Liebe Studis – Dear students,
 
Thanks to everyone who contributed to making German Day such a tremendous success. Without your support, we would not be able to hold this important event–we hope you were able to see and enjoy some of the students’ productions or performances.
 
Most regular conversation opportunities are taking place for the last time this week. Convo on the Go will meet one more time next Tuesday (and of course today, Tuesday 4/16).
 
Undergraduates in the German Department have uploaded submissions for “Schriftlich“. You can find the publication here
 
If you are a student in the College of Engineering and are pursuing a summer internship in Germany, you can apply for the International Internship Scholarship. The application deadline is Thursday, April 18.
 
All German majors and minors who have attained junior/senior standing by August 2024 are invited to become a German Peer Mentor for the upcoming academic year. The application deadline is Friday, April 19.
 
If you are looking for some paid opportunites for the upcoming academic year, you may want to secure an internship with the Institute for the Humanities (application deadline: May 17), or be a Paid Student Leader at the LSA Opportunity Hub (application deadline: May 31), or become a Peer Advisor at CGIS (application deadline: August 1). 
 
If you can imagine pursuing a graduate degree in German, you are invited to apply for a ‘Grad for a Day’ Scholarship to visit the German program at the University of Minnesota in October. The application deadline is Wednesday, May 15.
 
Please consider enrolling in a German course in Spring and/or Summer – and please tell your friends! The Spring/Summer classes typically have smaller numbers of students, and the intensive format makes for more efficient learning. If you are currently in German 102, you could complete the language requirement sequence by taking German 231 in the Spring and German 232 in the Summer – or you could take the super-intensive 8-credit German 230 course in the Summer half-term, which covers German 231 and 232 in one course. If you have a friend who’s interested in German, they could complete the language requirement and be ready for 300-level courses in the Fall by taking German 100 in the Spring (equivalent to 101 + 102), and then German 230 in the Summer. In the Spring term, we also offer a 3-credit course in English, German 386- Fairy Tales.
 
Here is the list of German dept. classes offered in Spring, Summer, and Fall 2024. 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.
 
Conversation Hours and German Lab:
 
Three regular conversation hours, Convo on the Go (Tuesdays at 5:05, meet at Burton Tower), “Schokoladenstunde” (Wednesdays 3-4 in 3110 MLB),  and “Kreativwerkstatt” (Thursdays 3-4 in 3308 MLB) will take place in person weekly. All students at all levels are welcome to attend. You can earn 2 “A&P Tally” make-up points by attending.
 
In addition, all students are welcome to participate in weekly German Club events and in “Kaffeestunde” and “Deutschtisch.” Kaffeestunde and Deutschtisch are coordinated through the Max Kade German Residence. Time and location for these events will always be included in the Upcoming Deadlines and Events section below. You can earn 2 “A&P Tally” make-up points by attending any of these events! (German Club, Kaffeestunde, Deutschtisch)
 
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.
 
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
  1. German Conversation Opportunities – “German Convo on the Go” (Tuesday, April 16, 5:05-6 p.m., Burton Tower) and “Schokoladenstunde” (Wednesday, April 17, 3-4 p.m., MLB 3110) and “Kreativwerkstatt” (Thursday, April 18, 3-4 p.m., MLB 3308)
 
  2. Max Kade Events – Deutschtisch (Wednesday, April 17, 6-7 p.m., North Quad Dining Hall) and Kaffeestunde (Friday, April 19, 5-6 p.m., North Quad 2450 – Edward Said Lounge)
 
  3. German Club – “Stammtisch (Thursday, April 18; 6:30-7:30 p.m., Michigan League Underground)
 
  4. Winter 2025 Study Abroad Advising with CGIS (Tuesday, April 16; 12-1 p.m., Virtual)
 
 
  6. German Peer Mentors Needed (Friday, April 19; Application Deadline)
 
* 7. Michael Löwy, “Franz Kafka’s Trial and the Antisemitic Trials of His Time” (Thursday, April 25; 4 p.m., North Quad Space 2435)
 
* 8. DAAD German Studies Research Grant (Wednesday, May 1; Application Deadline)
A number of informal weekly German conversation opportunities are taking place on campus, such as meetings of the German Club, in the Max Kade German Residence, and three weekly activities offered through the German Department, Convo on the Go, Schokoladenstunde, and Kreativwerkstatt. Everyone is invited to attend. You can earn 2 “A&P Tally” make-up points by attending any of these events! (German Club, Max Kade Kaffeestunde or Deutschtisch, or the German dept events). Here are more details about these events:
  • German Convo on the Go” will meet on Tuesdays at 5:05 p.m. at Burton Tower for a 1-hour walk and talk with Mary Gell (magell@umich.edu). This event happens ‘rain (or snow) or shine’.
  • Schokoladenstunde” will convene on Wednesdays at 3 p.m. in 3110 MLB. There will be some German chocolate to snack on. Silvia Grzeskowiak (sgrzesko@umich.edu) will bring games, and the hour will be spent chatting and playing games in German (e.g. Tabu.)
  • Kreativwerkstatt (click here for a flyer!)“: Chat in German and express yourself creatively. Crafting, coloring, painting, drawing, knitting, sewing, crochet, embroidery, origami? At the weekly German “Kreativwerkstatt,” which takes place on Thursdays at 3 p.m. in 3308 MLB, you will combine speaking German (any level welcome, beginners included!!) and creatively expressing yourself. You are encouraged to bring your own materials or (ongoing) projects, but we will also provide some materials and prompts each week. If you have questions about “Kreativwerkstatt” please contact Laura Okkema (lokkema@umich.edu) or Iris Zapf-Garcia (iriszaga@umich.edu.)

German Club Stammtisch will take place weekly on Thursdays 6:30-7:30 p.m., in the Michigan League Underground. Look for weekly updates in these emails.

Max Kade “Deutschtisch” takes place Wednesdays, 6-7 p.m., in the Dining Hall of North Quad. Visitors should look for a table with German/Swiss/Austrian flags and a bunch of students speaking German. Max Kade “Kaffeestunde” takes place Fridays, 5-6 p.m., in the Edward Said Lounge of North Quad (Room 2450). German students at all levels (101 and up) are welcome at all Max Kade events. If you have any questions, please ask Vera (veremeev@umich.edu).

The “German Lab” is a partly virtual, partly in person 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. You will see a Zoom link for instructors who will be available virtually, and room numbers for instructors who are available in person.

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.
Check the “Upcoming Deadlines and Events” section to see upcoming German Club events. You can earn 2 “A&P” make-up/bonus 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.