btucottbussucks.blogspot.com is currently seeking to immediately employ friendly and creative individuals who can contribute to our team. The best candidate will have the following skill set:
Ability to assess the city of Cottbus
Ability to evaluate and comment on the ERM program at Cottbus
Excellent presentation skills
Interpersonal communication skills
Must be able to operate email
Please send sample material to: eyeh8cottbus@googlemail.com
*btucottbussucks.blogspot.com is an equal opportunity employer.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Günter Wallraff "Schwarz auf Weiß"
Famous German undercover journalist Günter Wallraff recently produced a documentary film called "Schwarz auf Weiß". Check out this clip in which he is harassed by a racist asshole on the train from Dresden to Cottbus going to a football game. Cottbus sucks!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvpFeyoKbkg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvpFeyoKbkg&feature=related
BREAKING NEWS: Btucottbussucks threatened by BTU
[eyeh8cottbus@googlemail.com] received this letter from the BTU - which really REALLY sucks!
Dear Foreigner in Cottbus,
the contents of your blog (BTU Cottbus sucks) are not only affecting all students and alumni of World Heritage Studies but also the entire university and the city of Cottbus.
You may not care about these issues but all the people and institutions involved are likely to take legal actions against you.
In your own interest, we ask you to shut down this blog immediately, at latest until tomorrow, 1pm.
We, the StuCo are permanently working on the improvement of the Master program and if you would like to contribute to our work on a constructive basis, we would appreciate this a lot more than the contents of your blog.
With best regards
the StuCo of World Heritage Studies
Dear Foreigner in Cottbus,
the contents of your blog (BTU Cottbus sucks) are not only affecting all students and alumni of World Heritage Studies but also the entire university and the city of Cottbus.
You may not care about these issues but all the people and institutions involved are likely to take legal actions against you.
In your own interest, we ask you to shut down this blog immediately, at latest until tomorrow, 1pm.
We, the StuCo are permanently working on the improvement of the Master program and if you would like to contribute to our work on a constructive basis, we would appreciate this a lot more than the contents of your blog.
With best regards
the StuCo of World Heritage Studies
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
BTUCOTTBUSSUCKS.BLOGSPOT.COM HAS MOVED!!!!
Dear faithful followers:
Due to the threat of legal action by the BTU (a letter threatening our right to free speech sent to [eyeh8cottbus@googlemail.com]), btucottbussucks.blogspot.com has had to follow in the footsteps of both Napster and Pirate Bay. Thats right folks, the staff has packed their bags and is relocating their server to the island of Tonga. From Tonga rogue websites such as this can exist without the fear of copyright infringement, legal penalties, or the worst one - another winter in Cottbus.
waving a palm frond and sipping a cool drink,
The staff of btucottbussucks.blogspot.com
Due to the threat of legal action by the BTU (a letter threatening our right to free speech sent to [eyeh8cottbus@googlemail.com]), btucottbussucks.blogspot.com has had to follow in the footsteps of both Napster and Pirate Bay. Thats right folks, the staff has packed their bags and is relocating their server to the island of Tonga. From Tonga rogue websites such as this can exist without the fear of copyright infringement, legal penalties, or the worst one - another winter in Cottbus.
waving a palm frond and sipping a cool drink,
The staff of btucottbussucks.blogspot.com
ERM Program
The following is an email from one of our followers:
Dear btucottbussucks:
Here are a few issues I had with the ERM studies at the cottbus university yr of 2006 - 2007:
First, I was unable to get housing at the on campus flats, which is meant to be garaunteed to foreign students. This forced me to seek a flat where at least I was able to meet very nice and helpful people. Please know to contact friends before you go who can help you upon approaching Cottbus it can be very difficult to find your way if you are male or female.
Second, It took some time to finally see that there was not available any department. It is of upmost importance for future students to understand ERM program is a mixing of professors from many programs and no department (in-which one can find all of the professor) is available. In addition the professors seem to be not interested in teaching the english courses since they have their own courses in German language.
Third, it was often the case that classes were taught by student assistants with the same level of degree as the students they are teaching. Here many times professor do not often come to the classes themselves. Speaking times are limited so making a contact with a professor can be much impossible.
Fourth My bachelor degree was in Chemistry, in Cottbus University it is difficult to focus on a single study course as offered courses are in many different focuses. You must take many courses but cannot focus in one area meaning it is hard to gain skills.
Fifth Cottbus university provides activities on the campus but it is difficult to find activities in the town. There are people in the town that will not talk to you when you come from another country.
My country has one language English, and my english is very good. The professors in ERM program speak good english sometimes however then the secretaries usually do not speak english at all. This can be very difficult when you must schedule a meeting or even to hand in a paper late. You will need a German friend to help you when you are first coming in Cottbus. There are classes for learning German but they were very full with many students and it will take alot of time to learn this language enough.
