Sebastian M. Herrmann's blog

Due to a family emergency, the below event has to be canceled. We apologize for the inconvenience.

On 11th. December 2008, 19hrs, the 2008/09 Picador Guest Professor for Literature Nancy Kress will read in Berlin at the Museum The Kennedys. The reading will be moderated by former American Studies Leipzig faculty Dr. Catrin Gersdorf.

For those of us who got used to checking out the latest polling data starting around 6pm in the afternoon and making this a central element of their procrastination schedule, the election was a real bummer. Not because of the result, but because the numbers game is over now.

In a room packed with over 30 students, Simon Koschut of the DGAP spoke on the future of German-American relations in face of the upcoming election. Among others, Koschut discussed the areas of the global financial system, the trade system, foreign policy, and climate change as areas in which different dynamics are going to unfold.

The Leipzig-based graduate journal aspeers still accepts submissions of student work (both academic and artistic) on the topic of “Migration and Mobility.” The journal is a unique project launched as part of the MA program in 2007. It publishes outstanding work by MA/Magister students in American Studies programs across Europe.

Seminar Scheins for Chuck Klosterman’s two classes may be picked up in the secretariat as of now.

During the annual student orientation, the American Studies Leipzig community has welcomed the entering BA and MA classes of 2008. The welcoming events were complemented by orientation sessions for the BA ‘06 and BA ‘07 classes, as well as the Magister cohort in the program.

First of all, I’m relatively relieved that the debate does not seem to have turned out a game changer (the NYT, e.g., asserts that it was not a tipping point). My biggest fear had been that, somehow, the expectations game would work and Palin, going into the debate on her disastrous interviews, would be celebrated as surprisingly strong.

As the taz reports, approximately 60% of German university students come from what they call “Akademikerfamilien,” i.e. families in which at least one parent has an academic degree. They compare that number to 2004’s 57% and 1993’s 49%.

So, according to the New York Times Caucus Blog, John McCain proposed to Barack Obama to “join him in 10 joint town-hall-style meetings in which the likely Republican and Democratic nominees could discuss the issues this summer.” The NYT goes on to report that McCain claims to have gotten the idea from an agreement between “President Kennedy and Senator Barry Goldwater to fly around the country together to debate the issues.”

According to an update on the blog,