In the fall semester of 2019, the German program partnered with the German Information Center of the German Embassy in Washington, D.C. for their annual German Campus Weeks initiative. The 2019 theme was “Wunderbar Together” and focused on the significance of the transatlantic relationship, the thirtieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the anniversary of women’s suffrage in Germany and the U.S. All fall German courses explored these topics to some extent. Dr. Ben Davis’ upper-level seminar “GER 406: Berlin Stories” focused on the cultural representation of gender in the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, the BRD and DDR, and post-wall Germany. Dr. Brooke Kreitinger’s upper-level literature course “GER 305 Masterpieces of German Literature: from the Bismarck Era to the Present Day” engaged with literature and history related to the women’s (suffrage) movement as well as divided Germany and the Wende (the fall of the Wall and reunification). Participating in the 2019 German Campus Weeks allowed the German program to complement curricular offerings with guest speakers including Honorary Consul of the German Embassy, Klaus Becker, artist and professor Sheryl Oring, a poster exhibit and discussion on women’s suffrage in Germany, the screening of a contemporary film on divided Germany, and poetry competitions open to all UNCG students.
