Teacher Academy in Potsdam: Preparing for the Lincoln Bicentennial

October 2–5, 2008. 45 teachers, teacher trainers, curriculum planners and textbook editors from 15 German states met to discuss “Lincoln’s Legacy: Nation Building, Democracy and the Question of Race and Civil Rights” at the Teacher Academy 2008 in Potsdam. The Teacher Academy is a program established by the U.S. Embassy in 2003. This year, it was cosponsored by Jena University and the Center for USA Studies at the University of Halle-Wittenberg. Now in its fifth year, the Teacher Academy offers a unique national platform to bring together multipliers across state lines focusing on central themes in American Studies. It serves as a model of teacher training in that it bridges the gap between University-based research and practical work in the EFL classroom. For three-and-a half days, expert faculty from the U.S. and Germany approached the topic from interdisciplinary angles covering historical, literary and cultural aspects of Lincoln’s legacy. Workshops explored the applicability of the materials in the classroom and gained new insights into up-to-date research in the field. more »

U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker on Pakistan, and the Russia/Georgia Conflict

September 26, 2008. In a press roundtable at the Embassy, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker outlined current NATO successes, priorities and challenges. He also answered journalists’ questions concerning the situation at the Pakistan border and the situation in the Caucasus. Ambassador Volker discussed the situation in Georgia, and explained the clear distinctions between Russia’s immediate and unilateral recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and the UN-sanctioned process which led to international recognition of Kosovo. Volker called on Russia to be a “responsible” member of the world community, and emphasized the importance of cooperating with Russia where possible, but added that the U.S., NATO and the EU should not tolerate the 19th Century concept of a Russian “sphere of influence” where it would be allowed to redraw the international boundaries of its neighbors and interfere with the ability of sovereign states to determine their own future.

School Election Project Kick-Off Event In Berlin

September 19, 2008. The U.S. Embassy’s Cultural Section, in cooperation with the Berlin-Brandenburg teacher training institute LISUM, hosted 70 teachers from Berlin and Brandenburg schools for a seminar on the presidential election campaign. Darrell West, the vice president and director of Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, gave an excellent briefing. Information Resource Service staff from the Embassy produced an extensive database for classroom use, and representatives of the city library advertised research-based workshops for teachers and students. Finally, the teachers participated in a state lottery to choose an “adopted” U.S. state, which they will study intensively with their students. The project will end with a final discussion on Election Day with student and Embassy representatives as well as an American expert. The project is fully integrated in school curricula and will be conducted in two federal states for the next three weeks. The highly motivated teachers underscored the interest among the German public in the outcome of November’s election. Together with their students, they will look behind the news stories and intensively study U.S. election processes and issues.

Looking back: see our list of previous programs and events.
Also, check out our announcements of upcoming events!

Special: Exhibitions & Events featuring American Art and Artists