During the Fall semester 2015 the German Program in the Department of Linguistics and Languages will offer a semester-long series of events on the legacy of unification. These events, which are generously underwritten by a grant from the German Embassy, will explore various aspects of the unification process itself as well as the issues that have confronted the newly configured German state in an ever-changing European and global context. We hope that these special events will reach beyond the classroom to the MSU campus and the wider Lansing community, with particular emphasis on K-12 students and teachers.
Kick-off event: “Germany Today: The Legacy of Unification” Our kick-off event will take place on Thursday, October 8, 2015, at 303 International Center.
The opening reception (6:30-7:00 p.m.) will be followed by a roundtable discussion (7:15-9:00 p.m.). The roundtable will explore the current state of German society against the backdrop of unification. Guided by questions from students and the community, a panel of experts will discuss topics including integration and refugees, party politics, sports and national discourse, and education since unification. The roundtable will feature student moderators and faculty guest speakers Karrin Hanshew (History, MSU), Alex Holznienkemper (German, Baylor), Sonja Klocke (German, University of Wisconsin, Madison), and Johanna Schuster-Craig (German and Global Studies, MSU). This event is co-sponsored by the Center for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies.
Film series: “Imagining Germany Beyond East and West” The German Program is also offering a special film series thematizing the complex processes of social and cultural unification over the past 25 years. The film series emphasizes German-language films by filmmakers from both the former East and the West. Introductions and post-screening discussions will be led by German faculty and graduate students.
Tuesdays, 7:00 p.m. in B-122 Wells Hall
October 13: Herzsprung (Heike Misselwitz, 1992)
October 27: The Miracle of Bern (Sönke Wortmann, 2003)
November 3: Crazy Blood (Erpulat/Hillje, 2012)
November 17: Village (Helke Sander, 2001)
December 1: Summer in Berlin (Andreas Dresen, 2005)
Project competition: “Vereinigtes Deutschland!? Contemporary Perspectives on German Life and Culture” Students in all MSU German classes, as well as area high school students, are encouraged to create multi-media projects or written essays, reflecting upon the historical events and processes the contributed to, and resulted from, unification. Awards will be given at various levels of instruction and participants will be invited to present their work at the end of the semester. Submissions for the competition are due by November 15, 2015 at 5 p.m.
All members of the MSU community, area high schools, and others interested in Germany today are invited to attend.
These events are made possible with the generous support of the German Embassy. To learn more about 25 Years of German Unity at MSU or other offerings from the German Program, visit our Web site: http://linglang.msu.edu/languages/german/.
