At the start of the half-term break, a group of Year 13 pupils travelled to Berlin, Germany, on a sociology and criminology trip. Lead for Sociology and Criminology, Ms Magee, writes:
‘Fifteen Year 13 sociology and criminology students set off for Berlin on Friday, 18 October. The trip included visits to the TV Tower, Reichstag Dome, the Stasi Memorial Prison and Sachsenhausen Memorial Camp.
All were moved by the experience as Sachsenhausen represents one of the worst state crimes of all time. More than 200,000 men, women and children were kept there during the Second World War. Many died of diseases and starvation while others were shot, gassed, tortured, or sent on death marches, where many died walking through German forests in the height of winter.
During the trip, our pupils also visited the East Side Gallery, which includes a standing portion of the Berlin Wall. This is now used as an artistic platform representing peace; a far cry from the wall’s original purpose which was to divide Soviet East and West Berlin. Here, our pupils had the opportunity to take part in a graffiti workshop and leave a Shiplake mark on the Berlin Wall itself!
Students were able to apply areas they are studying such as state crime and globalisation to aspects of the visit. The trip culminated in a boat trip on the River Spree, allowing them to take in historic and modern Berlin. Our pupils returned to Shiplake tired, but culturally enriched, with a better understanding of the enormity of state crime and the power governments can have to commit them.’
Thank you to Ms Magee for organising and leading the trip and thank you to Head of Maths Mr Davis for accompanying.
Flickr album: Sociology and Criminology Berlin Trip, October 2024 |
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