PreambleThe 1992 special “Focus on Diversity” issue of Die Unterrichtspraxis / Teaching German25(2) is widely recognized as a moment of hope, reckoning, and urgency for the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) and its members. That moment appeared to herald a future in which Scholars of Color, women, LGBT people, Jewish people, refugees, immigrants, non-native speakers, and low-income learners would meaningfully count—not as peripheral topics to be discussed and included, but as core makers of the consciousness of German Studies. Not only would our future students, teachers and leaders openly oppose antisemitism, as well as anti-Muslim and anti-Black racism in post-Wall Germany; they would also teach and learn from the work of Scholars of Color, while critically reassessing their own positions in structures of power that weighed heavily on others. Nearly 30 years later, and despite much effort undertaken, we find that this future remains announced, but not enacted. The problematic notion that racialized and minoritized users and learners of German should be recruited and retained for the sake of enrollment has remained the norm. Indeed, efforts today towards diversity still appear opportunistic and fear-driven, directed more toward an effort to “save German Studies” than toward creating a more just world. The ongoing work to dismantle the ethnonationalist underpinnings of the field—particularly the work undertaken by Scholars of Color—has meanwhile been marginalized in the organization. Furthermore, we now acknowledge that a focus on religious, ethnic, class, and sexual diversity in the past may have neglected additional kinds of diversity that should also be represented, such as people with dis/abilities, as well as transgender, gender-fluid and gender non-conforming folx. We are a collective of German and German Studies teachers and scholars calling for the organization to set aside diversity-messaging in favor of honest, practical work to dismantle white supremacy, which we understand as the “political, economic and cultural system in which whites overwhelmingly control power and material resources, [where] conscious and unconscious ideas of white superiority and entitlement are widespread, and [where] relations of white dominance and non-white subordination are daily reenacted across a broad array of institutions and social settings” (Ansley 1989: 1024). And such white supremacy is often coupled with heteronormativity, misogyny, and ableism to reinforce a homogenous vision of Germany and German Studies. We acknowledge and appreciate the complex historical, financial, logistical, and political conditions under which volunteer leaders in the AATG work. Still, we can no longer accept the notion that any and all efforts at diversity are virtuous, especially when these are not conceived collaboratively with Scholars of Color and with other marginalized and marked scholars whom the organization wishes to represent. The inherent value of defending the teaching of “foreign languages” in a so-called monolingualist United States is not sufficient justification for our representative organizations’ ambivalence and acquiescence toward ethnonationalism, settler colonialism, racist ideologies and uncritical reproduction of spaces and practices that create a hostile environment to marginalized people. Nor does the “foreign-language teaching setting” give justification for the patterns of cultural appropriation—of hip-hop, coffee culture, and klezmer, for instance—the likes of which have been shown to be unethical, as well as pedagogically unsound, in other areas of US American education. Celebrating ethnonational identity with flag-and-castle-emblazoned promotional materials, with a little multikulti on the side, is too high an ethical price to pay for a boost in enrollments. We put forth the following ten-point plan, so that the next 30 years of work in institutional organizing in German Studies in the United States can imagine and enact the justice and critical consciousness our learners at all levels deserve. We want learners and teachers of very different backgrounds and experiences to truly become free to dwell at, and as, the essential core of the field’s commitments, and not just be “welcomed” through peripheral diversity initiatives. While the current focus of the plan emphasizes ethnic, racial and religious diversity, we recognize that in the future we need to incorporate more inclusive language to address further issues of diversity that cannot be contained in this umbrella. 1. As elsewhere, teachers and researchers in German Studies must work to DISMANTLE WHITE SUPREMACY, in part by learning deeply from the works of Scholars of Color. The theme of racism can’t enter a space first when People of Color do.It cannot be the responsibility of Scholars of Color to fix racism in organizations and institutional settings, when we/they already combat racism regularly in our/their own positions and lives, in and out of academe and schools. White teachers and scholars need to read, promote, and respond thoughtfully to the work of Teachers and Scholars of Color—on curriculum, on toxic work environments, on tokenization, and on all of the other diversity-unrelated research we/those scholars conduct. German Studies research by Scholars of Color is not there to fulfill diversity imperatives; it is there to transform the field and the world. • The organization’s personnel can become willing to be transformed by the work of Scholars and Teachers of Color in German Studies. An essential reading list of this work is included at the end of this document. • There are indeed some People of Color who are professional experts in diversity consulting. Hire them and pay them well, but also note they have other passions and commitments beyond helping predominantly white institutions face the facts of their history and present. 2. We want the organizations that represent us to REJECT ETHNONATIONAL MESSAGING.Both the US and Germany, currently and historically, are sites of genocidal, colonial, and nationalist violence. While the German, Swiss, Austrian, and US governments may continue to disseminate white supremacist imagery and enforce white supremacist structures, our professional organizations must hold themselves to a higher critical and ethical standard. • Flags, Oktoberfest, “rent-a-German”, and other trappings of Heimat-nationalism—innocuous-seeming, or even cheerful, to many white teachers at first glance—reinforce a history of racism, enslavement, and colonial settlement, while also erasing the true historical diversity of the lives that make up the subject of German Studies. • The organization can promote teaching units (biographical readings, literary texts, videos, interviews, etc.) that focus on experiences of People of Color in German-speaking countries for levels K-16 and beyond. Young learners are just as capable of honestly facing these complex histories as are adult experts; indeed, it is our job to teach these complexities. • Calls for Unterrichtspraxis, German Quarterly, and other institutional endeavors should always be designed so as to seek to engage representation from Scholars of Color. 3. Being an organization of teachers, we want the AATG leadership to use its power to EXTEND CRITICAL FEEDBACK TO PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS and reject alliances with those institutions designed or administered around colonial projects and purposes.Our organization needs not only to transform itself internally, but to agitate for change in what our partner institutions and counterpart organizations are doing, especially when sharing or accepting materials from these organizations. This means providing persistent feedback and critical friendship, supporting and emboldening justice-and-equity-oriented work, but ultimately rejecting promotional materials that the membership deems unsuitable and complicit with racism and ethnonationalism (see point 2 above). • Our organization should reach out to organizations like the Black German Heritage and Research Association (BGHRA) and the German Studies Association’s (GSA) Black Diaspora Studies or Asian German Studies Networks, and offer real support to develop sustained, equitable partnerships. • These partnerships can develop projects specifically designed to support Black German Studies, Queer German Studies, Migration Studies, Ethnic Studies, Women’s Studies and Black, Queer, Migrant, Refugee, Women students and teachers. Symposia and curriculum development scholarships should earmark support for Black, Queer, Migrant, Refugee, and Women scholars in their various fields. 4. We want the AATG to RECOMMIT TO ANTI-NAZI and ANTI-RACIST WORK today. The US, Germany, and Austria are post-genocidal societies that currently house resurgent fascist movements, a fact that North American organizations must vigilantly recognize.The Nazis intensified the racialization of the German language, and destroyed and murdered 90% of German-speaking Jewry—not to mention 4.5 million Yiddish-speaking Jews, who made up 85-90% of the European population and roughly half of Yiddish speakers worldwide. This genocide was also a linguacide and an epistemicide. Furthermore, the Nazis systemically persecuted and murdered queer people. They also systemically persecuted and murdered Sinti and Roma and systemically pursued disabled people and subjected them to forced sterilization and murder. Yet, these indelible facts are less and less reflected in what AATG and the majority of German organizational programming superficially refer to as Vergangenheitsbewältigung. The US is a nation founded on the exploitation and murder of Indigenous peoples and slaves. The German settlements in the US are part of an extensive network of exploitation and genocide, linguicide, and epistemicide. Ours is a historical moment when knowledge about racialized fascism needs to be deepened, not soft-pedaled. • An anti-racist stance would also seek to account for the organization’s own various positions on race and racism-in-language (including linguistic imperialism and the attempted extirpation of Yiddish) since its inception in 1926. • An anti-racist stance would mean helping members, teachers, and learners develop skills around identifying racism and white supremacy in promotional materials that use diversity-messaging for profit, rather than for justice. 