Dear all,

This Wednesday we have the pleasure of welcoming German filmmaker Mo Asumang to our monthly German Film Series in Space 2435 North Quad at 6:45 p.m. She will introduce her 2014 film “Die Arier” (The Aryans), and you have the opportunity to ask her questions afterwards.  She has done groundbreaking work confronting racist groups and individuals in face-to-face interviews. Billed as a “personal journey into the madness of racism,” this film is a must-see exploration of contemporary racism in Germany and the United States. Ask your instructor about the possibility of making up “A&P Tally” points by attending!
 
On Thursday, October 24, 8 p.m., you can attend the Open House of the Max Kade German Residence, where you can learn more about living in North Quad with other German-speaking students in 2020/21 or a subsequent year.
 
Tomorrow (Tuesday 10/22) you can practice yoga auf Deutsch in a relaxed setting at  “Yoga with Iris”(Tuesday, October 22; 4-5 p.m., North Quad, Bowman Room – 10th Floor). Bring comfortable clothing, a yoga mat or a large towel, and something to drink.
 
If you are looking for a summer internship in Germany or the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange Program for Young Professionals, please attend the information session by Cultural Vistas.  Cultural Vistas is a non-profit organization that is coordinating these programs and others, and it will host this session on Thursday, October 24, 4 p.m.
 
Please consider attending Zauberland” (Magic Land) – An Encounter with Schumann’s “Dichterliebe”(Thursday, October 24, 7:30 p.m., and Friday, October 25, 8 p.m., Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre). It tells the story of a young opera singer, five months pregnant, who is forced to leave Syria and make the long journey to live in Germany.
 
A one-credit grammar mini-course, “Grammatik Funatik,” will be offered in Winter 2020. This course is especially recommended for students to take concurrently with German 102, 231 or 232. It will be taught by Shubhangi Dabak. Please take a look at this German 234 Flyer for a description of the course, and some comments from former students!
 
A separate summer internship that has been arranged through the LSA Opportunity Hub is available for a Research Assistant in the Psychology Department at the University of Leipzig (Germany).
 
Still earlier on Thursday, October 24, 3 p.m., you can paint the Rock with the German Club. Be sure to wear appropriate clothes.
 
Other highlights from this week’s email, and what section to check for more details:
  • International Opportunities Fair – Upcoming Deadlines and Events
  • German Lab, Schokoladenstunde, Kaffeestunde, and Deutschtisch – Conversation Hours, German Lab
  • Study Abroad (Freiburg!), Internships, Scholarship Deadlines – Study Abroad/Internships/Scholarship Info
  • Advising Hours – German Courses & Majoring/Minoring in German
  • Conversation Partner Options – Miscellaneous
  • International Center Global Engagement and Education Abroad email list – Miscellaneous
  • mentalfloss post: 3 Motown Greats Who Recorded German Versions of Their Hits – Miscellaneous
  • Tagesschau in 100 Sekunden / 15 Minuten – Miscellaneous

Schokoladenstunde (with games!): Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 and Thursdays 11-12, in the Language Resource Center in North Quad.

  • Schokoladenstunde will take place in the comfy seating area between the two computer classrooms in the Language Resource Center. There will be some German chocolate there 🙂  All students at all levels are welcome to come and chat and play games in German (e.g. Tabu etc.). Schokoladenstunde will be facilitated on Tuesdays by Silvia Grzeskowiak, and on Thursdays by Mary Gell or sometimes Veronica Williamson.
  • If you ask Silvia/Mary/Veronica to email your instructor that you were there, you can use this to make up 2 “A&P points” in 101-232.

Max Kade Kaffeestunde (Thursdays 9-10 pm) & Deutschtisch (Sundays 6-7 pm)

  • Kaffeestunde at the Max Kade Haus takes place Thursdays 9-10 pm in the Said Lounge on the Residential Side of North Quad – but please check this page for occasional updates!
    • The Said Lounge is in the residential portion of North Quad, which is only open to residents ==> when you go, please email Reid (gordreid@umich.edu), so that someone can come to the front door and let you in. You can also just knock on the door of the residential portion and tell a residence staff member that you are there for the Max Kade House event, and you will be let in.
  • Deutschtisch in the North Quad dining hall: Sundays 6-7 pm.
    • You will need a meal plan or Entrée Plus to enter, or you can purchase a meal at the door (note that this is not cheap) – but you may also be allowed to come in just to talk and not eat, if you say at the door that you are there for the Max Kade event.
    • The group has yellow signs with “Max Kade Deutschtisch” to identify where they are sitting.
    • For questions, contact Reid (gordreid@umich.edu).
  • German students at all levels (101 and up) are welcome at all Max Kade events. You can make up “A&P Tally” points in 101-232 by attending Max Kade Deutschtisch or Kaffeestunde. Just ask Reid to email your instructor that you were there!

German Lab in Alcove B in the Language Resource Center in North Quad is open Mon-Thu 1-4 pm.

  • The German Lab is open Monday-Thursday 1-4 every week. It’s in Alcove B in the LRC (ground level of North Quad, Room 1500).
  • Go to the German Lab for any kind of help (except we can’t proofread your essays for you): if you need help with homework or a test review sheet (we can proofread your test essays for German 101-231), if you need grammar topics explained or reviewed or need more practice, if you just want to speak some German for fun and/or for your AMD etc. If you have time in the afternoons from 1-4, do your homework in the LRC! Then if you get stuck on something, you can just stop by the German Lab alcove so we can get you unstuck.
  • Click here for more info!

