Saturday, January 26, 2008

Michael Risch-Janson Awarded the Otmar Drekonja Scholarship

Dear Michael, The German section of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages is pleased to inform you that you have been awarded the Otmar Drekonja German Cultural Studies Scholarship for 2006-2007. The amount of the scholarship is $950.00. We applaud your enthusiastic dedication to the study of German—something illustrated by the strides you have made since beginning that study as a first-year college student in fall 2004. You understand the value of multicultural experiences and show a willingness to be an active participant in promoting them. We congratulate you on your accomplishments and wish you great success in the continuation of your studies. Wir gratulieren herzlich und wünschen besten Erfolg! Read more about Otmar Drekonja (pictured above right with his wife Ingrid).


Laura Wunsch and Mersiha Seferovic Awarded S. Margaretta Nathe Scholarships totaling $2000

These annual scholarships are awarded to CSB students who demonstrate academic distinction, especially in German. S. Margaretta was known for her outstanding teaching of German for CSB/SJU and for founding abroad programs in Switzerland and Germany before the beginnings of our Salzburg program. Congratulations, Laura and Mersi! We are proud of your achievements!




Lew Grobe, Bennett Frensko, and Keith Spinali Awarded Fulbright Scholarships for Research and Teaching in Austria

Grobe and Frensko Also Awarded Fulbright Scholarships to Germany and May Do Both in Successive Years
Each year, CSB and SJU German majors and minors are selected for research projects and teaching positions in Austrian and German Gymnasien, or schools. Over the past 15 years 45 CSB/SJU students have participated in these prestigious programs following their graduation.
The Fulbright Program especially appreciates applicants who are interested in the study and use of German in their plans for the future, either in teaching or in other careers. For more information about how to apply before next year's February 1 deadline, see the Fulbright Webpage and Application Form.

Lew, Bennett, and Keith, we admire your global vision and wish you the best for the very rewarding year ahead!


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18 CSB/SJU Students Head to Munich for May Term

This is the fifth summer in the row that students of our colleges have had the chance to experience Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy first hand. The first May Term -- one of the first in our colleges' history -- was offered three years ago for 30 students and featured a comparison of the art and architecture of Berlin and Munich. the last two years 45 students participated in a similar May term, but the topic shifted to the development of German Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque art and architecture in relation to what was happening culturally in the Mediterranean region. This summer on May 19 and again on July 13, a total of forty-five more students will depart for the summer term seminar titled, Rome, Florence and Munich: Arts and Ideas.


Pictured here: Students biking through Munich learning about the history of its architecture and the intellectual movements that gave rise to radically different kinds of architectural expression. Our tour director Dave gives a lecture in front of the Friedensengel in Munich. In the picture on the right, Sam Pokorney (center) joins Bavarian Schuhplattler in a traditional Volkstanz.

Professor Gregory Schroeder and His Family Head to Salzburg with Fifteen CSB/SJU Students

Student Members of the Salzburg Program Include

Sara Allen, Nick Elsen, Nicole Bach, Melissa Hendrickx, Laura Ruprecht, Jason Fluto, Josephine Hall, Gregory Nordlund, Emily Karnas, David McKay, Candice Kamke, Brian Downes, Ben Bartelt, Brittany Boll, Audrey Gabe.

Professor Schroeder is a lover of all things Austrian and is especially fond of the beauty of Salzburg and the opportunities we have developed in the thirty years we have been at the University. Our professors there are stellar and our small class sizes give students the chance engage intensely with the language and cultures of Germany and Austria. Schroeder's emphasis in his teaching will be on Austrian identity from the era of the Hapsburg Empire to the present. he will also be introducing a new immersion course on Austrian culture and language. This is Professor Schroeder's third time directing the program for CSB/SJU students, having gone with other groups in 2001 and 2004. Zukunftige Salzburger and Herr Professor Doktor Schroeder, how lucky you are to spend fall term in this most beautiful of cities. We all wish you Gute Reise!

German Majors Seferovic, Sandnas, Wunsch, Schumacher, Hendrickson, Lambert, Smiles, Bublitz, and Haws



Group of Nine Represents a Fifteen-Year High in
Number of German Majors at CSB/SJU

Dear Mersiha, Greta, Laura, Dan, Erik, David, Aaron, Mark and Jimmy! What a wonderful group of students you have been. We are especially proud of your final projects and the wide range of interests they represent: Der Prozess der Selbstüberwindung in der Literatur der Jahrhundertwende (Mersiha); Eine eigene Komposition im Stil der Schoenberg-Zwölftonmusik mit Vorführung -- "Furcht, ach Furcht!" (Greta); Geschichte und Analyse der Pädagogik der kanadischen-amerikanischen Immersionschulen (Laura); Die protestantische und katholische Arbeitsethik zur Zeit Max Webers (Dan); Der Prozess der Individuation in Werken von Hermann Hesse (Erik); Die Identität der Türken im heutigen Deutschland (David); Entwicklung des Paszifismus bei Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Mahatma Ghandi und Albert Einstein (Aaron); Einfluss der katholischen Kirche auf Krieg und Frieden in Europa und Iraq: Ein Vergliech (Mark); Das Prinzip der Autorität in der Literatur der Jahrhundertwende (Jimmy).

Robert Mevissen, Michael Risch-Jansen, Brittany Boll, and Melissa Hendrickx Awarded Otmar Drekonja and S. Margaretta Nathe Scholarships Totaling $5000.

Brittany and Melissa, Robert and Michael, thank you for all the good energy and enthusiasm you bring to our Department! You represent well the astonishing motivation, vision, and love of life exemplified so well by S. Margaretta and Otmar Drekonja.

Dear Brittany and Melissa, Michael and Robert,


We are delighted to present to you the highest awards that we offer at CSB/SJU for the study of German. Both S. Margaretta Nathe and Otmar Drekonja are known for their outstanding teaching of German for CSB/SJU. S. Margaretta founded abroad programs in Switzerland and Germany. Otmar Drekonja was founder of our Salzburg Program in 1977, directing groups of more than 200 students on study abroad programs in Salzburg and elsewhere in Central Europe. Their distinguished teaching careers resonate in the personal and professional lives of generations of students.

Cici Qiao Awarded Position for the Friendship Beyond Borders Summer Program in Germany

"I am excited to use what I know about conflict resolution and intercultural exchange and to help improve the lives of young German students."



As participant in this inter-cultural youth education program in rural eastern Germany, Cici's primary task will be to help students aged 16-22 learn about international understanding and love of other cultures. Cici will be teaching these students during the month of July about the dangers of the right-extremism and xenophobia prevalent in the East where joblessness is high. During this program, Cici will receive free funding for room and board, travel within the project region, and project activities. If you are a CSB/SJU student interested in this program for summer 2008 please send an email message to exbinet@miteinander-ev.de. Cici, we are proud of your using your German skills to promote cultural appreciation among young people in Germany!

Laura Wunsch, Ryan Fader, Erik Hendrickson, Mark Bublitz, and David Lambert Awarded Fulbright Scholarships for Research and Teaching in Austria!

Laura, Ryan, Erik, Mark, and David, we admire your global vision and wish you the best for the very rewarding year ahead!

Each year, CSB and SJU German majors and minors are selected for research projects and teaching positions in Austrian and German Gymnasien, or schools.  Over the past 15 years some 50 CSB/SJU students have participated in these prestigious programs following their graduation.  The Fulbright Program especially appreciates applicants who are interested in the study and use of German in their plans for the future, either in teaching or in other careers.  For more information about how to apply before next year's October 15th (Germany) and February 1st (Austria) deadlines, see the Fulbright Webpage and Application Form