News
The book is available at the publisher’s website:
https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=zelensky-a-biography–9781509556380
It is also available at Amazon and other Internet booksellers and will soon be available in local booktores:
The list of current reviews includes:
The Sydney Morning Herald (July 5, 2022): https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/from-comedy-to-war-zelensky-s-ascent-to-the-most-admired-leader-of-2022-20220701-p5ayfb.html.
The Washington Post (July 15, 2022): https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/07/15/zelensky-biography/.
The Guardian (June 26, 2022): https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/jun/26/zelensky-a-biography-by-serhii-rudenko-review-from-voice-of-paddington-to-global-giant/.
The Irish Times (July 3, 2022): https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/review/2022/07/02/zelensky-a-biography-by-serhii-rudenko/.
The Week (July 8, 2022): https://www.theweek.co.uk/arts-life/culture/books/957295/zelensky-a-biography-serhii-rudenko-review.
Kirkus Review (July 25, 2022): https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sergii-rudenko/zelensky/.
Press Reader (June 30, 2022): https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-guardian-usa/20220630/282041920822039;
Diplomatic Courier (July 2, 2022): https://www.diplomaticourier.com/posts/zelensky-servant-of-the-ukrainian-people. The
Times (UK July 5, 2022): https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/zelensky-a-biography-by-serhii-rudenko-review-provincial-joker-defender-of-the-free-world-75k9qzjxb
In person at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center
April 25, 2022
4:00 pm
Alumni Award: Carolyn Mudrinich Weiss (Class of 1981)
“The importance of learning a language for your career”
Carolyn Mudrinich Weiss has been a chief financial and investment officer at foundations for the past 15 years. She leads teams responsible for investments, finance, taxation, and technology. She has built investment and technology platforms for foundations with sophisticated needs, with assets under management ranging from $200 million to $4 billion. Early in her career, Carolyn was a vice president at Deutsche Bank and senior manager at KPMG and worked in both New York City and Germany for both firms. Carolyn holds a B.A. in German from Penn State.
The Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures at the Pennsylvania State University condemns Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine. We insist on the preservation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and the safety of its inhabitants. We resoundingly reject the false accusations and historical distortions that the Russian government and its media have used to justify the war against Ukraine. Russia’s flagrant violations of international law and human rights must be rebuked. We are profoundly troubled that by invading Ukraine Russia has placed the world in a precarious condition that threatens to escalate globally so that the stability and security of all nations is now under threat. We urge all concerned citizens of the world to petition their government representatives to rebuke Russia’s assault on a sovereign democracy and to aid the Ukrainian people in their hour of need. We are committed to educating future generations about Ukrainian and Russian languages, literatures, and cultures, so that they may understand the vital role that the national cultures of Eastern Europe play in the modern world. Please join the department in speaking out publicly.
Катедра германських та слав’янських мов та літератур Пенсільванського державного універитету засуджує неспровоковану російську війну Росiї проти України. Ми наполягаємо на збереженні суверенітету України та безпеки її мешканців. Ми категорично відкидаємо брехливі звинувачення та спотворювання історії, що їх застосовано російським урядом та ЗМІ для виправдання війни проти України. Кричучому порушенню Росiєю міжнародного права та порушенню прав людини має бути дано відсіч. Ми глибоко занепокоєні тим, що в наслідок вторгнення в Україну Росія поставила увесь світ під загрозу глобального конфлікту і наразила на небезпеку стабільність і безпеку всіх народiв землі. Ми закликаємо усiх небайдужих громадян світу звернутися з петиціями до представників своїх урядів із закликом засудити російський напад на суверенну демократію та допомогти українцям у цей скрутний для них час. Ми залишаємось віддані нашій справі підготовки майбутніх поколінь фахівців у галузі слов’янських та, насамперед, української та російської мов, літератур та культур й вихованню в них розуміння важливої ролі, яку культура Східної Європи відіграє в сучасному світі. Закликаємо вас долучитися до нашої катедри, щоб відкрито висловити ваш протест.
