Stammtisch is a weekly conversation group held every Friday from approximately 5:30 until 7:00 pm at the Cosmopolitan Hotel on the Square (70 N. East St.). Because we believe it is very important for our students to have the opportunity to practice their language skills in an everyday, conversational setting, the faculty and staff commit to attending Stammtisch every week. From native speakers to those who are learning German and just want to listen to some conversation, everyone is welcome. This is a low-key environment—we’re just chatting, so there’s no stress involved. Come and give it a try! Questions? Contact Dr. Kathleen Condray at 575-5938 or condray@uark.edu

The German Cooking Club meets shortly before the exam period in the fall semester at Dr. Condray’s home to bake traditional Christmas sweets from German-speaking countries. All are welcome, but when there are a large number desiring to attend, first priority is given to students who are currently enrolled in German classes. Please join the group on Facebook to receive information about the event.

Consider joining the University of Arkansas German Program, German Cooking Club, and University of Arkansas German Program Alums pages on Facebook for updates on extracurricular events.

Each year, the German Section regularly sponsors a number of lectures and events that are free and open to the public. Recent events have included:

A presentation of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 film Nosferatu. The German section invited Professor Katrin Schroeter of the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque to introduce and discuss the film. The event was organized by Dr. Hoyer.

A presentation of Ingmar Bergman’s filming of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, co-sponsored by the German section and the music department, which was organized by Dr. Hoyer and Dr. Martin Nedbal. Dr. Nedbal introduced the film prior to the screening, discussing how Bergman attempted to show the universal appeal of Mozart’s story by casting audience members from every region of the world.

The German section (Hoyer) and the History department (Dr. Richard Sonn) co-organized a guest lecture by Dr. Diane Afoumado of the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

In commemoration of the monumental historical event of the Twentieth Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the German section conducted two full weeks of events with colleagues from around the campus:

The work of Prof. Bryan Gott’s graphic design students commemorating the event (Art) were on display along with artifacts from the former East Germany. Prof. Shannon Mitchell’s interns designed the displays (Art).

Dr. Evan Bukey (History) and Dr. Thomas Grischany (History) discussed their experiences living in the German Democratic Republic and the Soviet Union / Bulgaria, respectively, and shared photos with the audience in the talk: “Inside Communism: Personal Recollections of Everyday Life behind the Iron Curtain.”

Dr. Kathleen Condray (German) introduced and conducted a showing of the East German Western Apachen (Apaches) in which the heroes are the Indians and the villains are the ruthless American capitalists.

Dr. Lisa Corrigan (Communication) lectured about the rhetorical context surrounding the fall of the Berlin wall by looking at the public discourse of Ronald Reagan and concluded her talk with a question and answer session with the audience.

Dr. Jennifer Hoyer (German) discussed how the only four West German pop songs to make it onto the American charts were all about the conflict between the East and West in the Cold War in her paper: “99 Red Balloons and the Youth of America.”

The History department organized the symposium “The West’s Political Reaction to the Fall of the Wall” in which the following panelists participated representing individual countries: Alessandro Brogi (United States), Benjamin Grob-Fitzgibbon (Great Britain), and Thomas Grischany (History).

The Right Honorable Henry McLeish, former First Minister of Scotland, also took part in the panel discussion from his perspective of someone serving in the British parliament at the time of the historic events.

The Arkansas Iota Xi chapter of the National German Honors Society, Delta Phi Alpha (http://www.deltaphialpha.org/) was established in 1983. We have held an annual banquet and initiation every year since, and our membership now approaches 350 members, making us one of the most active chapters in the country. Students must have an overall B- average, a B+ average in German, be of sophomore standing or above, and have taken at least one junior level class. The German section purchases honors cords for each initiate to wear with their robes at commencement.