Weekly Email for German 101-231 – 1. September 2026

Liebe Studis – Dear students,

Willkommen in Deutsch 101, 102, 103, 221 oder 231 🙂

There are class email lists for all sections of German 101-231. I will send a message roughly once a week. My email will include a link to the full text of the message (always available online via this index), and a copy of the header section of the email. The full text of the email is divided into sections by general topic, with an outline of “highlights” at the top, so you can skip to what interests you and expand those sections. If you have time, I recommend clicking through all of the first couple of messages to get an idea of the various events going on in the department and around town, and the other kinds of info in the email. This is the first such message.

The Max Kade German Residence/German Club will have tables during Festifall on Wednesday, September 2, 6-8 p.m., E023 (Central Campus)

During the Fall term, several weekly conversation opportunities are available to all students and staff. These conversation opportunities will commence after Labor Day: “Kreativwerkstatt” (Mondays, 1:30-2:30, Location TBD, “Schokoladenstunde” (Tuesdays, 2-3 p.m., MLB 3110), “Deutschtisch” in North Quad Dining Hall (Wednesdays, 6-7 p.m.), “Kaffeestunde” with Max Kade Students (Fridays, 5-6 p.m.), and “German Convo on the Go” (Wednesdays, 4-5 p.m.; Meeting Point: Bell Tower)

In addition, all students are welcome to participate in weekly German Club events. 

You can earn 2 “A&P Tally” make-up points by attending any of these events! (Kreativwerkstatt, Schokoladenstunde, Convo on the Go, Kaffeestunde, Deutschtisch, German Club)

You can apply for two Winter 2027 study-abroad programs: one is in Tübingen, which focuses more on language instruction, and the other is an IES-program in Berlin and is predominantly offering courses in English. The application deadline for both programs is Tuesday, September 15.

We will offer an information session about the Winter 2027 program in Tübingen on Tuesday, September 8, 5-7 p.m, Auditorium 3 MLB. Two participants who just returned from their stay in Germany will talk about their experience.

CGIS has scheduled its annual Study Abroad Fair for Thursday, October 6, 12-4 p.m., Michigan Union, Rogel Ballroom.

The “German Lab” is a virtual office hour taking place Monday-Thursday 1-4 pm. It opens on Tuesday 9/8. You can ask shorter and longer questions, come for conversation practice, help with homework etc. Here is more info about the German Lab – please take advantage of this great resource! Please sign up in advance on the German Lab Signup: instructors will check the signup at the beginning of their German Lab hour, and will leave the lab for that hour if no one has signed up.

If you are looking for additional resources for working on German:

Here is the list of German dept. classes offered in Fall 2026, in case you may still make changes to your schedule. Please note that even if you already know your plans for German language classes, the list also includes a wide variety of interesting courses in English. If you have questions please contact our advisors, Mary and Kalli. We also strongly encourage you to contact one of the German Peer Mentors, who are undergraduates and who have taken/are taking our German courses. See the “German Courses & Majoring/Minoring in German” section below for contact info.

Advisor office hours and contact info: You can reach the German advisors through a general email: germanadvising@umich.edu. We have two advisors. They are available for advising hours throughout the semester:

A link to their current office hours will always be included in the full text of these weekly emails, which you can find online:  scroll down to the section “German Courses & Majoring/Minoring in German.” You can schedule appointments with Mary and Kalli here.

Other highlights from this week’s email, and what section to check for more details:

  • Conversation Opportunities – Conversation Hours, German Lab
  • Study Abroad, Internships, Scholarship Deadlines – Study Abroad/Internships/Scholarship Info
  • Advising Info – German Courses & Majoring/Minoring in German
  • Conversation Partner Options – Miscellaneous
  • International Center Global Engagement and Education Abroad email list – Miscellaneous
  • Finding German Films and Series Online – Miscellaneous
  • Chrome Extension for Dual-Language Subtitles – Miscellaneous

  1. German Conversation Opportunities – “Schokoladenstunde” (Tuesday; September 8, 2-3 p.m.), and “German Convo on the Go” (Wednesday; September 9, 4-5 p.m., Bell Tower), and “Kreativwerkstatt” (Monday, September 14:, 1:30-2:30 p.m., TBD)

2. Winter 2027 Term in Tübingen – Information Session (Tuesday, September 8; 5-7 p.m., MLB Auditorium 3)

3. German Club – Mass Meeting (Wednesday, September 9; 6 p.m., MLB 2011)

4. Study Abroad in Germany – Winter 2027 in Tübingen (Tuesday, September 15; Application Deadline)

5. Study Abroad in Germany – Social Sciences and Humanities in Berlin – Winter 2027 (Tuesday, September 15; Application Deadline)

6. Go Blue, Go Abroad Workshop & Scholarship  (Monday, September 28; Application Deadline) 


7. CGIS Study Abroad Fair (Tuesday, October 6; 12-4 p.m., Michigan Union, Rogel Ballroom)

Three regular conversation hours, “Kreativwerkstatt” (Mondays, 1:30-2:30 p.m.; location TBA), “Schokoladenstunde” (Tuesdays, 2-3 p.m., MLB 3110) and “German Convo on the Go” (Wednesdays, 4-5 p.m.; Meeting Point: Bell Tower) will take place in person weekly – look for more details in these weekly emails. All students at all levels are welcome to come to these events. You can earn 2 “A&P” make-up/bonus points by attending.

