The article discusses the limiting of free speech permissions in Germany’s criminal code and the controversies arising from these legal guardrails. Titled “Informed by its Dark Past, Free Speech is Uniquely Curtailed in Germany,” Schmitter-Emerson’s article is the first publication to come out of a new partnership between the Department of German Studies and Release Peace, a non-profit, non-partisan organization headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, that focuses on armed violence and conflict prevention.
Through the partnership, German Studies students can write essays on current topics and have them published in the organization’s online magazine, which is widely read by professionals and scholars in international relations. They receive comprehensive support from the magazine’s editors every step along the way.
Schmitter-Emerson was attracted to the mentorship program because it offered “a unique occasion to participate in international dialogue.” She says her topic came equal parts out of her German Studies coursework and her experiences studying abroad in Berlin. She took Prof. Fuechtner’s advanced seminar “German Humor (Not an Oxymoron)!,” which, among other things, addresses how contemporary German comedy navigates the Shoa. Schmitter-Emerson adds, “I wanted to investigate how that dialogue is governed, thereby applying theoretical analysis to my lived experiences of the country.”
The writing and publishing process was gratifying. Schmitter-Emerson enjoyed “a lot of creative liberty,” and adapting to the format of the journal encouraged her “to try out new stylistic variation” in her writing. The Department of German Studies is looking forward to future articles written by its students in partnership with Release Peace.