Ginny Steinhagen awarded a professional development leave

Ginny Steinhagen, coordinator for Ger 1004 and the German College Schools Program, has been awarded a professional development leave for Spring 2016.

Charlotte Melin elected to ADFL Executive Committee

Charlotte Melin has been elected to the Executive Committee of the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages (ADFL), beginning her term in January 2016.

Anatoly Liberman elected Fellow of the Dictionary Society of North America

Anatoly Liberman has been elected Fellow of the Dictionary Society of North America.

Monika Žagar's novel published

Monika Žagar's literary debut Dva brata, trije svetovi (Two Brothers, Three Worlds) was published in August 2015 by Mladinska knjiga, the largest Slovenian publisher, to critical and popular acclaim. It tells the story of the Žagar family which owned a large thriving timber industry in the interwar period with premises in Rakek and Markovec in Yugoslavia and in Trieste, Italy. The family wealth survived the brutal WWII occupation only to be nationalized in 1946 by the new communist government. The novel focuses on the pre- and post-war relationship between two brothers, the older Line (the author's uncle) and the younger Franci, her father. Their allegiance became strained by their opposing ideological convictions: Line became a member of the underground Communist party in the thirties while Franci was a dedicated manager of the family business. Their pact - that Line would join the Resistance while Franci would retain some semblance of normal business under the Italian and then the German occupation - broke after the war when Line became part of the new government elite while Franci was pushed to the social margins as "the bourgeois industrialist" and "the enemy of the state." The novel avoids third-person narration and instead gives voice to various protagonists by exploring the fateful events from individual perspectives. As one critic writes: Monika Žagar wrote the story of her family from the human viewpoint and created a novel about a certain period, convincingly etched into personal stories." (Monika Žagar je napisala zgodbo o svoji družini s človeške plati in ustvarila roman o nekem času, prepričljivo odtisnjenem v osebne zgodbe. Pisave)

Moritz Meutzner awarded Joss Fellowship

Moritz Meutzner is the recipient of this year's Joss Fellowship from the Center for Jewish Studies. He will use the funds to support his research in Marbach, Germany, in summer 2016.

Anatoly Liberman’s Russian translation of Shakespeare's sonnets published

Anatoly Liberman’s Russian translation of all 154 sonnets by Shakespeare, Transliteration: Vil'iam Shekspir, Sonety. V perevodakh i s predisloviem Anatoliia Libermana. (William Shakespeare, Sonnets. Translated with an introduction by Anatoly Liberman) was recently published by one of the most prestigious publishers in Moscow, Iazyki slavianskikh kul'tur (The Languages of Slavic Cultures).

Karsten Olson receives dissertation fellowship

Karsten Olson has received a dissertation fellowship from the Mellon Consortium for the Study of the Premodern World for Spring 2016.

Ruth Ellen Joeres' new book publshed

Ruth Ellen Joeres has co-edited a new book, The Future of Scholarly Writing, which has been published by Palgrave Macmillan in September 2015.

Chris Burwick defends dissertation

Chris Burwick successfully defended his dissertation, entitled "An Exploration of Materiality in Josef Winkler's Narrative Structures," on September 11, 2015.

Two GSD professors participating in IAS Collaboratives

Two GSD professors are participating in Collaboratives through the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) for the 2015-16 year.

Brecht’s America: Rehearsing Failure

• Lisa Channer, Theatre Arts and Dance
• Matthias Rothe, German Scandinavian and Dutch

Environmental Humanities

• Charlotte Melin, German, Scandinavian and Dutch
• Daniel Philippon, English

Rüdiger Singer joins GSD as visiting DAAD Professor

A special welcome to Rüdiger Singer, who is with us as as a visiting DAAD Professor starting in Fall 2015.

Matthias Rothe promoted

Matthias Rothe has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure.

Nichole Neuman accepts adjunct instructor position

Nichole Neuman has accepted the position of adjunct instructor of German in the Department of Modern Languages at the University of St. Thomas, starting in Fall 2015.

Abby Marino Featured in three German newspaper articles

GSD major Abby Marino has been featured in the Ostsee Zeitung and the Norddeutsche Neueste Nachrichten for her work completing an internship at the Warnemünde local history museum in Rostock, Germany.

