Kapitel 1 - Fangen wir an!

• Since we're at the beginning, we should look at the four major German-speaking countries: Deutschland (Germany) [note the links "Zum Land" and "Bilder" at the bottom of the page], Österreich (Austria), die Schweiz (Switzerland) and Liechtenstein.
• A good page to bookmark, and a good page for current information on Germany is the German Information Center.
• A quick look at the Universities and Gymnasien in Germany and Universities in Austria.  Also, link on-line German Bibliotheken (libraries)!
• There are several aids in the internet to help with pronunciation and sayings in German!

Kapitel 2 - Immigration und Familienleben
 

• Federal Ministry of Family, Seniors, Women and Youth offers a virtual tour of their office as they present their governmental task of overseeing families', women's and children's rights.
• This chapter deals extensively with Germans emigrating from Germany.  There are several sites which offer information on genealogy and immigration, as well as the history of emigration.  The city of Hamburg also offers a for-fee service to learn if your ancestors emigrated from the ports of Hamburg.
• The German Department helps students arrange internships in Germany individually or through the International Cooperative Education Program.  You can also get information on internships in Germany through the Overseas Opportunities Office here at the University of Michigan, or through the Office of International Programs at the School of Engineering.
• The Goethe Institut also has information for internships, and is a great resource for information on German culture!

Kapitel 3 - Heidelberg und Mannheim
 

• This chapter introduces two beautiful cities - Heidelberg and Mannheim - and these sites allow you to see pictures, read news stories and virtually visit!
• We also start learning about German food; you can visit supermarkets in Germany (and even a sort of fan page/chat group devoted to one of them, Aldi, which you can also find in the US), look at recipes for some German food, and see a great primer of the delectables!  There is more than just McDonald's in Germany!
• The metric system is introduced along with driving information (and German driving symbols--in particular, follow the links to "Warning signs" and "Regulation signs" in the middle of this page, and notice the vocab list at the bottom) in this chapter.
• The chapter ends with learning about "Tourismus als Beruf."  Here you can look at the official tourism site for planning trips to Germany.

Kapitel 4 - Unterwegs
 

• Unterwegs literally means "under way," and here you can learn about the German Rail System (the Bundesbahn) and also driving schools (Click here for the homepage of Fahrschule Hachenberger).  Before getting too excited about the speed limit on the Autobahn, and just to be on the safe side, check out how the highway police (Autobahnpolizei) operate to catch speeders guard against traffic accidents (Verkehrsunfälle) in Germany--and how they try to prevent their photos from causing jealous quarrels!
• The University of Michigan, through the Overseas Opportunities Office, the Office of International Programs, and the Engineering School Office of International Programs, lists many study and work abroad opportunities.  In the chapter specifically, the Goethe Institut , the DAAD and the Congress-Bundestag exchanges are highlighted.
• The city of Frankfurt is discussed in this chapter - be sure to check out the great information on Kultur!  Click here to see pictures of architectural highlights in Frankfurt.

Kapitel 5 - Freundschaften
 

• Freundschaften looks at the beautiful city-state of Hamburg.  After a virtual tour of the Hansestadt, be sure to send your friends virtual post cards from this site!  Click here for pictures of architectural highlights in Hamburg.
• The University of Hamburg allows restricted access to its library.
• Curious about the weather in Germany?  Almost all news services have weather information, including the Tagesschau program.
• Visit the University of Tübingen, and learn a little about Studentenleben in Germany!
• Miscellaneous links on the subject of love and flirting:
• Liebesbrief Online love-letter-writing service, apparently
• Flirtline mit Dr. Love Der Titel ist ein bißchen irreführend [=misleading]: Hier können Sie (natürlich kostenlos [=for free]) Kontaktanzeigen [=romance ads] auf deutsch lesen, oder selber eine schreiben
• Der Flirtkurs Sehr formeller und SEHR langer und kompletter Text über das Flirten: Was ist es, wie macht man es...
• Sehr kurze Affäre Sehr kurze, sehr humorvolle Geschichte mit Bildern von einer Romanze, die nicht funktioniert hat

