This weekend, five faculty members from the Department of German and Russian Studies at the College of Charleston will present at the annual Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference, held this year at the Marriott on Lockwood in Charleston! Here are there times, locations, and titles:

This weekend, two CofC German professors presented on the research at the Annual German Studies Association Conference in Arlington, VA.

Dr. Nancy Nenno presented on her work at the GSA Seminar “Political Activism in the Black European Diaspora: From Theory to Praxis.” Her paper explores the role that public memorials play in the political activism of Black Germans and Austrians by juxtaposing the establishment and role in public discourse of memorials to Black individuals.

Dr. Morgan Koerner gave a presentation on the prolific German theater author and director René Pollesch and his theater’s complicated relationship to digital culture, in a paper entitled “‘Macht es für euch selbst!’ Participatory Culture and Performative Process in René Pollesch’s Theater.”

It was a busy weekend for the German and Russian Studies Program at CofC!

On Friday night at 6pm, Afro-German filmmaker Mo Asumang visited campus for a screening of her film Die Arier (The Aryans) at the Wilcox Auditorium of the Charleston Museum. A large audience came and the film and post-film discussion with the director were  inspiring. Special thanks to Dr. Nancy Nenno, who invited Ms. Asumang and organized the event!

Then, on Saturday morning at 10am, 30 high school students of German from four local high schools descended on campus for the first annual “Lowcountry German Day,” hosted by Dr. Morgan Koerner. Students from Wando, West Ashley, Summerville, and Ashley Ridge High Schools received a German lesson on Berlin and Bamberg, witnessed a panel discussion on study abroad by three German majors, and took a tour of the campus. Special thanks to local High School teachers Kelli Akers (West Ashley), Ramona Montjoy (Ashley Ridge), Kelsey Cater (Summerville), and Stephanie Mignone (Wando), as well as German Majors Matthew Orvin, Therese Spaseff, and Kevin Tully!

Local High School Students on campus for Lowcountry German Day!

Dr. Nenno introduces Mo Asumang before the screening of “The Aryans”

This semester we’re continuing a series of informal talks with faculty discussing their current research. All talks will take place in the African American Studies conference room, located in Education Center Suite 207, room D.

March 11 —Mari Crabtree, African American Studies
My Soul is a Witness: Theorizing Racial Violence with the Blues

Krystyna Rastorguieva, student of the Russian Program, was granted a Bronze Medal in Category C, Level 4 of the Fifteenth Annual ACTR National Post-Secondary Russian Essay Contest. This year’s program enjoyed the submission of 1004 essays from 58 different universities, colleges and institutions across the U.S.

Professor Oksana Ingle’s article “Finnish Problematic in the Works of William A. Wilson” has been published in the March 2014 issue of Language Palette.

The African American Studies Program at the College of Charleston is soliciting applications for a Visiting Assistant Professor position for the 2013-2014 academic year.  Area of specialization is open. The candidate must demonstrate the ability to teach Introduction to African American Studies, which is required of all minors and is a general education option at the College.  The teaching load is 3/3; demonstrated teaching ability and an active research agenda is required. A Ph.D. is required by August 15, 2013.

As a primary objective of the institution’s new strategic plan, the College of Charleston is building an African American Studies program as befits its unique location and the history of the Carolina Lowcountry.  Working with key institutional partners, including the Avery Research Center and the Carolina Lowcountry and Atlantic World Program as well as the 20 affiliated faculty, and pending final approval, the program expects to launch a new major in African American Studies in Fall 2014 to accompany an existing and successful minor.

Candidates should submit a cover letter, CV, graduate transcripts, letters from three academic referees, and a short writing sample (no more than 20 pages) by April 15, 2013 to: Lauren Saulino, African American Studies, College of Charleston, 66 George Street, Charleston, SC 29424.