COVID-19 – We’re temporarily closed to the public

In light of the current situation, our institute is closed to the public effective immediately until further notice. In order to protect the health of our course and exam participants, our employees and patrons, all face-to-face German classes, exams and events at the Goethe-Institut Washington have been suspended. Course and exam participants will be contacted individually with information about alternatives; we remain reachable by email. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns and thank you for your understanding. Please check our website and social media channels for updates.

Online Discussion | Thursday, April 30, 6:30pm

Watch-Klatsch: Babylon Berlin, Season One, Ep. 1-2

Berlin in the Roaring Twenties: It is a metropolis for those with talent and ambition, for those in a hustle. But beneath the glittering surface, the impoverished masses strive for a better life. It is a time of organized crime and political extremism. The old militaristic elites have not yet abdicated, while an even more dreadful monster starts flexing its muscles.

A discussion of Season One, Episodes 1 and 2, will take place via Zoom on Thursday, April 30, at 6:30 pm. Participants are requested to watch the episodes on their own (ideally on Netflix, which owns the USA distribution rights to the series) before the discussion. Please RSVP via Eventbrite in order to receive discussion prompts from moderator Dr. Hester Baer, as well as the Zoom invite link. The discussion will take place in English.

While viewing, registrants are encouraged to make notes of scenes, stills (timestamps welcome), and other notable moments they would like to bring up in conversation. If you have Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, live-tweet your viewing experience under the hashtag #WatchKlatsch!

Goethe Book Club | Tuesday, May 5, 2020, 6:30pm

Goethe Book Club Goes Digital: Saša Stanišić's Before the Feast (2014/2016)

The Goethe Book Club is going digital! Read further to learn how we will be taking May's discussion of Saša Stanišić's Before the Feast / Vor dem Fest online.

In order to participate in the online discussion (carried out over Zoom), registrants must obtain access to the novel Before the Feast / Vor dem Fest on their own. Hard copies of the novel can be ordered through multiple vendors online; the eBook is also available for download to Kindle, iPad, and other digital reading platforms. eBook and audiobook editions of the original German edition can also be found on Goethe's Onleihe, the eLibrary of the Goethe-Institut.

It’s the evening before the feast in the village of Fürstenfelde (population: an odd number). The village is asleep. Except for the ferryman—he’s dead. Someone has opened the doors to the Village Archive, but what drives the sleepless out of their houses is not that which was stolen, but that which has escaped. Old stories, myths, and fairy tales are wandering about the streets with the people. They come together in a novel about a long night, a mosaic of village life, in which the long-established and newcomers, the dead and the living, craftsmen, pensioners, and noble robbers in football jerseys bump into one another. They all want to bring something to a close, on this night before the feast.

Web Dossier

Digital Spotlight - Schwules Museum Berlin and "Queer as German Folk"

In a time where museums worldwide have closed their doors indefinitely, our thoughts in particular lie with the Schwules Museum / Queer Museum in Berlin – who, along with the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung and innumerable dear local partners in the North American Goethe network, helped make our "Queer as German Folk" project a massive success in 2019. Follow the link to keep up with their digital program offerings, and check out our Queer as German Folk collaborative web dossier, featuring articles, testimonials, digitized archival materials, and more!

Blended Learning German Courses April 2020

For those of you looking for the most face-to-face time with other course participants and our instructors, Blended Learning is the option for you. These courses consist of 50% live group sessions, and 50% flexible online learning, closely supported by your instructors. With our virtual classroom platform, the online live sessions are just as interactive as meeting at the institute. The group sessions will take place online until in-person classes may resume safely, after which the classes will be once again held at the Goethe-Institut as usual.

WEBINAR SERIES FOR GERMAN TEACHERS

Throughout the month of April, the Goethe-Institut is offering a series of online information sessions and workshops for teachers of German at all levels. Our webinars offer ideas to make everyday life in an online classroom more engaging - such as ready to use materials, online teacher training, virtual student exchanges and much more!

Distance Learning: One-on-One Consulations with Goethe-Coaches

Do you need assistace with distance learning, whether on interactive instruction, classroom management, digital tools and materials? Support tailored to your specific situation? Our Goethe-coaches are a click away with professional advice. Free of charge. First come, first serve. Sign up: [email protected] or attend our webinar next Tuesday, April 21 (11am EST) to learn more. 

Weekly Virtual STAMMTISCH for German teachers

Would you like to meet fellow German teachers across the US and chat in an informal setting? Join our first virtual Stammtisch this Friday, April 17th at 11:00am EST. Just show up. No RSVP or sign up necessary!

German Series in the USA

“We Are The (Next) Wave”: Netflix series goes from Anti-fascist original to left-wing guerrillas

With their latest German production, the teen drama WE ARE THE WAVE that started airing early in 2020, Netflix is going daringly political.