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DEPARTMENT OF GERMANIC LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES NEWSLETTER SPRING 2017 lsa.umich.edu/german TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from the Chair 3 Faculty Focus 4 - 7 Graduate Student Focus 8 - 9 Undergraduate Student Focus 10 - 11 Dutch Studies 12 Scandinavian Studies 13 In the Classroom 14 - 15 Events 16 - 17 Staying Connected 18 - 19 2 Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures LETTER FROM THE CHAIR Dear friends of the German Department, Just a few weeks ago, the students, meanwhile, have As we head into summer Ingalls Mall outside of the now turned their attention we’re already making plans MLB was still teeming with back full-time to research and for the coming year, and we black-robed, mortarboard- writing on topics ranging from look forward to updating bedecked graduates sporting translation to collecting, from you on our line-up of events, colorful tassels—and now media to museums, from visits, and speakers on those graduates have all “forms of life” to histories the web, Facebook, and left campus and the lighter of waiting, and from black Twitter (@umichGerman). rhythms of spring/summer musicians in Germany to have begun to settle in Jewish life in central Europe. As ever, please stay in touch. (even though the weather Much as we love sharing seems to be lagging). We It’s been quite a year, once what we do, we also enjoy have taken leave of another again: full of exciting classes, immensely when we hear impressive graduating class fascinating lectures, visits, from you, find out where your of majors and minors, who and events—many of which “Abenteuer mit Deutsch”, are off to great things in you can read about in the your explorations of Dutch the world beyond Michigan; pages that follow: workshops language and culture, or your perhaps some of you will on Neue Sachlichkeit and Scandinavian studies have discover yourselves in transnational German taken you. And most of all, the graduation photos we Studies, classes on a we enjoy the opportunity include in this issue. And plethora of eye- (and ear-) to reconnect and say hi continuing students have opening subjects; two when you pass through left, or are about to embark, colleagues even brightened Ann Arbor: come visit! for language study and the cinderblock hallways of internships abroad, which the MLB by curating a display Mit herzlichen Grüßen, we are once again able to that showcased intricate support financially from our glass models of marine endowments thanks to the invertebrates, manufactured continued generosity of our by a father and son in donors. Faculty and graduate Dresden in the 19th century! Johannes von Moltke [email protected] lsa.umich.edu/german 3 FACULTY FOCUS The Museum of Vitreous Ecology by Kerstin Barndt and Alice Goff The histories of art, nature Together with his son Rudolf One of the first museum Alice Goff and Kerstin Barndt in front and science meet in the Blaschka (1857–1939), directors to discover the of The Museum of Vitreous Ecology. glass models of Rudolf Leopold brought a century- Blaschkas’ art of glass Between 1862 and 1890, and Leopold Blaschka long Bohemian family modeling for biological the father and son team (1822–1895). The intricate tradition in the artistry exhibitions was Ludwig designed 800 different creatures that first came to of glasswork to Dresden. Reichenbach, director marine invertebrate models. the University of Michigan Leopold and Rudolf studied of Dresden’s courtly After 1890, the Blaschkas 125 years ago have moved natural history through natural history collections concentrated solely on a freely between these realms. descriptions, illustrations and and botanical garden. commission of an extensive They inspired students in live specimens. With their Reichenbach exhibited array of glass plants, known the nineteenth century glass models, Rudolf and Blaschka sea anemones in as the “glass flowers,” for to further their studies in Leopold Blaschka captured dry aquaria that mimicked the Botanical Museum at biology and struck a chord the transparency, colors and the original marine habitat. Harvard University. The with visitors to the University details of ocean animal life From Dresden, the glass collection at the University of Michigan’s Museum forms, such as jellyfish, sea models began their path of Michigan encompasses of Natural History. In the anemones, sea slugs or sea to global fame. Museums approximately 78 marine late twentieth century new cucumbers. Emphasizing and universities in Europe, invertebrate models, many technologies of visualization the symmetry and intricacy Canada, the USA and of which have only survived and learning displaced most of organic forms the Australia ordered the fragile in fragments. The first group of the glass miniatures and naturalism of the Blaschka specimens from Leopold arrived in Ann Arbor in the they went into storage. This models also mirrored and Rudolf Blaschka who late nineteenth century exhibit of The Museum of contemporary conventions