5. Whether volunteer or paid, WHITE-ONLY LEADERSHIP IS NEVER AN OPTION in the twenty-first century in our representative organizations, nor is mere leadership by People of Color a silver bullet for overcoming white supremacy.Colleagues with specialty in and advocacy for diversity, inclusion, and anti-colonization should be engaged for more powerful positions (e.g., on executive and advisory boards, etc.). White AATG executives and personnel must be trained in an ongoing way in racism, anti-colonization, and the interactional phenomena of white fragility (DiAngelo 2011). People from underrepresented groups should be recruited for leadership positions. • Resources and training materials on identifying and dismantling white supremacy should be available and accessible for all levels of the membership and for all ages of learners. • In order to communicate better with the entire membership, leaders of the organization need to attend Alle lernen Deutsch committee meetings and take that committee’s guidance on a range of structural, personnel, and curricular questions and issues. • The organization’s leadership should invite a comprehensive external review of racism and white supremacy within the organization, over the course of its history. • By its centennial in 2026, the organization should be able to report back on the positive impact these steps above will have demonstrated for members and constituents. 6. Our organization’s personnel must MODEL GOOD INTERACTIONAL / INSTITUTIONAL BEHAVIOR, giving up defensiveness and other symptoms of white fragility that get in the way of meaningful impact for Students and Scholars of Color.Being a Scholar of Color requires life-long stamina—a fact of experience that white leaders can indeed learn from. Part of the experience of cultivating stamina and tolerance for discomfort means that white leaders become willing not just to amplify virtuous and uncontroversial efforts toward diversity, nor to focus just on the negative effects of specific persons’ actions, but rather assessing—in a sober, fearless way—the structures of the organization that have perpetuated racist practices. Especially when one’s first impulse is to defend the organization or to correct misperceptions, leaders need to focus on listening for opportunities to respond to critical feedback, with questions like “What can we do about this?”, “How has this impacted you, and others?”, and “What can we enable our membership to do about this?” • The organization can seek out ways to challenge the organization’s traditional framing of Germanness / German culture, and this framing’s passive reliance on linguistic nativism or the fortification of white interests. • The organization should respond to organizational criticism not with personal defensiveness or an insistent need for reassurance, but with an energetic courage to dialogue in uncomfortable and unsettling ways that will yield true growth. Leaders should ask for help when the circumstances require, which is often. • The organization should sponsor anti-racism workshops at local and national levels, especially for white instructors. • The organization should develop a clear feedback structure and a response/accountability protocol for members to use. It should establish clear channels for critical feedback, which may begin at the national or chapter levels. It can utilize the website to provide organizational feedback and criticism. • The organization should respond to criticism and issues of racism as they occur, and publicly (potentially on the website) so as to engage, and model engagement, in an open manner. • The organization must recognize that many people in precarious positions may well be cautious about voicing specific concerns publicly, despite insistent pleas from the more powerful that they do so. Anonymity is more important for some than for others. Tenured professors have more of a responsibility than do graduate students and student teachers for calling attention to inequity, violence, or misrepresentation. • The organization should establish spaces where People of Color, graduate students and contingent labor, and other underrepresented and marginalized groups, can voice concern and provide critiques without fear of professional retribution. • The organization can ask the membership to help undertake these transformations, rather than assuming the burden is on leadership alone. 7. EMPOWER ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITTEES for autonomous, supported work and real impact.Committee work within the organization around ending white supremacy, accounting for colonialism, and in developing partnerships with Organizations of Color should be supported by the leadership and be informed by the AATG membership at large. • The organization can afford resources, autonomy, and funding to the Alle lernen Deutsch committee, so the members have power to effect change for real diversity, including in committee composition. • Committee members should recruit and retain their cohort semi-autonomously, as opposed to a top-down approach. • The organization should provide Alle lernen Deutsch committee with funding to coordinate workshops for white educators to examine the microaggressions they may perpetuate, and to acknowledge their own complicity in systems of inequity. • The organization can organize Alle lernen Deutsch-sponsored panels on constructions of whiteness in German history, German Studies and German programs in the United States. • The organization should articulate clear goals and actions for Alle lernen Deutsch and give them primary space in AATG future programming to make their discussion and actions a visible priority. • The committee may consider renaming/reforming Alle lernen Deutsch, if the committee finds it does not reflect a suitable message. • Again, the organization can ask the membership to help undertake these transformations, rather than assuming the burden is on leadership alone. 8. We must MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME on diversity in German Studies over the past quarter-century, so that we do not find ourselves with a white supremacy problem another thirty years from now.Diversity has been an explicit theme in German Studies since the 1980s, but the efforts have too often been sporadic, artificial, and opportunistic. While Scholars of Color have made many meaningful contributions towards transformation, they have been tokenized, minimized, and tone-policed. Well-meaning diversity initiatives (see Sara Ahmed in appendix) have focused on efforts rather than effects, affording white leaders reassurance rather than clarity. We must make up for lost time and carry out efforts on all fronts. • A special summit should be convened that would invite and pay People of Color, differently abled people, and queer constituents of the organization (at all ages) to present and identify concrete steps to move forward. • A conference with the objective of having AATG’s critical inventory (see Point 5) published by 2025, i.e. ready for its centennial, should be arranged and simulcast. 9. Our representative organization needs clear principles that are ETHICAL, COURAGEOUS, HEALING, and INCLUSIVE. The first priority of the organization should be commitment to anti-racism, diversity, inclusive access, and anti-colonization.The organization should evaluate its impact on minoritized groups by listening to them. It should cease defending past decisions from a place of white fragility, and instead acknowledge wrongs and areas of complicity, and work toward righting systemic injustices. • The organization can promote gender-just language. • The organization should focus on the community of people speaking German (as learners and users of various sorts), as opposed to upholding the myth of the German native speaker. • The organization should explicitly acknowledge how the organization has been structured around whiteness historically, and describe how that is going to be changed. • Review of proposals, projects, and grants at AATG should be evaluated based on rubrics that explicitly express diversity and other core justice principles of the organization. • The organization can envision what work it can do to advocate for institutional change to support and advocate for diverse faculty in the field, including around issues of insecure labor, tenure and promotion, etc. 10. Utilize real knowledge about real diversity, and recognize that it costs good money, just like anything else worth fighting for. PAY EXPERTS AND SCHOLARS OF COLOR for their knowledge, efforts and time.When engaging speakers and guest lecturers of Color, remember that their work as scholars, creative minds, and inquirers varies widely. It is not their responsibility, nor are they interested primarily in serving as fixers for institutional racism, diversity problems, and white supremacy. It is unethical to ask/invite People of Color to do the work of diversifying the organization and discipline without compensating them for their time. Do not ask People of Color to volunteer their time to do this work. Instead, pay experts trained in mediation and diversity, particularly those who come from Black German, People of Color, and Refugee scholarship traditions. Reading List"White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism" by Robin DiAngelo "Who Can Speak and Who Is Heard/Hurt: Facing Problems of Race, Racism, and Ethnic Diversity in the Humanities in Germany" eds. Mahmoud Arghavan, Nicole Hirschfelder, Luvena Kopp, Katharina Motyl "On Being Included" by Sara Ahmed "Living a Feminist Life" by Sara Ahmed "So you want to talk about Race" by Ijeoma Oluo "Written/Unwritten: Diversity and the Hidden Truths of Tenure" edited by Patricia Mathews "Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia" edited by Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs et. al. "Undeutsch" and "Schwarze Deutsche" by Fatima El-Tayeb "Habeas Viscus" by Alexander Weheliye "Remapping Black Germany" edited by Sara Lennox "‘... weil ihre Kultur so ist.’ Narrative des antimuslimischen Rassismus" by Yasemin Shooman ReferencesAnsley, Frances Lee. 1989. “Stirring the Ashes: Race, Class and the Future of Civil Rights Scholarship.” Cornell Law Review 74: 993ff. Signed byAdam J. Toth, Lecturer of German, University of North Carolina- Wilmington