In addition, all students are welcome to participate in weekly German Club events and in “Kaffeestunde” (Fridays 5-6, North Quad 2450 – this is the Edward Said Lounge) and “Deutschtisch (Wednesdays 6-7 in the NQ dining hall; there will be reserved tables with flags).” Kaffeestunde and Deutschtisch are coordinated through the Max Kade German Residence. Look for more details in these weekly emails! You can earn 2 “A&P Tally” make-up points by attending any of these events! (German Club, Kaffeestunde, Deutschtisch)

The “German Lab” is a virtual office hour taking place Monday-Thursday 1-4 pm. It opens on Monday 1/12. You can ask shorter and longer questions, come for conversation practice, help with homework etc. Here is more info about the German Lab – please take advantage of this great resource! Please sign up in advance on the German Lab Signup: instructors will check the signup at the beginning of their German Lab hour, and will leave the lab for that hour if no one has signed up.

The Residential College offers lunch tables in multiple languages, including German. For purely logistical reasons, we do not offer A&P Tall points for attending, but this is a great opportunity to interact with the enthusiastic students in this great program, who are all enrolled in intensive courses and getting regular additional speaking practice through these lunch tables!

LRC Conversation Partner Site Check out this site to find a conversation partner, and/or register so others can find you on the site. Please notify the LRC if you notice problems (e.g. outdated records etc.). Don’t be shy: the more people sign up, the better the site will work!

A2 Stammtisch

  • Meets every other Thursday at 8:00 pm at Grizzly Peak, 120 West Washington St. Pre-registration is requested: Contact Mechthild Heerde-Olind at heerdeolind “at” yahoo.com to be added to the email list. You can also check the event listings in the Ann Arbor Observer for info on meeting times and locations. [last verified: 1/23/2023]
  • You will NOT earn “A&P Tally” make-up/bonus points by attending, but you can still go for fun and/or write about it for an AMD.

Check the “Upcoming Deadlines and Events” section to see upcoming German Club events. You can earn 2 “A&P” make-up/bonus points by attending any of these events!

The German Club works to connect students of all levels with a passion for German language and culture to opportunities for language practice, cultural events, and networking. You are encouraged to come to as many or few events as you would like!

Email [email protected] to get put on the email list, or email me if this does not work!

Faculty Advisors Mary Rodena-Krasan & Kalli Federhofer

Contact our two faculty advisors, Mary or Kalli, for advice on study abroad, internships abroad, a German major/minor, upper-level German courses, career opportunities in German, study-abroad and work-abroad opportunities, etc.

German Peer Advisors/Mentors

If you would like to get in touch with a peer mentor in our Department, please write to: [email protected]. Their expertise includes:

  • Current classes and potential courses
  • Study abroad, internship, and traveling in Germany
  • Academic requirements (major/minor, LSA language requirement) and combination (engineering, pre-health, etc.)
  • Max Kade House
  • Departmental scholarships/fellowships
  • On- and off-campus German opportunities (German Club, German Day, etc.)
  • Career/job search
  • Getting involved – enhancing your undergraduate experience with the German Department

[This page will only include entries in this category when there is a job/internship etc. aimed at German students at all levels. To see more internship and job opportunities, scroll through Kalli’s blog, addressed to all upper-level German students]

Please follow us on Instagram!

You can find weekly updates similar to this email but with lots more content on this blog.

There is also a German Department facebook group, and a German Department facebook page:

  • “German Advising at University of Michigan” [Read news here!] Join this group to see much of the information you see in this email, as well as other relevant info, in the form of individual announcement posts.
  • German Department facebook page: Check it out!

Conversation Partner Options: Various options for finding conversation partners are listed on this page.

Sign up here for the International Center’s Global Engagement and Education Abroad email list. Weekly emails include info on workshops regarding travel and work abroad, conversation groups, cultural info sessions etc. SEHR interessant!

Finding German Films and Series

Chrome Extension for Dual-Language Subtitles

If you find the dual language subtitles in the “Easy German” videos helpful, you could experiment with the Language Reactor Chrome extension, which allows for subtitles in two languages.