Marino with a recently restored historical jacket at the
Heimatmuseum Warnemünde in Rostock, Germany

Amerikanische Studentin hilft im Heimatmuseum
(American student helps the local museum)
Ostsee Zeitung
June 12, 2015
Read as a PDF

Restauriert: Das Jäckchen ist jetzt fertig
(Restored: The Jacket is now ready)
Norddeutsche Neueste Nachrichten
June 21, 2015
Read as a PDF

 Warnemünder Kapitäne im 19. Jahrhundert
(Warnemünde captains in the 19th century)
Ostsee Zeitung
July 4, 2015
Read as a PDF

Kiley Kost wins GSD’s Graduate Teaching Award

Kiley Kost has won GSD’s Graduate Teaching Award for excellence in teaching in the 2014-15 academic year.

Language Department Alumni Reunion 2015

On Saturday morning, April 25, 174 alumni from the Departments of German, Scandinavian & Dutch, French & Italian, and Spanish & Portuguese came to the beautifully remodeled Folwell Hall to enjoy the company of faculty, staff, and new or old friends. They gathered on the fourth floor for coffee and pastries, voted for the best student photographs from the past year's study abroad experiences, and donned "conversation pins" to facilitate discussions of how their language studies have enriched and informed their lives. Everyone then went to the first floor to participate in three mini-class sessions, choosing from the following seventeen mini-classes, taught by a mix of faculty, students, and alumni:

Session A

• Teaching Abroad - the Benefits and Challenges
• Regions of France
• Language Learning Outside the Classroom
• Finnish Origins: Linguistics & Genetics
• Danger in Francophone Africa
• Convivencia in Medieval Iberia

Daniel Karvonen's Mini-Class "Finnish Origins: Linguistics & Genetics"

Session B

• Saints and Soldiers in Medieval France
• The Historic Cultural Phenomenon of the Cuban Rumba
• Language Leaning Assumptions
• Growing Anti-Semitism in Europe
• Divine Decadance: Berlin in the Roaring '20s
• U.S. Latino Theater

Rick McCormick's Mini-Class "Divine Decadence: Berlin in the Roaring ‘20s"

Session C

• 25 Years After the Wall
• Only in Italy: Events not to be Missed
• Food, Energy & Politics in Germany
• World Cafe: Contemporary Language Evolution & Impact of New Technologies
• Latino Immigration

Post-It Notes from the Mini-Class "World Cafe:
Contemporary Language Evolution & Impact of New Technologies"

Here is what some of the alumni have said about their experience at the reunion:

“The Alumni Reunion held on April 25th was fantastic! It was a great opportunity to reunite with old friends and meet new ones with a common interest in European languages. It was also nice to meet students in an environment where alumni could share their experience and application of language skills outside of academia to assure students that there are opportunities in the business world for language grads. In addition, the workshops provided a great way for alumni to get a taste of the classroom experience after so many years away from school."

- Blaine Bos
B.A. 1976, History and Dutch
Vice President, Health Care Modernization at Optum

“The Language Reunion was an excellent way to return to campus, learn what current students are doing, connect with friends, and network with like-minded language grads. I particularly enjoyed the thoughtfully planned mini-sessions that covered everything from culture, food and travel, to current events and politics. And, for an early Saturday morning start, the coffee was extra black and strong – fitting for the euro-minded crowd! I hope there are other similar events in the future.”

- Eric Brotten
B.A. 2003, German and Economics
Vice President, Global Health Products & Solutions at Optum International

"The reunion was a great opportunity to come back to campus and revisit our classrooms and professors. I felt like I was in college again! I look forward to attending this event again in years to come."

- Hannah Guenveur
B.A. 2010, German and Global Studies
Associate Business Systems Analyst - HR at Ecolab

"It was truly a joy to return to the halls of Folwell, bond with fellow alumni, and best of all, listen to language department professors share their expertise without having to worry about taking a test at the end!"

- John Vaughan
B.A. 2011, German
B.S. 2011, Finance and International Business
Consultant at Deloitte Consulting

“The Language Alumni Reunion was fantastic. Returning to Folwell Hall after two decades really opened my eyes to how far I had come since graduating. As a senior about to graduate in 1994, the question I heard most often was: "A degree in Scandinavian Languages? What are you going to do with that?" At that time, I honestly didn't know and was quite nervous about my prospects, as well. The worry proved to be needless. Twenty years later, I am a successful language professional and the reunion brought together nearly two hundred other language alumni who have succeeded in many industries and professions with their language degrees.

“The format of the reunion made it easy to connect with other attendees. Sitting in the newly renovated classrooms for the mini-courses was a thrill. There was definitely a nostalgic quality about taking a seat in Folwell Hall for a course with the some of the same instructors I had twenty years ago. At the same time, it was fresh and fun. I hope the reunion can become a regular event for language alumni in the future, perhaps even in an expanded format.”