Ervin Malakaj, Assistant Professor of German Studies, University of British Columbia Juliane Schicker, Assistant Professor of German, Carleton College Regine Criser, Assistant Professor of German, University of North Carolina Asheville Kathryn Sederberg, Assistant Professor of German, Kalamazoo College Emily Frazier-Rath, PhD Student, CU Boulder Silja Weber, Columbia University Elizabeth Nijdam Javier Samper Vendrell, Assistant Professor of German Studies, Grinnell College Beverly Weber, Associate Professor of German Studies, University of Colorado Boulder Vance Byrd, Associate Professor of German Studies, Grinnell College Dr. Vanessa Plumly, German Lecturer & Program Coordinator, SUNY New Paltz Emina Musanovic, PhD Tiffany Florvil, Assistant Professor of 20th Century European Women's and Gender History, University of New Mexico Katrin Bahr, UMass Amherst Meyer Weinshel, PhD Candidate, University of Minnesota Twin Cities Amanda Randall, Assistant Professor of German, St Olaf College Amy Young, Associate Professor of German, Central College Didem Uca, PhD Candidate, University of Pennsylvania Adrienne Merritt, FIR German, Oberlin Heike Polster, Associate Professor of German, University of Memphis Janice McGregor, Assistant Professor of German, University of Arizona Brett Sterling, Assistant Professor of German, University of Arkansas Rosemarie Peña, BGHRA President Seth Hulse, High School Teacher and College Adjunct, Travis HS (Richmond ,TX) and Houston Community College Maureen Gallagher, Visiting Assistant Professor of German, University of Pittsburgh Dylan Goldblatt, Instructional Assistant Professor of German, University of Mississippi Friederike Windel, PhD Student, CUNY Graduate Center Tiarra Cooper, UMass Amherst graduate student Sara Lennox, Professor Emerita, University of Massachusetts Amherst David Gramling, Associate Professor of German Studies, University of Arizona Lauren Hansen, Visiting Assistant Professor, New College of Florida Donald Muldrow Griffith Prof. Fountainhead Tanz Theatre, Black International Cinema Berlin, THE COLLEGIUM Forum & Television Program Berlin, FootPrints in the SandExhibition Berlin, Producer, Director, Choreographer, Moderator. Maria Grewe, John Jay College-CUNY Jason Williamson, Senior Lecturer, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Joela Jacobs, Assistant Professor of German Studies, University of Arizona Krsna Santos, PhD Candidate, Michigan State University Amanda Snell Jason Groves, Assistant Professor of Germanics, University of Washington Natasha A. Kelly, academic activist, author, artist Evan Torner, Assistant Professor of German, University of Cincinnati Beth Ann Muellner, Associate Professor, College of Wooster, Ohio Nadine Moore, Secondary ELA Teacher, DoDEA and German Studies student, Oregon State Nichole M. Neuman, Postdoctoral Fellow, Freie Universät Berlin Paul Buchholz, Assistant Professor of German Studies, Emory University Sonya Donaldson, Associate Professor of World Literature, New Jersey City University Vanessa Hester, PhD Student, German Language Instructor, University of Washington Mariah Ligas, Antietam MHS Andrea Bryant, PhD Candidate in German, Georgetown University Brenna Byrd, Assistant Professor, U of Kentucky Carol Anne Costabile-Heming, Professor of German, University of North Texas, AATG President (2010-2011) Lindsay Preseau, Assistant Professor - Educator of German, University of Cincinnati Catherine Grimm, Assistant Teaching Professor, Miami University Helga Druxes, Professor of German, Williams College Priscilla Layne, Associate Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Yuliya Komska Gabriel Cooper, Assistant Professor of German, Oberlin College Karen R. Achberger, Professor of German, St. Olaf College Sigrid Fertig, Lecturer of German, University at Buffalo Katherine Arens, Professor, U of Texas at Austin Kiley Kost, Graduate Instructor, University of Minnesota Gizem Arslan, Lecturer in German, Southern Methodist University Claire E. Scott, Teaching Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Hannah Vandegrift Eldridge, Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin - Madison Christiane Steckenbiller, Assistant Professor of German, Colorado College Petra Watzke, Visiting Assistant Professor of German, Skidmore College Ian W. Wilson, Associate Professor of German and Humanities, Centre College Nalan Erbil, PhD, Lecturer in Turkish, University of Wisconsin-Madison Tammis Thomas, Professor, University of Houston Downtown Necia Chronister, Associate Professor, Kansas State University Carola Daffner, Associate Professor of German, Southern Illinois University Carbondale Kristin Dickinson, Assistant Professor of German Studies, University of Michigan Chantelle Warner, Associate Professor, University of Arizona Doria Killian, PhD Candidate in German, Georgetown University Robin Ellis, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Virginia Arne Koch, Assoc Prof German and Dean of Global Engagement, Colby College Leigh York, PhD candidate, Cornell University Sabine Gross, Professor of German, University of Wisconsin-Madison Karin Maxey, Visiting Lecturer of German and Writing, Northeastern University Bradley Boovy, Assistant Professor, Oregon State University Carrie Collenberg-Gonzalez, Assistant Professor, Portland State University Jonathan Wipplinger, Associate Professor of German, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Devon Donohue-Bergeler, Senior Lecturer and Director of the German Program, University of Texas at San Antonio Olivia Albiero, Assistant Professor, San Francisco State University Kyle Frackman, Assistant Professor of German & Scandinavian Studies, University of British Columbia Maria Stehle, Associate Professor, University of Tennessee Knoxville Gabi Kathöfer, Associate Professor, University of Denver Sebastian Heiduschke, Associate Professor, Oregon State University Ilinca Iurascu, Assistant Professor, University of British Columbia Verena Hutter, Lecturer, Portland State University Andrea Schmidt, Instructor, Portland State University Angelica Fenner, Associate Professor, University of Toronto Laurie McLary, Professor of German, University of Portland Valerie Weinstein, Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati Daniel Gilfillan, Associate Professor, Arizona State University Heather I. Sullivan, Professor of German, Trinity University Sonja Fritzsche, Associate Dean and Professor of German, Michigan State University Bethany Wiggin Carrie Smith, Professor and Chair of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies, University of Alberta Susan Bernofsky, Associate Professor of Writing and Director, Literary Translation at Columbia, Columbia University Anna Zimmer, Assistant Professor of German, International Studies, & Honors, Northern Michigan University Lauren Shizuko Stone, Assistant Professor of German, CU Boulder Anna Holian, Associate Professor of Modern European History, Arizona State University Maggie Rosenau, PhD Candidate, CU Boulder Anna Parkinson, Associate Professor of German, Northwestern University Sara Hall, Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago Ashwin Manthripragada Rebekka White, Graduate Instructor, Florida State University Jamele Watkins, Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University Marion Gerlind, Director, Gerlind Institute for Cultural Studies Elizabeth Mittman, Associate Professor of German, Michigan State University Julie Shoults, Lecturer in German, Muhlenberg College Tianyi Kou, PhD Candidate, Michigan State University Leslie Morris, Professor of German, University of Minnesota Carol A. Leibiger, Associate Professor, University of South Dakota Erin McGlothlin, Associate Professor, Washington University in St. Louis Jill Suzanne Smith, Associate Professor of German, Bowdoin College Kate Brooks, PhD candidate, University of Minnesota Daniel Nemeth, MA Student, Michigan State University Steven Helock, Graduate Instructor, Florida State University Jette Gindner, PhD Candidate, Cornell University Sarah L. Richardson, PhD student, Anthropology, The George Washington University Helga Thorson, Associate Professor, University of Victoria Per Urlaub, Associate Professor & Associate Dean of the Language Schools, Middlebury College Michael Hutchins, Associate Professor of German and International Studies, Indiana University Southeast Jasmin Krakenberg, Visiting Lecturer in Germanics, University of Washington Scott Denham, Charles A. Dana Professor of German Studies, Davidson College Matt Harring, German Teacher, Plainfield South High School Elizabeth Bridges, Associate Professor of German, Rhodes College, President of the Coalition of Women in German Hester Baer, Associate Professor and Head of Germanic Studies, University of Maryland, College Park Charlotte Schallié, Associate Professor, University of Victoria Diane F. Richardson, Visiting Assistant Professor, US Military Academy West Point Hazel Rhodes, PhD student, Columbia University Friederike Fichtner, Assistant Professor, California State University, Chico Julie Larson-Guenette, Faculty Associate, University of Wisconsin-Madison Moritz W. Meutzner, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Minnesota David Limburg, Professor of German, Guilford College Burkhard