Time to Register...

.... for your exams!

It's that time of the year again. The semester is coming to an end and it's time to register for your "Modulabschlussprüfugen".

Before you start writing a paper, make sure you're actually registered for it! 

Every BA and MA Student needs to register for every *Modulabschlussprüfung* (term papers and exams) directly with Philprom via the QIS/LSF page.

Here are this semester's dates from the Philprom for BA American Studies, MA American Studies, BA English Studies and MA ALCM. The Philprom now also offers a step-by-step instruction on how to register using the QIS/LSF system. (scroll down to find the winter term)

Remember you can also back out of registered exams if you feel like you won't be able to make it or if you'd rather do it again next semester. But if you don't register, you won't get any credit points for the module!

Writing Center - now open!

The Writing Center will open on Monday, November 10th. 
This semester's opening times are:

mondays 2 - 5 p.m. 

thursdays 12 - 2 p.m. 

more sessions and extra sessions for the holidays will be announced separately.

You can visit the writing center for informatio and support for all your written assignments, be it term papers, essays or applications for your study abroad! We will be closed in the last week of December, but open in the first week of January as well as all of February. Extra dates for March will be announced on the door of *room 16*

The Writing Center is a teaching and learning workplace, not a "fix-it" shop or an editing service, but we can help you become a better writer. Long-term, the Writing Center's mission is to help students become independent learners and writers, building their confidence and helping them develop writing tools for learning on their own.

We're located at IG 3.256. Sign-up sheets for 30-minute sessions are on the door, but feel free to simply knock and see if one of us is free to work with you!

Don't be shy, stop by! :) And remember: "The most productive change most students need to make in working on their essays is to begin writing sooner" - Yale Writing Center

Welcome class of 2016 and 2017!

The new semester is already in full swing and you might be new to the IEAS. Please feel free to browse the blog for information and tipps and tricks concerning classes, guest lectures and other activities at the Institute for English and American Studies.


If you're looking for information on
 - The Reader
 - How to write an essay or a term paper and where to find the Writing Center
 - Class registration
 - the examination registrations and Philprom
 - frequently used Abbreviations
 - all your food options on campus
 - Uni Sports

go check out the previous blog entries about those topics or browse through the "General Information" label on the right. Please note that some of the links might be for last semester, but you can always change the semester in the QIS/LSF for example by clicking on the button on the top right of the screen! We'll be updating this site regularly as the semester progesses, but also keep your eyes open for posters and other announcements around the IEAS on floors 3 and 4. And good luck with your studies.

Welcome to Frankfurt!

Are you looking for a job?

Whether you're looking for a job as a *Werksstudent*, an Internship that fits into you studies, or just a part time job to fill up your savings box, the University might actually be able to help you.

Check out the Career Center and look through the ads to find the job you're looking for. They can also help you with application training, job interview training and job fairs at university.

The Career Center also offers workshops and coaching! Check out their Website and klick on *Zusatzqualifikationen* to learn more.

If you prefer face-to-face counseling, you can find the Career Center on the ground floor of the HZ (right next to *Sturm & Drang*) and talk to them directly during their opening hours mondays and thursdays 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Writing Center opening times in the summer break

You have to write a term paper and have no idea what to write about? Or you've already started writing but you'd love to have some feedback? Come see us at the Writing Center!

Opening hours for the Semester Break are:

Monday, July 21 2-4 p.m.

Thursday, July 24 2-4 p.m.

Monday, September 8 2-4 p.m.

Tuesday, September 9 2-4 p.m. 

Sign-up sheets are on the door of room 16, or you can just stop by and see if we can fit you in spontaneously!

Good luck with your papers and enjoy the summer!

Abbreviations

Many things in your schedule or in the seminar descriptions might look like hieroglyphics when you first get here, but there is a way to decipher all these abbreviations. The A-Journal provides a list with the most important abbreviations in their current issue, and we've copied them onto this blog for you.


E = Einführung (Introductory Seminar)
E/V = Die Kombinationsform Einführung/Vorlesung (a combination of seminar and lecture)
V = Vorlesung (lecture)
IS = Independent Study (in AS/American Studies)
Ü = Übung (exercise)
BAS oder Sprax = Sprachpraktische Veranstaltungen / Fremdsprachliche Kommunikation (Integrated language skills)
S = Seminar
KQ = Kolloquium,
N.N. = nomen niminandum (=Veranstaltungsleiter steht noch nicht fest)
P = Proseminar
PM = Practical module (BA and MA)
PR = Praktikum (Lehramt)
QS = Qualifizierungsseminar

c.t. = cum tempore, (the seminar starts at quarter past the hour)
s.t. = sine tempore: the seminar starts on the hour
SWS = Semesterwochenstunden (hour-count per week (most seminars have 2 SWS))