Thanks you and Danke Shon
(name removed for anonymity)
Dear btucottbussucks:
Here are a few issues I had with the ERM studies at the cottbus university yr of 2006 - 2007:
First, I was unable to get housing at the on campus flats, which is meant to be garaunteed to foreign students. This forced me to seek a flat where at least I was able to meet very nice and helpful people. Please know to contact friends before you go who can help you upon approaching Cottbus it can be very difficult to find your way if you are male or female.
Second, It took some time to finally see that there was not available any department. It is of upmost importance for future students to understand ERM program is a mixing of professors from many programs and no department (in-which one can find all of the professor) is available. In addition the professors seem to be not interested in teaching the english courses since they have their own courses in German language.
Third, it was often the case that classes were taught by student assistants with the same level of degree as the students they are teaching. Here many times professor do not often come to the classes themselves. Speaking times are limited so making a contact with a professor can be much impossible.
Fourth My bachelor degree was in Chemistry, in Cottbus University it is difficult to focus on a single study course as offered courses are in many different focuses. You must take many courses but cannot focus in one area meaning it is hard to gain skills.
Fifth Cottbus university provides activities on the campus but it is difficult to find activities in the town. There are people in the town that will not talk to you when you come from another country.
My country has one language English, and my english is very good. The professors in ERM program speak good english sometimes however then the secretaries usually do not speak english at all. This can be very difficult when you must schedule a meeting or even to hand in a paper late. You will need a German friend to help you when you are first coming in Cottbus. There are classes for learning German but they were very full with many students and it will take alot of time to learn this language enough.
Thanks you and Danke Shon
(name removed for anonymity)
A History of Violent Attacks in Eastern German Towns
Check out the links below that have some examples of attacks on foreigners in small towns not so far from Cottbus, the sign is one of many that you will see decorating the streets of Cottbus during election time. It's from the far right neo-nazi party. This one says: "Stop the Polish Invasion"
http://www.muegeln.com/
http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/710
http://atlanticreview.org/archives/801-Indians-Attacked-in-Germany.html
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,484035,00.html
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,557204,00.html
Monday, July 5, 2010
Do a little research about Cottbus and the German Right Wing Extremists
Here are some of the things you can find on youtube about nazi's in Cottbus and Brandenburg:
This is about racism in Cottbus, but it's in German
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh6lXmfgHM0
This is an older clip of a neo-nazi saying racist things not far from Cottbus . . . it may be from the early 1990's, but many people in the area still feel this way
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj3IPjagwRk
This video shows a huge group of violent neo-nazis parading through a district of Cottbus in 2008, keep in mind that many students live in this area, including foriegners
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJLFZ-k_zFs
Basically, Cottbus is not a place you want to go if you have an accent or slightly darker skin . . . but of course the BTU won't tell you this and they also don't seem to care at all about issues of xenophobia in the Community, nor do they seem to care about letting foreign student know that Cottbus is a place where you need to be careful if you don't look German.
This is about racism in Cottbus, but it's in German
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh6lXmfgHM0
This is an older clip of a neo-nazi saying racist things not far from Cottbus . . . it may be from the early 1990's, but many people in the area still feel this way
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj3IPjagwRk
This video shows a huge group of violent neo-nazis parading through a district of Cottbus in 2008, keep in mind that many students live in this area, including foriegners
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJLFZ-k_zFs
Basically, Cottbus is not a place you want to go if you have an accent or slightly darker skin . . . but of course the BTU won't tell you this and they also don't seem to care at all about issues of xenophobia in the Community, nor do they seem to care about letting foreign student know that Cottbus is a place where you need to be careful if you don't look German.
Student Issues and Concerns at the BTU
The following is another email sent to us by a reader and BTU Student:
Frau Shankin
- Speaks almost no English and is very challenging to communicate with.
- Often fails to solve any of the issues I go to her with.
- Fails to enter course marks, in fact, I had to go to her with the marks I had collected from my professors. The was a huge waste of time for everyone involved.
- Has lost some of my important documents.
- Has very inconvenient office hours (she also seems to be on holiday or sick very often).
- Often has a very unfriendly and unprofessional attitude.
PROFESSORS
- Nearly all of my professors fail to give me any feedback on my exams, essays, or presentations. I have no idea why I received the marks I ended up with in the majority of my classes.
- Many professors seemed to grade based on how well that like a student, not based on how well the student performs in the class.
- At least half of the professors speak English so poorly that even native English speakers have difficulty understanding the concepts being explained.
- The majority of professors seem to have little regard for students schedules as they regularly start classes 15 to 30 minutes late, and sometimes even allow the class to run 15 to 30 minutes later than the class is supposed to go.
- All of the professors I took classes from were exceedingly difficult to contact outside of class and it was often nearly impossible to meet during their office hours (if they even bothered to have office hours).
