More than one seventh of the DAAD’s programme
funds are assigned to promoting German language,
literature and area studies abroad. The range
of programmes extends from the one-month university
summer courses and schools in Germany via structured
semester scholarships for foreign Germanists and
standard one-year and doctoral scholarships right
through to funding for institutional German studies
partnerships with universities in Eastern Europe
and establishing degree courses instructed in
German in these countries.
In addition, the DAAD uses funds from the Federal
Foreign Office to support "Centres for German
and European Studies" at outstanding universities
around the world with up to 250,000 euros per
year. The financial support is based on the principle
of cost-sharing with the respective partner institutions.
In terms of cultural and financial policy, the
placement of Lektors takes pride of place
among the DAAD’s German studies programmes. In
2003, the DAAD funded 569 Lektors in 87
countries, placing them in 457 Lektorships).
The number of funded Lektors is higher
than the number of Lektorships because
each academic year sees outgoing Lektors replaced
by incoming ones in around a quarter of all posts.
Unfortunately, the tight financial situation meant
that it was not possible to keep the number of
appointed Lektorships at the level of earlier
years (minus 4).
Distribution of DAAD
Lektors at foreign universities in 2003, by region
Depending on the host university and region in
question, the tasks and responsibilities performed
by Lektors cover the following areas. Teaching
German as a foreign language, organising events
and courses on German studies and recent German
and European history, offering courses and lectures
on literary studies and linguistics, providing
instruction on the didactics and methodology of
foreign language teaching, examining students,
contributing to the planning of degree programmes
and the training of translators and interpreters,
maintaining contacts with German organisations
(DAAD, DFG, Goethe Institute, and others) and
with Germany’s higher education institutions,
advising on study opportunities in Germany and
on possible sources of financial support, and
(contributing to) organising cultural events,
inside and outside their university.
As the internationalisation of Germany’s universities
as well as their marketing activities have increased,
advice on study opportunities and scholarships,
programme work and cultural mediation activities
have taken on a much more important role. This
is why so-called DAAD Information Centres (ICs)
have been established wherever demand is particularly
great. Ideally, these centres are located at local
Goethe Institutes, a model which has opened up
additional forms of cooperation. There were 39
such Information Centres in the year under report.
Information and Advice
Network 2003
The DAAD also provides subject support and specialist
continuing training for Lektors not placed
by the DAAD (so-called "local Lektors").
The "local Lektors" programme
meanwhile addresses some 600 Lektors around
the world.
The Lektor programme is complemented by
the Language Assistants scholarship programme.
This enables young graduates who studied German
studies or German as a foreign language to work
together with Lektors and so gain practical
teaching experience and intercultural skills.
The DAAD President awarded the Jacob- und Wilhelm-Grimm
Preis for the ninth time in the year under report.
The 2003 award went to the Japanese Germanist
and Goethe researcher, Professor Dr. Naoji Kimura,
who has been outstanding in building cultural
bridges between East Asia and Germany.
The prizewinner is co-editor of the Jahrbuch
für internationale Germanistik, Vice-President
of the Japanese Goethe Society and corresponding
member of the Deutsche Akademie für Sprache
und Dichtung.
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