Кафедра германских и славянских языков Пенсильванского государственного университета осуждает неспровоцированную войну России против Украины. Мы настаиваем на сохранении суверенитета Украины и безопасности её жителей. Мы категорически отвергаем ложные обвинения и искажения истории, используемые российским правительством и СМИ для оправдания войны против Украины. Вопиющему нарушению Россией международного права и прав человека должен быть дан отпор. Мы глубоко обеспокоены тем, что, вторгнувшись в Украину, Россия поставила весь мир под угрозу глобального конфликта и подвергла опасности стабильность и безопасность всех народов земли. Мы призываем всех неравнодушных граждан мира обращаться с петициями к своим правительствам, требуя осудить российское нападение на суверенную демократию и поддержать украинцев в это тяжелое для них время. Мы остаемся преданы нашему делу подготовки будущих поколений специалистов в области славянских и, прежде всего, украинского и русского языков, литератур и культур и воспитанию в них понимания важнейшей роли, которую культура Восточной Европы играет в современном мире. Призываем вас присоединиться к нашей кафедре и открыто выразить ваш протест.
Die Abteilung für germanische and slavische Sprachen und Literaturen an der staatlichen Universität von Pennsylvanien verurteilt Russlands grundlosen Krieg gegen die Ukraine. Wir bestehen auf der Bewahrung der ukrainischen Souveränität und der Sicherheit der ukrainischen Bevölkerung. Wir verurteilen ausdrücklich die falschen Anschuldigungen und Geschichtsklitterungen, mit denen die russische Regierung und ihre Medien den Krieg gegen die Ukraine rechtfertigen. Russlands flagrante Verletzung von internationalem Recht und Menschenrechten muss zurückgewiesen werden. Wir sind tief besorgt darüber, dass Russland mit der Invasion der Ukraine die Welt in eine prekäre Lage gebracht hat, die durch eine drohende globale Eskalation die Stabilität und Sicherheit aller Nationen gefährdet. Wir rufen alle besorgten Bürger der Welt dazu auf, ihre Regierungsvertreter zu ersuchen, Russlands Angriff auf eine souveräne Demokratie zu verurteilen und den Menschen in der Ukraine in dieser schweren Stunde zu Hilfe zu kommen. Wir verpflichten uns dazu, die kommenden Generationen in ukrainischer und russischer Sprache, Literatur und Kultur auszubilden, damit sie die bedeutende Rolle der nationalen Kulturen Osteuropas in der modernen Welt verstehen. Schließen Sie sich bitte unserem öffentlichen Aufruf an.
A World in View facilitated by Daniel Purdy (Penn State) and presented by Jürgen Overhoff (German Green Candidate and Professor, University of Muenster)
Professor Jürgen Overhoff will compare German and American environmental policy today while showing that worry about the impact humans have on nature has long been part of Pennsylvania history. Benjamin Franklin, the founding father, was very concerned about the dangers of man-made climate change and was focused on sustainability. As a scientist, he cultivated a deep understanding of natural processes and warned that it humans interfered with the natural world, we had to be “very circumspect lest we do more harm than Good.” His concerns can form the basis for American and German environmental policy as we face the risks of modern science in the Anthropocene.
Please note: Registration for events in this series is required and, given the topics and speakers, we anticipate interest to be high. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged for all. Schreyer Scholar attendees will receive a complimentary electronic gift card; to be eligible, Scholars must pre-register in advance). Link to RSVP: https://www.shc.psu.edu/events/item.cfm?id=10172
Event Contact
Sarah Lyall-Combssvl1@psu.edu
Being held March 24-25 in the Grucci Room. Please check the website for further information. https://sites.psu.edu/racetheoryconference/
The German Graduate Student Association of the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures will host its inaugural annual conference at The Pennsylvania State University (hybrid or virtual conference format – TBD) from November 4-6, 2021.
