At the same time, each of the successive generations of scholars have been instrumental in defining the contours of the field of German Studies in the United States and beyond. These German professors, some of them German-Jewish immigrants from Nazi-Germany, were also central to the foundation of one of the first Departments of Comparative Literature in the world at IU, branching out from the isolation of one language and literature. And when the Institute of German Studies was founded in 1969, its mission was to foster research into German culture, spearheading cultural studies approaches incompatible with philological approaches literature. A later generation brough new theoretical approaches to the United States, discovered new angles to Wagner’s music and co-edited the largest collection of Old Norse poetry. Our current faculty continue this tradition with the exploration of overarching questions such as the role of criticism, with new approaches to phonology and philology, as well as through interdisciplinary work at the threshold of cognitive science, performance studies, knowledge history, and sociology.

While we continue this voyage, it is hard to deny that clouds are casting their shadow. Cuts to overseas programs such as our year abroad program for graduate students in Berlin have been made without faculty consultation, resources are moved towards the medical sciences and investments in AI, the College is under financial pressure. At the same time, a national debate questions graduate study as such and the value of the humanities more broadly. Although it is possible to make our case – German majors for example figure high on the list of average salaries from fields in the College – it seems important to me not only to argue but to also work creatively against the inherent delegitimization of our fields and the experience they stand for through our example and through the creation of communities in which the life of the mind can flourish. Where films, books, and ideas appear as objects conducive to a more fulfilled and better life in changing times. In light of these developments, I look forward to building the community of our students, bringing matters of concern – lectures, workshops, theater, and art – to our department and to our campus and to turning the excitement inherent in the choice of art, literature, and thought into a manifest experience. This implies involving undergraduate students in our events, building ties, and taking the graduate experience seriously.

This semester, Teresa Kovacs hosted Jürgen Kuttner, theater director and radio moderator from Berlin, whose work focusses on Bertolt Brecht and Heiner Müller. Together with undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty, Kuttner staged Brecht’s adaptation of Lenz’s play Der Hofmeister at the Studio Theater in the Lee Norvelle Theater and Drama Center. While the actors read and acted their parts, a performance directed by Brecht in 1953 (often considered one of Brecht’s finest achievements as director) was screened in the background – an exciting experimental setting. It was wonderful to see students engage, discover new talents, and overcome their reluctance in relation to the comic play over the course of the week in which the rehearsals took place. The overcrowded space of the studio theater is a testament to the curiosity that can be kindled through a spectacular performance.

In October, we hosted seven graduate students with Burkhardt Wolf and one of his assistants from the University of Vienna for the inaugural workshop of a graduate exchange. A total of 14 presentations on topics ranging on authors from Friederike Mayröcker through Kleist to Kafka, Musil and Günther Anders – seven from students from Vienna, seven by our own students – made for the program of a truly exciting conference, two days of discussion that continued into long evenings and nights. Arne Hoecker from the University of Colorado Boulder was our generous keynote speaker, introducing us to his current work on Paranoia and Modernity.

Our faculty have continued the success of the department through prominent publications over the last years: Chris Sapp has suggested a new multi-factorial way to date the Edda, Tracy Allen Hall has published what will become standard reference, a 900-page exploration of velar fronting in German dialects, Fritz Breithaupt has received the prize for the Science Book of the Year in Austria in 2023 for his book Das narrative Gehirn. In addition, several members of the department have won grants, among them Chris Sapp, who with colleagues has been a awarded a prestigious grant from the National Science Foundation and Irit Dekel, whose collaboration with Esra Ozyurek and others on antisemitism has been funded by the DAAD. Sara Goodwin, as student services coordinator and with Jill Giffin the face of our department, also published a book this year, Evergreen: A Dryad’s Tale and Other Short Stories. We look forward to several book publications next year.

Let me finally thank Julia Lawson for her years of service to our department. She has edited this newsletter until last year and for many years served as lecturer in the department of Germanic Studies as well as language coach for many operatic productions at the Jacobs School of Music. She is one of the closest friends of the department and we hope she will continue to join us in coming years.

With this, all that remains is to wish you a good continuation of the year and to express the hope that you will join us during the coming years in person.

Johannes Türk