On October 18, 2022, the representative of the German Embassy in Slovakia Stefan Kruschke, a cultural and press attaché, visited the Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra. He was received by the vice-rector for international relations, assoc. prof. PhDr. Martina Pavlíková, PhD. The aim of his visit was to establish cooperation between the University and the German embassy in several scientific and educational areas, as well as cooperation with the universities in Germany and the possibility of mobilities within the Erasmus+ program.

The second stop of the German cultural and press attaché at the University was the Faculty of Arts, where he was welcomed by the vice-dean for international relations and development, PhDr. Daša Nováčiková, PhD., who opened the meeting with introducing some representatives of the Department of Romance and German Studies (prof. PaedDr. Eva Stranovská, PhD. – head of the Department, Mgr. Ervín Weiss, PhD. – deputy head of the Department and Yannick Baumann, M.A. – German DAAD lecturer at the Department). The head of the Department informed the German cultural and press attaché about the work of the Department about scientific, research and project cooperation with the pilot schools where student-teachers attend lessons of teaching practice. The participants of the meeting also discussed the possibilities of making German language more attractive and ways of supporting its teaching as a foreign language in primary and secondary schools, as well as supporting the training of future German language teachers.

 

Finally, the meeting was held with the students of the Department of Romance and German Studies and the Department of Translation Studies and other teachers of the Departments. Mr. Kruschke was interested in the students' motivation for their choice to study German language and literature. He then discussed with the students the benefits of studying German studies and the current issue regarding the low number of German language students and thus also teachers of German in primary and secondary schools.

The German cultural and press attaché expressed his pleasure at visiting the Faculty of Arts, as well as the meeting the students and teachers of the Departments. He suggested some possibilities for future cooperation and support of the German Embassy in spreading awareness of the German language as a foreign language in Slovakia.

 

Text: prof. PaedDr. Eva Stranovská, PhD., Mgr. Ivan Haringa
Translation: Mgr. Ivan Haringa