Testimonials:
What the 2022 participants said about the Notre Dame Berlin Seminar:
“German Literary Institutions: The Berlin Seminar was an academic highlight of a lifetime. After two years of teaching during the pandemic, having very little contact with other German scholars, it was refreshing to finally have the opportunity to spend time and exchange ideas with others involved in German studies. Many of the conversations I had were simply encouraging. Through them I was inspired to continue teaching, reading, researching, writing, asking questions, and exploring new academic terrain. That being said, it was the seminar participants and organizers who helped make the seminar an especially memorable experience for me.
Additionally, the seminar sessions themselves were excellent. They were well planned. They fit together. In many ways, they built on each other. They served as 'Denkanstöße.' I walked away from them with something to think about and to reflect upon. They provided a springboard to conversation. They were informative and inspiring, without being overly academic.
[…]
Many of my friends and members of my family have asked me how the seminar went. What I have said is that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The speakers chosen and the venues selected were of exceptionally high quality. Every activity was well organized. The atmosphere was relaxed and yet still intellectually invigorating. Professionally, as I move forward in my teaching career, I will carry this experience with me, as I seek to motivate and inspire students to want to learn, read, discuss, and think in order to better understand other cultures, ideas, and perspectives..”
-Thomas R. Bell, Visiting Teaching Professor, University of Denver
Additionally, the seminar sessions themselves were excellent. They were well planned. They fit together. In many ways, they built on each other. They served as 'Denkanstöße.' I walked away from them with something to think about and to reflect upon. They provided a springboard to conversation. They were informative and inspiring, without being overly academic.
[…]
Many of my friends and members of my family have asked me how the seminar went. What I have said is that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The speakers chosen and the venues selected were of exceptionally high quality. Every activity was well organized. The atmosphere was relaxed and yet still intellectually invigorating. Professionally, as I move forward in my teaching career, I will carry this experience with me, as I seek to motivate and inspire students to want to learn, read, discuss, and think in order to better understand other cultures, ideas, and perspectives..”
-Thomas R. Bell, Visiting Teaching Professor, University of Denver
“When I applied to the 2022 Berlin Seminar directed by Professors William Donahue and Martin Kagel, I wasn’t sure what to expect, although the thought of engaging with colleagues in a literature-focused environment was attractive to me as I hoped it would present some new areas of inquiry that I might use in my own research. The reality was so much more than I had expected or hoped for. The directors have created an intellectually stimulating program for us in the profession of teaching (German-language) literature to learn about and discuss the current state of literature in the German-speaking world, both as an art form and — perhaps even more important — as a business in a world with a changing sense of what is literary. Introducing the participants to writers, publishers, translators, booksellers, and literary critics working in all kinds of media provided us with a rich assortment of perspectives and created lively opportunities for exchanging questions and ideas. The vibrant dynamic of literature in Germany as compared with the less well-focused scene in the US was evident and underscored for me why we should place the study of the arts in other languages/cultures at (or near) the center of humanistic inquiry at US academic institutions. I can envision incorporating new texts and new ideas that were introduced in the seminar into my teaching in fall. Best of all was the group itself—young, old, in between—forming quickly a small and friendly society of colleagues. I feel fortunate to have been part of this society.”
-Ruth V. Gross, Professor of German, North Carolina State University
-Ruth V. Gross, Professor of German, North Carolina State University
“I was one of the very lucky participants of the 2022 German Literary Institutions Berlin seminar, after two years’ postponement due to the pandemic. I feel extremely thankful to have been a part of it, not only because it was the culmination of two years of build-up, but because it was a truly invaluable experience. The program was painstakingly organized so that participants could get the most benefit from each experience — guest speakers, theater performances, concerts, group meals, and bookstore and campus visits. The group itself was a joy to interact with — the cohort, though composed of academics from 22-74 years old and from varying backgrounds, worked harmoniously with one another and immediately felt like a cohesive group.
Because I’m the only German instructor at my college, this seminar gave me a much-appreciated opportunity to interact, exchange ideas, and feel connected with other academics in my field. The events themselves provided input (specific literary works, general knowledge about literary institutions, etc.) that I plan to integrate into my curricula at the college and make use of in future publishing endeavors. I’ll be presenting a workshop at my college in the fall related to an aspect of the seminar, but I haven’t yet chosen a subject — it’s hard to choose a single topic given just how much we learned in the seminar!
The seminar has made such an impact on me and will continue to positively affect my teaching, my writing, and my future in the academic/literary world. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Bill and Martin for accepting me into the program and allowing me to have such an amazing experience. Additionally, I want to mention my thanks for the funding that covered airfare, which was key in my being able to participate.”
-Christina McDade, Instructor, Diablo Valley Community College
Because I’m the only German instructor at my college, this seminar gave me a much-appreciated opportunity to interact, exchange ideas, and feel connected with other academics in my field. The events themselves provided input (specific literary works, general knowledge about literary institutions, etc.) that I plan to integrate into my curricula at the college and make use of in future publishing endeavors. I’ll be presenting a workshop at my college in the fall related to an aspect of the seminar, but I haven’t yet chosen a subject — it’s hard to choose a single topic given just how much we learned in the seminar!
The seminar has made such an impact on me and will continue to positively affect my teaching, my writing, and my future in the academic/literary world. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Bill and Martin for accepting me into the program and allowing me to have such an amazing experience. Additionally, I want to mention my thanks for the funding that covered airfare, which was key in my being able to participate.”
