Weekly Email for German 101-231 – 3. Dezember 2019

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.

The German Club will visit the KindleFest this Friday from 4-6 PM (RSVP here: https://forms.gle/XbzWHE3EeM9ABjLq5). Meet at the corner of the MLB facing North Quad. If you want to come, but can’t make it right at 4, contact Drue or Paul (see email addresses below) to ask for a phone number to text when you arrive.

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 next office hours are:
    Tuesday, December 3: 1-4 p.m.,

    Wednesday, December 4: 2-4 p.m.,

    Thursday, December 5: 1-4 p.m.
• Karl-Georg Federhofer (MLB 3422; kallimz@umich.edu):
  • His office hours this week are:
    Monday, December 2: 10-11:30, 1:30-4:30 p.m.,
    Tuesday, December 3: 10-12:30 p.m.,
    Wednesday, December 4: 10-11:30, 1:30-4:30 p.m.,
    Thursday, December 5: 9-12:30, 2:30-4:30 p.m.,
    Friday, December 6: 10-11:30, 1:30-4 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

• LSA Internship Funding Page
• Academic Year in Freiburg 2020/2021 (Saturday, February 1; Application Deadline)
• UROP International at Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen (Wednesday, January 15; Application Deadline)
• Teaching Assistantships for English in Austria 2020/2021 (Wednesday, January 15; Application Deadline)
• Beinecke Scholarship Program (Monday, January 27, 12 p.m.; Application Deadline)
• Bonderman Fellowship (Friday, January 31; Application Deadline)

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!

German Department Facebook Groups

There are three German Department facebook groups. Search for them and join the one(s) you’re interested in!

1. University of Michigan Germanic Languages and Literatures

This is the official German Department facebook group, with info about departmental events, photos, humorous posts related to German, etc.

2. German Advising at University of Michigan

This group provides information for students majoring or minoring in German. Ask Kalli to add you!

3. German Program at University of Michigan – Vorwärts Blau!

This is intended as an opportunity for students and instructors to share fun/interesting links/resources. Currently, there are few posts from students there, but you can change that! Take a look at what’s there, join the group, and post anything you think other German students might find interesting: links to songs, entertaining videos, useful podcasts, German jokes, pictures from Germany/Austria/Switzerland, etc. Anything fun/interesting that’s related to German and that’s not going to offend people is fair game. The primary goal for this group is that it will be a place for you and your friends to have fun with German 🙂

If you have trouble joining the group, or if you notice problems (e.g. inappropriate posts), please email me (Hartmut)!

Great Pronunciation Resources

Click the link to see an annotated list of pronunciation resources. I especially recommend the resources in the first two bullet points: the three ten-minute videos by Gabriel Wyner, and the University of Iowa pronunciation site!

Le Dog – Order Soup auf Deutsch!

Wenn Sie Hunger haben, koennen Sie bei “Le Dog” eine Suppe auf Deutsch bestellen [=order].  Le Dog sells soups, hot dogs and other food, all really good, in my opinion, great especially if you’re on the run (it’s take-out only).  It’s open 11:30-2:30, Mon – Fri. Le Dog is located inside 306 S. Main Street near the intersection of Main & Liberty.  The owners both speak German fluently: he is originally from Hungary, and she is from Bavaria. At the window, you may encounter their son, who also speaks German, or an employee who does not speak German, in which case you could say that you were hoping to order your soup in German and ask if that’s possible.  Remember the polite way to order food is to say “Ich hätte gern…” [I would like to have…], e.g. “Ich hätte gern die toskanische Kürbissuppe [=Tuscan Squash Soup].”  You might get the response “Möchten Sie Brot dabei?” which means “Would you like bread with that?”  You’ll pay about $7-10 for the soup with bread.  Guten Appetit!