LRC Conversation Partner Site

Go to this page to sign up or find a conversation partner. Please notify the LRC if you notice problems (e.g. outdated records etc.). Don’t be shy: the more people sign up, the better the site will work!

RC Coffee Hour: Mondays 4-5, Greene Lounge, East Quad

  • All are welcome to come to this German conversation hour!
  • This is NOT something you can do to make up an absence, but you can still go for fun and/or write about it for an AMD.

Ann Arbor Stammtisch

  • A German Stammtisch meets once a week, usually on Thursdays at 8:00 pm at Grizzly Peak or another bar near Main Street. Join the email list to stay up-to-date on where and when the group will meet.
  • There’s also a facebook page: look for “German Table / Stammtisch”
  • Alternatively, contact Andy Kasten at apkindland@yahoo.de for the current location and for more information. Wherever the Stammtisch meets, he’ll be wearing a VfB Stuttgart soccer jersey — Debitel on the front, Bordon #5 on the back. It’s white with a red collar and stripes.
  • This is NOT something you can do to make up an absence, but you can still go for fun and/or write about it for an AMD.

German Club – “Paint the Rock” (Thursday, October 23; 3 p.m., Washtenaw/Hill Street)

Questions/Comments: email Paul (pauljc@umich.edu) or Drue (druefro@umich.edu)

Email germaneboard@umich.edu to get put on the email list, or “like” the club on Facebook at facebook.com/germanclubumich for updates!

Please note that by attending German Club meetings, you can make up “A&P” points in German 101-232. Just ask one of the German Club officers to email your instructor (or write a note) saying you were there!

Faculty Advisors Mary Rodena-Krasan & Kalli Federhofer

  • Contact our two faculty advisors, Mary or Kalli, for advice on study abroad, internships abroad, a German major/minor, upper-level German courses, career opportunities in German, study-abroad and work-abroad opportunities, etc. They have frequent office hours in Fall/Winter, as follows:
  • Mary Rodena-Krasan (MLB 3128; mkrasan@umich.edu):
    • Her office hours this week are:
      Tuesday, October 22: 1-4 p.m.,
      Wednesday, October 23: 2-4 p.m.,
      Thursday, October 24: 1-4 p.m.
  • Karl-Georg Federhofer (MLB 3422; kallimz@umich.edu):
    • His office hours this week are:
      Monday, October 21: 10-11:30, 1:30-3 p.m.,
      Tuesday, October 22: 10-12:30 p.m.,
      Wednesday, October 23: 10-11:30, 1:30-4:30 p.m.,
      Thursday, October 24: 2:30-4 p.m.,
      Friday, October 25: 10-11:30, 1:30-4:30 p.m.,
      and by appointment
  • To reach either advisor: germanadvising@umich.edu
  • You can also schedule appointments with Mary & Kalli by clicking here
  • …and you can contact Kalli via text message (734-277-7341) or via Facebook (Kalli Federhofer)

German Peer Advisors/Mentors

If you would like to get in touch with a peer mentor in our Department, please write to: germanmentors@umich.edu. Their expertise includes:

  • Current classes and potential courses
  • Study abroad, internship, and traveling in Germany
  • Academic requirements (major/minor, LSA language requirement) and combination (engineering, pre-health, etc.)
  • Max Kade House
  • Departmental scholarships/fellowships
  • On- and off-campus German opportunities (German Club, German Day, etc.)
  • Career/job search
  • Getting involved – enhancing your undergraduate experience with the German Department

This page will only include entries in this category when there is a job/internship etc. aimed at German students at all levels. To see more internship and job opportunities, scroll through Kalli’s blog, addressed to all upper-level German students

There are two German Department facebook groups:

  • “German Advising at University of Michigan” [Read news here!]
    • Join this group to see much of the information you see in this email, as well as other relevant info, in the form of individual announcement posts.
  • “German Program at University of Michigan – Vorwärts Blau!” [Post things here!]
    • You are encouraged to join this group to in order to read and post interesting/fun items related to German language and culture. If you have trouble joining the group or posting something, please email Hartmut!

AND there is a German Department facebook page. Check it out: https://www.facebook.com/umichGerman/

You can find weekly updates similar to this email but with lots more content on this blog.

We also encourage you to join us on our LinkedIn site: ‘University of Michigan German Department’

You can also follow us on Twitter: @umichGerman

Conversation Partner Options: Various options for finding conversation partners are listed on this page.

Sign up here for the International Center’s Global Engagement and Education Abroad email list. Weekly emails include info on workshops regarding travel and work abroad, conversation groups, cultural info sessions etc. SEHR interessant!

mentalfloss post: 3 Motown Greats Who Recorded German Versions of Their Hits

Great article! Click on the videos to hear Marvin Gaye, The Temptations and The Supremes sing in German!

Tagesschau in 100 Sekunden / 15 Minuten
Die Tagesschau is the German TV news show with the longest tradition. Very clear spoken German – great listening practice! Choose from options such as “Tagesschau in 100 Sekunden” (you could listen to this short format every day, and would hopefully quickly notice yourself starting to understand more!) or “Tagesschau 20 Uhr” (the 20 Uhr version is the main news show of the day, and is 15 minutes long). Written subheadings for each news item will help you follow along; remember you can pause or “rewind” the video anytime.