Fall of the Wall Poster Exhibition Launch
The German Department, in co-operation with the Government department, is currently holding a poster exhibition on the Fall of the Berlin Wall, to mark the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall on 9th November 1989. Much has happened since then and the posters give an excellent and accessible overview of the main events leading to 9th November 1989 and the subsequent reunification of East and West Germany, which had been divided for over 40 years. The exhibition opening took place on Friday 20th November and was kindly opened by Mr Horst Dopychai, Cultural Attaché to the German Embassy Dublin. The Poster launch was held in conjunction with a booklaunch and symposium run by Dr Claire O'Reilly (see news item below). Posters were provided by the Bundesstiftung fuer die Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur. The opening was a success despite the extreme weather conditions and flooding which prevented many people from attending
The posters can be viewed in the O'Rahilly Building on the main UCC campus, 2nd floor, in the area outside the Government Department.
The exhibition will be running until 18th December 2009.
Many thanks to our sponsors: German Embassy Dublin, UCC German Department, UCC Politics Programme, UCC Commerce Faculty and UCC Law Faculty.
.| 16.12.2009 | Careers Talk 20th January |
| 27.11.2009 | Advent on the internet |
| 06.11.2009 | UCC Student of German wins national award |
| 27.08.2009 | Our Masters programme |
| 05.08.2009 | DVD - Studying German at UCC |
.jpg "Rachel Manfred Ambassadors")
ATLTGI Conference at UCC
Association of Third-Level Teachers of German of Ireland (ATLTGI)
An event which brings together all academics involved in German Studies in Ireland, the annual conference of the ATLTGI (Association of Third-Level Teachers of German of Ireland) took place recently in UCC.
The theme of the research strand of the conference was the burgeoning research area of Drama Pedagogy, teaching various contents across disciplines through drama, performance and role-play, a field in which the Head of UCC’s German Department, Dr Manfred Schewe, has undertaken pioneering work in Ireland.
The conference was also attended by his Excellency, Beat Loeliger, the Swiss Ambassador to Ireland, and his Excellency the German Ambassador to Ireland, Busso von Alvensleben. Both the Ambassadors and the speakers at the round table discussion on “Learning Languages in Times of Economic Crisis,” who included Enterprise Ireland’s Michael Moriarty, spoke about the urgent need for more (and indigenous rather than imported) speakers of German in Ireland in order to stop what is estimated to be an 11% loss in business to Irish firms caused by the language deficit alone.
At the conference, the fourth edition of the Association yearbook, Germanistik in Ireland, co-edited by Rachel MagShamhráin, was launched and a copy presented to Ambassador Loeliger, who had sponsored the volume, dedicated this year to “Intercultural Encounters in the Classroom.” Sponsors of the conference event included the Embassies of Switzerland, Germany and Austria, as well as the Goethe-Institut Dublin and Hayfield Manor.
The conference was organised by Rachel MagShamhráin of UCC’s German Department.
Picture shows L-R: Swiss Ambassador Beat Loeliger, Dr Manfred Schewe, Dr Rachel MagShamhráin, German Ambassador Busso von Alvensleben.
Welcome to the German Department!
Welcome to the Department of German, where we teach and study the cultures and languages of the German-speaking world. We are proud to be part of UCC’s active and diverse research community, with staff members working in a broad range of areas where their research enjoys international recognition. When you come to UCC to study German, you will enjoy the benefits of a small but vibrant department where students can avail of small group teaching, lively class discussions and personal feedback on your studies.
The Department participates in a wide range of degree programmes: BA in Languages and Cultural Studies, BComm International, BCL Law and German, BA in European Studies, BA in Drama & Theatre Studies International, as well as the more traditional BA route, all of which you can also do as a complete beginner in German language. Many of these degrees include the option of studying for a year in a German-speaking country. We offer courses on the language, culture, history, politics, philosophy, film and literature of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. For further details, please see the overview of our current undergraduate courses here.
For students with degrees in other areas and with some previous knowledge of German, we offer the Higher Diploma in Arts (German), which allows you to reach degree standard in a year-long intensive course. We also offer a taught MA in German Studies, and we teach on MA programmes in Film Studies, Applied Linguistics, and Drama and Theatre Studies. (click on MA link above) If you are interested in learning or improving your German outside of a degree programme, we offer evening courses for learners of different levels.
Studying German opens the gateway to the intellectual, economic and cultural riches of Central Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). German is the language of many "international icons" in the areas of, for example, philosophy (Kant, Hegel, Heidegger), economic and political philosophy (Marx), literature (Goethe, Kafka, Grass), music (Mozart, Bach, Beethoven), psychology (Freud, Jung), science (Einstein), religion (Martin Luther) - to name but a few.
Learning a language like German (the most widely-spoken language in the EU) to degree level also opens up career opportunities for Arts students that they might not otherwise have. In the German Department you will learn not only content (for example the history and politics of Germany), but also simultaneously an invaluable skill (language fluency) that equip you, for example, for careers not only in language teaching, but also in, for example, translation (an estimated 70% of all translation work in Europe is from German into English), or in international relations. There are also some surprising career opportunities. Stephen Daldry, the director of the recent film The Reader, learned German in his youth. For further information on the career opportunities arising out of language degrees, click here
Our job, as members of the German Department, is to support you on your journey to acquiring the skills and knowledge that will make you versatile members of an increasingly mobile European labour force in the future. We teach eminently transferable skills that are in increasingly short supply, and we offer an excellent student-staff ratio as well as operating in a very student-friendly fashion to ensure that each student reaches his or her full potential.
Dr. Manfred Schewe (Head of Department)