Sexuality in Interwar German Film

Around 25 people joined the presentation of Katie Sutton on April 16th, 2018. The lecturer at the Australian National University in Melbourne talked about how photography and film were used to make research into sexuality appear more scientific and therefore more respectable. She discussed two films: The Steinach-Film (The Steinach Film, 1923), a documentary detailing Viennese physiologist Eugen Steinach’s pioneering sex organ transplant experiments, and G W Pabst’s 'Geheimnisse einer Seele' (1926), a thriller narrative as a means of popularizing the still-new methods and theories of psychoanalysis. It was an inspiring and interesting insight into the film industry of these days.

Research into Language Teaching and Learning

Prof.em. Friederike Klippel and Senior Lecturer Dr Diana Feick

Around 20 guests joined the Auckland Goethe Society on Monday March, 19th, to listen to the presentation of Prof. em. Friederike Klippel from the University of Munich. She gave an in depth insight into the research of language learning throughout the last 120 years and explained the status quo. Klippel focused on questions such as 'What are the topics and areas of research? How is research conducted? Who are the researchers? Where does research happen?' She reported on trends and developments in the last years and sketched the current state of research. Adding to that, she looked at its present blind spots. Finally, she shared her personal views with the audience, on topics such as 'how to look into the role of teaching different languages, how to approach things long -term as well as the role of grammar'. A lively discussion followed her presentation.

Celebrating Christmas 2017

Auckland Goethe Society President Stephan Resch addresses the guests

Volker Strübing

Between 35 and 40  people joined us at our 'Weihnachtsfeier' on December 15, 2017 in the music auditorium at Auckland University’s Epsom Campus. Volker Strübing, Goethe-Institut writer in residence in Christchurch, was our special guest. He read some of his work and spoke of his experience as a traveller in New Zealand. His partner Renée van Bavel performed on the piano. It was a very pleasant evening with Stollen, Plätzchen and other seasonal goodies as well as juice, wine and tea. Thanks to everyone for their generous contributions. It was an enjoyable evening and a pleasant way to wrap up the year.

2017 German Examinations Prize-giving

On September 27, the Fisher & Paykel Appliances auditorium at Auckland University was again packed with students, parents, friends, families and teachers to attend the prize-giving celebrations of the 2017 Auckland Goethe Society German examinations. Over 400 people joined in, 170 of them language students. Nicola Gaston, associate professor at the University of Auckland, was guest speaker. She talked about the value of arts & languages and how she enriched her life as a natural scientist. The students showed wonderful levels of proficiency in German, as well as an understanding that a different language may be one of the best career development tools with a competitive advantage.

Dr. Nicola Gaston

Samoa under German Rule

Around 40 guests joined us at the Auckland University on Thursday, 21st of September, to listen to Matthew Fitzpatrick. The associate professor from Flinders University in Adelaide talked about the German past of Samoa and the ‘liberal version of imperial power’. Fitzpatrick was examining elements of the German colonialism in Samoa, suggesting that to reduce the time between 1871 and 1914 to the pre-history of the Holocaust is a poor one for understanding liberal forms of imperialism, but to rehabilitate it naively as Germany’s ‘good colony’ isn’t the right approach either. Citing newspapers of the time and other sources he painted a lively picture of the time when the Germans lived on the island in the South Pacific, and showed how imperialism, even if it is liberal, could be a history of dispossession and of structural inequality. The question and answer session following the speech showed that there was a vivid interest in the topic.

Nicole Perry and Matthew Fitzpatrick

Audience University of Auckland

German Quiz Night

With 60 participants, this year's edition of the annual Goethe Society German Quiz Evening was again a great success.

Game masters this year were Johnson Zhuang and Olivia Trigg-Simpson, and they led the crowd through a string of task.

Teams from Auckland high-schools, university students, Goethe Society members and teachers answered questions in a pub quiz format. Participants were tested on their general knowledge, identified German music and important cultural figures from the German speaking world.

"Pakuranga 1" took out the school prize. The student group "Ins Kino gehen" won in their category, and the native speaker/teacher prize went to "Die Zoowärter". Herzlichen Glückwunsch an die Gewinner!

Lunch for Students of German

In the 3rd week of the semester, the Auckland Goethe Society teamed up with UoA's German programme to put on a free lunch for students of German. Our invitation drew about 40 students, who were delighted to find some German classics at the buffet: mouthwatering Brezeln and Zwiebelbrot from Bread & Butter Bakery, and yummy Franzbrötchen and Pflaumenkuchen from the newly founded MoinMoin Bakery.

Weihnachtsfeier - Christmas Party 2016

@ Doris Evans

@ Doris Evans

Around 40 people joined us at our 'Weihnachtsfeier' on the 14 December 2016 at University of Auckland's Epsom Campus.
Four gifted young string players entertained us with musical interludes. The celebration was in the German tradition with Stollen, Plätzchen and other seasonal goodies as well as juice, wine, tea. Thanks to everyone for their generous contributions. It was an enjoyable evening and a pleasant way to wrap up the year.

@ Doris Evans