Department of German Studies at MIC

26/09/2024

Did you know that Ireland has the longest tradition of Modern Language teaching in academia in the Anglophone world?

To celebrate European Day of Languages, we are delighted to present a video series “Towards 250 years of Modern Languages at Third Level” from last year’s December launch at the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) with Tánaiste Micheál Martin - Languages 250 - YouTube! https://www.youtube.com//videos Hear statements from politicians, business leaders and scientists on why languages matter.

Find out more here:
https://www.mic.ul.ie/news/2024/mic-marks-european-day-of-languages-as-prestigious-languages250-event-planned-for-2025

22/11/2023

Dear Students,
if you have further academic ambitions, this advert may be an opportunity for you:
The deadline for abstracts is 15 January 2024.

CALLING ALL UNDERGRADUATES WITH AN INTEREST IN GERMAN STUDIES!

Submit an abstract for a paper or poster on the theme ‘Fact and Fiction’ for the Cambridge Undergraduate Conference in German Studies, which will take place on 1 and 2 March 2024! We invite papers from undergraduates from any discipline, at all stages of research and from any institution to submit abstracts of 150-200 words for 15-minute presentations in English (but citing German material in the original language) on the topic ‘Fact and Fiction’.

From medieval history to projections of the future, our perception of places, people and world events exists within a complex network of facts and fictions. The binary opposition of fact and fiction is often blurred in instances of expectation vs. reality, accounts and reports or technological interpretation of human experiences. Interrogating such instances and what causes them can help us understand more about the world we perceive.

How are knowledge, art, and ideas disseminated to us? By what means and by whom (or what) can these narratives be co-opted, manipulated or altered, and to what effect?

In responding to these lines of enquiry, speakers could consider the following areas:
• Art, literature, film, photography and other cultural media from all time periods in the German-speaking world
• Memory studies (e.g. debates about remembering National Socialism; the legacy of the GDR)
• News, journalism and similar media
• History and politics (e.g. democracy in Germany; migration)
• Linguistics
• AI and technology, for example in the debate around ‘digitalisation’

The Conference is an ideal opportunity to present your own work, perhaps for the first time, in a welcoming and engaging environment. In previous years, students have used work from their dissertation, year abroad project or module essays, for example. You may interpret the title ‘Fact and Fiction’ in any way you wish. If you would prefer not to give a presentation, you can submit an abstract for academic posters of A1 size, which will be displayed at the conference. There will be an opportunity for poster authors to participate in a Q&A.

We ask that students submit an abstract of between 150-200 words describing their 15-minute presentation or their proposed poster, along with their name, institution and a short introduction to themself (50 words), by Monday 15th January 2024 using this Google Forms link. Applicants will be notified by 15 January about the outcome of their application. We are very keen to hear from candidates from a diverse range of institutions and backgrounds, as well those who might have had an interruption to their studies.

We are glad to be able to offer speakers free accommodation and board for their time in Cambridge, as well as reimbursement for their travel costs. There will be the opportunity to connect with both members of the German Section and a keynote speaker (to be announced). Free refreshments, including a lunch, will be available for all attendees during the conference. Virtual participation for audience members (but not speakers) will be possible; the Conference will, however, be a fully accessible event.

We are looking forward to hearing your insights and seeing you at the conference at the start of March! If you have any questions, please contact the Conference Committee at [email protected].

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Dr Matthew Hines (he/him/his)
Teaching Associate | German Section | Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics
Postdoctoral Research Associate | Queens’ College
University of Cambridge

16/10/2023

Marymount International School London (www.marymountlondon.com) is based in Kingston upon Thames. We are an all girls, day and boarding Catholic school offering the IB programme of study. We have a teaching vacancy for a Teacher of German Literature and German Language Acquisition.

We are looking for a qualified, experienced and committed fluent speaker of German to join our World Languages Department to teach German Literature and German Language Acquisition in our IB Middle Years and Diploma programmes. Experience of teaching the International Baccalaureate programmes is advantageous, but not essential. Knowledge of inquiry-driven and concept-based pedagogical approaches is desirable.

A snapshot of the role is to work collaboratively with departmental colleagues to develop the IB MYP and DP German Literature curriculum to students in Grades 9-12 (Years 10 to 13) and the MYP and DP German Language Acquisition curriculum to students in Grades 6-12 (Years 7 to 13).

To understand and embed IB ‘Approaches to Learning’ in all aspects of the World Languages curriculum.
To address human commonality, diversity and multiple perspectives as well as the diversity of student language needs, including those for students learning in a language other than mother tongue.
To teach and promote German language and culture within the School’s World Languages programme and the wider curriculum using a range of student-centered teaching strategies, resources and technology.
To differentiate instruction to meet students’ learning needs and styles.
To work collaboratively with the Department Chair and other members of faculty to identify, support and develop meaningful interdisciplinary links with other subject areas.
To participate in ongoing subject-specific professional development so as to keep abreast of developments within language teaching, to explore and develop further personal interests and specialisms, and to deepen knowledge and understanding of pedagogical approaches.
To create a stimulating learning environment based on understanding and respect that engages students in reflecting on how, what and why they are learning.
To support the Chair of World Languages with the planning and management of displays of work, Open Day presentations and other subject and whole-school related activities.
To support the extra-curricular life of the World Languages Department, through weekly clubs and activities, class trips and outings etc.
To be open to learning new skills and techniques that will complement and enhance the World Languages curriculum.
To promote, model and teach the attributes of the IB Learner Profile.