Keynote speakers:
- Ulrike Präger (Boston University)
https://www.bu.edu/cfa/profile/ulrike-praeger/ - David Natvig (Oslo University)
https://www.hf.uio.no/multiling/english/people/postdoc-fellows/davidana/
CALL FOR PAPERS:
The growing flow and circulation of migrants and refugees across the world introduces unfamiliar voices and sounds into new environments. This conference will examine the diverse expressions and echoes of what we call the sounds of migration. Drawing from Arjun Appadurai’s (1996) definition of technoscapes, we conceptualize “the sounds of migration” as encapsulating the fluid nature of sounds, bodies, and cultural elements coming together to construct imagined worlds, as seen in a globalized space. We invite a broad range of submissions that explore various aspects of the oral and aural dynamics related to migrations, displacements, refugees, and diasporas. How do minority voices emerge? What impact do experiences of migration have on everyday life, both from those relocating and the receiving society? How is literature, language, music, and/or other forms of culture and artistic expression created? How do languages in contact influence each other and lead to changes in pronunciation, word formation or sentence structure?
Possible topics may include, but are not confined to:
- Phonetics / Phonology
- Syntax
- Morphology
- Contact languages and languages in contact
- Performance / Stage
- Mixtures of dialects and languages
- Archives of migration
- Literature about refugees’ experiences
- Music in exile
- Visual culture and arts
- Displacement and memory in art and theory
- Migration and education
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
We welcome papers across languages and disciplines which engage with the theme of “Sounds of Migration.” Presenters will be allotted 20 minutes of presentation time, followed by 10 minutes of discussion. Professors, faculty, and graduate students are encouraged to apply.
The new submission deadline is Friday, September 3, 2021. Abstracts are limited to 500 words (excluding references). Abstracts and presentations should be in English.
On Friday, April 30th, Maike Rocker will present her research on the sociolinguistic history of German-Jewish settlers in the Dominican Republic as part of an interdisciplinary workshop at the University of Bamberg on German minorities in Latin America. The workshop begins at 8am ET, more information (including Maike’s abstract) and registration can be found at: https://bit.ly/3dPMVqj
The Palmer Museum of Art will reopen on Wednesday, February 10th, 2021, with Field Language: The Painting and Poetry of Warren and Jane Rohrer. This major loan exhibition celebrates the work of painter Warren Rohrer and poet Jane Rohrer, partners in life who drew from their shared background in Mennonite farm families to create modern art. Warren’s abstract paintings engage the colors and textures of cultivated fields of southcentral Pennsylvania, while Jane’s poems bring a modern perspective to her own experience bridging traditional agricultural life and the art world.
Curated by Joyce Robinson, Assistant Director of the Palmer Museum, in collaboration with guest curators poet Julia Spicher Kasdorf, Professor of English, and Christopher Reed, Distinguished Professor of English and Visual Culture, the exhibition is accompanied by a multi-author illustrated catalogue available now through Penn State Press or at the Museum Store. The digital companion to the exhibition was developed by Hannah A. Matangos, dual-title PhD candidate in German Literature & Culture and Visual Studies, and features pairings of poetry and paintings plus a mini documentary series about the exhibition.
Generous funding for the exhibition was provided by Penn State’s Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost as part of the University’s Strategic Arts and Humanities Initiative in 2017. Additional support was provided by the Art Bridges and Terra Foundation Initiative, the Art History department in the College of Arts and Architecture, and the departments of English and of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures in the College of Liberal Arts at Penn State. The George Dewey and Mary J. Krumrine Endowment and the Max Kade German-American Research Institute at Penn State also assisted our efforts.
Field Language is on view from February 10th through June 6th, 2021. Timed ticketed entry is free and bookable online.
German Ph.D. candidate Valérie Keppenne has received a Language Learning Dissertation Grant to fund parts of her dissertation project “When predictions aren’t Perfekt: The joint role of prediction, corrective feedback and prediction error in L2 learning”. The research investigates the complementary roles of prediction, feedback, and prediction error, and their potential to impact L2 grammar learning, as well as the developmental trajectory of how learners process feedback and compute prediction error in real time during learning. The project unites classroom-based research on corrective feedback with psycholinguistic research on predictive processing and has the protentional to advance our understanding of the underlying learning mechanisms in late second language acquisition. In addition, it has implications at the pedagogical level, for instance for designing effective language learning materials.
Dr. Jens-Uwe Guettel has been awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Fellowship for his book project on Radical Democracy in Germany, 1871-1923.