Abbreviations for locations on Campus:

NG = Nebengebäude (the little annex next to the IG- Farben house)
Cas = Casino (there are seminar rooms on the second floor, facing the IG Farben house)
NM = Neue Mensa (Sozialzentrum Uni-Campus Bockenheim)

HZ = Hörsaal-Zentrum
HoF = House of Finance
PEG = Pädagogik, Erziehungswissenschaften, Gesellschaftswissenschaften; the new building next to the HZ on the right

PG = Präsidiumsgebäude
RuW = Rechts- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften, next to the HoF
SP = the new seminar pavillon Westend at the corner of Hansaallee and Miquelallee

If there are other abbreviations you'd like us to *translate*, leave a comment and let us know!

Hungry?!

Every student knows that is hard to stay focused with an empty stomach. And when your stomach starts to make some crazy noises, you know it is time to get something tasty between your teeth.

The good news is that there are several places on Campus Westend where you can grab a bite to eat:

Many students enjoy eating at the Mensa Casino, which opens from 11.30 a.m. to  3 p.m.. Students have the chance to chose between one of several meals offered (always including a vegetarian alternative). The menu changes daily, expect for the barbecue counter, where you can enjoy a nice steak right from the grill.  Additionally, fresh salads and desserts are offered everyday.

If you rather have an appetite for Pasta and Pizza, the place for you to go is Anbau Casino.

This mensa opens from  11 a.m. to 15.30 p.m. and is located in the same builing as the Mensa Casino (facing the Hörsaalzentrum). But arrange enough time, it can become very crowded around noon.

 How about a nice burger? Sounds good?! Then visit the Casino Cafeteria, located in the first floor in the Casino building. This place is famous for its tasty burgers, but don't worry - vegetarians are also very welcome to come! The cafeteria opens from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Mon-Thu) and 11 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. (Fri).

If the sun is shining and you want to take your break outside, the Sommergarten is the place for you to go (right next to the Mensa Casino). Here, you can enjoy a Bratwurst or steak from the barbecue counter or pick a meal from the daily changing menu. You can visit the Sommergarten from 3.30 p.m. to 10 p.m. +.

Nowadays, it is getting more and more important to know where your food comes from.

Sustainability and regionality are priority in the Cafeteria DASEIN. Good food for good taste!You can come and eat from 7.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the P.E.G. Building. Enjoy!

You don't have much time or just need a little snack? Go to Café Rotunde in the IG-Farbenhaus! There you can find the best sandwiches and bagels on campus! It is open from 7.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. (Mon-Fri) and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Sat).

You are able to pay in cash or with your Goethe-Card in all facilities. Just make sure that you charge your card with enough money at one of the several vending machines on campus (unfortunately most of them only accept ATM cards).

Want to know today's menu?

Check out:

www.studentenwerkfrankfurt.de/essen-trinken/speiseplaene.html

or use the Frankfurt Mensa app for your smartphone! But don't rely on it too much, changes are always possible!

The Writing Center

The Semester is in full swing and it's time to worry about the first essays and term papers? If you feel like you want or need to talk to someone about your idea, brainstorm titles, work on your thesis, structure your paper, or if you have already written something and would like to hear a second opinion, come see us at the Writing Center!


The Writing Center is a teaching and learning workplace, not a "fix-it" shop or an editing service, but we can help you become a better writer. Long-term, the Writing Center's mission is to help students become independent learners and writers, building their confidence and helping them develop writing tools for learning on their own.

We're located at IG 3.256 and open mondays and wednesdays from 2 - 5 p.m., and tuesdays from 2 - 4 starting next week. Sign-up sheets for 30-minute sessions are on the door, but feel free to simply knock and see if one of us is free to work with you!

Don't be shy, stop by! ;) And remember: "The most productive change most students need to make in working on their essays is to begin writing sooner" - Yale Writing Center

Athletics - Hochschulsport

The new Semester also means that the new schedules and workshop dates are online. You can participate in a wide range of team sports, workout groups and courses, anything from Aerobics to Zumba! Some courses, like Tennis training, requier an individual registration at predetermined meetings, other sports can be registered online, or by visiting the trainings.

Aerobics and team sports are usually 10 Euros per semester, Tennis, Fitness and various other special offers, like using the beach volleyball or tennis facilities, cost more.

Here is the A - Z sports program for this semester. Simply go through it or click on the letter for the sport you're interested in for more information. You can also register online by following this link.