-Christina McDade, Instructor, Diablo Valley Community College
“Thank you for putting together such an inspiring and masterfully curated program for the 2022 Berlin Seminar. The opportunities the Seminar provided to engage with literary critics, agents, translators, publishers, and producers from radio and television were eye-opening. These discussions, together with our visits to publishing houses, independent bookstores, and contemporary theater productions, afforded such privileged insights and in-depth understanding of these roles and institutions -- as well as the politics and structures underpinning them. I know of no other program that might convey anything comparable in breadth or depth, or might offer a similarly thoughtful and encompassing analysis of the German literary field.
I was most impressed by the many opportunities we had to enter into authentic conversation with preeminent German authors like Fatma Aydemir, Anja Kampmann, or Helga Schubert. Through these conversations we were learning together, in a group and as a group. You, the organizers, always knew how to set the tone to make our guests feel welcome. But you also knew how to stimulate all of us, the participants, to engage in lively and rewarding discussions.
The Berlin Seminar filled a blind-spot I have been sensing as a scholar and a teacher. No particular course of study nor any amount of private research could have filled or eliminated this blind-spot as thoroughly, enjoyably, and rewardingly as did our collective learning journey with the Berlin Seminar.”
-Doris McGonagill, Associate Professor of German, Utah State University
I was most impressed by the many opportunities we had to enter into authentic conversation with preeminent German authors like Fatma Aydemir, Anja Kampmann, or Helga Schubert. Through these conversations we were learning together, in a group and as a group. You, the organizers, always knew how to set the tone to make our guests feel welcome. But you also knew how to stimulate all of us, the participants, to engage in lively and rewarding discussions.
The Berlin Seminar filled a blind-spot I have been sensing as a scholar and a teacher. No particular course of study nor any amount of private research could have filled or eliminated this blind-spot as thoroughly, enjoyably, and rewardingly as did our collective learning journey with the Berlin Seminar.”
-Doris McGonagill, Associate Professor of German, Utah State University
“Within the course of “The Berlin Seminar” it was exciting to visit various culturally relevant institutions related to the German-speaking literary scene as well as encounter various representatives working as, for example, journalists, editors, and literary agents. My future research and teaching will benefit from the discussions with them and the insights I gained, especially with regard to the guests' stances towards the relationship between economy and literature/literary production/market(ing) strategies, the status quo of the German-language literary field, and their positionalities towards change i.e. their ideas about a sustainable, diverse and inclusive future of their specific fields and the literary scene as a whole.
The discussions and introductions also gave a clear picture of the German literary institution landscape, and the concrete relationships between authors, agents, critics, and higher educational institutions. This was very helpful in giving a clear guideline of the different stakes in participating in this industry through the variety of experts that we met. Moreover, the close contact of discussing the literary structure in Germany was enriching and has provided me with a lot more knowledge about the literary industry in Germany than I had before. I know that this knowledge will be useful in my own research and has provided me with a better understanding of how to participate actively in the literary industry and teach about it as well.”
-Esther Kondo Heller, MFA Student, Cornell University
-Franzi Finkenstein, Ph.D. Student, Washington University
The discussions and introductions also gave a clear picture of the German literary institution landscape, and the concrete relationships between authors, agents, critics, and higher educational institutions. This was very helpful in giving a clear guideline of the different stakes in participating in this industry through the variety of experts that we met. Moreover, the close contact of discussing the literary structure in Germany was enriching and has provided me with a lot more knowledge about the literary industry in Germany than I had before. I know that this knowledge will be useful in my own research and has provided me with a better understanding of how to participate actively in the literary industry and teach about it as well.”
-Esther Kondo Heller, MFA Student, Cornell University
-Franzi Finkenstein, Ph.D. Student, Washington University
“The conversation with fellow participants outside of our scheduled visits and discussions was one of the greatest strengths of the program, because it allowed for the collaborative digestion of new information. It was also wonderful to recognize and get to know our colleagues from across the discipline in a different setting other than at a conference. I found the Berlin Seminar to be greatly beneficial, where professionalization experiences and fostering new connections were concerned. It’s nice to have the reminder that we are not as isolated as the profession may lead us to believe sometimes.”
-Cynthia Porter, Ph.D. Student, Vanderbilt University
-Cynthia Porter, Ph.D. Student, Vanderbilt University
“I am still recalling discussions we had during our two weeks together in Berlin, and sifting through the wealth of information we acquired. Despite working with German literature and getting to know many German writers over the years, I lacked a real understanding of the infrastructure that supports and distributes German literature to its public. I had no real understanding of the role literary agents played and what their history has been, and had never really considered the intentionality that has formed a network linking publishers, authors, agents, funders, book sellers, critics, and consumers in an enviably well-developed market of products and of ideas.
[…]
Perhaps the biggest benefit of the seminar for me – besides getting to spend time with an amazing cohort of colleagues – is what I will be able to share with my students. I think I have a much deeper understanding of the contemporary literary scene in Germany, and a better appreciation of the place of literature within German culture more broadly. I hope to be able to share that appreciation with my students in the hope that they can better value the importance of literature in their education.”
-Daniel P. Reynolds, Seth Richards Professor in Modern Languages, Grinnell College
[…]
Perhaps the biggest benefit of the seminar for me – besides getting to spend time with an amazing cohort of colleagues – is what I will be able to share with my students. I think I have a much deeper understanding of the contemporary literary scene in Germany, and a better appreciation of the place of literature within German culture more broadly. I hope to be able to share that appreciation with my students in the hope that they can better value the importance of literature in their education.”
-Daniel P. Reynolds, Seth Richards Professor in Modern Languages, Grinnell College