Join the German Club in welcoming guest speaker Professor Thomas Werner to share his experiences growing up in East Germany before the fall of the Iron Curtain. The talk will take place on Thursday, April 3 at 6pm in Fisher 130. All are welcome!
Dr. Werner is Professor of Genetics and Developmental Biology in Biological Sciences. His curiosity for living creatures began in his parents’ garden in East Germany, and developed into a lifelong passion for the natural world.
On Friday, April 4th at noon visiting Speaker Daniel Noemi Voionmaa will be giving a public talk titled “In Praise of Football: Poetics, Aesthetics, Politics, and Identities of the Ball” in EERC 103.
This event is free and open to all. Dr. Voionmaa is Professor of Cultures, Societies, and Global Studies at Northeastern University. He will be visiting Spanish classes throughout his visit in addition to the public talk.
Abstract:
On December 18, 2022, 1.5 billion people watched the penalty kicked by Gonzalo Montiel, at Lusali Stadium in Doha, that gave Argentina its third World Cup. Probably, many more heard about it in the following days. Indeed, Qatar’s World Cup was the epitome of global sports entertainment: the world was not only one, but it was also, literally, a globe, a foot-ball. The 2026 USA-Canada Mexico World Cup is expected to surpass those numbers.
Not a long time ago, in 1930, Argentina had played its first final (without so much success: Uruguay won 4 to 2). The Estadio Centenario was packed; perhaps a few thousands listen to it on the radio (we don’t have the exact numbers), nobody watched it on TV (that happened only in 1954, and just for a few Central European countries. Color came in 1970). Many things have changed in football since that evening in Montevideo, in 1930, no doubt. However, if we were able to hear a conversation of a group of friends after a football match in 1930 and in 2025, we would be surprised how similar they are. Like in life –a comparison many times drawn—change and continuity are simultaneously present. Like life, football can be thought and analyzed from many points of view: tactics and strategies on the field, attitudes of fans in the stands, the politics it involves, a never-ending market-oriented paraphernalia, nationalist discourses, philosophical discussions – postmodern takes, existentialist reverberations, post-structuralist analyses, psychoanalytical insights–, and a myriad of cultural and artistic artifacts and productions. Football, soccer, fútbol, calcio, futebol is, as Eduardo Archetti once said, a mirror of our societies (and ourselves), but also a mask that covers and hides who we are and who we want to be.
In these remarks, I will attempt to show, using specific examples, how football has not only created a vast and multilayered imaginary, one in which politics and economics play a key role; but also that it has produced an artistic and poetic corpus that, perhaps, is as attractive as the beautiful game itself.
Modern Languages at Michigan Tech is proud to present our Spring 2025 Film Series!
The films this year, under the theme “Dystopian Futures” will screen on consecutive Wednesdays at 7pm in Fisher 135, and are free and open to the public.
Screening March 12, 2025
Sinelnikova 2022 | Germany
Security officer Anna lives with her 16-year-old daughter in a remote high-rise on the edge of a forest. The building provides its occupants a safe haven until the caretaker’s dog disappears and irrational fear spreads.
Screening March 19, 2025
Tonos 2024 | Dominican Republic
In the year 2147, a virus as a result of a Great Chemical War has left all men on the planet sterile, bringing humanity to the brink of extinction. Biologist and scientist Tania tries to inseminate herself to ensure the survival of the human species, assisted by an artificial intelligence system called VIDA. However, everything changes when Azarias appears, a traveler with a dark past and possibly one of the last men on the planet.
Screening March 26, 2025
Bonello 2023 | France
In the near future the rise of AI has led to humans being deemed useless because their emotions compromise their decision-making. Gabrielle undergoes a procedure that will purify her and get rid of her emotions, a procedure which involves delving into their past lives.
Please join us for this great lineup of films from around the world!
For more information about Modern Languages minors at Michigan Tech, visit https://www.mtu.edu/humanities/undergraduate/modern-languages/
Join us for German conversation and get to know the German-speaking community at Michigan Tech! Stammtisch will meet on the second Tuesday of each month in Walker 120C (in the HDMZ) for the spring semester.
The dates are:
All levels of German are welcome!
Parlez-vous français? Join us!
French conversation hour will take place in Walker 120C (in the HDMZ) twice monthly on Wednesdays through March. Whether you are a complete beginner, or a native French speaker looking to use your mother tongue, stop by for some casual conversation and cultural exchange. All levels of French are welcome!
For more information or to be added to our mailing list for French-related events, contact lalegref@mtu.edu
La Peña Spanish Conversation Hour will meet every other Tuesday in Walker 120A (in the HDMZ) for the spring semester.
The dates are:
Join us for our next La Peña Spanish conversation hour!
All levels of Spanish are welcome, and you don’t need to be taking a Spanish class to participate. Stop by, chat and stay for a board game or bring your own!
¡Hasta pronto!
The 2022 Modern Languages Film Series kicks off Thursday, January 27th, with the German film, I’m Your Man (Ich Bin Dein Mensch, Shrader, 2021). Scientist Alma (Maren Eggert) has reluctantly agreed to live for three weeks with humanoid robot Tom (Dan Stevens), who has been created solely to make her happy. This contemplative comedy about love, longing, and what makes us human will screen at 7:00 PM in Fisher 135.
Other films presented in the series include Unbalanced (Desequilibrados, Balanda, 2021), screening February 24th, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de le Jeune Fille en Feu, Sciamma, 2019), screening March 24th. All films in the series will screen in Fisher 135 and are free and open to the public.
This film series is sponsored by the Modern Languages program in the Department of Humanities.