Dana Bumpus, Assistant Director of the Study Abroad Office
630 Dartmouth Pl. Floor 2
Phone 847.467.2947

August 1 - September 19

• Students must have completed at least one year of college-level German to enroll in this program.
• Applicants should have approximately a 3.0 GPA.

Located in northeastern Bavaria, Bayreuth is nestled in an area known for its magnificent landscape and recreational areas.  Bayreuth is a city of both tradition and innovation.  It is home to the University of Bayreuth, which adds a distinctively student feel to the city, and the annual summer Richard Wagner Festival which brings thousands of opera aficionados to the city, transforming it into a summer music Mecca. The Summer University is organized by the Institute for International Communication (IIK) and has become a model for summer culture and language programs both in Germany and Europe. Northwestern students have been participating in the Summer University in Bayreuth since 1998.

The Summer University focuses on providing students a broad range of opportunities to interact with other international students while working on German language skills. Students take a placement test upon arrival in Bayreuth and are placed in an appropriate course with 10-15 other students. The morning language course provides the foundation for intensive language learning during the program. Morning courses run from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and are organized to encourage active and participatory learning.  During the early afternoon session (1:30 - 3:00 p.m.), students who have completed German 101 at Northwestern may enroll in a special 7-week thematic content course in the afternoon that will focus on work with the formal structures of the language through reading and writing. Those who do not choose to enroll in this course may enroll in a special course on Language and Music Culture in Germany Today. Students who have completed German 102 and beyond may enroll in one of five content based courses during August:

1. European Studies from a German Point of View
2. Languages and Intercultural Business Communication
3. Tourism Management and Cultural Transfer
4. Legal language and Legal Culture in German
5. Language and Music Culture in Germany Today

Students are also strongly encouraged to participate in the program seminars, excursions, tours and workshops offered in the late afternoon. Workshops in theater, radio programming, writing and music allow for interaction with program participants in other groups. The university's sport facilities are open and available to all participants and the very good working relations between the university and city and community have allowed the program to develop an extensive range of afternoon excursions and special events. There will be tours of the Richard Wagner House, the Brewery Museum, the piano manufacturer Steingräber along with tours of the town, university and local nature hikes.  A variety of social and recreational activities are planned for the evenings. Film screenings, literary readings, sports activities, parties and dance sessions are just some of the options offered during the 7-week program. Students have the option to attend these activities or may organize their own extra-curricular entertainment.

Academic Specialties of this program:

German Language and Culture, Music, European Studies

Course Type:

Students enroll in morning language courses and if eligible, also choose from a variety of afternoon content courses.  All courses are held on the University of Bayreuth campus with other International program participants. Students typically bring back between 3-4 credits from this program, depending on the number of successfully completed courses.  For more information on this, students should consult with Professor John Paluch or Professor Franziska Lys in the Department of German.

Students will live in shared student apartments. The housing arrangements provide an additional opportunity for students to socialize with other program participants and also German and international students who may be staying the summer in Bayreuth. Cooking facilities in the apartments allow for social gatherings and former NU participants have remarked particularly on the many evenings of dinner and discussion that allowed them to get to know others and improve their conversational fluency considerably.

Costs for the 2008 Bayreuth summer program are estimated to be $4,500, depending on the fluctuating exchange rate. These costs include tuition (for 3-4 credits), housing, German health insurance, some program activities, and all administrative fees.

It is the student's responsibility to arrive at the Bayreuth campus and course site. International airfare to Frankfurt or Munich from U.S. is estimated to be $1200. Trains from Frankfurt to Bayreuth are 3:43 hours, and cost approximately $80.  There will be one change of train required.

Northwestern students receiving financial aid during the academic year may be eligible for summer aid for this program. If funding is available, it may count as one of their 12 quarters of aid. For more information, please contact the Assistant Director of Financial Services, Sue Kwan, at s-kwan@northwestern.edu or 847-491-7400. Non-Northwestern students should contact the Financial Aid office at their home institution.

Approximately 15 Northwestern students attend this program each summer.  The Bayreuth Summer Program draws students from all over the world and the overall program size is nearing 250. 

The Summer University organizes full-day excursions on Saturdays to a number of local cities and towns that have historic or cultural importance. (Dresden, Weimar, Nürnberg, Bamberg) At least one of the excursions each month is a day-long hike in one of the local national forests. (Fränkische Schweiz, Fichtelgebirge). Students sign up on location and fees range from $7-30.

1. Students applying to the Bayreuth summer program DO NOT need to take the 101 session on Blackboard, as is required of other study abroad students.
2. Students applying to the Bayreuth summer program must complete the Northwestern Summer Study Abroad Application and in addition must submit the following materials to the Northwestern Study Abroad Office together with the application and required non-refundable deposit of $1000 by March 5, 2008.
3. An additional two passport photos (the Northwestern application requests that you submit two; for this program you will need to submit a total of four)
   • An official transcript obtained from the Northwestern Office of the Registrar
   • A photocopy of your passport picture page*
   • Students must interview with Dana Bumpus, the Assistant Director of the Study Abroad Office, prior to the application deadline as part of the application process.
   • If you are accepted to the program, you must purchase the required HTH health insurance.  You will need to submit a photocopy of the HTH receipt showing proof of insurance to the Study Abroad Office by April 24, 2008. For more information on HTH, please visit this site.