Please note that this course has been rescheduled from May 22 to May 5, from 10 am to 11:30 am.

While traveling in Germany or reading the newspaper, have you ever wondered why Germany’s most powerful politician is the Chancellor and not its President? And why does it take months after an election to find out who will form the next government? Learn about the German political system and understand the differences between our structure of checks and balances and Germany‘s federal organization. On your next visit, you will be able to have spirited conversations with your German hosts about the pros and cons of Jamaica and Kenya coalitions!

Instructor: Michael Büsges came to the United States from his native Germany in 1985 and pursued graduate studies in German literature at Rutgers University. He later became an assistant professor at The Catholic University in Washington, D.C., where he taught German literature, culture, and language. In the late 1990s, he switched fields and worked in information technology and led software implementations at universities in Maryland and Houston and finally at Penn State, where he served for 11 years as senior director and interim vice president for information technology and chief information officer, before retiring in 2023.