Henke, Professor of German Studies, Davidson College Jennifer Zahrt, PhD, Honorary Research Fellow, University of Wales Trinity Saint David Barbara Nagel, Assistant Prof, Princeton Simon Schoch, PhD Student, NYU Helena Ruf, Director of Language Instruction, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Cori Crane, Associate Professor of the Practice and German Language Program Director, Duke University Brigetta (Britt) Abel, Assistant Professor (NTT) of German Studies, Macalester College Brigitte Woloszyn, Former High School Teacher of German Mary Allison, Instructional Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University Alison Phipps, Unesco Chair RILA, University of Glasgow Richard Watts, Associate Professor of French, University of Washington Seattle Jan Behrs, Visiting DAAD Professor, Northwestern University Yannleon Chen, PhD Candidate, University of Arizona Jeanne Schueller, Faculty Associate, Language Program Director and Director of Undergraduate Studies, WI-AATG Chapter President, University of Wisconsin-Madison Matthew J. Sherman, PhD Candidate, UT at Austin Stephanie Galasso, Visiting Assistant Professor, Brown University Andrea Dortmann, Language Program Director at New York University Nathan Taylor, wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter, Goethe University Frankfurt Alys George, Assistant Professor of German, New York University Jana Gierden, PhD Student & German Language Instructor, University of Minnesota Twin Cities Barbara Kosta, Professor and Head, University of Arizona Barbara Schmenk, Professor, University of Waterloo Britta Kallin, Associate Professor of German, Georgia Institute of Technology B. Venkat Mani, Professor of German and Director of Center for South Asia, University of Wisconsin-Madison Karin Bauer, Professor of German Studies, McGill University Tobias Wilczek, PhD Student, University of Toronto John L. Plews, Professor of German, Saint Mary's University Stefan Soldovieri, Associate Professor of German Miriam Rainer, PhD Candidate, Brown University Andreas Stuhlmann Karolina May-Chu, Assistant Professor of German, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Geoffrey Winthrop-Young, Professor and Head, University of British Columbia Peter Woods-Adjunct Professor of German, Diablo Valley College Ulrike Kugler, Deputy Director, Goethe-Institut Toronto Bryan Klausmeyer, Assistant Professor of German, Virginia Tech Friedhelm Bertulies, Assistant Professor, Daegu University Delene Case White, Lecturer of German, Keene State College Hunter Bivens, Associate Professor of Literature, UC Santa Cruz Katherine Bowers, Assistant Professor of Slavic Studies, University of British Columbia Jessica Wood, Lecturer of German, Northern Arizona University Holly Yanacek, Assistant Professor of German, James Madison University Dylan Lewis, German MA student, Texas Tech University Jeremy Redlich, Associate Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Fuji Women's University Grit Liebscher Tanvi Solanki, Assistant Professor of German & Comparative Literature, Yonsei University Melissa Elliot, PhD Candidate in German Studies, Michigan State University Gabriela Fischer, Language Lab Director, Instructor for German, Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Culture, Mount Allison University Karin James, Instructor, University of Manitoba Sun-Young Kim, Faculty Lecturer of German, McGill University Ilona Vandergriff, Professor of German, San Francisco State University Lisa Jennings, Director, Valparaiso Core Program, Valparaiso University Dr. Jessica Riviere, instructional consultant, the Ohio State University Sara Marsh, German Teacher and PhD Student, Germanic & Slavic Studies, University of Waterloo Michaela J. Ruppert Smith, Ph.D, Adjunct Faculty Member, German Studies, College of Charleston, Charleston , SC Dr. Aurora Romero, Pre-Major Advisor and Lecturer of German, Vanderbilt University, Nashville TN Alec Cattell, Assistant Professor of Practice in Humanities and Applied Linguistics, Texas Tech University Allison Bajt, German Sessional Instructor, University of Calgary Paul Fleming, Director, Society for the Humanities, Cornell University Jacy Tackett, PhD Candidate, Cornell University Matthew H. Birkhold, Assistant Professor, The Ohio State University Seth Peabody, Visiting Assistant Professor, St. Olaf College Thomas Baginski, Professor Emeritus, College of Charleston Mariaenrica Giannuzzi, PhD student, Cornell University Elizabeth Loentz, Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago Brandy E. Wilcox, PhD Candidate, University of Wisconsin-Madison Melissa Sheedy, Lecturer, University of California, Santa Barbara Brigitte Prutti, Professor of German and Chair, University of Washington Richard Block, Associate Professor, University of Washington Ellwood Wiggins, Assistant Professor, University of Washington, Seattle Julius Rodriguez, MA student, University of Washington S. Kye Terrasi, Lecturer, University of Washington Caroline Kita, Assistant Professor of German, Washington University in St. Louis Kira Thurman, Assistant Professor of German and History, University of Michigan Dr Leanne Dawson, University of Edinburgh Adrian Daub, Professor of German Studies and Comparative Literature, Stanford University Suzuko Knott Assistant Professor Connecticut College Saskia Hintz, Senior Instructor, CU Boulder Alexander L. Compton, Doctoral Student in History, Emory University Annegret Oehme, Assistant Professor, University of Washington, Seattle
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Although this open letter is initiated by members of the scholarly collective, Diversity, Decolonialization, and the German Curriculum, we invite supporters to add their signature. To add your signature, please use this google form.
We are disheartened and alarmed by Dr. Roger N. Casey’s announcement on February 23, 2019, that McDaniel College has decided, upon the unanimous approval of its board of trustees, to suspend future undergraduate enrollment in Art History, Religious Studies, French, German, Latin, and Music, as well as the graduate program in Deaf Education. We are convinced this is a misguided decision, which significantly weakens humanities education at McDaniel College. It also comes at a perilous time for the humanities. McDaniel College has boasted a commitment “to excellence in liberal arts and sciences.” Yesterday’s announcement sent a clear message that the leadership of McDaniel College, contrary to its mission, is actively dismantling core subject areas in the humanities and thus supports the national and international attack on humanist education. Moreover, we write as language and culture studies advocates, who see the national trend of devaluing language and culture studies reflected in the decision to eliminate two entire programs at McDaniel College. The German Program at McDaniel College has been a model program. Its coordinator, Dr. Mohamed Esa – a recipient of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany – has been a longstanding leader in the discipline and a guide and mentor for many of us. The alarming announcement about the closure of McDaniel’s German Program has stunned the field. We are convinced the loss of the German Program at McDaniel will negatively impact German Studies in Maryland and beyond. We fully support the affected faculty at McDaniel College and stand in solidarity with language and culture studies educators across the nation, who continue to offer fundamental educational opportunities for their students in light of diminishing support for and increasing threats against their programs and their careers. We are committed to confront publicly these attacks against the humanities at large and against language and culture studies in particular. Signed by Regine Criser, Assistant Professor of German, University of North Carolina, Asheville Ervin Malakaj, Assistant Professor of German Studies, University of British Columbia Emina Mušanović, Assistant Professor of German, Linfield College Evan Torner, Assistant Professor of German, University of Cincinnati Amanda Sheffer, Clinical Associate Professor of German, The Catholic University of America Julia Trumpold, Instructor of German, University of Central Missouri Stephanie Bauer, German and Spanish Instructor, La Crosse Central HS, La Crosse WI HS Oliver Knabe, Visiting Assistant Professor, Miami University Nicole Grewling, Associate Professor of German Studies, Washington College Lauren Hansen, Visiting Assistant Professor, New College of Florida Anastasiya Hemberger, German instructor at Goethe Institute Washington DC Claire Scott, Teaching Assistant Professor of German, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and former resident of Westminster, MD Clayton Black, Associate Professor of History, Washington College Brenna R. Byrd, Assistant Professor, U of Kentucky Marcel Rotter, Associate Professor of German, University of Mary Washington Katrin Bahr, UMass Amherst German Instructor, South Anchorage High School Elizabeth Bridges, Associate Professor of German, Rhodes College, President of Women in German Holly Brining, Assistant Professor of German, University of Minnesota Duluth George Spilich, Ph.D. John Toll Professor, Washington College. Christina House, German and History Teacher Janice McGregor, Assistant Professor, University of Arizona Collin Smith, Graduate Student in German Studies and Linguistics, University of Kentucky Leon Sachs, Associate Professor, University of Kentucky, German Teacher, Smithson Valley HS; German and Music Teacher at Sterling Academy Bridget Swanson, Assistant Professor of German and Film & Television Studies, University of Vermont Linda Zins-Adams World Language Depart. Chair Archbishop Moeller High School Carol Anne Costabile-Heming, Professor of German, University of North Texas and Past-President, American Association of Teachers of German Erica Krause, T.A. in Classics, University of Kentucky Janis Overlock, German Teacher, Research Triangle High School