CIEE Brings Four Fellows to Berlin
CIEE Knowledge Without Borders fellowship brings four Pell-eligible U.S. students to Berlin to study history, democracy, and memory.
By Academic Writing Club Newsroom
Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) has welcomed four U.S. college students to Berlin as the first Knowledge Without Borders: Democracy and Memory Fellows. A $55,000 gift from Karen Collias, Ph.D., funds scholarships for four first-generation, Pell-eligible undergraduate students. The fellows will join CIEE’s Berlin Open Campus program for a semester of coursework, site visits, and conversations with historians, civic leaders, and other experts. Their studies will cover Germany’s history, democratic memory, and the role of international education.
Study In Berlin
The program will examine the rise of Nazism and the Holocaust, alongside the ways historical memory has shaped German society since 1945. The fellows will also consider current debates about history, identity, civic education, and democratic institutions following recent state elections in Germany.
KAREN COLLIAS, Ph.D., Founder of Knowledge Without Borders, said:
“These developments make the Fellows' experience especially meaningful. They will have the opportunity to study how Germany has confronted its history while also considering how societies remember, interpret and learn from the past.”
Learning Through Experience
The fellowship asks students to consider how later generations may challenge the memory culture on which a democratic order was partly built. It also connects the students’ experience in Germany with their communities and experiences in the United States.
CARTER MAKI, KWB Fellow from the University of Wisconsin, said:
“I am incredibly grateful for this scholarship and the opportunity to study German politics, democracy, and history while living in Germany. Being here allows me to experience firsthand how Germany has emerged from its complex history to become a leader in the European Union and the world. At a time when democracy is being tested around the globe, studying these issues while immersing myself in the culture and political landscape has given me insights I could never gain from a classroom alone.”
Questions About Civic Life
CIEE President and CEO James P. Pellow said the program gives students direct contact with the people and places connected to their studies.
JAMES P. PELLOW, Ed.D., President and CEO of CIEE, said:
“International education gives students the opportunity to engage directly with the places, people and perspectives that bring history to life. We are proud to support these students as they explore important questions about history, culture and civic life through firsthand experience.”
