Between 5 and 29 August 2024, two four-week introductory-level German courses were once again held at Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences (UAS) during the summer break. The ‘Summer School’ program was yet again in particularly high demand from Asian partner universities.
23 enthusiastic students from Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Czech Republic acquired their first German language skills in August and learned more about the country and its people in the accompanying program. During an afternoon in a retirement home in Aschaffenburg, the participants had the opportunity to socialize with the local population and to get involved in social activities. The students enjoyed paper crafting with the residents of the home, while practicing their first German words and phrases at the same time.
The program also included tasting a "Frankfurter Kranz" cake, visits to the Aschaffenburg city festival and a beer garden. After all, Aschaffenburg is part of Bavaria, the world-renowned home of beer.
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One group of students with Prof. Ivo Schäfer, their language teacher, Sybilla Hoffmann, and others
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The second group of students with their teacher Lyudmyla Englert, Prof. Schäfer, and others
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Prof. Dr. Ivo Schäfer receives a gift from Dr. Hsing-chin Lee, Associate Professor at the National Taipei University of Business. 2nd row: AUAS's Taiwan expert Marcel Rother and Ernst Schulten, Head of the AUAS Interantional Office.
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The whole group from above
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Marcel Rother from the AUAS International Office with a student from Malaysia, Japan and the Czech Republic.
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Japanese Outbound Coordinator Junya Ojima visits the International Office.
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Students chatting at the barbecue.
During a festive closing ceremony on the AUAS campus on 29 August, the Vice President for Studies, Teaching and International Affairs, Prof. Dr. Ivo Schäfer, presented the participants with their language certificates and was able to witness the progress they had made in the German language: Every participant had rehearsed a short statement about their experience during Summer School in German and proudly performed it. For example, one student said: „Ich bin 21 Jahre alt. Ich wohne in Südkorea und mein Lieblingsessen in Deutschland ist Currywurst.“[‘I am 21 years old. I live in South Korea, and my favorite food in Germany is currywurst.’]
Another guest at the ceremony was Dr. Hsing-chin (Sophie) Lee. She is an Associate Professor at the Department of Applied Foreign Languages at National Taipei University of Business in Taiwan – a partner university of Aschaffenburg UAS. She was supported by the AUAS’ Taiwan expert, Marcel Rother, a lecturer for special tasks.
Due to a teaching trip to Japan, Prof. Dr. Renate Link, Vice Head of the Language Centre at Aschaffenburg UAS and program initiator, joined the ceremony via video call from Tokyo to briefly greet the participants in person and to bid them farewell. This being the seventh edition of the ‘Summer School’ program, Professor Link was delighted that it was just as popular with students from long-standing partner universities in Asia as it had been last year. The language course was especially sought after by students from Sungshin University in South Korea and Hiroshima Shudo University in Japan, which sent its Outbound Coordinator Junya Ojima to accompany the participants for the first week.
After the ceremony, the participants and their teachers looked back on their time at the UAS during a relaxed afternoon barbecue. A special highlight: Professor Schäfer himself became the barbecue master!
Would you like to participate in our "Summer School"? Further information and registration options (from spring 2025) for the next German language courses in August 2025 can be found at www.th-ab.de/learngerman.