Dear all,
The last Deutschtisch for this summer is taking place while I write this email. German conversation opportunities will resume in the Fall semester, and the German Lab will also re-open then.
If you are looking for some German series to watch, here are some recommendations from Feli, a German blogger from Munich now living in the U.S. Check out her channel for LOTS of great videos on German-American culture!
If you have time for a road trip in mid-September, an alum wrote to us recommending the Frankenmuth Oktoberfest. According to the website, “Frankenmuth’s Oktoberfest was declared the first Oktoberfest to operate with the blessing of the original Oktoberfest in Munich” [in 1996].
Seniors who plan to pursue a postgraduate degree in Germany are invited to apply for the DAAD Master Studies Scholarship. The application deadline is Friday, November 3.
If you have a light schedule in the Fall term, you may be interested in a position as a K-12 Gallery Educator for the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA.) The application deadline is Sunday, August 20.
Reminders from previous emails:
If you are still looking for or have space for a one-credit German minicourse, please consider taking GER 310.002 – Creative Writing “The Aesthetics of Resistance. There are still plenty of open seats. The course will be taught in the second half of the term after Fall Break (Mondays, 4-6 p.m.)
The application deadline for an internship at the German Bundestag (March – July 2024) has been extended to Thursday, August 31.
If you are looking for additional resources for keeping up with German over the summer, note that you can sign up for free access to Pimsleur German lessons through the LRC. This is a great resource, especially if you want to practice listening and speaking! You could also check out this list of ideas for keeping up with German in Spring/Summer!
Here is a great site for number practice. Click on “Understood!” to get started, then type in the numbers you hear. You’ll get immediate feedback. Choose to practice numbers from 1-10, 1-100, 1-1000, or 1-10,000 (1-100 is the default). Practice as much or as little as you wish! The site also allows you to practice numbers in many other languages.
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.
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
Job Posting: Part-Time Position as UMMA K-12 Gallery Educator in Ann Arbor, MI (Sunday, August 20; Application Deadline)
Finalizing Your Fulbright Application (Wednesday, August 23; 12-1 p.m., Virtual)
Job Posting: Study Tour Manager for Transatlantic Outreach Program (TOP) at Goethe Institut in Washington, DC (Wednesday, August 23; Application Deadline)
German Park Picnic (Saturday, August 26; 4-9 p.m., 5549 Pontiac Trail)
Fulbright U.S. Student Program 2024-2025 (Sunday, August 27; Application Deadline)
German Bundestag Internship Program 2024 (Thursday, August 31; Extended Application Deadline)
Internship Posting – Summer Internship Powertrain Solutions (May 2024) for Bosch Group in Farmington Hills, MI (Monday, September 4; Application Deadline)
Study Abroad in Germany – Winter 2024 in Tübingen (Friday, September 15; Application Deadline)
Study Abroad in Germany – Winter 2024 Metropolitan Studies in Berlin (Friday, September 15; Application Deadline)
Classes for the Summer half-term are ending today, August 15 ==> German conversation opportunities on campus will resume in the Fall.
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!
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!
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
- Study Abroad in Germany – Winter 2024 in Tübingen (Friday, September 15; Application Deadline)
- Fulbright U.S. Student Program 2024-2025 (Sunday, August 27; Application Deadline)
- Study Abroad in Germany – Winter 2024 Metropolitan Studies in Berlin (Friday, September 15; Application Deadline)
- Humboldt Foundation German Chancellor Fellowship (Sunday, October 15; 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.