- Kyle Vraa
B.A. 1994, Scandinavian Languages
Owner, Vraa Translation

Photos from the event
Event program

New website highlights student work from Ger 3610

A new website has been launched to highlight student work from DAAD Prof. Hilde Hoffmann's Spring 2014 German course "Pleasure & Distraction: Urban Entertainment Culture around 1900."

The first part of the undergraduate seminar focused on the cultural history of European metropolises near the turn of the century (1880-1930) through works from theorists including Walter Benjamin, Siegfried Krakauer, and Georg Simmel.

In the second part of the seminar, the class explored historic spaces of distraction in the Twin Cities in weekly field trips. Students presented their research papers on site.

The class learned a lot about Minneapolis and St Paul, culture theory, modernity, capitalism, and art.

Hover over the images at the top of the homepage to trace where the students located their projects and read more about their research.

"Pleasure & Distraction" Homepage

Moritz Meutzner awarded research support from Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach

Moritz Meutzner has received a stipend from the Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach (the German Literature Archive in Marbach) to support his research on German-Jewish exile in Turkey in Summer 2015.

Chris Burwick accepts visiting lecturer position

Chris Burwick has accepted a position as a visiting lecturer at Scripps College for the academic year 2015-16.

Grace Kroeger awarded CIS Scholarship

Lynn Strom, German teacher
at Watertown-Mayer High School,
and Grace Kroeger,
CIS scholarship winner
at the CIS Field Day on April 22

 

Grace Kroeger, of Watertown-Mayer High School, is the recipient of a four-year College in the Schools Scholarship from the University of Minnesota’s College of Liberal Arts. She will begin her studies in the GSD Department in Fall 2015.

The CLA Dean's Scholar - College in the Schools German Award provides $3,000 per year for up to four years. Students who are previous participants in the College in the Schools (CIS) German program and who plan to major in German are considered based on high school performance, test scores, indicated financial need, and teacher recommendation. One of the requirements for keeping the award for the full four years is declaring and remaining a German major in CLA.

Constantin Parvulescu (Ph.D, 2006) publishes book and accepts new position

Orphans of the East: Postwar Eastern European Cinema and the Revolutionary Subject, a book on postwar Eastern European film by Constantin Parvulescu (Ph.D, 2006), has been published by Indiana University Press.

Additionally, he has accepted new position as research fellow at the Institute for Culture and Society at the University of Navarra, Spain, to start in September 2015.

He is also a visiting lecturer in critical thinking in the Department of Contextual Studies at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Sonja Fritzsche (Ph.D., 2001) named Chair of the Linguistics & Germanic, Slavic, Asian and African Languages Department at Michigan State University

Sonja Fritzsche (Ph.D., 2001) has been named Chair of the Linguistics & Germanic, Slavic, Asian and African Languages Department at Michigan State University.

Students awarded GSD Scholarships

The following students have been awarded GSD scholarships for the 2015-16 academic year.

• Skyler Dorr, Schlenker Scholarship & a Max Kade Travel Grant
• Heather Jarvie, Finnish Connection Scholarship
• Jennie Lynch, Hirschbach Study Abroad Scholarship & a Max Kade Travel Grant
• Abigail Marino, Max Kade Travel Grant
• Hafsa Shakir, College in the Schools Scholarship (2014-15)
• Nicholas Ott, Max Kade Travel Grant

Charlotte Melin named Chair of GSD Department

Prof. Charlotte Melin will be GSD's new Chair, beginning June 15, 2015.

Paul Peterson defends dissertation

Paul Peterson has successfully defended his dissertation, “Nicknames in Old Icelandic Literature,” in April 2015.

Emily Parrent wins Fulbright

Emily Parrent, a graduating senior with a German minor, has been awarded a Fulbright grant. She will complete an M.A. in Medieval Studies at the University of York. A major in both French/Italian and Classical Civilization, she will continue her studies of languages, paleography, and archaeology to develop skills to complete a Ph.D. and future research on the history of medieval medicine. Parrent has already participated in an archaeological dig uncovering victims of the plague at Thornton Abbey in England and examined the archival records of contemporary hospitals in Bologna, Italy.

She is one of seven seniors at the University of Minnesota who have been awarded grants to study and teach abroad following graduation by the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The Fulbright grants cover all travel and living expenses for one academic year. z.umn.edu/vr3.

McKenzie Stupica (B.A., 2014) wins Fulbright

McKenzie Stupica (B.A., 2014) has been awarded a Fulbright English teaching assistantship in Germany. She is currently a teaching assistant at the Germanic-American Institute in St. Paul and has served as an educational intern and student guide at the Weisman Art Museum. Stupica was excited by the variety and accessibility of art while studying for a year in Berlin and applied for a WorkART fellowship that allowed her to return to Germany as an intern at a Kunstverein. She plans to reconnect with German artists and arts organizations in the next year.

