Graduate International Summer Programs

The Masters Program in the History of Decorative Arts, a collaborative program of Parsons and the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, offers a two-week graduate-credit summer seminar in Berlin. The course is open to all interested students currently enrolled in M.A. or Ph.D. programs.

Course Information

Exploring German Decorative Arts
July 19-30, 2010
Professor Ulrich Leben

Situated in the center of Europe, Germany has been influenced by styles from across the continent, leading to the creation of a unique and particular German style. The recent reunification of the c ountry has resulted in new discoveries of this rich legacy. This course will explore Germany’s rich heritage of decorative arts since the eighteenth century, focusing on German designers’ roles in shaping the course of modernism.

Based in Berlin, the curriculum will include visits to important German collections, including the Kunstgewerbemuseum (Museum of Decorative Arts) and the Bauhaus Archiv. Students will also visit royal palaces and house museums dating from the eighteenth through the twentieth centuries, many of which have kept their original decoration and furnishings, as well as the Bauhaus school and the master buildings in Dessau. Students will further have an opportunity to become familiar with many examples of contemporary architecture and design through collections in Berlin, and the post-reunification reconstruction that continues to reshape the city that once again serves as Germany's capital.

Course Requirements
Students are expected to attend all classes, site visits, and excursions. Classes and excursions begin promptly at the designated time; latecomers cannot be accommodated. Grades are based on class participation (20%), and a final slide identification and essay exam (80%).

Participants earn three graduate credits upon successful completion of a course. Grades are based on a slide and essay exam.

The courses are moderately physically challenging and require hours of walking and standing. Due to the small size of these seminars, friends and family cannot join the class for lectures, walks, or site visits.

Registration
Registration for the Graduate International Program will begin in late fall. Visit Registration for more details. Early registration is advised.

Contact Us
For further information about these courses, please Contact Us or by phone at 212.849.8344.