German thinker focus of international conference

A UW–Madison conference expected to offer new insight into the relationship between language and ideas will draw participants from Portugal, France, Canada, Australia and Russia, as well as Germany and the United States.

The international conference, “Language, Knowledge and Cognition in J.G. Herder,” will examine the contributions of one of Germany’s most influential thinkers in the 18th century.

According to Hans Adler, chair of the UW–Madison Department of German, many of Herder’s ideas evolved into Romanticism, a movement in music, art and literature whose effects are still felt today through celebration of feelings and emotions.

The conference will begin Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union with a reception and opening remarks by Yvonne Ozzello, associate dean for the humanities in UW–Madison’s College of Letters and Science. Juergen Trabant from the Free University of Berlin, Germany will deliver the keynote address, “Communication and Cognition.” He will speak Sept. 17 at 9 a.m. on Van Hise’s 19th floor. The rest of the conference papers will be presented through Sept. 20 at the Memorial Union; check Today in the Union for room locations.

The conference, in English and German, will be free and open to the public. For more information or a brochure, call the department, 262-2192.