Lauren Bix, French Teaching Assistant, University of Kentucky Faculty Lecturer in German, McGill University Heike Polster, Associate Professor of German, German Section Head, The University of Memphis Matthew Wells, Associate Professor of Chinese, University of Kentucky Janet L. Holzer, retired German instructor, Eastwood MS, Indianapolis, IN Angelika Becker, German Instructor, Carmel HS, IN Charlene Heinzman, German Teacher, Northwestern HS Kokomo, IN Elizabeth Lillskau German Instructor, Prairie High School Cedar Rapids, IA Mariah Ligas, Antietam MSHS, McDaniel '16 Joseph D. O'Neil, Associate Professor, University of Kentucky Director, Middlebury German Summer Language School, Professor of German, Middlebury College, Director, German for Singers, Middlebury Todd Heidt, Associate Professor of German, Knox College Brett Sterling, Assitant Professor of German, University of Arkansas Susan Carson, German teacher Aurora Romero, Lecturer, Vanderbilt University Robert Williams, German Instructor, Fairfax High School (VA) Valerie Phillips, teacher, Noblesville Schools Silvia Weir, German Teacher, World Language Department Chair, Northview High School, Brazil, IN Lucas Gravitt, German Teacher, Department Chair, Scott County High School Laura Manning, Doctoral Candidate, University of Kentucky Nella Spurlin, German teacher, Temple High School (retired) and Scott Elementary, Temple, TX Teresa Sprecher, retired Program Director - Visual Communications, Madison Area Trchnical College Wiebke Strehl, Dean of Humanities and Professor of German, University of North Carolina, Asheville Adriana Borra, Senior lecturer of German, French and Italian University of Vermont Shirley Santora, German Society of Maryland, Board of Directors AACPS(retired),AACC(retired) Rodger Payne, Professor of Religious Studies, UNC Asheville Dave McAlpine, Emeritus Professor of Spanish and Second Language Education, University of Arkansas, Little Rock Kelly Biers, Assistant Professor of French, University of North Carolina at Asheville Amy Young, Associate Professor of German, Central College Kristie Foell, Assoc. Prof. of German, Bowling Green State University (OH) Katalin Ivanyi German teacher Inter-Community School Zurich Switzerland Christine Goulding, Professor of German, California State University, Chico Mary Helen Dupree, Associate Professor of German, Georgetown University Pia Bineau, Michigan State University B.A. German Graduate and University of Kansas Graduate Teaching Assistant Elizabeth Marsack, German teacher, Elmbrook Schools, Brookfield, WI Alysha Holmquist, German Teacher, Enumclaw High School Amanda Beck, World Language Deparent Chair, Wm. Henry Harrison HS (IN) Heather Oesterreich, Associate Professor, Education, Linfield College Laura Mulligan, German Instructor, Westfield High School (Westfield, IN) Barbara Huffman, German teacher, Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, Springfield, Illinois Kathryn Sederberg, Assistant Professor of German, Kalamazoo College Mark W. Himmelein, Ph.D. Professor of German University of Mount Union Julie Shoults, Lecturer in German, Muhlenberg College Brian G. Smith, German Teacher Herbert Henry Dow High School; German Instructor Central Michigan University Katja Freeborn, Teacher of English and German, Aloha High School, Beaverton, Oregon Gizem Arslan, Lecturer in German, Southern Methodist University Ioana Larco, Assistant Professor of Italian, University of Kentucky Abby Anderton, Assistant Professor of Music, Baruch College, CUNY Kyle Frackman, Assistant Professor of German & Scandinavian Studies, University of British Columbia German teacher, Pope High School, Marietta, GA Geoffrey C. Howes, Professor emeritus of German, Bowling Green State University Katharina Häusler-Gross, Professor of German Studies & FL Methodology, Aquinas College, MI Helga Schreckenberger, Professor of German, University of Vermont Colleen Richards, German / World Cultures Teacher, Bethlehem, PA Lida Daves-Schneider, Ayala High School, Citrus College, rtd. Debra Mol, Department of Defense Dependent Schools (Retired) Ulrike Lanb German Teacher UCS MI Erica Haas, Senior Lecturer of English, University of Passau Valerie Higby, German Teacher, Normal West High School Daniela Wiernik, German Teacher, South Fayette High School (PA) Susan Hojnacki. Assistant Professor of German and Education at Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, MI Melissa Mowrey, German Teacher, Waynedale High School, Apple Creek, Ohio Alexandra Lubbers, German Teacher, Urbandale High School, Urbandale, IA Jennifer Bennett, German Teacher, Shenendehowa Central Schools, Clifton Park, NY and President, Hudson Valley Chapter, American Assoc. of Teachers of German Rachel Windell, German teacher, Oak Hill High School, Converse, IN Howie Berman, MA, CAE, Executive Director, American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Bora Plaku-Alakbarova, BA German Language & Literature, Princeton University David Lovin, German Teacher, Fuquay-Varina High School Jillian Lykens, German Instructor, Pine Creek High School Oliver Gloag, Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies, UNC Asheville Chrissy Bellizzi, Branch Manager, SLPL Anke Biendarra, Associate Professor of German, University of California, Irvine Natalie Soto, German Teacher, William Fremd High School, Palatine, IL Birte Fretwell, German Immersion Teacher, Deerfield Elementary School, Lexington, SC German Teacher, St. Louis, MO Julia Feldhaus, Director of iSTEP and STEM-German Lecturer, University of Massachusetts-Amherst Nathan Lorey, German teacher, Carmel Middle School, Indiana Melinda Zeliff, German Teacher Galina Stefadu, Montpellier Paul Valery Graduate Student Pat Branson, German instructor, Creighton University and University of Nebraska Omaha Steven Sebald, German Teacher and Department Leader, Coon Rapids (MN) High School Brigitte Kahn, German Teacher, Massapequa High School Michael Powers, Visiting Assistant Professor, Reed College Charles A. Grair, Associate Professor of German, Texas Tech University Stephen Grollman, Senior Lecturer of German, southern Methodist University. Kristen Griswold, Latin teacher, Shenendehowa CSD, Clifton Park, NY Ingrid Zeller, Professor of Instruction, Northwestern University Margy Gerber, professor emer. of German, Bowling Green State University Jillian Freytag Reilly, German HS Teacher in Plano, TX, AATG Member, Steering Committee Member for Texas State German Contests, Inc. Kelleen Browning, German Teacher, Lincoln Southeast, NE Jennifer Paul, German teacher, Pocono Mountain West High School, Pocono Summit, PA Joanne Coffin-Langdon Instructor, Deaf Studies, University of MN Duluth Malorie Wolk, German Teacher, Lake Stevens High School, Lake Stevens, WA Katie Rombauer, German Teacher, North Creek High School and University of Washington Guest Lecturer, Bothell, WA Ashley McCarty, German teacher, Centennial High School (GA) Elke Lorenz, PhD, Manhattan, KS Linda Havas, President, Wisconsin Association for Language Teachers Caroline Weist, Assistant Professor of German Studies, University of Richmond Katharina Barbe, Chair, World Langs and Cultures, Northern Illinois U , 2018 AATG Outstanding German Educator Eckhard Kuhn-Osius, Associate Professor of German, Huter College, CUNY Didem Uca, Ph.D. Candidate (ABD) in Germanic Languages & Literatures, University of Pennsylvania Matthew Hurley, German Instructor, Roncalli High School Jessica Fripp, Assistant Professor of Art History, TCU, Fort Worth, TX Michelle Stigter, Modern Language Center Director & Lecturer, Butler University Sarah Richards, German teacher, Shiloh High School and Emory University Luke Fennema, German Teacher, Illiana Christian High School Bobbette Leu-Timmermann, German teacher, Wisconsin Glenn Levine, Professor of German, University of California, Irvine Dr. Kristi McAuliffe, Instructor of German, Arizona State University Melissa King-Polsinelli, German Teacher, Dr. Phillips High School Barbara Berthold, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Modern Languages, University of Texas at Arlington Amy Rill, German Teacher, Howard High School, Ellicott City, MD Elena Adell, Associate Professor and Chair. Department of Languages and Literatures, UNC Asheville Ian Fleishman, Graduate Chair and Assistant Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Pennsylvania Taylor Petrey, Associate Professor of Religion, Kalamazoo College Jon McCollum, Chair and Associate of Music, Washington College Irina Kogel, Five College Lecturer in Russian Wendy M. Brennan, German teacher, Millard North High School, Omaha, NE Kathy Barnard , German teacher, West High School, SLC, Utah Jennifer Redmann, Associate Professor of German, Franklin & Marshall College Master of Music Candidate, Mannes School of Music Jessamine Cooke-Plagwitz, Associate Professor of German and Applied Linguistics, Northern Illinois University Chantelle Warner, Associate Professor of German, University of Arizona Olga Russell, German and Russian Teacher, John Burroughs School, St Louis, MO Vanessa Bliss, student at McDaniel College Carlos Gardeazabal Bravo, Phd. Loyola University Maryland Visiting Assistant Professor, Hispanic Studies Department, Brown University, Providence, RI David Hull, World Languages and Cultures, Washington College Angela Gulielmetti, German lecturer, Central Connecticut State University Catherine Grimm, Assistant Teaching Professor, Miami University Erin Blankenship, Arabic Program Director, Instructor of Arabic, University of South Carolina Juliane Schicker, Assistant Professor of German, Carleton College Tony Amador, teacher, student Ginny Steinhagen, Senior Lecturer in German, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Lisa Seidlitz, Associate Professor of German, Augustana College Dr. Elizabeth Dick, German Teacher, South Anchorage High School Gundolf Graml, Professor of German and Assistant Dean for Global Learning, Agnes Scott College Michael Bendorf, German Instructor, Sparta High School, Sparta, NJ Barbara