created each one individually to support the “scientific Vitreous Ecology brings of art and beauty. in their glasswork studio. apparatus” and teaching of them back into public view. 4 Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures Good-bye, Alice biology. In 1928, a second fragmented state, these by Andreas Gailus set of glass specimens was objects no longer capture brought to campus for the the physiological complexity inaugural exhibition in the of marine invertebrates Has it already been presented talks at the new University Museums toward which the Blaschkas’ two years? Alice Goff, GSA, Bowdoin College, building. All specimens seem exhaustively strove. Instead, Assistant Professor in the University of Chicago to have been bestowed to the transformed into witnesses History and GLL and and at the conference on University as gifts from Louis of the history of science and Postdoctoral Fellow at "Vagaries of Objectivity," Agassiz’s Blaschka collection collecting at the University the Michigan Society organized by two of our at the Harvard Museum of Michigan and beyond, of Fellows, will leave us graduate students. And of Comparative Zoology. these fragments open up this summer to accept the best she kept for new elusive worlds. Enter a position as Assistant the end. Together with To this day, some of these The Museum of Vitreous Professor of History Associate Professor Blaschka marine invertebrate Ecology: an aquarium of the at the University of Kerstin Barndt, Alice models remain on display novel life forms that emerge Chicago. Alice has been curated the spectacular to support the story of from the fragile enterprise extremely active since exhibition on the glass evolution as told in the of biological representation her arrival in Ann Arbor, models of Rudolf and Museum of Natural History and the inevitable decay of bringing her expertise Leopold Blaschka in the Ruthven Museums old technologies of research. on memory culture and featured on these pages, Building. Not marked as The Museum of Vitreous politics to bear on many where glasswork artistry historical artifacts, they Ecology opened on March projects inside and met with contemporary blend in with plastic models 24, 2017, and remained outside the department. nineteenth-century natural that have followed the on display through May 15, Besides teaching a history to represent, in Blaschkas’ lead in illustrating 2017, in the hallway outside highly innovative class delicate and extraordinary systematic biology. the Department of Germanic on "Looting" and co- detail, rare forms of Languages and Literatures. organizing a Teach-in on marine life. Thank you, The Museum of Vitreous "What is Fascism and Alice, we will miss you! Ecology exhibits all remaining how does it work," Alice glass models not on permanent display. In their Collegiate Professorship for Helmut Puff by Johannes von Moltke We were thrilled to receive distinctive recognition that traditionally bear the name news this Spring from the a named Professorship of former University faculty College that Helmut Puff, carries. Professor Puff members who have made jointly appointed in the is recognized for his substantial scholarly and Departments of German and outstanding scholarship, other contributions while at History, has been awarded his teaching at both the the University of Michigan. a Collegiate Professorship. undergraduate and graduate We look forward to welcoming This is one of the highest levels, and for his significant back Helmut Puff this Fall honors the College has leadership in the unit, the as the Elizabeth Eisenstein available for active faculty College, and the University. Collegiate Professor of members who deserve the Collegiate Professorships German and History! lsa.umich.edu/german 5 FACULTY FOCUS (CONT.) Toward a Critical Appreciation of Waiting by Helmut Puff Waiting is a universal Put differently, however, This is why the question experience. We hope for waithood amounts to whether there is a history of better weather. We are idling a temporally bounded waiting must be answered in at the departure gate. We are condition in which time the affirmative. The history anxious to receive a medical becomes actual, if not acute. I seek to uncover in this Warten auf die BOB Bahn an diagnosis. We prepare for the Removed from their regular research intersects with the der Donnersbergbruecke bei untergehender Sonne im spaeten birth of a child. Waiting, in activities, those who wait history of measuring time November (Waiting for the BOB Train other words, is an everyday often anticipate what will, as well as building spaces. at the Donnersbergbruecke [Munich] occurrence, though how may, or must come. In this After all, separate rooms while the sun set in late November). and what we wait for varies. sense, waiting is anything often harbor those who Photo by Stephan Gelbmann, Nov 29, 2009. Courtesy Still, we barely reflect on but wasted time. Waiting wait. Waiting, as I argue, is of Bahnbilder.de. what this state entails. It is orients us toward the full of possibilities.