In addition, there are various excursions that you can register for:
25.05. - 01.06.2014 Segelwoche 'Elba'
02.08. - 21.08.2014 Wandern in Fjord-Norwegen
24.08. - 29.08.2014 Kitesurfkurs in Warms
31.08. - 05.09.2014 Kitesurfkurs in Warms
17.09. - 29.09.2014 Tauchen 'Korsika'
04.10. - 11.10.2014 Segeltörn 'Kroatien'

as well as tournaments and workshops (Anti-Stress, Gesellschaftstanz, Folkloretänze, Klettern, modernes Ballett, Rückenbalance, Selbstbehauptung). You can find the workshops by clicking on the A-Z sports program and then click on "W" for workshops!

Most of the venues are at the Goethe University Sport Campus at Ginnheimer Landstraße 39. To get there, take the subway 6 or 7 to "Kirchplatz" or the tram 16 to "Frauenfriedenskirche"

Some courses are taking place in local schools. Simply check the course description for details. 

Go to http://web.uni-frankfurt.de/hochschulsport/ for general infos.

The "Reader"

In time to the start of the new semester, here's some information about the infamous "reader" you might have to buy for some of your seminars.

A "reader" is a collection of xeroxed course material that is reassembled for every semester individually. Many seminars, ILS courses and introductory classes work with readers, because it is great for collecting the required reading for your class. Check the class description in the "Vorlesungsverzeichnis" (university calender) to see if your seminars are accompanied by a reader. Usually, the instructors send out an email to tell you you're registered for their class and also to let you know when and where you can get the reader.

The readings in the reader are usually mandatory for the respective class, so make sure you buy it early enough and get a head start!
Most readers are already available in the last week of the break or the first week of the semester. You can buy most of them at the copyshop Skript & Kopie at Wolfgangstraße. Here's a google maps plan of how to get there:

You see it's very close to the university and very easy to get there.
Leave the IG-Farben Haus through the main entrance and walk down to the bus stop.
Cross the street and walk down Parkstraße.
On the next corner, turn right into Wolfgangstraße.
The copyshop is at the end of the block in the corner house on the left.

Most readers will be available here. There are lists with the names of the instructors and the titles of the courses. Simply pick the course you are taking (e.g. Writing Skills) and the respective instructor (e.g. Peggy Preciado) and tell the nice people behind the counter the number of that reader as  printed on the list. Please not that the copyshop only takes cash; you cannot pay with your debit card there. 

Have a successful summer term! 

The "PhilProm"

Today's post aims to explain the purpose and usage of the "Philosophische Promotionskommission" or Philprom for short. They are in charge of all administrative duties concerning your study program, exams, final thesis and credit points, so if you want to suceed in your studies, try and become familiar with the system asap.

I would advise you to put the link to the Philprom website in your favorites, because you will have to go back there a couple of times during your studies. The Philprom website has many useful information for your studies in Frankfurt, starting with your "Prüfungsordnung" examination regulations. So let's go through the website and the offered functions step by step.

Examination Regulations - Prüfungsordnung

Everything you need to know about classes, seminars, term papers and other requirements concerning your studies can be found in the Examination Regulations. This is also the place where you can check word counts, requirements for regulations concerning your final exam and thesis and other useful information about your course of study. Make sure you read the Regulations carefully at the beginning of your studies and become familiar with them. I even recommend printing them out and maybe even highlighting the things that will be important for you (like regulations concerning your "Modulabschlussprüfung" or how your final grade will be formed).


The Examination Regulation can be found on the Philprom Website by clicking on the header "studium" then "Bachelor" or "Master" and then "Prüfungsordnung"


An overview of all study Programs will open. Click on your course of study (I chose BA American Studies Hauptfach) for this demonstration) and the Examination Regulations will open. As I said, you can look up everything here, from word count to seminars you have to take, focus areas you can choose from and things you can do for your Optionalbereich.

This is the link to the Prüfungsordnung BA American Studies Hauptfach

and for the English Studies Hauptfach

Unfortunately, the examination regulations for the Master courses are still not online :/

Examination deadlines and registration info

Another very important function on the Philprom website is an overview of all relevant deadlines for your examination registration for every semester. Remember that you have to register online for every exam and term paper you want to hand in (not for essays or presentations, but for every "Modulabschlussprüfung). The dates and times as well as the required exam registration numbers and a step-by-step instruction of how to register online can be found under the following links for the respective study Programs:

Bachelor American Studies (HF) deadlines and registrations
(deadlines are the same for the American Studies NF)
Master American Studies exam deadlines and registrations

Bachelor English Studies (HF) deadlines and registrations
(deadlines are the same for the American Studies NF)
Master Anglophone Literature, Culture and Media deadlines

Moving Cultures Master deadlines and registration

Always check back on these pages (especially towards the end of the semester) so you won't miss any deadlines! If you don't register for a class/term paper/ Modulprüfung, you won't get any credit points for that class!!!

