12 AYF Academic Director Course

Focus Freiburg: City, Culture, History

This course will canvas pivotal moments in European and German history since the Middle Ages by focusing on one urban community, Freiburg im Breisgau. Among the themes we will discuss are the city’s origins, its cathedral, the emergence of universities, the fortified city and its aftermath, Freiburg in National Socialism, the aerial war during World War II, the city’s post-war reconstruction, and commemoration of the past through public monuments. The readings for this class include informative articles and first-hand documents. In order to gain an understanding of the city as a layered social space, we will go on a series of site visits during class time.

AYF Courses

The following AYF program courses are planned for 2025-2026:

• Intensive German Language Courses
• Political Science: Germany in the 21st Century
• AD Course: Focus Freiburg: City, Culture, History (see description above)
• German History: From Unification to Reunification and Today (1871-2020)
• Political Science: European Union / International Institutions
• AYF Internship (seminar on intercultural issues in the workplace)

Please note: These program courses are tentatively planned for 2025-2026. Typically, AYF offers an introduction to German contemporary politics in the Wintersemester along with the Academic Director’s course on a changing subject and a course on the European Union and a German history survey course and in the Sommersemester (or vice versa). Depending on the size of the AYF cohort in a given year, courses may be added or reduced as needed.