Hear from Wesleyan Associate Professor of Russian, Eastern European & Eurasian Studies, German Studies, and Feminine, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Roman Utkin in the newest edition of the Wes and the World podcast. Utkin discusses his courses, teaching style, the gap between speaking and teaching a language, the trip he led to Berlin, and his…
Germany
The Art of Lüften
By Zaynah Almasri ’27 The Art of Lüften In German households, there is a practice called lüften: opening every window and door at the same time to let fresh air move through the house. It does not matter if it is freezing outside, raining sideways, or still dark out at five in the morning. The…
Reading Signs in German
By Bre Jordan ’27 I pride myself on being good at directions, but I am forever getting lost in Hamburg. The Pearl of the North is a beautiful, modern city with a sophisticated public transportation network I rely on daily. Truly they make it very easy to use: trains and buses display the upcoming stops…
Two Wesleyan Seniors Win the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship
Wesleyan is one of 41 partner institutions whose graduating seniors are eligible to apply for the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. This fellowship, often known on our campus simply as “The Watson,” provides $40,000 in funding for fellows to engage their unique individual interests on the global scale. Fellows create their own original projects, execute them…
A Green Political Economy Conference
Professor Basak Kus organized a conference in cooperation with scholars from Freie University in Berlin on the topic of green political economy. Throughout the three-day conference, panelists from various universities worldwide engaged in discussions on theories of degrowth and post-growth, green new deals, the politics of decarbonization, and the involvement of governments, labor, and business…
Wesleyan’s Newest Fulbright Cohort Shares Application Tips and Plans for Year Abroad
Three of Wesleyan’s recently selected Fulbrighters from the Class of 2023, Anna Tjelveit, Ben Levin, and Nick Bowman, gathered in Fisk Fall on May 3 to share their experiences with other students planning a Fulbright application. They talked about their experiences with the application process and their expectations and goals before departing the US this…
News from our students who are currently studying in Germany
Several of our GRST majors and minors have been living and studying in Germany this fall. I asked them to share some of their experiences with us. So far, I have received three letters that I would like to share with you. The first letter is from Evelyn Mesler ‘21, who majored in German Studies,…
Oktoberfest at German Haus
On a warm and sunny Saturday, around 30 students joined the German Haus to celebrate the Oktoberfest, but with unique twists. While the Bavarian festival traditionally calls for Dirndl and Lederhosen, Wesleyan students were clad in their typical eclectic fashion. Laughing and smiling, they learned about German culture and language. Bright-colored blue and white Bavarian themed table…
Bridging the Gap with Germany during the Pandemic
By Iris Bork-Goldfield, Adj. Professor of German Studies, Chair In March 2020, students were told to return from their study abroad programs, and we faculty were asked not to leave the U.S. Four of our students had just arrived at our Smith program in Hamburg, Germany, when they received that unwelcome message to pack again…
Wes Students in Transatlantic Conversation on Jewish Identity
Written by Thorsten Wilhelm, Visiting Assistant Professor of German Studies In the past fall semester, Wesleyan students in the First Year Seminar “Holocaust Remembrance in Germany: The Third Generation” participated in a pilot exchange with the Central Council of Jews in Germany. Made possible by the Departments of German Studies and Jewish Studies and the…