Starting 29 June 2020

Summer Blended Learning Courses

No plans for the summer? Why not learn German? Our Blended Learning courses consist of 50% live group sessions, and 50% flexible online learning, closely supported by your instructors. Enter promo-code June2020 at checkout and save 20% on all Blended Learning courses beginning in June (case-sensitive; code valid thru 06/30/2020; offers may not be combined).

Starting 2 July 2020

Summer Online German Courses

With the Goethe-Institut’s online group courses, you are able to learn German from the comfort of your home (office!) with lessons customized to your schedule. You will not be learning alone, but in a small group of between five and 13 participants. Our courses will help you to improve your German language skills through various exercises presented within authentic, everyday situations using up-to-date online instructional technology, with live sessions approximately every two weeks.

June BKD Newsletter for German Teachers

Our June newsletter for German teachers is out! Stay up-to-date with the latest news about educational programs and professional development opportunities for you and your students. Do you not receive the US-wide newsletter yet and are interested in subscribing? Email [email protected] and let our colleagues know that you'd like to receive them in the future! 

10 COMPLETE SESSIONS FOR BEGINNER STUDENTS

Designed for 10- 14 year old students, this programs can be implemented as an introductory program to German or as an after-school program. The aim is to instill enthusiasm for foreign language learning through cultural topics and to sensitize students to intercultural questions on the way. The complete materials for ten theme-based sessions can be downloaded for free on our website. 
 

June-Häppchen

Our June-Häppchen are here: Dive into breezy summer activities and explore identity, diversity and equality during Pride Month. U-Häppchen cover contemporary topics in the German speaking world combined with authentic, student-oriented tasks. Bite-size, one page interactive PDFs for immediate download and use in your classroom. Published every month for German beginner students in Middle/High Schools (level A1-A1). 

Custom Culture: Tips from our Program Curators

Have you ever wondered what Germany’s cultural scene has to offer? Some of the Goethe-Institut’s program coordinators in North America offer their insight into ongoing discourses and reveal hidden gems in this blog.

Festival | Saturday, June 27 - Sunday, June 28

SoundScene2020 - Unseen

The partnership between DC Listening Lounge and the Goethe-Institut Washington DC for SoundScene is a longstanding tradition and we are very happy to announce that this year’s festival is going to be completely digital.

One of the featured audio artists will be Zorka Wollny. Born in Poland and residing and working in Berlin, Germany, Wollny creates site-specific works which respond to their architectural surroundings. She collaborates—in a director-like mode—with musicians, actors, dancers and members of the local communities she works in.

In her talk “Let’s Make Noise Sisters!” On Sunday, June 28 at 10:30am, Wollny will share work samples in audio and video about her approach to composition converts/manifestations in public places.

Watch-Klatsch | Thursday, July 2, 6:30pm EST

Watch-Klatsch: Babylon Berlin, Season Two, Ep. 7-8 - Final Session!

Join us for one more installment of our Watch-Klatsch: Babylon Berlin discussion series before we wrap up our sessions for the summer! Our conversations on Season Two, led by Dr. Hester Baer, Associate Professor of Germanic Studies and Film Studies at University of Maryland, will conclude on July 2 for Season Two, Ep. 7-8.  No worries if you've missed any sessions, as our discussions are all recorded and available for viewing on our YouTube channel!

Film | Available beginning Friday, June 26, 9:00am EST

USA Virtual Theatrical Premiere - The Audition (Das Vorspiel) (2019), dir. Ina Weisse

Anna Bronsky is a violin teacher at a music-focused high school. Despite the opposition of all other teachers, Anna drives through the admission of a student, Alexander, in whom she detects a remarkable  talent. Committed, she prepares him for the intermediate exam and neglects her family – her son Jonas, whom she brings into competition with her new student, and her husband Philippe. Her colleague Christian, with whom she has an affair, persuades her to join a quintet. When she fails during their joint concert, the pressure mounts and she focuses all her attention on her student Alexander. Come the day of the exam, events take a tragic turn.

Purchasing a ticket to this virtual cinema USA premiere supports local cinemas and festivals like AFI Silver, Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market, Middleburg Film Festival, and more.

Radio Program | Tuesday, June 30, 4:00pm EST

Inside Out LGBT Radio: SAY THEIR NAMES - Black, Queer, Trans, and Pride

From 4:00pm to 6:00pm on June 30, the Goethe-Institut Washington will present a program titled “Transatlantic Trailblazers: Black American Thinkers and Artists in 20th Century Germany.” This will be part of WPFW 89.3 FM's second annual all-day Pride Month programming event. This year's theme is “SAY THEIR NAMES - Black, Queer, Trans, and Pride” – a full day of programming dedicated to examining the intersections of Black and LGBTQ+ identities. 
 
With a selection of two special episodes from our US-German listening series THE BIG POND, mixed with brand new content, we’ll explore the experiences of two queer Black Americans in Berlin at two very different times in German history. First, we’ll go back to Berlin in the 1910s-1920s, where writer and philosopher Alain LeRoy Locke immersed himself in the unique scene of early-20th-century Berlin during his formative years. Next, we’ll jump to the 1980s, where writer, scholar, and activist Audre Lorde galvanized an entire generation of Afro-German women to assert their identities through art in a mostly-white society.

Oh, and what do Donna Summer and Chaka Khan have in common, and what does it have to do with Germany? Tune in to find out! We’ll be spinning a mixture of their best songs throughout our programming block.

Goethe Book Club | Tuesday, July 7, 2020, 6:30pm

Goethe Book Club Goes Digital: Sasha Marianna Salzmann's Beside Myself (2017/2020)

Beside Myself is the disturbing and exhilarating story of a family across four generations. At its heart is one woman’s search for her twin brother. When Anton goes missing and the only clue is a postcard sent from Istanbul, Alissa leaves her life in Berlin to find him. Without her twin, the sharer of her memories and the mirror of her own self, Ali is lost.

In a city steeped in political and social changes, where you can buy gender-changing drugs on the street, Ali’s search—for her missing brother, for her identity—will take her on a journey for connection and belonging.

Beside Myself is a brilliant literary debut about belonging, about family and love, and about the enigmatic nature of identity.