She is one of seven seniors at the University of Minnesota who have been awarded grants to study and teach abroad following graduation by the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The Fulbright grants cover all travel and living expenses for one academic year. z.umn.edu/vr3.

Meyer Weinshel awarded FLAS Fellowship

Meyer Weinshel has been awarded a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship to study Yiddish at the Institute for Jewish Research (YIVO) in New York City in Summer 2015.

Jennifer Decker (B.A., 2011) accepted into M.S.Ed. TESOL program and awarded FLAS Fellowship

Jennifer Decker (B.A., 2011) has been accepted into the M.S.Ed. Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program in University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education and has been awarded a Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship to study Hindi.

Elizabeth Stopka (B.A., 2013) accepted into M.A. Program in ESL

Elizabeth Stopka (B.A., 2013) has been accepted into the M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) for Higher Education program at the University of Minnesota.

Abigail Marino and Bradley Shrum win Birkelo Scholarships

Abigail Marino and Bradley Shrum, both GSD majors, have each won coveted Selmer Birkelo Scholarships from the College of Liberal Arts.

Selmer Birkelo Scholarships provide one year of scholarship support for approximately 14 outstanding CLA students majoring in fields relating to history, modern languages, classics, or the social and behavioral sciences. Recipients will receive a scholarship of up to $4,000 for the 2015-16 academic year. Details.

GSD Scholarships Available: Apply by April 15

The Department of German, Scandinavian & Dutch is offering the following scholarships for Academic Year 2015-16. Applications accepted through Wednesday, April 15, 2015.

• GSD Scholarship in German Studies
• Mary Ann Wilson Hansen Scholarship in Scandinavian Studies
• Finnish Connection Scholarship
• Frank D. Hirschbach Scholarship for Study Abroad in a German-speaking Country
• Junior Year in Munich (JYM) Scholarship
• Max Kade Travel Grants for Study in Germany

Full details at gsd.umn.edu/ugrad/awards.html.

Carrie Collenberg-Gonzalez (Ph.D., 2011) accepts Assistant Professor position

Carrie Collenberg-Gonzalez (Ph.D., 2011) has accepted the position of Assistant Professor of German at Portland State University.

AASCU publishes chapter co-authored by Charlotte Melin

AASCU, The American Association of University Supervisors and Coordinators has published a 2014 Volume titled Innovation and Accountability in Language Program Evaluation featuring a chapter by the following members of the 2013 SLA Working Group: Carol Klee (Spanish & Portuguese), Charlotte Melin (German, Scandinavian & Dutch) and Daniel Soneson (CLA Language Center). Their chapter is titled “From Frameworks to Oversight: Components to Improving Foreign Language Program Efficacy.” The book can be purchased from CengageBrain.com, which also offers individual chapters for purchase in an eBook format. Details.

Issac Schendel accepts visiting lecturer position

Issac Schendel has accepted a position as visiting lecturer at Karlsruher Institut für Technologie in Germany. He will teach content courses on Medieval German poetry in Spring 2015.

Valentine Pakis (Ph.D, 2008) accepts position as Assistant Professor and Drafting Editor of the Dictionary of Old English

Valentine Pakis (Ph.D, 2008) has accepted a position at the University of Toronto as a new Assistant Professor of Medieval Studies, where he will teach Old Norse and Gothic and serve as Drafting Editor of the Dictionary of Old English.
Details.

Leslie Morris to moderate discussion at "Bearing Witness 70 Years after the Liberation of Auschwitz" event

Leslie Morris will be moderating the discussion with the painter Felix de la Concha at the CHGS event "Bearing Witness 70 Years after the Liberation of Auschwitz," of which GSD is a co-sponsor, on Monday, January 26, 2015.

Moritz Meutzner awarded Jerome Joss Award

Moritz Meutzner has been awarded the 2015 Jerome Joss Award from the Center for Jewish Studies for his project on "Erich Auerbach in Istanbul."

Andrew Patten (Ph.D, 2014) receives postdoc

Andrew Patten (Ph.D, 2014) has received a two-year, full-time postdoc fellowship at the Universität Erfurt, to begin January 2015. He will be working in the Laborgruppe "Kulturtechniken": Ein interdisziplinäres Projekt der Geschichts-, Literatur- und Medienwissenschaft in Erfurt und Weimar (Laboratory for "Cultural Techniques:" An Interdisciplinary Collaboration between History, Literature, and Media Studies in Erfurt and Weimar).