A full candidate pack can be found on our website www.marymountlondon.com

Thank you.
Mrs. Ruth Bowley
Deputy Bursar


www.marymountlondon.com
Marymount London
George Road, Kingston upon Thames
KT2 7PE, United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)20 8949 0571

MARYMOUNT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England No. 5325717, registered charity No. 1117786. ABOUT THIS EMAIL This email and any files with it are solely for the individual(s) to whom they are addressed. Any use of, or action taken in reliance upon this information by any third party is prohibited. If you receive this email in error, please delete it and contact the sender immediately. We have taken all reasonable precautions to ensure that no viruses are transmitted with this message. However, Marymount International School cannot accept any liability for any loss or damage resulting directly or indirectly from this email or its contents.

Marymount International School London is proudly IB, proudly all girls and proudly boarding. Fully committed to student development.

15/09/2023

Congratulations to Hanna Maria Rompf (PhD, German Studies) on the recent publication of her interview with Dimitrij Kapitelman, a rising star of contemporary German-language literature:

„Literatur kann auf unvergleichliche Weise alles spiegeln, was wir sind und sein können.“ Ein Gespräch mit dem deutsch-ukrainischen Schriftsteller Dmitrij Kapitelman über die literarische Verarbeitung seiner Identitäten, den Sinn journalistischer und literarischer Arbeit und das Politische als Auftrag an Schreibende. In: Kritische Ausgabe. Zeitschrift für Literatur im Dialog 38/2023. Werkgespräche II. pp. 18-27.

Hanna is currently completing her PhD on the work of German-Jewish authors who migrated to Germany from the former Soviet Union in the early 1990s under the supervision of Dr Sabine Egger (MIC) and Prof. Sascha Feuchert (University of Gießen).

Dmitrij Kapitelman was born in Kiev, Ukraine, to a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother. In his autobiographical debut novel, “Das Lächeln meines unsichtbaren Vaters” (2016), he explores questions of identity in the funny and moving journey of a son and a difficult father to Israel. Since then he has published a second novel and won awards for his work.
Thanks to the DAAD Writer in Residence Programme Dmitrij Kapitelman visited MIC on March 7th 2019 for a reading. See https://www.mic.ul.ie/blog/2019/german-ukranian-writer-dmitrij-kapitelman-visited-mic

24/04/2023

Remember Goethe's Werther from 2nd Year? Now you have the opportunity to see an opera adaptation of it, set in 1950s Ireland!

Werther is directed by Sophie Motley, designed by Sarah Bacon, with lighting design by Sarah Jane Shiels and features a new orchestration by Richard Peirson.

12/04/2022

Job opportunity: We are offering departmental assistantships (PhD or MA) in German Studies at Mary Immaculate College, Ireland starting in September 2022 or January 2023 - apply now!
💰Includes a yearly stipend and fee waiver
👩‍🏫You can gain teaching experience
Deadline: 30 April 2022
You can find more info here:https://www.mic.ul.ie/sites/default/files/uploads/617/Ausschreibung%20MA%20PhD%20und%20AssistentInnenstelle%202021%20aktuell.pdf

07/03/2022

As part of the MIC FemFest 2022, our final year student Ciara Flaherty created this video on the German writer Judith Kerr.

This MIC student-led project focuses on the lives of Hitler’s exiles and highlights representations of ‘exile’ in German-language literature produced between 1933 and 1945 by refugee women. When the N***s came to power in 1933, the majority of notable authors in Germany and soon Austria were forced to leave their homes for an uncertain future abroad, together with hundreds of thousands of Jewish and non-Jewish contributors to the cultural industries, anti-fascist political activists, and others whose lives and livelihoods were threatened by N**i policies. Wishing to shed light on some of these women, who in their works reflected on exile and their refugee identity -- but also on survival, the Holocaust and the deadly consequences of fascism -- final year German Studies students researched their lives and the specific impact of exile, and translated their poems and prose. We hope you enjoy their work.

Video created by MIC Students Ciara Flaherty and Roisin CreminThis MIC student-led project focuses on the lives of Hitler’s exiles and highlights representat...

21/01/2022

Delighted to see the very positive reviews of monographs by my former PhD students, Dr Sandra Wagner and Dr Britta C. Jung in
the most recent edition of "Germanistik in Ireland", and of the two books I co-edited with colleagues from Ireland & Australia, published by German and US publishing houses.
And don't miss Sandra's excellent article on "Lovecraft’s Cosmic Horror in the German Tabletop Role-Playing Game FHTAGN" in the same edition. See http://www.hartung-gorre.de/Ireland_16.htm

A great reflection of successful research and postgraduate culture in German Studies at MIC and its national and international impact. As you may know, both Sandra and Britta have embarked on successful careers in academia. We wish them all the best on their further research and teaching journeys!

Dr Sabine Egger (German Studies, MIC)

07/12/2021

Dr Sabine Egger and Dr Mairéad Ní Bhriain invite to the last ICTS lunchtime seminar this semester on Wednesday, December 15th 2021 @ 1pm (IST):

“Embodying “Mitteleuropa” on camera – space, myth and oral testimony in Stanislaw Mucha’s documentary Die Mitte (2004).

They are welcoming Dr Yvonne Zivkovic, Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Fellow at the University of Graz, former postdoc at Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge, and graduate of Columbia University, New York, who will discuss "Die Mitte" in the context of her current research. Please see attached poster for further detail and a zoom link to the event. Participants will be given access to a free streaming link for the complete film (subtitled in English).

All welcome!