Kapitel 6 - Tübingen
 

• Take a virtual tour (Stadtrundgang) of Tübingen!
• In this chapter, we learn a little about foreigners (Ausländer) in Germany.  Learn about some of the legal issues Ausländer face to stay or to work in Germany.  Alternatively, look at reports on how foreigners think of themselves in Germany (a study at Tufts Univeristy) or reactions to attacks on foreigners in Germany (a study at the Hamburger Institut für Sozialforschung).  For more general information on who lives in Germany, a statistical breakdown separates by geography for information on demographics, income, taxes, education and tourism.
• The following are political parties in Germany that you may want to look up, very roughly in order from left to right on the political spectrum:  the Partei des Demokratischen Sozialismus (PDS) (successor party to the communist Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands which governed the DDR before the fall of the wall), the environmentalist Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD), the Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP) (often referred to as "Die Liberalen," which refers to an emphasis on a free market and personal freedom rather than "leftism" as in recent American political discourse), the Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands (CDU) ,  its Bavarian sister party the Christlich Soziale Union (CSU), and finally the Deutsche Volksunion (DVU) and the Republikaner (both right wing radical parties).  There are of course several databases on political and election information, and the Central Intelligence Agency has interesting information on German political parties on its site.
• The last portion of this chapter talks about rental homes for vacation (Ferienwohnungen), and interesting places all over Germany are described at this site.
• Finally, we learn more about jobs in Germany.  Here is information for finding jobs (posting resumes, etc.) in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.  Learn how to write your resume (Lebenslauf) in German!

Kapitel 7 - in der Stadt

• In the beginning of the chapter, Barbara is finding a place to bank.  Germany is strong in banking, and this website leads you to several of the major institutions.
• We also learn about the city of Stuttgart.
• While the U.S. has sites like Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com, Germany has Bücher Online, recently named Germany's top e-business.
• The narrative of the Holocaust is continually developing.  Several very comprehensive and comparatively new websites contribute much to this narrative.  The Virtal Auschwitz site also includes timelines of the Holocaust; a lesser known concentration camp outside of Hamburg (Neuengamme) is now a museum and updates its exhibits; and the German Historical Museum has an extensive listing of memorial sites for victims of the Nazi regime (many of them are former concentration camps).  For continally updated information, go to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's website.
• This chapter also discusses political parties in Germany; see the links for Chapter 6.
• We move onto literature and film in Germany.  These sites provide links and interactive opportunities to explore!  The literature site is provided through the University of Virginia, and requires you to look for authors by last name.  The University of Wisconsin has a terrific website, listing German authors. (Follow the link to "Autoren.")

Kapitel 8 - Universitäten
 

• As discussed in Vorsprung, the school system in Germany is much different than in the United States.  Gateway to Germany is a comprehensive site on student life and studying in Germany produced by Deutsche Welle, available in German, English, Russian, Spanish and Portuguese.  Main categories are: Nachrichten/News, Studieren in Deutschland/Studying in Germany, Leben in Deutschland/Life in Germany, Studienorte/University Towns.    The Eurydice site has links to information in English and the respective native languages on the educational systems of all the member countries of the EU, including Austria and Germany in particular.  And peruse this comprehensive list of Universities (in addition to the list on page 339 in Vorsprung)!
• We also discuss health in this chapter.  Visit the Bundesministerium für Gesundheit for an official overview of health care in Germany. Health insurance is also a big topic in Germany; this site provides comprative rates and information on several private companies.

