Search

Germanic Languages and Literature became an independent department at the University of Michigan in 1887, prior to that German language was taught under Modern Languages. Course offerings expanded to include German, Swedish, Norwegian, Gothic, Netherlands, and Yiddish. Departmental records pertaining to curriculums staffing, events, faculty, and the operation of the department. Minutes date from 1929 to 1941, and 1985-2000. Faculty files include William H. Bennett, Francis Brown, Martin Dyck, John W. Eaton, Emery George, Otto Graf, Leta Lewis, Henry Nordmeyer, Clarence K. Pott, Walter Reichart, Alice Tramm, Frederick B. Wahr, and Norman Willey.

Records from the University of Michigan Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures were received in three accessions from the department in 2005, 2006, and 2008. The material is described as one collection and is primarily comprised of records related to departmental administrative functions, events and publications, curriculum, and faculty. Files document departmental meetings, graduate and undergraduate curriculum, rotational reviews, staffing plans, personnel information, and faculty.

The records measure 1.6 linear feet, and date from 1929 to 2009, with the majority of materials from the period between 1945 and 1980. The records are primarily comprised of correspondence, minutes, personnel materials, and administrative files and are arranged into five series: Administrative, Curriculum, Events, Publications, and Faculty.

Records of the University of Michigan Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. The collection contains administrative and topical files of the Department, records of associated student organizations, photographs, and audio material. Of particular note is the extensive run of photographs (1908-1955) of photographs of the Cercle Français' annual French-language play.

The records of the Department of 77Romance Language provide some documentation of the administration of the department and several student organizations including Sigma Delta Pi, the Sociedad Hispanica and the Cercle Français. This record group is divided into five series: Department Administration, Faculty Information, Student Organizations, Topical, and Audio-Visual.

Thomas Scovel was born in Jining, China in 1939. He worked as a professor of linguistics, publishing numerous books and articles on the subject. The collection consists of three photo albums from the 1979 trip that Scovel and his family took to China. Photographs document the classes that Scovel and his wife, Janene, taught in the country as well as some of the people that the family met during the trip.

The Thomas Scovel photo albums consist of three photograph albums from Scovel, documenting his 1979 trip to China. Photographs are of Thomas and his wife, Janene, as they taught children the English language at the Tientsin Foreign Languages Institute. Other photographs show the places that the family visited, like Scovel’s childhood home, as well as the events they attended, and the family’s daily routines. Some of the photographs are accompanied by description of the events from Scovel.