- The general level of communication and teaching ability among WHS teaching staff is far below the acceptable standards found in the other countries where I have attended university.
- Prof. Michael Schmidt [allegedly] repeatedly flirted with female students to the point were they felt very uncomfortable.
- Prof. Schuster is immature and very often fails to take responsibility for his mistakes. I also witnessed him acting very unprofessional during an excursion, treating students and the bus driver with a huge amount of disrespect. I found his behaviour shocking and I feel that he uses his position at the head of the examination board in a corrupt and dishonest way.
General Impression of the WHS program and the BTU:
- No one at the BTU can ever reply to emails within a reasonable timeframe, if they even bother to reply at all. By “reasonable timeframe,” I mean two weeks.
- The staff at the International office are amazingly incompetent, and sometimes even unfriendly. It is very difficult to get any sort of information from them, when they do actually bother to pick up the phone.
- The BTU IMKZ is very very difficult to use for students who know little of no German. There are few resources available in English, and it is almost always impossible to find a single librarian who speaks English. The library is also rather poorly outfitted with books relating to WHS.
- The WHS program is organized very poorly and the majority of the staff seem not to care at all about solving reoccurring problems. This is also maybe the reason we seem to get a new coordinator every one to two years.
- It is very difficult to find information or get any type of direction from WHS staff. The thesis process is very confusing and few WHS staff actually have any information about how this process works.
- I have the feeling that comments and feedback are not taken seriously and that student’s opinions and concerns do not matter at all.
- The academic standards for the WHS are very low, especially compared to graduate programs in other Western countries. Nearly all of the classes are based on student presentations, meaning the professors rarely teach (especially if they have a student aid, like in Cultural Landscapes). The level of academic research and expectations is pretty sad even for an Undergraduate program in a lot of countries.
- I would not recommend this program to anyone interested in WH or in finding employment in the field of WH. In fact, I have communicated my thoughts on the WHS program to several potential WHS students, warning them about the problems I have encountered at the BTU and in the WHS program. A
- All in all, my opinion of the WHS program is this: anyone who is actually serious about WHS should not waste their time with this program. I am very frustrated that I choose to study at the BTU and I feel that the 3 students who quit during the first semester made a very intelligent choice.
Frau Shankin
- Speaks almost no English and is very challenging to communicate with.
- Often fails to solve any of the issues I go to her with.
- Fails to enter course marks, in fact, I had to go to her with the marks I had collected from my professors. The was a huge waste of time for everyone involved.
- Has lost some of my important documents.
- Has very inconvenient office hours (she also seems to be on holiday or sick very often).
- Often has a very unfriendly and unprofessional attitude.
PROFESSORS
- Nearly all of my professors fail to give me any feedback on my exams, essays, or presentations. I have no idea why I received the marks I ended up with in the majority of my classes.
- Many professors seemed to grade based on how well that like a student, not based on how well the student performs in the class.
- At least half of the professors speak English so poorly that even native English speakers have difficulty understanding the concepts being explained.
- The majority of professors seem to have little regard for students schedules as they regularly start classes 15 to 30 minutes late, and sometimes even allow the class to run 15 to 30 minutes later than the class is supposed to go.
- All of the professors I took classes from were exceedingly difficult to contact outside of class and it was often nearly impossible to meet during their office hours (if they even bothered to have office hours).
- The general level of communication and teaching ability among WHS teaching staff is far below the acceptable standards found in the other countries where I have attended university.
- Prof. Michael Schmidt [allegedly] repeatedly flirted with female students to the point were they felt very uncomfortable.
- Prof. Schuster is immature and very often fails to take responsibility for his mistakes. I also witnessed him acting very unprofessional during an excursion, treating students and the bus driver with a huge amount of disrespect. I found his behaviour shocking and I feel that he uses his position at the head of the examination board in a corrupt and dishonest way.
General Impression of the WHS program and the BTU:
- No one at the BTU can ever reply to emails within a reasonable timeframe, if they even bother to reply at all. By “reasonable timeframe,” I mean two weeks.
- The staff at the International office are amazingly incompetent, and sometimes even unfriendly. It is very difficult to get any sort of information from them, when they do actually bother to pick up the phone.
- The BTU IMKZ is very very difficult to use for students who know little of no German. There are few resources available in English, and it is almost always impossible to find a single librarian who speaks English. The library is also rather poorly outfitted with books relating to WHS.
- The WHS program is organized very poorly and the majority of the staff seem not to care at all about solving reoccurring problems. This is also maybe the reason we seem to get a new coordinator every one to two years.
- It is very difficult to find information or get any type of direction from WHS staff. The thesis process is very confusing and few WHS staff actually have any information about how this process works.
- I have the feeling that comments and feedback are not taken seriously and that student’s opinions and concerns do not matter at all.
