Fall 2013 German Courses

Sunday, 24 March 2013, 5:00-7:00 pm, UNC Institute for the Arts and Humanities,  Hyde Hall, Incubator Room, UNC-Chapel Hill

–TALK and DISCUSSION: “Volatile Masculinities in German and American Pop Literatures“, by Prof. MOLLY KNIGHT (Wake Forest University)
From the 1960s to the present day, one viewpoint has occupied the center of the Pop movement and controlled Pop texts’ portrayals of cultural upheaval and disillusionment: the disturbed and damaged young man who ultimately enacts violence on himself or others in the process of self-discovery. This presentation will examine the “angry young man” as protagonist in German and American Pop fiction of the 1990s, in particular the early works of Swiss author Christian Kracht and American author Bret Easton Ellis. While both Kracht and Ellis are typically associated with Pop’s emphasis on surface and superficiality, this lecture argues that in fact this surface is constructed as a means of containing a chaotic and potentially destructive emotional force, which becomes a pervasive metaphor for contemporary masculinity, and thus the Pop novels in question systematically reinforce a pessimistic notion of what it means to be a man – and indeed, a human being – in the late 20th century.
MOLLY KNIGHT is Visiting Assistant Professor of German at Wake Forest University. She is in the process of re-working her dissertation, Sympathy for the Devil: Volatile Masculinities in Recent German and American Literatures, as a monograph. Her teaching and research interests include 20th and 21st century German literature and film, gender studies, and horror film and fiction from the 18th century to the present day.
For more information see: www.unc.edu/ncgs

THIS WEEK

Monday, 4 March, 6 p.m., Bate 3008
–FILM: “Barbara” (2012),  dir. by Christian Petzold, with subtitles.

Germany’s official submission for an Oscar this year, and an “impeccably crafted Cold War thriller” (see flyer and website).
Info: Prof. Jones.

Wednesday, 6 March, 4-6 p.m., Cynthia Lounge (Mendenhall Student Center)
–GERMAN CLUB. Please come join us for German Club in Mendenhall’s Cynthia Lounge:
(Cynthia Lounge is the glassed-in area in Mendenhall on the right side at the main entrance)
Friends of our program and students of all levels are welcome! Info: Prof. Jensen.

Saturday, 9 March, 10 a.m. – Noon, New Rivers West Auditorium
–TALK: “Future of the Euro”, by Dr. Randall Parker, Department of Economics, ECU
How did the 2008 global recession contribute to the development of the euro crisis?
The health of the euro affects and is affected by the state of the global economy.
How can European Union leaders prevent the collapse of the common currency?
Part of ECU’s Great Decisions Lecture and Discussion Series.
Sponsored by The World Affairs Council of Eastern North Carolina and East Carolina University.
Open to the public.  Full-time ECU students, staff and faculty may attend free of charge. Group rates are available upon request.
For more information see the Great Decisions webpage or call (252) 328-5520.

We hope you can join us this week for these exciting events. With best wishes, Prof. Smith (smithdav@ecu.edu)

Wednesday is a popular day once again for German-related activities; we hope you can join us as your schedule permits. — Prof. David Smith (smithdav@ecu.edu).

Wednesday, 27 Feb, 2-3 p.m., Mendenhall Student Center 244
–GLOBAL CAREER INFORMATION SESSION

Wednesday, 27 Feb, 4-6 p.m., Cynthia Lounge (Mendenhall Student Center)
–GERMAN CLUB. Please come join us for German Club in Mendenhall’s Cynthia Lounge:
(Cynthia Lounge is the glassed-in area in Mendenhall on the right side at the main entrance)
Friends of our program and students of all levels are welcome! Info: Prof. Jensen (jensenb@ecu.edu)

Wednesday, 27 Feb, 7:30 p.m., Bate 1003 (see flyer)
–FILM: “DIE VERLORENE EHRE DER KATHARINA BLUM”, Regie: Volker Schlöndorff und Margaretha von Trotta

Based on the novel by
Nobel Prize author HEINRICH BÖLL.

Thursday and Friday, 28 Feb and 1 March, UNC-CH/DUKE U
–NCGS WORKSHOP: Creating Participatory Democracy: Green Politics in Germany since 1983
Info and Registration

GIVE to ECU GERMAN
If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to our program, and thus support students’ learning of German, both here and in Europe, please visit us here.

We thank you for your support.

This Week

Monday, 11 Feb, 6 p.m. in Bate 3008
FILM: “DAS WUNDER VON BERN” — Sönke Wortman, 2003–in German with English subtitles

Additional Notes of Interest –

GERMAN SOLAR FIRM INVESTING 72M in ROANOKE RAPIDS

NCGS WORKSHOP: Creating Participatory Democracy: Green Politics in Germany since 1983
28 Feb and 1 March, UNC-CH/DUKE U
Info and Registration

GIVE to ECU GERMAN
Our program now has its own fund to support German students and German Studies in Eastern North Carolina. Find out more, and to make a tax-deductible contribution

Vielen Dank!

