Ben Bryce, a CCGES Graduate Diploma student and PhD candidate in History, will be among a group of international doctoral students taking part in an “election observers” trip to Germany in the run up to the general election there next month. Organized by the Duitsland Institut Amsterdam, a partner institution of CCGES through the worldwide network of centres supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the trip will run from September 20-29, 2009 and give participants an inside view of the last phase of what promises to be an exciting election campaign. The group will meet with representatives of the political parties along with journalists and academics in order to gain insight into the both the process and issues which will shape this year’s campaign.