- The academic standards for the WHS are very low, especially compared to graduate programs in other Western countries. Nearly all of the classes are based on student presentations, meaning the professors rarely teach (especially if they have a student aid, like in Cultural Landscapes). The level of academic research and expectations is pretty sad even for an Undergraduate program in a lot of countries.
- I would not recommend this program to anyone interested in WH or in finding employment in the field of WH. In fact, I have communicated my thoughts on the WHS program to several potential WHS students, warning them about the problems I have encountered at the BTU and in the WHS program. A
- All in all, my opinion of the WHS program is this: anyone who is actually serious about WHS should not waste their time with this program. I am very frustrated that I choose to study at the BTU and I feel that the 3 students who quit during the first semester made a very intelligent choice.
Comments on World Heritage Studies Courses at the BTU
The following text was emailed to the staff here at BTU Cottbus Sucks by one of our readers; it refers to classes offered in the WHS (World Heritage Studies) program:
COMMENTS ON COURSES
Body of Knowledge
- I found this course to be basically useless. The subjects covered did not go into enough detail and the student presentations were usually terrible. Furthermore, I had a busy schedule and Prof. Albert often started the class 15 to 30 minutes late, then held students sometimes 30 minutes late (giving important information at the end of class, after some students were forced to leave for work or family).
Introduction/Coaching
- Again, another waste of time. The worst part of this class was Mr. Wolf teaching. His communication and teaching abilities are embarrassingly awful. The information provided in this class is something that anyone studying in a Masters program should already know.
Social Change and Continuity
- Prof. Gensior is the most incompetent Professor I have ever had the displeasure of interacting with. Her command of the English language is dreadful and she took more than 8 months to post the marks from this course. The course itself consisted entirely of poorly done student presentations and I can safely say that I learned absolutely nothing. To her credit, Prof. Gensior seemed friendly, however I got the impression that she was on strong anti-psychotic drugs due to her bizarre behaviour and communication tendencies.
Cultural Landscapes
- This class was the single worst class I have ever taken in my entire academic career. The instructor often had no idea what she was speaking about because the presentations came from the Prof., and she was also very poorly organized. Sandra is friendly, however her teaching and communication skills are so bad, I don’t think she should ever be in a position where she interacts with students. Upon hearing these complaints, Prof. Schmidt literally told students to deal with it and not to expect too much because it was her first semester, and that perhaps she would get better by next year. In addition, Prof. Schmidt rarely (maybe twice) taught classes himself. What I found to be most offensive and unprofessional was the way Prof. Schmidt flirted with and CENSORED students. I would not be surprised to hear that he has a history of CENSORED and I feel that it is a liability for the BTU to employ him because of this . . . not to mention the outrageous ethical issues involved on his part.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
First sightings
When you arrive in Cottbus for your first day of school at the BTU you may have decided to get a jump on your fellow classmates and show up a few days early. Most likely you took a train from Berlin. Most likely you got off the train, wondering which way the public transportation was. Maybe you even went so far as to try to ask that kind looking shaved headed gentleman where to go. If you didn't get spit on (a possibility if you have a darker shade of skin) you might have found your way over the bridge leading across the train tracks. Carrying those heavy suitcases probably had you huffing and puffing but you began to notice that the buildings around you seemed in very poor states of disrepair. There was a lot of broken glass, and even several buildings that seemed to be completely abandoned. Were you in old time Soviet Russia? Had you accidentally gotten off the train in Moldova? No, you're in Cottbus~!
Seven blocks later you happily make your way to the campus, excited after a 15 hour day to relax a bit, meet some nice people, and find your accommodations. You make your way to the Hauptgebaude where the administration and the "international office" is located, and quickly realize that every single door is securely locked. "what the hell..." you say, "it's tuesday where is everyone"?
After stumbling through the check in procedure at a hotel, and spending a precious 40 euros, you go out to buy some food. Across the street you see two young people, and one is wearing a t-shirt that says: BTU - with the acronym written out as:
B etter
T han
U think
Quickly running across the street in a desperate attempt to glean some info, you practically shout: "hey guys excuse me! are you students here? do you speak english? ohh thank god! Hey - do you know why all the University buildings are locked up? I need some help figuring out what to do here."
Feeling dejected, but stomach full of a delicious chicken doner, you walk back to the hotel to wait a week. Apparently everyone including the security guards are on summer holiday.
At least it's culturally acceptable to drink in the streets...
Welcome to BTU
Cottbus sucks
Hello and welcome to this blog which will explain to you every way in which Cottbus sucks. The staff here at btucottbussucks want to make sure that in addition to the BTU website, there is a source of information for those of you who may find yourselves thinking about applying to - or attending the BTU. Please feel free to add you own insights by emailing the staff here at the website at: [eyeh8cottbus(at)googlemail.com] We will pass along the article to our web techs and have it published.
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