Rivers have had a great importance for human evolution; the earliest cultures were organised along river banks – e.g. the Nile, Tigris and Euphrates. Rivers also contributed to the Industrial Revolution and helped to soften its effects on people by becoming a favourite resort. We shall look at rivers in different lights, ranging from biology, evolution and geography to history and art. Rivers have become powerful metaphors, they are politically decisive factors and they have had an impact on wars and treaties. We shall look at the dark and light side of rivers – their use for children and adults and their emotional values – and maybe we shall go on a field trip on the Saale river. We also plan to present our findings in a public event at the Stadtbibliothek Leipzig. This class will be coordinated with a class in Polish Studies working on the significance of rivers for Eastern European and Polish Literature. We shall also work hand in hand with a publisher who is interested in our results and may turn them into a book.