Selected Events 2008  

Eva Müller (center) with Prof. John Dean and participant

April 17-18, 2008. Consulate General Leipzig hosted 48 teachers of English at an in-service training conference in Eisenach. The conference, which was co-sponsored by Thuringia’s Center for Political Education, focused on the U.S. presidential campaign, social challenges (e.g. AIDS), arts and society, the legacy of 1968 in the U.S. and Europe, and cultural identity in the U.S. as a multicultural society. The four featured American speakers included Prof. John Dean (University of Versailles) who inspired his audience with vivid examples for good "edutainment." Prof. Paul Rundquist impressed his audience with details gained during 31 years at the Congressional Research Service. Prof. Benjamin Alpers (Fulbright Distinguished Chair for American Literature at Leipzig University), and Paula Ross, an artist based in Berlin, completed this quartet with presentations connecting the topics and demonstrating that all aspects of US society, domestic and foreign, are linked. In addition, Information Resource Center (IRC) Leipzig provided an overview over Internet and print sources on U.S.- related topics, especially the 2008 election.