Kapitel 9 - Arbeit und Geld
 

• Schauen Sie die Arbeitsamt-Online Webseite an!  Interessante Informationen über Arbeitslosigkeitstatistiken, Jobs in Deutschland, Presse (z.B. Rundfunk und Fernsehen) und Online Beratungsdienste!
• Hier ist eine Seite für Studenten, die Jobs suchen: http://www.studentenvermittlung.de/.  Klicken Sie auf "Jobangebote", dann klicken Sie auf ein Land [=state], und dann klicken Sie auf ein Jobangebot--sie sind sehr leicht zu lesen!
  • Hier ist noch eine Jobdatenbank speziell für Studenten: http://www.studentenjobs24.de/.
• Vorstellungsgespräche machen einen doch ein bisschen nervös!
• For official information on jobs and Sozialleistungen in the state of Niedersachsen, look at the Das Sozialministerium page.
• This chapter introduces two cities in the state of Sachsen in the former East Germany: Leipzig and Dresden.  Click here to see pictures of architectural highlights in Dresden.
• We go on to talk more about working in Germany.  Take a look at the information on  internships, study abroad and exchanges on the University of Michigan German Department's webpages.

Kapitel 10 - Feste!!! Feiertage!!!
 

• If the Brothers Grimm hadn't produced so many wonderful fairy tales, we wouldn't have stories like Cinderella (Aschenputtel)!  Note that the Brothers Grimm are often the topic of one of the 232 sections we offer each semester.
• The Feste und Feiertage mentioned in this chapter (p. 429) include Karneval,Fasching, and Fastnacht. This page has links to webpages about all three of these festivals.  Even though it occurs at quite a different time of year, let's not forget another great Fest - Oktoberfest!  The English version of the previous page is actually much more informative.
• We also learn about beautiful Braunwald in Switzerland.  (Note:  to get more information from this site, you must register your e-mail address.)
• swissworld.org Excellent multilingual, interactive multimedia site on Switzerland. Try some of the quizzes under "Lernen," or the interactive presentation on youth culture, also accesssible via the "Lernen" tab ("Jung und anders: Jugendkulturen in der Schweiz"). Or just send an E-card.

Kapitel 11 - Geschichte und Geographie
 

• We start out learning about Berlin - the new capital of Germany.  Click here to see pictures of architectural highlights in Berlin, and here for pictures of architectural highlights in Potsdam.  When we learn about Germany's history, much is tied to the history of this city.  We are all aware of the Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer), as well as Kennedy's famous speech and Checkpoint Charlie.  Berlin is also home to the Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Musem), and this site provides great tours of its current exhibits.  Alternatively, you can visit the Virtual Museum of 20th Century German History (Lebendiges Museum Online).  Roughly half of the formerly divided city belonged to the German Democratic Republic.  This site compiles recent research on the Deutsche Demokratische Republik.
• Can you imagine living in Berlin?  Visit some sites to find out what it would be like finding a place to live (auf der Wohnungssuche)!  For this site, you need a Postleitzahl (zip code) for the city you're interested in - an interesting one in Berlin is 10405 in Prenzlauer Berg.  And, if you have an old map, Berlin recently renamed some of its streets!
• In light of the city's history, the University of Michigan Department of German Studies hosted a conference entitled "the Unification Effect" December 2-4, 1999.
• Click here for more information on the contemporary politics of Germany.  This site contains several excellent links for comprehensive explanations of the federal and state governments, the political parties and much more.
• Since Berlin is the new capital of Germany, it is only fitting to see what 16 states (Bundesländer) it presides over!  The following links take you to the official home pages of the Bundesländer:Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfallen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Thüringen.
• As you read the "Maikäfer" text, you might want to look at this goofy song that has a related title.

Kapitel 12 - Europa und die EU
 

•  Here is the European Union homepage.  The "Euro" has replaced the traditional European currencies in many countries, including Germany and Austria, but not Switzerland, and there are fond hopes of creating "an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe, in which decisions are taken as closely as possible to the citizen."
• We will also be discussing the history of Austria (follow the "culture" link in this site).  Several sites have great information on the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as well as on contemporary history.
• Lastly, visit Austria's and Germany's environmental sites to learn how both countries actively take care of their environment.