Drescher, Agnes Scott College Per Urlaub, Associate Dean of the Language Schools, Associate College Professor, Middlebury College, VT Adrienne Merritt, Faculty in Residence/ Lecturer, Oberlin College Steffen Kaupp, Assistant Teaching Professor of German, University of Notre Dame BreAnn Busboom, German Teacher, Roy High School, Roy UT Sara E. von Readen, Undergraduate German Student at Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX Sarah Koellner, Visiting Assistant Professor, College of Charleston William Callison, UC Berkeley Jason Doerre, Visiting Assistant Professor of German, Trinity College (CT) Francisco Solares-Larrave, Associate Professor of Spanish, Department of World Languages and Literatures, Northern Illinois University Karen Kjellquist-Gutierrez Ed.D Retired Spanish Instructor Northern Illinois University Rachel Pritchett, German Intern-Teacher, Howard High School, Ellicott City, MD Melissa Roth, German Teacher, Omaha Westside High School, Omaha, NE Ellen Nahum Executive Director Academic & Career Support, Assistant Professor, German Heidelberg University Ohio Douglas R. Philipp, German Instructor, Cheyenne Mountain High School, Colorado Springs Peg Meyers, German teacher, Mt. Lebanon High School, Pittsburgh, PA Sigrid Fertig, Senior Lecturer of German, University at Buffalo, NY Christopher Henrichsen, English/Social Studies Teacher, Huntingtown H.S. (Maryland) Dennis Brain, Assoc. Professor of German, Northern Illinois U Deborah Horzen, IB German Teacher, Cypress Creek High Schiol (FL) Art Lader, German Teacher, World Languages Chair, Aiken HS James Worley, Music Teacher Karolina May-Chu, Assistant Professor of German, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Wesley Lim, Lecturer in German Studies, Australian National University Kelly Teske, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Western Michigan University Donald McColl, Professor of Art History Emeritus, Washington College Daniel Smith, McDaniel Class of 2019 Anne Bornschein, PhD, French teacher, St. Xavier High School (KY) Robert Whalen, German Teacher, Shenendehowa CSD, Clifton Park, NY Kristen Hetrick, Associate Professor of German, Doane University (NE) Louise Hibner, German 1 Teacher, Roncalli High School Jazzy Williams-Smith, Alumna, McDaniel College Jonas Weaver, UC-Irvine, Grad Student Frau Anna Hog, German Teacher Nicole Moore, German teacher at Olentangy Liberty High School, OH Maria Mayr, Associate Professor, Memorial University, Canada Sonja Allen, PhD, Calgary German Language School Society Viktoria Harms, Director of Language Studies, German Department, University of Pittsburgh Nataliya Zimmerman, French Instructor DeKalb High School Alexander Lorenz, Assistant Professor of German, University of South Carolina Upstate Kai Evers, Associate Professor of German, University of California, Irvine Kristina Wassmann, German teacher Katrina Bauerlein, German Teacher, Mahopac Central Schools, Mahopac, NY Georgia Craig, German Instructor, Big Walnut High School, Sunbury, Ohio Geoffrey Winthrop-Young, Professor and Head, Central, Eastern & Northern European Studies, University of British Columbia Jason Lieblang, Senior Instructor of German Studies, University of British Columbia Colin Clark, Graduate Student in German at UC Irvine Brian E. Crim, University of Lynchburg Candis Carey, German Teacher, Crown Point, IN Stefanie Feidt, German and French teacher, Selinsgrove Area SD Bobby Hobgood, Ed.D., Director- Language Resource Center, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Robin Ellis, Postdoctoral Research Associate in German Studies, University of Virginia Deanna Williams French Teacher Red Land High School, PA Janet Kepes Vergennes Union High school Katarzyna Sims, Quinnipiac University Mary O'Brien, Professor of German, University of Calgary Agatha Schwartz, Professor, German and World Literatures and Cultures, University of Ottawa Juan Sánchez Martínez, assistant professor, Languages and Literatures, UNCA Eddy Enríquez Arana, Professor of German and Spanish, Montgomery College Maggie Toczek, German Teacher Skutt Catholic High School, Omaha, NE Kathrin Seidl, Assistant Professor of German, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA Professor emeritus U of Cincinnati Micheal Stratton, Professor and Chair of Management, Chair of UNC Asheville Faculty Senate Amanda McCoy, French instructor Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School Jennifer L. Howe, German Teacher, World Language Chair and EL Coordinator, Lake Orion Community Schools, Lake Orion, MI Stephanie Krammes-Parsons, German Instructor, Olentangy High School, Lewis Center, OH Madeline O'Bryan, German Teacher, World Languages Department Chair, Fort Worth, TX Paul Paradiso, Director IT, Brewster NY, Francophile & Language Advocate Benjamin R. Davis, Visiting Assistant Professor of German Studies, UNC-Greensboro Erika Berroth, Associate Professor of German, Southwestern University Susanne De Jong, German Teacher, O'Connor High School, San Antonio, TX Michele Bombard, Spanish teacher and German speaker. Elizabeth Carafiol, German Teacher, Stafford High School (VA) Laura Knapp, German teacher at Baltimore City College high school April Krempasky German Teacher & World Language Department Coordinator Northampton Area High School Claudia Bornholdt, Walburg Chair of German Language and Literature & Chair, Dept. of Modern Languages and Literatures, The Catholic University of America, Washington DC Stanley John Rapiey, B.A. in German and Biology from McDaniel College Julie Human, Assistant Professor, Modern & Classical Languages, Literatures & Cultures, University of Kentucky David Pan, Professor and Chair, European Languages and Studies, University of California, Irvine Kimberly Jaeger, Associate Professor, Harper College Silke Schade, Senior Lecturer and German Language Program Director, Vanderbilt University Toni Gorton, German Teacher; Boise Idaho Niklas Troxel ‘06 German Major Caroline Adducci, German Teacher, Niles West High School Maaret Klaber, McDaniel Class of 2007 Nancy Decker, Associate Professor of German, Rollins College Melanie Kyer, German Teacher, York High School (ME) Alexandra Hagen, Assistant Professor of German, Concordia University, Montréal, Canada Jonathan Gigler, German Teacher, Fairfield Jr/Sr High School Adam Levine, World Languages Department Chair, TC Williams High School Morgan Koerner,Associate Professor of German, Chair, German and Russian Studies, The College of Charleston Amy Wasil, German Teacher, Barrington High School, Barringto, IL Arathy Manoharan, English Teacher, Model Secondary School for the Deaf (DC) Clarissa Balint, former French major and Music minor, McDaniel College Willi Braun, Professor Emeritus of Religion, University of Alberta Clayton H. Bench, Assistant Professor/Director of Religious Studies, UTEP Kate Stewart, German Teacher, Fayetteville-Manlius High School Steven Engler, Professor, Mount Royal University Dr. Ivan Strenski, Distinguished Professor (Emeritus) University of California, Riverside Marcos Romero, Professor of Spanish Aquinas College Eleanor Christie, German Teacher, Guilderland High School, NY Maria Besten, German Teacher @ Crystal Lake South HS Gabriele Barwig, German Teacher, Keller HS, Keller,TX Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt, Professor, Dept of English, Linfield College World Language Coordinator, Thompson School District, Colorado Josh Lacey, German Teacher, New Prague High School Russell T. McCutcheon, University Research Professir, University of Alabama Michael J Rulon, Lecturer of French, Northern Arizona University Sara Marsh, German Teacher & PhD Student in German Studies, University of Waterloo, ON Beret Norman, Associate Professor of German, Boise State University Trent Sutton, Master of International Affairs candidate, The Bush School of Government and Public Service Katrina Nousek, Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Richmond Alexander Phillips, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of English, Ashoka University, Sonipat, India Cassie Shelton, German teacher, Mt. View High School John Michael Cooper, Margarett Root Brown Chair in Fine Arts and Professor of Music, Southwestern University Laura Smiley, German and Spanish Teacher, Seeger Memorial Jr./Sr. High School Richard Kent Evans, Research Associate Haverford College Mallory Nischan, French Instructor, University of Tennessee Kitty Maynard, Professor of French, Washington College Melanie Mello, German teacher at Chandler High School and current president of the AZ Chapter of AATG and the Arizona Language Association Suzanne R. Pucci Professor of French Studies University of Kentucky Stacey Wisnieski, Success Coach, University of Toledo, former German teacher at Notre Dame Academy and St John’s Jesuit High School Nadja Schuhmacher graduate student Intercultural German Studies at University of Waterloo (ON) and University of Mannheim (GER) Danielle Bruck, Former Art History Minor and Art History Honor Society Treasurer, McDaniel College ‘16 John H. Smith, Dept. of European Languages and Studies, UC Irvine Larry Hooper-German and French Teacher, Los Alamitos High School Caitlin Bennett, McDaniel College Alumnae (Art History Major) Jennifer Roper German Teacher, World Language Department Chair, Rocky Mountain High School Fort Collins, CO Julie Bausch, French and German teacher, Roselle, Illinois Nathan Rein, Assoc. Prof. of Philosophy and Religious Studies and Asst. Dean of the College, Ursinus College, Pennsylvania Rory E. Kraft, Jr., Assistant Professor of Philosophy, York College of Pennsylvania Aaron W. Hughes, Religious Studies and Director, Center for Jewish Studies, University of Rochester Barbara Gnagy, German Teacher, Center Grove High School, Greenwood, IN Echo Bein, Alumni Student of Deaf Ed, music and art at McDaniel Karina Duncker-Hoffmann, Treasurer, AATG Northern Illinois, Half-Time Assistant Professor of German at North Central College Amanda Randall, Assistant Professor of German, St