German Program Update

News

German Program Update

The academic year 2022/2023 was full of activity and excitement in the German program. Resuming the study abroad program in Freiburg, Oktoberfest with the German club, outreach with SPARK, a photo and visual exhibit, and an impressive group of undergraduate and graduate students whose achievements we celebrated at the end of the academic year were some of the highlights of a productive year.

Resuming Study Abroad Programs in Germany

In July 2022, Professor Maria Stehle took a small but enthusiastic group of students to Freiburg, Germany for the intensive intermediate German class. Students learned a lot of German, explored the area, ate local food, and learned about history, politics, and social developments in Germany.

The new faculty-led study-abroad program, Cinematic Cities: Berlin, will spend 10 days in Berlin in May/early June 2023 to explore the cultural and cinematic history of Berlin.

Community Outreach with SPARKS

Throughout the academic year, graduate students in German reached out to local Knoxville schools to promote the German language and culture. Students and individuals affiliated with the German program volunteered in the SPARK for German program at two elementary schools in Knoxville during the 2022/23 academic year. SPARK for German is a joint project of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) and the Goethe-Institut. The acronym stands for Structured Program for the Acquisition of German in the U.S. – Resources and Know-How. The program offers a playful approach to German learning in afterschool programs.

German Club

The UT German Club had a busy year. Activities included conversation exercises at SchulzBräu Brewing Company, “pretzel baking” at the International House, a movie night, and participation in UT’s International Festival, and an Oktoberfest Spielefest. Kaffeeklatsch was held at the German coffee house at Hodges Library in December, and the German Club also organized a hot chocolate mixer event during the colder weather this past winter.

Visual Art Exhibit Tropic Ice Dialog by Barbara Dombrowski

Barbara Dombrowski is a renowned German photographer and visual artist who visited UT in March 2023. She dedicates her work to places affected by climate change and presented her photo art project Tropic Ice Dialog at Hodges Library for a full month (March 6 – April 5, 2023). Dombrowski has been studying places affected by climate change and their indigenous populations across the globe, and in her artwork, she sparks a ‘conversation’ about commonalities: She arranges her large-format portraits and landscape photos from different regions in such a way that these installations highlight the interrelationships between them. Dombrowski furthermore gave a research seminar at the UT Humanities Center titled Just Environments and discussed her newest projects with an attentive audience.

Awards & Recognitions for German Students

The following undergraduate and graduate students in the German program earned awards, scholarships, and other distinctions. We celebrated our students and their achievements at the WLC Departmental Awards Ceremony at the Cumberland House on April 27, 2023.

Reinhold & Katherine Nordsieck Scholarships

Diana Dalton, Eliza Frensley, Mason Hockett, Makayla Mckinney, Victoria McWhorter, Sarah Meng, Ellie Pritchard, Anja Raeth, Richard Wolfenbarger, and Achim Schmid

John & Elsbeth Verhusen Kind Scholarship

Liam Allison, Jacob Craig, Wesley Campbell, and Abby Caldwell

John C. Osborne Scholarship

Mareike Geyer, Helen Martin

Gerti Wunderlich Scholarships

Kelsey Kellet, Julia Briggs

Maria Harris Award

Alexander O’Connor, Aubrey Bader, and Mehtap Ince

Dennis Randall Shockley Memorial Scholarship

Alex Hensley, Clarissa Trent, and Adam Kreider

German Program Scholarship

Gbenga Akeju