The BIG PONDER Podcast

Episode 2: The Garden

Jakob Lewis and his wife Catherine transformed their front yard in Nashville into a garden. From conception to harvest, Jakob meditates on the lessons he learned about imagination, play, and grief, all the while drawing on the wisdom of Goethe.

Counter Memories

Counter Memories: Veka Duncan & Elianna Kan | Mexico City

In the next episode of our Counter Memories series, art historian Veka Duncan discusses the Tlatelolco district in Mexico City with translator and author Elianna Kan. After a severe earthquake in 1985, residents of Tlatelolco erected a sundial on the rubble of the former Nuevo Leon building to commemorate the victims. The history of Mexico City, and especially of Tlatelolco, resembles a palimpsest: historical events have left their traces, and in turn have been covered over by other events, but none are ever completely obliterated. Taking Tlatelolco and its complex layered history as its point of departure, the conversation between Duncan and Kan revolves around collective memory, the appropriation of public space, and public remembrance beyond state intervention.

Virtual Sound Installation

The Roedelius Cells

The Roedelius Cells is a multi-channel audio installation created by Grammy-nominated US composer/sound artist Tim Story, constructed from thousands of short extracts culled from a decade of informal piano recordings made with friend and colleague Hans-Joachim Roedelius.

To make The Roedelius Cells accessible during the pandemic, you can experience the installation online in form of a virtual audiovisual environment, created by Matthew D. Gantt. As you explore the virtual space, your position in relation to each circle will determine how you hear the work.

This collaboration of Gantt and Story emphasizes the challenging of ideas of authorship, appropriation and composition, and blurs distinctions between composer and listener, slyly subverting assumptions.

Starting 19 January 2021

German Courses Winter 2021

For those of you looking for the most face-to-face time with other course participants and our instructors, Virtual Blended Learning is the best option for you: 50% live group sessions, 50% flexible online learning, closely supported by your instructors. With our virtual classroom platform, the online live sessions are just as interactive as meeting in person at the institute. Virtual Blended Learning courses are available as 5-week intensive courses and 10-week standard courses.

German Examinations

Certificate Exams Winter 2021

Register now for one of our internationally-recognized Goethe-Institut certificate exams in Winter 2021. Tests at various levels are offered monthly throughout the winter. We strongly encourage only those participants who require certification for essential work/study/travel to register for an exam in order to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Visual Storytelling Workshops with renowned artist Beldan Sezen

Workshops are free-of-charge and meet on Zoom for 90 minutes. High school students draw by themselves and discuss their drawings with peers from all over the US, as well as receive feedback from the artist. A cool opportunity to learn how to tell stories visually and practice some German on the side. Min. A1 German skills required; meta language English. Space limited to 10 students per workshop.
 

Study Bridge: Virtual OPEN HOUSE on January 27, 2021 at 2pm EST

Join us on January 27, 2021 at 2pm EST for an information session with a Study Bridge alumna about her college experience in Germany.
Please also keep in mind the following application deadlines for 2021:
Beginner (A1 or A2 level of German): February 28th, 2021
Advanced (B2 level of German): January 31st, 2021

SPARK FOR GERMAN

SPARK is proud to have implemented over 40 SPARK-Labs throughout the United States at universities, high schools, and middle schools. As a joint project of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) and the Goethe-Institut, SPARK provides professional development for future German instructors and enables students across the United States to start learning German at an early age. SPARK is wrapping up its first year and you can already apply to become a SPARK-Lab for next year until January 15, 2020.