Olaf College Zack Callis, Student, McDaniel College Craig Prentiss, Professor of Religious Studies, Rockhurst University Delia Boost, German Instructor, Tennessee Jacob Schrum, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Southwestern University Tim Straubel, German Instructor, Western Kentucky University Jan Süselbeck, DAAD Associate Professor of German, University of Calgary Jaime Roots, Visiting Assistant Professor of German, Washington and Lee University Martín Ponti, Washington College, Assistant Professor of Spanish Retired high school English and German teacher. Deborah McGee Mifflin, Associate Teaching Professor, German Language Program Director, Johns Hopkins University Salvatore Veniero, Teacher of German, Saint Peter’s Preparatory School, NJ Dennis Johannssen, Visiting Assistant Professor of German, Lafayette College Lyndsay Batson, Student of McDaniel College, Class of 2019 Cynthia Sittmann, Former German teacher & Dept. Chair, Webster Groves High School, St. Louis, MO Friedemann Stübing, German instructor, Northern Illinois University Halinka Nowak, German, Italian and French Teacher, Caddo Magnet High School, Louisiana Elizabeth Birge, Associate Professor, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ Zachary Shirley - High School Band Director, Plano, TX - Bachelor of Music Ed, German minor, TMEA member, TBA member Stefanie Ohnesorg, Associate Professor of German, University of Tennessee Robert Blankenship, Assistant Professor of German, California State University, Long Beach Antje Perrin, German and French instructor, Dundee-Crown High School, Carpentersville, IL Lauren Jannotta, German Teacher, Hempfield High School, Landisville, PA Kristin Lovrien-Meuwese, Asst. Prof. of German, University of Winnipeg Joanna Bodigor, German Teacher, Boylan Catholic High School: Rockford, Illinois Mareike Wagner, Joint MA student in Intercultural German Studies, University of Waterloo and Universität Mannheim (Germany) Richard Barnett, Phd student (German Studies), University of Waterloo Daniel DiMassa, Assistant Professor of German, Worcester Polytechnic Institute Maria Mescua, former undergraduate at McDaniel, now UMBC undergraduate Kylah Fanning, student, and resident of Westminster, MD, child of two McDaniel alums Angel Petty, Student, Religious Studies Major Karen Zepp, music educator and daughter of Ira Zepp Hunter Bivens, associate professor of literature & German studies, UCSC Christoph Engler, German Teacher, Walled Lake High School, MI Associate Director, Middlebury German Language School Dorothy Louks, retired Carroll County German teacher April Bolding, DPT, BA in Comparative Literature J. Douglas Guy, Visiting Professor of German, Salem State University Kristine Keck, German Teacher South Carroll High School Christiane Tacke, Director of Extracurricular Programs, German International School Chicago Stephany West, DCPI Europe, Research & Worldwide Communication (missionary in Germany) Andrea McKenzie, German Teacher at AACPS Jana Koepcke, German Teacher & PhD Student in German Studies, University of Waterloo, ON Anne Friedrich, German Teacher, Broad Run High School, Va Whitney Bellant, BA in German (University of Norte Dame), Fulbright scholar (Germany) Lisa Worthington-Groce, German teacher, Northwest Guilford High School, FLANC Teacher of the Year, AATG Oustanding German Educator Daniel Barbu CNRS, Paris Amy Malone-Spicer, English Teacher, Model Secondary School for the Deaf Hanna Barker Mullin, McDaniel College Class of 2013 Michael R. Shaughnessy, Professor of German at W&J College and Sec. Treas. National German Honorary Society Delta Phi Alpha Melissa Cratty, German teacher Tyler Johnson, lecturer of German, Pellissippi state Community College and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Natalie Eppelsheimer, Associate Professor of German, Middlebury College Kyle Engler director of vocal studies McDaniel College Kailee Gawlik, Knox College alumna (Music and German double major) Amy Malone-Spicer, English Teacher, Model Secondary School for the Deaf Thomas Neal, German & French teacher, Niles North High School, Skokie, IL Peter M. McIsaac, Associate Professor of German, University of Michigan Ann Arbor Andie Alexander, Doctoral Student in Religious Studies, Emory University Cathy D. Gamble, Teacher of German, La Cueva High School, NM Sarah Szczepanski, German Teacher, Upper Merion Area Middle School, King of Prussia, PA John H. Stark, Past President AATG, Emeritus Illinois Math and Science Academy Jason Hoogerhyde, Associate Professor of Music, Southwestern University Jeanie Brew, German Teacher, Hoffman Estates High School, IL Kathleen Renk, Professor Emeritus, NIU Christie Debelius, PhD candidate in English, Indiana University Bloomington (McDaniel College Class of 2013) Julia Lesher, German teacher & World Language Department Chair at Anderson High School, Austin, TX Andrew Cambron, German Teacher, AATG SE Indiana Representative, Batesville, IN John Pizer, Professor of German and Department Chair, Louisiana State University Maria Hey Dahl, Family Physician and Art History Minor Cynthia Ruder, Associate Professor of Russian, University of Kentucky Malory Nye, Associate Scholar, University of Glasgow Beth A. Burau, Bishop Lynch High School, Dallas, TX Valerio Caldesi Valeri, Assistant Professor of Classics, University of Kentucky John L. Plews, Professor of German, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Canada; Past President, Canadian Association of University Teachers of German Kate Kenny, Senior Lecturer of German, University of Vermont Hannah V. Eldridge, Associate Professor of German, University of Wisconsin - Madison Jacob M. Barto, Assistant Professor of German, Pacific University Friedhelm Bertulies, Professor, Department of German, Daegu University, Republic of Korea Allison Paul, Language Program Officer, Goethe-Institut Washington, DC Hillary Herzog, Assoc. German Professor, University of Kentucky Anja Veldhues, Language Program Officer, Goethe Instítut Washington Elizabeth Manwell, Professor of Classics, Kalamazoo College Eva Lewe, Student for German as a foreign language Eileen Sellman, Language Program Officer, Goethe-Institut Washington Jake van der Kolk, Visiting Instructor of German, Kalamazoo Colleg & Western Michigan University Kyle Powell, German and Math Teacher, NBCT Christa Spreizer, Assoc. Professor of German, Queens College/CUNY Jill Shopinski, high school German teacher Jason Blum, Visiting Assistant Professor, Davidson College Josi M. Smith, Retired teacher of German, Seneca Valley School District, PA Erin Munsie, German Teacher, Cincinnati Public Schools Christy Charlton, German Teacher, Upper Arlington City Schools, Ohio Petra Ehrenbrink, Academic Dean, German teacher & Modern Language Department Chair at Falmouth Academy, Falmouth, MA Kerstin Hämmerling, Language Consultant, Goethe-Institut Boston Kathryn Kornmayer Pritchard, German Instructor, University of North Florida Claude Desmarais, Assistant Professor of German, UBC, Okanaga campus Jeanne McGill, PhD Candidate/Associate Instructor of Spanish, Indiana University Gunde Iwersen-Burritt, German Teacher, Downers Grove North HS Sandra Biles, German Teacher & LOTE Department Chair at John B. Connally High School Elizabeth Tyler, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, McDaniel College Linda Byrom, German and Math Teacher, Arlington Heights IL Lindsay Fabry, German instructor, Hortonville School District, WI Walter Tschacher, Professor of German, Chapman University Karl-Georg Federhofer, Alan P. Cottrell Collegiate Lecturer, University of Michigan Bill Morgan, German Teacher, AATG-GA President Kim Vitchkoski, German teacher, Nashua High School South Lissy L. Weirich, recently retired German teacher of 40 years Teresa Brethauer, MA, MS, MS, Doctoral Student, former Foreign Language teacher, multilingual Claudette Williams, Johnson County Community College Hannelore Weber, Teaching Professor, University of Notre Dame Jennifer Steed, German teacher Joan MacDonald Metro Davidson Schools Francis Mathieu, Associate Professor fo French, Southwestern University Katie MacLean, Associate Professor of Spanish, Kalamazoo College Blake Peters, Head of School, German International School, Beaverton, Oregon Mia Romano, Spanish Lecturer, The University of Tennessee- Knoxville, TN Rebecca Weitzenhoffer, German teacher, Cypress Fairbanks ISD Christine Summers, Lecturer for German and World Literature, Elmhurst College, IL retired coordinator of Tutoring and Writing Center, Rollins College Rachel Sternberg, Case Western Reserve University Harriet Bowden, Associate Professor of Spanish, University of Tennessee-Knoxville Michele Volansky, Associate Professor of Theatre, Washington College Natalia Pervukhin Professor of Russian University of Tennessee, Knoxville Elizabeth Smith, Retired Teacher of German , Plano Senior High, Plano, TX Thomas Deveny, Professor of Spanish and Comp. Lit, McDaniel College Vera Jakoby, Philosophy teacher, McDaniel College Emily Jones, Asst Prof of German Studies and Environmental Humanities, Whitman College Megan Dugger, Graduate Teaching Associate in German, University of Tennessee Andrew Szegedy-Maszak, Professor of Classical Studies, Wesleyan University Jade Huffman, German Teacher, Fowlerville High School Sandra Dieckman, German Teacher, McKinney High School, TX Jade Huffman, German Teacher, Fowlerville High School Sandra Dieckman, German Teacher, McKinney High School, TX E Thomas Lawsonm Professor Emeritus, Western Michigan University Noriko Sugimori, Associate Professor of Japanese, Kalamazoo College Laura Trujillo-Mejía, Distinguished Lecturer of Hispanic Studies, University of Tennessee Gundela Hachmann, Associate Professor of German, Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge Mary-Jane Rubenstein, Professor of Religion, Wesleyan University Luis Cano, Professor of Spanish, University of Tennessee-Knoxville ACBurke Professor of Biology, Wesleyan University Jeffrey Zamostny, Associate