2019 “Wunderbar Together” German Campus Weeks: Social Change in Germany
Marianne Birthler: “Three decades later: reflections on the Peaceful revolution in the GDR” LCWA World Affairs Colloquium
September 16th: 6pm, Wells Fargo Auditorium (BCTR 115)
German activist and politician Marianne Birthler grew up in former East Germany and was actively involved in the peaceful revolution that led to the opening of the Berlin Wall on November 9 th, 1989. From 2000-2011 she was the Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records, responsible for investigating past crimes of the Stasi, the East German secret police, and in 2018 she co-curated the exhibit “Unbuilding Walls” at the Biennale in Venice. Sponsored by the German Embassy’s “Wunderbar Together” Campus Weeks 2019, the LCWA World Affairs Colloquium, the First Year Experience Program, the Department of German and Russian Studies, the Department of History, the Department of Political Science, the Department of Religious Studies, the International Studies program, and the European Studies Program
“Voll der Osten: Totally East”
September 15th—November 15th: Rotunda, Addlestone Library.
This exhibit, created by Germany’s federal foundation for the reappraisal of the SED-Dictatorship in former East Germany, examines everyday life in the former German Democratic Republic, which began its dissolution with the peaceful revolution and opening of the Berlin Wall thirty years ago this fall.
Sponsored by the German Embassy’s “Wunderbar Together” Campus Weeks 2019 and the Department of German and Russian Studies.
Dr. Joela Jacobs, University of Arizona: “Cooking with Obstacles. Sustainable Education and the German Refugee Community”
October 10th: 5pm, Rita Auditorium
With the influx of over one million refugees into Germany in 2015, many programs for cultural orientation popped up across the country as part of the so-called
Willkommenskultur. In these programs, new arrivals could learn about a variety of aspects of German language and culture, often while developing relationships with locals. Perhaps surprisingly, several initiatives focused on environmental education, offering courses about the recycling system or inviting refugees to garden and cook with locals. The media depictions of these programs show that environmentalism is considered a cultural value in Germany, yet this specific form of cultural environmentalism also betrays an understanding of German identity and belonging that is inaccessible to newcomers. This talk will discuss successes and failures of some of these programs with a particular focus on food sustainability and what they tell us about German culture, environmentalism, and refugee experiences.
Sponsored by the SLI and the Department of German and Russian Studies.
Ulrike von Platen: “Fair Pay Innovation: a Global Initiative”
October 17th: 3:30pm, Wells Fargo Auditorium (BCTR 115)
Henrike von Platen, finance expert, specialist in business information systems and business administration, and president of Business and Professional Women Germany e.V. from 2010-16, founded the Fair Pay Innovation Lab in order to support companies in the practical implementation of sustainable pay strategies. Her goal: pay equity for all – preferably within her lifetime.
Sponsored by the German Embassy’s “Wunderbar Together” Campus Weeks 2019, the International Business Program, the Departmetn of German and Russian Studies, the First Year Experience Program, and the Center for Market Choice and Public Process
Ambassador John Kornblum: “Berlin 1989: What does it mean to us today?”
November 11th, 6pm: location TBA
During his 35 foreign service career, Ambassador Kornblum specialized in European and East-West relations and played a defining role in many of the important events leading up to the end of the Cold War, including Ronald Reagan’s famous 1987 “Tear down this wall” speech at the Brandenburg gate and German reunification. From 1997-2001, he served as the US Ambassador to Germany.
Sponsored by the LCWA World Affairs Colloquium, the German Embassy’s “Wunderbar Together” Campus Weeks, and the Department of German and Russian Studies. Contact Person Morgan Koerner, koernerm@cofc.edu