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Education and Language

Student writing on the sidewalk during a performance intervention in Pankow
Inequality in the access to educational opportunities is one of the major challenges that drives and prolongs social and economical injustice. In partnership with local organizations, Bard College Berlin offers a variety of programs and projects that provide access to higher education to underrepresented communities - creating spaces and opportunities to meet, share experiences, and learn from one other.
English Hour
Students and Participants during the English Hour.

English Hour

The English Hour is a meeting space for people from around the Bard College Berlin neighbourhood of Pankow to improve their English skills through conversation, build new connections, and bridge gaps between different cultures. Pankow is home to people from very diverse cultural backgrounds and English Hour connects them by promoting a shared language. The student organized sessions are held on-campus and at a local community center. There are weekly one-hour long sessions where Bard College Berlin volunteers and community participants engage in interactive activities and group discussions, drawing on their respective cultures and backgrounds.
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Exchanging Knowledge

“The idea behind English Hour is not just that of language learning – we have a group of participants from the neighborhood who get together almost every week and talk to each other about their personal lives, their community, and topics ranging from the environment to space exploration, to different cuisines and world travels. (...) This unique exchange of knowledge and ideas, which all of us find so precious, is only possible because of the trust and mutual respect that has developed between the participants and volunteers at the English Hour.”
-- Muhammad Faraz, EPST 2025.

Open Classroom

Open Classroom is a project that enables people to experience university courses taught by students at Bard College Berlin in an informal setting that is open to everyone. It encourages students to share their knowledge from their coursework with their community. In Fall 2022, Open Classroom adapted the curriculum from "Renaissance Florence", a course that second-year students at BCB study as a part of their core curriculum. Participants read a wide range of texts originating in the Renaissance period, including texts like Boccaccio’s Decameron and Leonardo da Vinci’s Notebooks. In keeping with the interdisciplinary spirit of the course, Open Classroom closely studied works of art and also discussed canonical works of painting, architecture, sculpture, and film.

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Courses and Extracuriculars

Ready to immerse yourself in German language and culture?

Ready to immerse yourself in German language and culture?

"DerDieDas Haus" is a learning and living project for students that creates a community by learning German together. Native and non-native speakers live as flatmates in a residence hall on the BCB campus. By using German as your everyday language, you build friendships with your peers and share learning experiences. You expand your communicative and academic skills, while making a home for yourself in Berlin. Extracurricular activities on campus and in Berlin, such as movie nights, theater visits, or election parties combine learning with leisure.

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What are Germans Talking about Today?
Students in the Discussing Deutschland seminar visiting the Humboldt Forum

What are Germans Talking about Today?

Course Spotlight: Discussing Deutschland

Held in German, this course asks about the issues and forms of discourse that shape German politics and social life with topics chosen by the participants in cooperation with the instructor. The course visits cultural sites, events, and organizations in Berlin, like museums, political parties, NGOs or media producers. In addition to the study of current public debates and civic engagement, students refine and advance their German speaking and writing skills through constant vocabulary building.

SyllabusMore on the German Studies Program

Institutional Engagement

Spotlight:OSUN Hubs for Connected Learning Initiatives

Spotlight:
OSUN Hubs for Connected Learning Initiatives

The Open Society University Network (OSUN) Hubs for Connected Learning Initiatives are expanding higher educational and research opportunities to areas affected by crisis and displacement. Co-led by Bard College and Arizona State University, with BRAC University and the Princeton Global History Lab as key partners, the Hubs deliver high-quality, contextualized connected learning opportunities customized to meet learner needs in places as diverse as the MENA region, Eastern Africa and Asia. All programming is learner-centered, geared toward promoting livelihood pathways, and innovative in its use of technology to support participants in low-resource settings. 

More about the OSUN Hubs

More information

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