I hope you will plan to attend the initial meeting of our German Club this Wednesday (13 Feb) at 4 p.m. in BATE to elect officers, set meeting times, and determine what we want to do this semester. If you can’t come then but want to be considered for a post, email Prof. Jensen at jensenb@ecu.edu.

When: 4 p.m., Wednesday, 13 Feb
Where: Lounge of Dept of Foreign Languages and Literatures (Bate Building). The Lounge is just down the hall from BATE 3324.

I. NEW STUDY ABROAD OPTION: ECU has just approved a brand-new study abroad partnership with the Institute of Political Science at the University Erlangen-Nürnberg. What does that mean you ask?

–Any undergraduate or graduate student majoring/minoring in Political Science or Security Studies, or with an interest in doing so, should consider this program.
–If accepted, the student(s) could study in Erlangen beginning as early as this fall. Students have the possibility to study there for a year or for a semester.
–Student must have at least a 2.5 GPA.
–Any student who has already applied to UNCEP or another institution in Germany could conceivably apply for this program in Erlangen instead. We’d have to ask.
If you have questions or are interested, please contact Prof. Smith as soon as possible.

Uni Erlangen-Nürnberg: http://www.uni-erlangen.de/

II. HOLOCAUST STUDIES. If you are interested in learning more about the Holocaust and will be studying abroad in Germany this spring/summer or next year, please consider applying for the Auschwitz Jewish Center Program for Students Abroad (AJC PSA) (this program should also be available in Spring 2014).

information from source follows:

The AJC PSA is a long-weekend program in Kraków for students studying overseas. The program, which includes a scholarly visit to Oświęcim/Auschwitz, provides an academic environment through which participants engage intensively with the history of the Holocaust and Jewish life in Poland.

The program takes place during fall and spring semesters and is facilitated by American and Polish staff of the Auschwitz Jewish Center, under the auspices of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York. During the program, meals, accommodation, entrance fees, and transportation are provided.

SPRING 2013 FLYER

SPRING 2013 DATES

April 17-21 (Wednesday-Sunday)
April 21-25 (Sunday-Thursday)
April 25-29 (Thursday-Monday)
May 9-13 (Thursday-Monday)

Applications are available here, accepted on a rolling basis, due no later than one month before each program. Early application is encouraged. Candidates of all religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Financial aid is available for the $375 program fee. Participants are responsible for arranging individual transportation to and from Kraków.

AJC PSA <a href="”>Sample Syllabus

For further information, please contact Dara Bramson at DBramson@mjhnyc.org, visit their website, and follow them on Facebook for ongoing updates.

Dara Bramson

Dear friends of ECU’s program in German,

aller Anfang ist schwer — so goes the saying auf Deutsch, but here’s hoping the start of this new semester is an exception! Classes are now underway, so I wanted to take this opportunity to draw your attention to a few headline events we have planned this semester. More film screenings and German Club events are being planned as I write; I’ll pass those details on as soon as I have them and as the events near. As with last semester, I will send just one email every Sunday highlighting upcoming events; we won’t clog your email, but we do want to keep you in the loop as to our offerings on and around campus. On behalf of my colleagues, I wish you “Alles Gute!” for 2013. — Prof. David Smith (smithdav@ecu.edu / voice: 252.328.5524)

Wednesday, 30 January, 3:30-4:15 p.m., Bate 1028
–GUEST LECTURE AND DISCUSSION: Mr. Klaus Becker, President and CEO of NIROSTEEL LLC, will deliver a talk drawing on his experiences in international business, titled
*”The Competitive Edge: Studying Language for a Career in Global Business.”*
Mr. Becker, who was educated in Germany but now resides in Charlotte, has worked in Italy, Germany, Brazil and the U. S. His talk is being co-sponsored by ECU’s College of Business. For more information, please contact Prof. Jones at jonessu@ecu.edu.

Monday, 11 February, 6-8 p.m., Bate 3008
–FILM: “Das Wunder von Bern”

Monday, 4 March, 6-8 p.m., Bate 3008
–FILM: “Barbara”

Monday, 25 March, 6-8 p.m., Bate 3008
–FILM: likely “Auf der anderen Seite” (TBA)

Sunday, 7 April, 4 p.m., Kiwanis Shelter (behind Elm St Gym)
–OSTERFEUER

STUDY ABROAD OPP
Any student interested in studying in a German-language country for the academic year 2013-2014 should review the summary of opportunities and deadlines on the German website. The on-campus deadline for UNCEP is, for example, February 1. Contact information for Prof. Twark, our study abroad advisor, can be found there also.

SCHOLARSHIP
The East Carolina Alumni Association is now accepting scholarship applications for the 2013-14 academic year. Scholarships of $1,000 and $2,500 are available to qualifying full-time undergraduates with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. To apply for the scholarship before the January 31 deadline, students should visit http://www.PirateAlumni.com/scholarships.