Dear all,
Please note that (1) most conversation opportunities will end for the semester when classes end this coming Tuesday, and (2) the ongoing strike may cause some of the events listed below to be moved online or canceled.
If you are still looking for a one-credit course taught in German, you may want to register for a “Creative Writing Workshop” (German 310.002) in the Fall. The course is a mini-course and offered in the first seven week of the term. It is not necessary to live in the Max-Kade House to take this course. If you have any questions about this course, please send them to Devin Harte (dharte@umich.edu) or Megan Ewing (mewing@umich.edu).
German majors/minors who are going to be juniors or seniors in September 2023 can apply to become a German Peer Mentor. The application deadline is Monday, April 17.
The DAAD is administering a contest, #PictureYourselfinGermany. The winner will receive a roundtrip ticket to Germany. The application deadline is Friday, May 12.
As mentionted last week, the Institute for the Humanities is offering paid internships for Public Humanities Internship Program (2023-2024.) The application deadline is Friday, May 12.
If you are graduating in December 2023 or April 2024, you may want to consider applying for a Fulbright Study Scholarship or a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship. The application deadline for the 2024-2025 program is Sunday, August 27.
Here is the list of German dept. classes offered in Fall 2023. Please note that even if you already know your plans for German language classes, the list also includes a wide variety of interesting courses in English. If you have questions please contact our advisors, Mary and Kalli. We also strongly encourage you to contact one of the German Peer Mentors, who are undergraduates and who have taken/are taking our German courses. See the “German Courses & Majoring/Minoring in German” section below for contact info.
Reminders from earlier emails:
Each week, all German students are invited to attend:
- “Kreativwerkstatt” with Iris and Laura on Tuesdays, 2-3 p.m., MLB 3308; “Schokoladenstunde” with Silvia on Thursdays, 3-4 p.m., MLB 3110. Both events will take place at the same time and place each week.
- The weekly German Club “Stammtisch“ on Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m., Michigan League Basement.
- …and these two weekly events hosted by the Max Kade German Residence: “Deutschtisch” (Wednesdays 6 p.m., North Quad Dining Hall) and “Kaffeestunde” (Fridays 3 p.m., Edward Said Lounge, 2450 North Quad).
- You can earn 2 “A&P Tally” points by attending any of these events!
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. During the strike, please continue to use the signup, but please plan to use “trial and error” when the time comes, i.e. the instructor on the schedule may or may not be there.
Advisor office hours and contact info: You can reach the German advisors through a general email: germanadvising@umich.
- Mary Rodena-Krasan (MLB 3128; mkrasan@umich.edu)
- Karl-Georg Federhofer (MLB 3422; kallimz@umich.edu)
A link to their current office hours will always be included in the full text of these weekly emails, which you can find online: scroll down to the section “German Courses & Majoring/Minoring in German.” You can schedule appointments with Mary and Kalli here.
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
- Finding German Films and Series Online – Miscellaneous
- Chrome Extension for Dual-Language Subtitles – Miscellaneous
German Conversation Opportunities – “Kreativwerkstatt“ (Tuesday, April 11; 2-3 p.m., MLB 3308 – German Department Conference Room) and “Schokoladenstunde“ (
Max Kade Events – “Deutschtisch“ (Wednesday, April 12, 6 p.m., North Quad Dining Hall) and “Kaffeestunde“ (Friday, April 14, 3 p.m., North Quad 2450 – Edward Said Lounge)
German Club – “Stammtisch“ (Wednesday, April 12; 7:30-8:30 p.m., Michigan League Underground)
Winter 2024 Study Abroad Advising with CGIS (Thursday, April 13; 11-1 p.m., Weiser Hall, Suite 200)
Roland Berger – Virtual Coffee Chat (Thursday, April 13; 4-6 p.m., Virtual)
Senior Prize in Literary Translation (Thursday, April 13; Application Deadline)
International Internship Scholarship for Students in the College of Engineering (Sunday, April 16; Application Deadline)
German Peer Mentors Needed (Monday, April 17; Application Deadline)
DAAD Young Ambassadors Program (Wednesday, April 25; Application Deadline)
LSA Internship Scholarship (Saturday, May 6; Application Deadline)
2023-24 Public Humanities Internship Program (Friday, May 12; Application Deadline)
2023 Annual DAAD Contest: #PictureYourselfInGermany (Friday, May 12; Application Deadline)
Two regular conversation hours, “Schokoladenstunde” (Thursdays 3-4 in 3110 MLB) and “Kreativwerkstatt” (Tuesdays 2-3, in 3308 MLB) will take place in person weekly. You can earn 2 “A&P Tally” points by attending.
- Schokoladenstunde: the group will play games, chat, and enjoy some German chocolate.
- Kreativwerkstatt: Want to improve your German? Love expressing yourself creatively, either digitally or with physical materials? Do you have a hobby like crafting, painting, drawing, journaling, photography and photo editing, knitting, sewing, crochet, quilting, embroidery, creative writing, character creation, (video) game making? At our weekly German “Kreativwerkstatt,” we’ll combine speaking German (any level welcome, beginners included!!) and creatively expressing ourselves. You’re encouraged to bring your own materials or (ongoing) projects, but we will also provide some materials and prompts each week. During sessions, we’ll start with some inspiration in German, such as music, a poem, a meditation, or German art, and then we’ll chat while we work on our projects – individually or collaboratively in pairs/groups if you like. At the end of the semester, we’ll host a little art show showcasing examples of our work. Of course, you’ll receive 2 attendance credit points for coming to this extracurricular activity. We’re meeting Tuesdays from 2 pm to 3 pm in 3308 MLB [the third floor Conference Room].
- All students at all levels are welcome to come to both events.
In addition, all students are welcome to participate in the Max Kade German Residence’s weekly “Deutschtisch” (Wednesdays 6-7 p.m. in the North Quad Dining Hall) and “Kaffeestunde” (Fridays 3-4 p.m. in the Edward Said Lounge, 2450 North Quad). You can earn 2 “A&P Tally” 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!
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.
A2 Stammtisch
- Meets every other Thursday at 8:00 pm at Grizzly Peak, 120 West Washington St. Pre-registration is requested: Contact Mechthild Heerde-Olind at heerdeolind “at” yahoo.com to be added to the email list. You can also check the event listings in the Ann Arbor Observer for info on meeting times and locations. [last verified: 1/23/2023]
- 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.
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- Click here to see Mary’s and Kalli’s contact info and (frequent!) office hours
- 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
- International Internship Scholarship for Students in the College of Engineering (Sunday, April 16; Application Deadline)
- LSA Internship Scholarship (Saturday, May 6; Application Deadline)
- LSA Internship Funding Page
[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 is a German Department facebook group, and a German Department facebook page:
- “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 Department facebook page: Check it out!
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!
Finding German Films and Series
- Check the Telescope website for info on German films and series worth watching, including trailers and details on where they are available online.
- Here is a survey of German film series that you can watch in the US, compiled by the Goethe Insitute.
- Here is another list of German television and shows available on Netflix and Amazon Prime. The rankings seem arbitrary, but the descriptions and availability info are very helpful.
Chrome Extension for Dual-Language Subtitles
A German 101 student has found a Google Chrome extension that allows for subtitles in two languages, and has found this very helpful for watching e.g. “Dark” in German for his AMDs. I have not had time to try this, but if you find the dual language subtitles in the “Easy German” videos helpful, then this may be worth checking out. The extension is called Language Reactor.