Campus winners Jason Greer (far left) and Nicole Schachter (third from left) with Dr. Susanne Rinner, Assistant Professor of German Studies, and Dr. Corey Johnson, Assistant Professor of Geography.
Campus competitions: Students enrolled in GER 406/GEO 491 presented their research in order to participate in the Campus Competitions 2012!
Last fall, the German Program at UNCG was one of only 25 campus partners nationwide participating in German Weeks 2012: Think Transatlantic! The event was supported by a grant from the German Embassy in Washington DC and provided students with the opportunity to study the transatlantic relationship between Germany and the United States from a variety of perspectives. Drs. Johnson and Rinner co-taught GER 406/GEO 491: The Transatlantic Relationship, in order to facilitate a discussion of the past, present, and future of the relationship between the United States, Germany, and Europe with a focus on the repercussions of issues such as energy, security, migration, and human rights. An interdisciplinary speaker series brought three experts to campus who shed light on different aspects of the transatlantic relationship. Andrew Zimmerman, Professor of History and International Affairs at George Washington University spoke about the triangle between the American South, Germany, and the German colonies in Africa in a talk entitled “Booker T. Washington and the German Empire in West Africa.” Katrin Sieg, Professor of German at Georgetown University spoke about the history of Africans and African-Americans in Germany in a talk with the title “Transatlantic Transfers: Performing Race Transnationally,” and Steve Szabo, Executive Director of the Transatlantic Academy in Washington, DC spoke about “Germany as a Geoeconomic Power: The Case of Russia.” His talk focused on issues of energy dependency and security in the 21st century.
Additional guest speakers from campus, including Professor Bill Markham, who spoke about environmentalism in Germany, and the community, e.g. George Scheer from Elsewhere, an artist collaborative in downtown Greensboro, further highlighted the strong transatlantic ties, including those that shape our local communities.
Students read a variety of texts, analyzed contemporary political and social issues, and contextualized the transatlantic relationship within a global context. Toward the end of the semester, students participated in campus competitions in different categories. Our campus winners, Nicole Schachter and Jason Greer will travel to Washington DC at the beginning of March in order to compete nationally! The winner will receive a trip to Berlin paid for by the German Embassy! Again, congratulations Nicole and Jason and good luck in DC!
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