Dear all,
 
Please note that (1) weekly conversation opportunities for the semester have ended, and will resume in the Fall, and (2) the ongoing strike may cause some of the events listed below to be moved online or canceled.
 
The German Lab will be open 1-4 pm through Thursday this week, and will then re-open in the Fall. 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. 
 
Those of you who are interested in studying abroad in Germany are invited to attend a virtual information session about the Tübingen (Winter 2024) program on Wednesday, April 19, 1:30 p.m.
 
As a new Collegiate Professor, Helmut Puff will be giving his inaugural lecture “Toward a History of Waiting” on Wednesday, April 19, 4 p.m., Weiser Hall, 10th Floor.
 
Two job opportunities have come up for undergraduates: one is as an English teacher once a week for German-speaking children in Wolverine Lake, MI, and the other as a Museum Assistant in the University of Michigan Museum of Art.
 
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).
 
The DAAD is administering a contest #PictureYourselfinGermany. The winner will receive a roundtrip ticket to Germany. The application deadline is Friday, May 12.
 
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:
 
Advisor office hours and contact info: You can reach the German advisors through a general email: germanadvising@umich.edu. We have two advisors. They are available for advising hours throughout the semester:
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

Weekly conversation hours and Max Kade events will resume in the Fall. Check these weekly emails in Spring/Summer for information about Deutschtische [lunchtime conversation hours] associated with German 100 in the Spring, and German 230 in the Summer.

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.
German Club events will resume in the Fall!
 
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]

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

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.