A study abroad program shows how history, geography, chemistry, engineering, political science, urban planning, and culture interact in Germany’s largest city.
German culture, urban geography, and sustainability come together in a new opportunity for students from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, to explore one of Europe’s most historically contested metropolises.
The Urban Sustainability in Berlin course took 18 Volunteers to Germany in summer 2026 with two professors offering an interdisciplinary student experience from the College of Arts and Sciences.
“We applied a broad definition of urban sustainability to the course,” said Associate Professor Solange Muñoz from the Department of Geography and Sustainability. “This focus allowed us to think about sustainability through environmental, historical, political, social, and cultural approaches.”
“We had guest lectures, speakers, and tour guides telling us about sustainable engineering, Berlin’s water supply, alternative housing, organizing around housing justice, city planning, and the history of Berlin,” said Maria Stehle, Distinguished Professor of the Humanities and the new head of the Department of World Languages and Cultures (WLC).
Many UT students are increasingly interested in and knowledgeable about sustainability, Muñoz said, and that is reflected in their own actions, such as recycling, walking and taking public transportation instead of driving when possible.
Students on the trip came from a variety of majors and minors across the university. “What made the program unique was just how interdisciplinary the group was and how wide-ranging the students’ interests were,” Stehle said.
The Department of Geography and Sustainability already offers a sustainability course in Freiburg, Germany, during the May mini-term, and the professors hope to alternate that with the study abroad trip to Berlin. The new course offers students the opportunity to earn credits through a geography foreign study option and the Contemporary German Cultures course, while also meeting a Volunteer Core Requirement in the arts and humanities. Several students received financial support for the trip through WLC travel scholarships.
Exploring the City with Context
Short readings, films, and online discussion posts prepared students for their time abroad. “We designed four modules on the history of the city as it relates to the themes of our class, including documentary and fiction films, and readings about sustainability, housing justice, and gentrification,” Stehle said.
While they had four classroom meetings in Berlin, the rest of their time was spent on excursions across the city. “Each student found something to get excited about,” Muñoz said.
Henry Lubke, a sustainability major with a public policy concentration, wants to become an urban planner for a city government. “Berlin was an opportunity to witness a city with high-speed transit, a vast collection of urban wildernesses, and an array of sustainable technologies in use, such as solar,” he said.
Lubke also appreciated how the professors provided a historical context for their experiences in the city. For example, they learned how street markets stemmed from immigrant communities and then became popular enough to gain legislative backing, becoming a permanent fixture within the city. “I walked away with an intimate understanding of the key pieces of the city’s soul and culture,” he said.
For Taylor Longacre the experience drew the connection between the scientific research she is learning about as a biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology (BCMB) major and efforts to make the planet sustainable.
In Berlin’s Deutsches Historisches Museum the students saw an exhibition about German scientific discoveries, particularly in biology. “I recognized many of the concepts, such as disease spread, phylogenetic trees, botany, and organism biology, directly from my Biology 150 and 160 classes I had just completed,” Longacre said.
She also recognized the chemical and biological processes discussed when students visited the Aldershof technology park to learn about an electron storage ring and current research.
A trip to the Berlin waterworks included a discussion of water purity laws, and how those impact everything from where the water is sourced to limiting chemical treatment.
The UT students’ experience allowed them to ask questions about Berliners’ everyday lives and understand modern issues that are still developing, Longacre said. “Our professors encouraged us to see Berlin from different angles and connect those viewpoints to our experiences living in the US.”
“The new perspective on the world I gained will show up throughout the rest of my life,” she said. “I’m so grateful that UT has this available for students. Having the chance to see another side of the world and interact with people you would not have otherwise met is an invaluable experience.”
For Elliot Lloyd, a senior deaf studies major with a minor in public affairs, the study abroad experience led to a new direction. “After this trip, I decided to get a master’s degree in either geography or sociology focusing on public transportation,” said Lloyd, who wants to approve accessibility and is already working with Knoxville Area Transit to encourage an Adopt-a-Stop program that would provide more information to riders.
A previous visit to Berlin had given Lloyd an appreciation for the city’s public transit and walkability. Shortly before the trip, they moved from the Fort Sanders region of Knoxville to the Fourth and Gill neighborhood. “I was so happy when I realized, by moving less than 2 miles, I could retain a more Berlin-ish lifestyle,” they said.
“My experiences this summer really drove home to me how important infrastructure is in influencing the way people move through a city, and how the way people move through a city impacts the way they live,” Lloyd said.
by Amy Beth Miller