Author Archives: Department of German

Becoming Black: Film Screening and Discussion with Filmmaker in Attendance, Thurs., Nov. 24, 5 pm

Film Screening and Discussion with Filmmaker in AttendanceBecoming Black, 90 min.Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Avenue, University of Toronto5:00 p.m. Thursday, November 24, 2022 Please join us for a public film screening of the thought-provoking German autobiographical documentary, Becoming Black with the Berlin-based director Ines Johnson-Spain in attendance. The film has travelled globally and found resonance across peoples and cultures. The screening will be followed by a Q & A with the filmmaker moderated by University of Toronto Professors Angelica Fenner and Azadeh Sharifi. This event is co-sponsored by the Department of Germanic Languages & Literatures, the Cinema Studies Institute, and the DAAD. Read More »

Kaffeestunde: Thursday, February 2 at 2 pm

Dear undergraduate and graduate students, staff, and faculty of the German Department: We’d like to invite all of you to our Kaffeestunde (coffee hour), the German Department’s social gathering of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students. Let’s meet and mingle over coffee, tea and Keksen for an informal chat in German. The Kaffeestunde will take place every first Thursday and third Friday of the month from 2-3 p.m. in the Lounge of the German Department, Odette Hall 301. Please join us for our next Kaffeestunde on Thursday, February 2 at 2 pm. *Help us protect the environment and bring your own reusable cup* Angelica Fenner Acting Chair Read More »

Kaffeestunde: Friday, February 17 at 2 pm

Dear undergraduate and graduate students, staff, and faculty of the German Department: We’d like to invite all of you to our Kaffeestunde (coffee hour), the German Department’s social gathering of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students. Let’s meet and mingle over coffee, tea and Keksen for an informal chat in German. The Kaffeestunde will take place every first Thursday and third Friday of the month from 2-3 p.m. in the Lounge of the German Department, Odette Hall 301. Please join us for our next Kaffeestunde on Friday, February 17 at 2 pm. *Help us protect the environment and bring your own reusable cup* Angelica Fenner Acting Chair Read More »

Kaffeestunde: Friday, January 20 at 2 pm

Dear undergraduate and graduate students, staff, and faculty of the German Department: We’d like to invite all of you to our Kaffeestunde (coffee hour), the German Department’s social gathering of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students. Let’s meet and mingle over coffee, tea and Keksen for an informal chat in German. The Kaffeestunde will take place every first Thursday and third Friday of the month from 2-3 p.m. in the Lounge of the German Department, Odette Hall 301. Please join us for our next Kaffeestunde on Friday, Janury 20 at 2 pm. *Help us protect the environment and bring your own reusable cup* Angelica Fenner Acting Chair Read More »

Kaffeestunde: Thursday, December 1 at 2 pm

Dear undergraduate and graduate students, staff, and faculty of the German Department: We’d like to invite all of you to our Kaffeestunde (coffee hour), the German Department’s social gathering of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students. Let’s meet and mingle over coffee, tea and Keksen for an informal chat in German. The Kaffeestunde will take place every first Thursday and third Friday of the month from 2-3 p.m. in the Lounge of the German Department, Odette Hall 301. Please join us for our next Kaffeestunde on Thursday, December 1 at 2 pm. *Help us protect the environment and bring your own reusable cup* Angelica Fenner Acting Chair Read More »

Yiddish in the City Internships: Ontario Jewish Archives

Dear Yiddish Students, The iPRAKTIKUM team is pleased to announce yet another great opportunity with “Yiddish in the City”, this time with the Ontario Jewish Archives. The program identifies needs in the broader Toronto community which can be fulfilled by a University of Toronto Yiddish student. This will be an opportunity to gain professional credentials as well as connect to the local Jewish community. Your internship experience can be accredited in the form of a Co-Curricular Record (CCR) that will appear on your U of T transcript. The Ontario Jewish Archives – OJA – is the largest repository of Jewish life in Canada. Founded in 1973, the OJA acquires, preserves and makes accessible the records that chronicle Ontario’s Jewish history. A significant portion of the OJA’s collection is in Yiddish, the language of the majority of Jewish immigrants who settled in Ontario in the early to mid-twentieth century. Students will gain valuable field experience with hands-on archival work, including describing, and translating records, and producing digital content (such as blog and social media posts) highlighting Yiddish records in the collection. Priority will be given to those students who are adept at working with handwritten texts. Read More »

Yiddish in the City Internships: Bialik Hebrew Day School

Dear Yiddish Students, The iPRAKTIKUM team is pleased to announce yet another great opportunity with “Yiddish in the City”, this time with the Bialik Hebrew Day School. The program identifies needs in the broader Toronto community which can be fulfilled by a University of Toronto Yiddish student. This will be an opportunity to gain professional credentials as well as connect to the local Jewish community. Your internship experience can be accredited in the form of a Co-Curricular Record (CCR) that will appear on your U of T transcript. This is a paid opportunity that will take place in person. Bialik Hebrew Day School Bialik is the only school in Toronto which provides secular Yiddish instruction. As an intern, you will be observing and assisting the Yiddish teacher. Tasks can include: co-teaching, tutoring, mentoring, developing learning materials. The Bialik Yiddish curriculum is currently in its forth year of redevelopment, along the strands of culture, history, music and literature, with an emphasis on local community history. Read More »

Bored to Death. Dreams of Adventure Before and After the First World War

Oliver Grill (Munich) October 13, 4-6pm Odette Hall Library (OH323) The “man of 1914 was literally bored to death! That is why the war came upon him with the intoxication of adventure, with the glory of distant undiscovered shores.” Robert Musil made this observation when the end of the First World War was already in sight. Trench warfare had taught Musil and his contemporaries the painful lesson that the dreams of adventure that had accompanied the outbreak of war had been deceptive. However, their intensity could not be easily forgotten. Read More »