How Germans and Americans see eachother
An e-mail project in cooperation with students from the Central Michigan, Mt. Pleasant University
3. Suggestions for work and research
I. Introduction: The German perception of America and Americans has gone through different phases in the history of German-American friendship depending much on America`s international role as a super power. The German picture of America can thus be characterized by an ambivalent relationship from fascination for its achievements in technology, popular culture and in the movie and music industry to criticism of the super power's role in the world. Sometimes there was even an open anti-American sentiment which characterized in particular the political concepts and opinions of the intellectuals in West-Germany in the Eighties towards the United States. Thus critical questions and arguments concerning the United States and its people are often a matter of discussion and controversity in English classes on the subject of Landeskunde (American Studies). Students' attitudes and opinions are influenced to a certain degree by the mass media, which reflect national stereotypes and biased concepts of the other culture.
In order to achieve a mature and less biased perception of the United States and its people it is of absolute importance to keep four essential premises in mind.
1. We (Germans) don`t know America;
2. The United States is a religious country;
3. America is a continent;
4. America is a land of diversity and contrast - a Land of unlimited contradictions (Werner Kremp, Atlantic Academy Kaiserslautern).
Conversely, one can assume that America and Americans have an adequate view of the Old World and more specifically of Germany, its culture and heritage. For example, they cannot understand why a strong country like Germany would be willing to give up its sovereignty in favor of a United Europe. „America does not understand Europe", writes Elizabeth Pond, former journalist of the Christian Science Monitor, in the German weekly Die Zeit. She attacks and criticizes the political leading class and accuses it of typical American ignorance towards Europe and Germany. But she also concedes that reasonable diplomats and the American public have so far prevented serious conflicts within the transatlantic alliance. She concludes, „Das seltame Paar eines realpolitsch denkenden Amerikas und eines aufgrund des bislang Versäumten idealistsich gestimmten Europas mag dazu verdammt sein, sich einen Großteil der Zeit mißzuverstehen, manchmal auch sehr grundsätzlich. Aber, so scheint es, beide sind auch dazu verdammt , ein Paar zu bleiben. (Elizabeth Pond, Der zynische Blick auf Europa, in: Die Zeit Nr. 10 v. 26.2.98, 3)
II. Teaching Objectives: The main goal of this project therefore is to encourage students to learn from eachother and expand their views and perceptions of the other culture using the internet as an instrument of communication as well as information in order to erase incorrect stereotypes and distorted images in a cross-cultural dialogue. Possible topics could be:
1. Everyday life of young Germans and Americans - dreams , hopes, prospects etc.
2. Educational issues - comparison of the two systems;
3. The political sytem;
4. America and Europe - partners or competitors?
5. Crime and drug problems;
6. Popular culture;
7. others.
III. Suggestions for work an d research (only for our students):
You can approach your assignment in the following way:
1. Searching websites and downloading texts on the computer;
2. Working with the text - Write a summary;
3. Translate your summary using a dictionary;
4. Write a glossary and vocabulary list for important expressions and explain them;
5. Create a layout for a newspaper - Headline, title, graphics, objects.
6. Send your results to your partners overseas.