Institute of Continuing Education (ICE)
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This weekend course will be held in German. It has been designed to give people with a fair comprehension of the German Language (but who might lack fluency and/or the confidence to speak it) the possibility to practise the language in a small and friendly circle of participants.
The concept of 'Heimat' is a fascinating one: notoriously difficult to translate, it evokes ideas of place and identity, of emotions such as nostalgia and loss. It can conjure up a sense of belonging, but can equally reinforce ethnic and racial divisions.
'Heimat' is of course particularly relevant for refugees in the wider sense, and during the weekend we will attempt to trace the points of convergence. Whether it is in the shape of the artists’ colony of Worpswede at the end of the nineteenth century, or in the Nazis’ misappropriation of the word in their slogan 'Zurück in die Heimat' or whether we think of the citizens of the GDR who lost their 'Heimat' when the wall came down, or – more recently – the controversies surrounding Angela Merkel’s welcoming stance in the face of the latest refugee crisis and the emergence of the controversial slogan of 'Neue Heimat'.
The linguistic level required is intermediate, i.e. anybody within the level A2-B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages is welcome to enrol.
No advance reading is necessary for this course.