Dear all,
 
This coming Sunday, Germany will vote in a federal election to determine the composition of a new Bundestag, and a successor to Angela Merkel. There is much uncertainty as to which parties will form the new government. Later tonight, Aquinas College is hosting a virtual discussion on Understanding the German Election Process (Tuesday, September 21; 7 p.m.). Another virtual discussion is scheduled for Thursday: Germany at the Polls: Between Authoritarian Populism and Progressive Politics (Thursday, September 23; 12-2 p.m.)
 
Tomorrow, Wednesday, September 22, sees three events of special relevance scheduled:
  • At 4:10 p.m., the Max Kade House will host a special event “Lernst du Deutsch?” in Space 2435 North Quad. You can join the students and learn about their experience living in the Kade House and learning German. This event is a great opportunity for you to explore living in the Max Kade House next academic year. You can earn 2 “A&P Tally” make-up points by attending!
  • At 7 p.m., German Club will have another “Stammtisch” in the Michigan League Underground. If you have any questions, please contact Camilla (ckobler@umich.edu). Nicht vergessen [=don’t forget]: You can earn 2 “A&P Tally” make-up points by attending German Club events!
  • At 8 p.m. in Hill Auditorium, Sua Lee, one of the two 2021 undergraduate Concerto Competition winners (and a German student) will perform Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 1 as the first in-person University Philharmonia Orchestra concert with full members since the lockdown. We hope many of you can attend, listen, enjoy, and show your support for Sua. The concert will be free and open to all; you can attend in person or watch a livestream.

Those who could not attend the virtual German Alum Career Panel two weeks ago can find a link to the recording here.

Registration is open for the LRC’s 10th Annual Translate-A-Thon: Translation for the Community, which will take place Friday, October 1, 3-10 p.m., and Saturday, October 2, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. You can participate in person in the Language Resource Center/1500 North Quad, or remotely via Zoom).
 
All students are also welcome to participate  in “Kaffeestunde” and “Deutschtisch.” Kaffeestunde and Deutschtisch are weekly events organized by the Max Kade German Residence. Details:
  • Kaffeestunde 7-8pm Thursdays, in 2175 North Quad. Please confirm the location before you go by checking the North Quad 3200s Community Events page AND please register for the event in advance on the Community Events page (click “Select” next to Kaffeestunde and then follow the instructions to register). This will also ensure that you receive any last-minute updates about the event. ***ResponsiBLUE will be checked at the entrance*** 
  • Deutschtisch 6-7pm Sundays, same Zoom link for the whole semester, listed on the North Quad 3200s Community Events page. No need to register, but if you do, the organizers will have a better idea of how many participants to expect, and you would receive any last-minute updates about the event.
  • You can earn 2 “A&P Tally” make-up points by attending Max Kade events!
Reminders from prior emails:
We offer two weekly conversation opportunities for you to practice your German in an informal context. You can earn 2 “A&P Tally” make-up points by attending.
  • German Convo on the Go” will meet on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. sharp at Burton Tower for a 1-hour walk and talk with Mary Gell (magell “at” umich.edu). This event happens rain or shine—in case of rain, the group would meet under the tent next to Burton Tower.
  • Schokoladenstunde” will convene on Mondays 5-6 p.m. in the Language Resource Center in North Quad (in the comfortable seating area between the two computer classrooms). There will be some German chocolate to snack on. Silvia Grzeskowiak (sgrzesko “at” umich.edu) will bring games, and the hour will be spent chatting and playing games in German (e.g. Tabu).

The “German Lab” is a virtual office hour taking place Monday-Thursday 1-4 pm. You can ask shorter and longer questions, come for conversation practice, help with homework etc. Here is more info about the German Lab – please take advantage of this great resource! Please sign up in advance on the German Lab Signup: instructors will check the signup at the beginning of their German Lab hour, and will leave the lab for that hour if no one has signed up.

