe to come in and teach the class.

AND WHAT I GET IS EVEN BETTER. The man's hair clearly has not changed since the 1970s. He says his R's as W's (American W's, not German W's) and he talks for an hour straight. It's epic. However, I almost fall asleep. I decide to wait until tomorrow to see how is next class is going to be, because I'm not sure if I can handle two classes with him.

And then I have German. Same as always, but now it's only an hour long everyday.

The next day starts with Culture and Politics: A Quest for Civilizational Identities in a Post-National World. Instead of falling asleep, I pay attention for the whole class because it seems really interesting and I think I'll really like it. I do decide to drop the other class because I just can't handle two classes with this man (along with two 20-page term papers.)

After this, German again. Then I go to check out a class to replace the one I've dropped. I go to Regions of the EU. It's one of the only ones left that is upper-level government. The professor seems great (and full of sass for "the Jon," who walked in late) so I decide to switch to this. Luckily, Clay Clemens (the government department chair at WM) has my back and he decides they'll give me credit for this new class.

And then I have seminar again. I actually felt like I got stupider during the class. I'll be honest. That class is a waste of my time. I don't do the reading because I don't need to, and there's not that much to pay attention to in class.

BUT, I did do all of my homework for my classes Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday already (with the exception of the two reflection essays I have to write) so I'm more on top of my stuff than I am at WM.

homework

So, we had our first classes today. They gave us the option of taking a slightly harder German 101, which I elected to take. I figure I'm not getting credit for the German anyway, and even if I were, I'd just be getting transfer credits, not credits towards my GPA. And I know a tiny bit of German (more than a bunch of people). So I'm in German 101 Section B, which is harder than A and C.

Then we had our seminar. The three people I've spent most of my time hanging out with (Andrew, Matt, and Daria) are all in B and I'm in A. When the director described how the groups (A-D) were divided up, B had the most IR experience, D was business people, C is those without IR experience, and B was a little less IR experience or the leftovers. I'm a little nervous about the people in my class. I was the only one who, when we were asked, knew who went to EU Summits (head of government and foreign minister from each member country). So I'm nervous that it won't be as hard or interesting as B would have been. I feel like it's arbitrary, because Andrew and I are both in the same department at the same school, and we're in different groups.

I'm also a little worried about who's in the class with me. There's "The Tom," the obnoxious guy who was in Freiburg last semester for the other Freiburg program who seems to get drunk a lot. There's also "The John," who just seems obnoxious. Luckily, though, "The John" seems to know his stuff. I'll take smart and obnoxious over obnoxious and a "funny guy" anyday. There just seem like there are a lot of personalities in the class that I don't feel like dealing with. We'll see how it goes. I have homework tonight for both classes, so that should be fun (not). Maybe I'll be better about doing homework this semester than I was last semester.