Department of Germanic Studies

Another year and then some has passed, fall is turning to winter, and we are looking back on a year full of passages. Since our last news from Germanic Studies, quite a lot has transpired. You will find out all about it in these pages, but I can tell you now that we’ve waved good bye and wished smooth paths to three old friends, Bill Rasch, Marc Weiner, and Troy Byler (read on!) and we’ve welcomed three new ones, Teresa Kovacs, Günther Jikeli, and Irit Dekel,, whom we are excited to introduce you to in these pages. As for the rest of us, faculty and students are busy and active, pursuing interests and challenges, and watching life’s carrousel turn. We hope you enjoy catching up, learning about the many facets of Germanic Studies, and wondering as I do what an Egyptian Walking Onion is.

We’ve added a new section to the usual notes from here and there: Recent Publications. We sent out an invitation to the department in general to tell us about recent books and articles, and were pleased to hear not just from faculty members but also from emeriti and current grad students. It’s a nice beginning to a section we hope you will look forward to in future newsletters.

If you are among this year’s newsletter contributors, thank you for writing. If you have not sent in an item, please consider doing so next year. You don’t have to wait until asked (but rest assured, I will ask!) Let me encourage you to write whenever you have something to share. See my contact information below. You can also check in with us any time via the Department of Germanic Studies website ( germanic.indiana.edu ) and on the Facebook pages of IU Bloomington Germanic Studies and German House Indiana University. There’s always something going on.

As for me, I can tell you that I’m still teaching “German for Musicians”, as a happy adjunct with one foot in Germanic Studies and one in the Jacobs School of Music, and all the time wondering where the time goes. Finally, I would like to add a personal word of thanks to Bill, Marc, and Troy for many years of example setting, idea sharing, and mountains of positive influence. And remember, gentlemen, that just because you’re leaving the building, this does not mean you’re off the hook for newsletter contributions! See you next year.

For everyone else, please have a happy New Year, do good work, and let us hear from you!
Mit herzlichen Grüßen,

Julie Lawson
M.A., ’68, Ph.D., ’80
juklawso@indiana.edu
juliakarin.j8@gmail.com