Anmeldung zur Bachelorprüfung/Anmeldung zur Masterprüfung

Last but not least, here are the links for the formulas you will need to register for your BA and MA thesis. Note: You have to fill in the form "Antragsformular English/American Studies Bachelorprüfung/Masterprüfung im Haupt/Nebenfach" (depending on your personal course of study) in your first semester BEFORE you register for any exams to open your credit points account. If you don't fill out that form, you won't be able to collect credit points! Once you're ready to register for your actual BA or MA thesis, you have to fill out the form "Anmeldeformular English/American Studies Bachelor/Masterarbeit"

Forms for BA students (pick your course of study to find the apropriate formulars)
Forms for MA Students (click on your program to find the apropriate formulars)

If you have any further questions, feel free to leave a comment or ask the Philprom directly :)

How to register for (most) classes online

Especially if you are new at the university, registering for classes can be difficult and most of the mandatory introductory classes are already full. But don't worry, you can take them next semester :)

You can register for some of the seminars and all of the (also mandatory) ILS courses online by logging into your own QIS account. This account is very important and contains all necessary administrative tools you need to sucessfully register for classes, tests, term papers and check if you've already paid your semester fee. You can also check your grades online once they were submitted to the *Philprom*

Here's the link to the system: The QIS LSF System

To log in, simply use your student ID (e.g. s12345) and your HRZ password (the password the university sent you when you were accepted into the program)

Whether you're logged in or not, the QIS system is also where you can check the current *Vorlesungsverzeichniss* and plan your schedule for next year. But since you can also create your own schedule and safe it online once you're logged in, it makes sense to always log in right away ;)

Once you're logged in, you'll automatically see all the administrative functions, like *Prüfungsverwaltung* and such. But since this post is about registering for classes, go ahead and click on *Veranstaltungen*

and then click on *Vorlesungsverzeichnis* to get to the official class registry for the current semester.

Choose Fachbereich 10 then Anglistik und Amerikanistik and your degree (English or American Studies, BA or MA) and pick the class you want to register for.
Sometimes you can register via mail or you have to sign into a list; if that's the case, the instructions for registration will be written under the header "Vorraussetzungen". Just send the professor an email then ;) But make sure to send out your emails as soon as possible so your place in the seminars you're interested in is guaranteed!!!

If you can register for this class online, you will see the comment "Die Veranstaltung ist belegpflichtig in QIS-LSF" under the header "Voraussetzungen" in your course description. If this is the case, look for the button where it says "jetzt belegen/anmelden" and click on it. 

The next site will show you an overview of the chosen course and this is the last step to registering. For the ILS courses, you can choose a priority (the one you want to take is priority 1, but also choose two more just in case you don't get into the one you want) Now click on "Platz beantragen" and you will be registert for this class. 

However, since we have many students, this class might be full and you have to check back to see if you actually got in. 

One more thing: ILS classes (and this includes writing skills) are mandatory for all students pursuing a Bachelors or a Masters Degree at the IEAS. BA students taking English or American Studies as their minor (Nebenfach) need to take at least 3 ILS classes, BA students taking English or American Studies in their major need to take 4. Since ILS classes are always full, make sure to register early and also give priority 2 and 3, since you only have 6 semesters to complete those four classes :)

Master Students in Anglophone Literature, Culture and Media and American Studies have to register for an ILS 3 course. Unfortunately, you cannot find them in the masters program (this will be fixed soon hopefully) but you can find them in the "Magister" program and register for them all the same. Here's the link for this semester's classes: ILS 3 link for Master Students

Welcome at the Institute for English and American Studies!

This blog is supposed to act as a manual for new and visiting students. We (a group of students currently enrolled at Goethe University) will try to shed some light on the workings of Goethe University's administration as well as offer help with organizational questions concerning your studies. In addition, we will update this page with news around the IEAS, student projects you can join or follow and current and future conferences that might be interesting for you.

If you are a Bachelor- or Master Student or are thinking about studying English Studies, American Studies, Anglophone Literature, Culture and Media, or Moving Cultures at Goethe University in Frankfurt, this blog is made for you!

You can use the labels or the archive (on your right) or the search button (on your left) to find what you are looking for. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment and we'll get back to you as soon as possible!

We will fill this site with updates and helpful links as soon as possible, just be patient with us and follow our blog!