 
Other highlights from this week’s email, and what section to check for more details:
  • Conversation Opportunities – Conversation Hours, German Lab
  • Study Abroad, Internships, Scholarship Deadlines – Study Abroad/Internships/Scholarship Info
  • Advising Info – German Courses & Majoring/Minoring in German
  • Conversation Partner Options – Miscellaneous
  • International Center Global Engagement and Education Abroad email list – Miscellaneous
  • Reserving Study Spaces on Campus – Miscellaneous
  • Finding German Films and Series Online – Miscellaneous
  • Arts & Culture “Attend at Home” event listings – Local Events and Opportunities
German Conversation Opportunities – “German Convo on the Go (Tuesday, September 21; 6 p.m., Burton Tower) and Schokoladenstunde (Monday, September 27; 5 p.m., Language Resource Center, North Quad)
 
Understanding the German Election Process (Tuesday, September 21; 7 p.m., Virtual)
 
Max Kade House – Share-Out Event: “Lernst du Deutsch? (Wednesday, September 22; 4:10-5:50 p.m., North Quad Space 2435)
 
Internships with U.S. State Department – Information Session (Wednesday, September 22; 6-7:30 p.m., Virtual)
 
German Club – “Stammtisch (Wednesday, September 22, 7-8 p.m., Michigan League Underground)
 
 
 
10th Annual Translate-A-Thon: Translation for the Community (Friday, October 1, 3-10 p.m., and Saturday, October 2, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.; Language Resource Center/1500 North Quad and Zoom)

We offer two weekly conversation opportunities for you to practice your German in an informal context. You can earn 2 “A&P Tally” make-up points by attending.

  • German Convo on the Go” will meet on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. sharp at Burton Tower for a 1-hour walk and talk with Mary Gell (magell “at” umich.edu). This event happens rain or shine—in case of rain, the group would meet under the tent next to Burton Tower.
  • Schokoladenstunde” will convene on Mondays 5-6 p.m. in the Language Resource Center in North Quad (in the comfortable seating area between the two computer classrooms). There will be some German chocolate to snack on. Silvia Grzeskowiak (sgrzesko “at” umich.edu) will bring games, and the hour will be spent chatting and playing games in German (e.g. Tabu).
All students are also welcome to participate  in “Kaffeestunde” and “Deutschtisch.” Kaffeestunde and Deutschtisch are weekly events organized by the Max Kade German Residence. Details:
  • Kaffeestunde 7-8pm Thursdays, in 2175 North Quad. Please confirm the location before you go by checking the North Quad 3200s Community Events page AND please register for the event in advance on the Community Events page (click “Select” next to Kaffeestunde and then follow the instructions to register). This will also ensure that you receive any last-minute updates about the event. ***ResponsiBLUE will be checked at the entrance*** 
  • Deutschtisch 6-7pm Sundays, same Zoom link for the whole semester, listed on the North Quad 3200s Community Events page. No need to register, but if you do, the organizers will have a better idea of how many participants to expect, and you would receive any last-minute updates about the event.
  • You can earn 2 “A&P Tally” make-up points by attending Max Kade events!

LRC Conversation Partner Site Check out this site to find a conversation partner, and/or register so others can find you on the site. 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!

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 Mechthild Heerde-Olind at heerdeolind@yahoo.com for the current location and for more information.
  • 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.
Check the “Upcoming Deadlines and Events” section to see upcoming German Club events. You can earn 2 “A&P Tally” make-up points by attending any of these events!
 
The German Club works to connect students of all levels with a passion for German language and culture to opportunities for language practice, cultural events, and networking. You are encouraged to come to as many or few events as you would like!

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

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.

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]

Check out the arts.umich.edu “Attend at Home” event listing for this week via the tile/link on this page. Each week’s listing includes a wide range of exciting events, including
  • that week’s Penny Stamps Lecture (A high-profile artist or public figure speaks about their work each week. These lectures are a highlight of UM’s intellectual life. If you aren’t aware of this series, please read more about the Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series here, where you can also see a list of upcoming speakers)
  • virtual exhibits, lectures, discussions etc.

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!

The Study Spaces at U-M website helps you find and reserve study spaces.

Finding German Films and Series