Professor of Spanish, University of West Georgia (McDaniel college alum '07) Melissa R. Katz, Art and Art History, Wesleyan University Augustus Young-Haines, Student, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Herbert A. Arnold Prof. Emeritus German Studies and Letters Wesleyan University Krysheida Ayub-Unzon, Graduate Teaching Associate in Spanish, University of Tennessee Sherwin Little, Executive Director, American Classical League Phillip Easterly, German Teacher, Jefferson County High School, TN Volker Frank Professor of Sociology UNC Asheville Betsy Dahms, Associate Professor of Spanish, University of West Georgia Susanne Rott, Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago Mayumi Hirtzel, Penn Video Network, University of Pennsylvania Felix Tweraser, Professor of German, University of West Georgia Judith Weisenfeld, Professor of Religion, Princeton University Audra Travelbee, Lecturer of Spanish, Northern Arizona University Anca Koczkas, Assistant Professor of Spanish, University of West Georgia Belinda Carstens-Wickham, Professor, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Flavia Brizio-Skov, Professor of Italian and Cinema, MFLL, University of Tennessee Berna Fowler GERMAN Teacher Lockhart High school David Harrington Watt, Quaker Studies, Haverford College Travis Compton, American Sign Language and Deaf Studies Minor, McDaniel College Class of 2013 Carol Ann Moon, Professor/Librarian, Saint Leo University James Dennis LoRusso, Associate Research Scholar, Center for the Study of Religion, Princeton University Richard Langston, Associate Professor of German Literature, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Martin Kavka, Professor of Religion, Florida State University Greg Smolinski, Gifted Support Teacher/Former World Language Chair and German Teacher, Seneca Valley School District, Harmony, PA Thatcher Hinman, German Teacher, Hartford High School, White River Junction, VT Ivett López Malagamba Lucia Dora Simonelli, Postdoc, Mathematics,Trieste, Italy Michael Boehringer, Associate Professor of German, University of Waterloo, CA Jerenda Cox, German Teacher, Forney ISD, Forney, TX Diego de los Rios, PhD, Assistant Director of Research and Professional Affairs - American Soc. Assoc. Rebecca Shertzer, German Teacher, Hempfield School District, Lancaster, PA Peter Schweppe, Assistant Professor of German Studies & History, Montana State University Raluca Negrisanu, PhD, Senior Lecturer of German, East Tennessee State University, TN Carl Niekerk, Professor of German, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Lori Pierce, French, German, and Latin Instructor, The Mississippi School for Math and Science Spencer Dew, Visiting Assistant Professor, Denison University paul Peters professor Languages Literatures and Cultures McGill University Thor Sawin, Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Monterey, CA Martin Baeumel, Visiting Assistant Professor of German, Wesleyan University Stephen C. Angle, Director of Global Studies, Wesleyan University Alice B. Hadler, Senior Associate Director, Fries Center for Global Studies; Adjunct Instructor in English, Wesleyan University Gabrielle Piedad Ponce-Hegenauer, Assistant Professor of Letters, College of Letters, Wesleyan University Kimberly Stafford, Lecturer of Spanish, The University of Tennessee Sandra Achenbach, German teacher, Hardin Valley Academy, Knoxville, TN Charles-Louis Morand Métivier, Assistant Professor of French, The University of Vermont Ester Eichler, teacher of German, Abington Senior Hugh School, Abington, PA and Immanuel German School, Huntingdon Valley, PA Elizabeth Z. Solis, Spanish Instructor, University of West Georgia Amy DeRogatis, Professor of Religious Studies, Michigan State University Konrad Gaerdes, Joint MA Student (Intercultural German Studies), University of Waterloo, Universität Mannheim Sarah Farrell, German Teacher, Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School, Sudbury, MA Stefanie Wuertz-Hurley, Former Senior Lecturer at Kennesaw State University Michael Meere, Assistant Professor of French and Medieval Studies, Wesleyan University, CT Jennie Cain, PhD, lecturer at Washtenaw Community College Jeanmarie Rouhier-Willoughby, Chair, Modern & Classical Languages, Literatures & Cultures, U. of Kentucky Nadine Smith, Penn Manor High School, Lancaster, PA, German Jacqueline Vansant, Professor of German, University of Michigan-Dearborn John Modern, Professor of religious Studies, Franklin & Marshall College Jeffrey Henderson, Professor of Classics, Boston University Gerard Loughlin, Professor, Theology & Religion, Durham University, UK Stephanie Hafner, Language Consultant, Goethe-Institut Washington Rachel Horkin, German Teacher, Snohomish High School Jacob J. Erickson, Assistant Professor of Theological Ethics; Trinity College Dublin Michael Bartus, German Teacher, Martin Luther King Jr., Academic Magnet School, Nashville TN Laura Klein, PhD, Lecturer in French University of California N.E. Barry Hofstetter, Instructor of Latin, The Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy Janet Ward Kennesaw State University Ronald Horwege, Professor Emeritus of German, Sweet Briar College Sun-Young Kim, Language Program Director, German Studies, McGill University Dr. Virginia Palmer-Füchsel, The New School of Northern Virginia, Fairfax VA Gloria Allaire, Asst. Prof. Italian, U of Kentucky Peter Gottschalk, Professor of Religion, Wesleyan University, CT Lydia Ronning, Retired German Teacher, Niles North High School, Skokie, Illinois. Donna Van Handle, Senior Lecturer in German Studies and Past President of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) Sheila Easley, former German teacher, Greenville High School, Greenville, TX Helen Martin, German Teacher, German Saturday School of Knoxville Eric Daryl Meyer, Assistant Professor of Theology, Carroll College Shelley Arnold Kimberly A. McCarron, German Teacher, Brennan High School, San Antonio, TX Brooke Di Lauro, Associate Professor of French, University of Mary Washington Dr. Maureen Helinski, German Instructor Anne Arundel Community College Jennifer Caplan, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Towson University, Towson, MD Judith L. Shrum, Professor Emerita of Spanish and Second Language Education, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA Kim Cunningham, Assistant Professor of Sociology, SUNY FIT Craig Martin, Professor of Religious Studies, St. Thomas Aquinas College Alison Pantesco, Contract Lecturer of German, Keene State College (retired) Anton G. Smoot, President, The German Society of Maryland Allison LeClere, International Programs & Study Abroad Coordinator at the University of Tennessee, German Saturday School of Knoxville Teacher Kiley M. Kost, German instructor, University of Minnesota Twin Cities Bärbel Otto, German Music Teacher (retired) German School Zion Church of the City of Baltimore Tyler Walker, Visiting Assistant Professor of Japanese, Kalamazoo College Mary T. Boatwright, Professor of Classical Studies, Duke University Marilya Veteto Reese Northern Arizona University Mark Johnson, IB/AP German Teacher, Heights High School, Houston, TX Mary T. Boatwright, President of the Society for Classical Studies (2019) Marilya Veteto Reese, Professor of German, Dept of Global Languages & Cultures, Northern Arizona University Helen Cullyer, Executive Director, Society for Classical Studies Professor of Religion, Jewish Studies and Gender, Temple University Anke Finger, Professor of German Studies, University of Connecticut Evan Voorn, German & Social Studies Teacher, STEM School Highlands Ranch, CO Devon Donohue-Bergeler, Ph.D. Senior Lecturer / Director of the German Program Thilo Joerger, Professor Emeritus, Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada Judge Gerard Wm. Wittstadt, Sr., Former President of The Society for the History of Germans in Maryland Denise Meuser, Professor of Instruction, Northwestern University Eric Richards, German Teacher, Fort Zumwalt North High School, O'Fallon, Missouri Eloise Sureau, Associate Professor of French, Butler University, IN Amanda C. G. Hall, Associate Professor of Psychology, Butler University, IN Kevin Massoletti, Lecturer of Italian, Northern Arizona University Kerstin Weyer, German Teacher, Knoxville, TN Alonso Delgado, Graduate Teaching Assistant, Northern Arizona University Joyce O. Lowrie, Professor Emerita, French Language & Literature Emily Allen-Hornblower, Associate Professor of Classics, Rutgers Dr. Diane Arnson Svarlien Director, Foreign Language Lab and German Instructor, Louisiana State University Dr. Marny Menkes Lemmel, Asst Prof of Classics at the Pontifical College Josephinum, friend of Classical languages Alden Smith, Professor of Classics, Baylor University Clara Bosak-Schroeder, Assistant Professor of Classics, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Thomas E. Strunk, Associate Professor of Classics, Xavier University Emily Robinson, Middle School German Teacher, Lake Orion Community Schools Manolis Pagkalos, Teaching Associate, University of Leicester Duane W. Roller, Professor Emeritus of Classics, the Ohio State University Joyce Lowrie, Professor Emerita, French Dept., Wesleyan University Carl A. Anderson, Emeritus Professor of Classical Studies, Michigan State University Rachel Hart, PhD alumna, University of Wisconsin-Madison Michael Maas, Professor of History, Rice University Joseph R. O'Neill, Lecturer and Honors Faculty Fellow, Arizona State University Robert Morstein-Marx, Professor of Classics, UCSB Laurie O'Higgins, Professor of Classical and Medieval Studies, Bates College Brett Stine, Graduate Instructor, Classics, Texas Tech University Sheena Finnigan, Doctoral Candidate, UW-Madison Megan Bowen, Instructor, Department of History and Philosophy, Montana State University Erik Hamer, Latin Teacher, East Hampton High School, East Hampton, NY Robert A. Kaster, Professor of Classics and Kennedy Foundation Professor of Latin, emeritus, Princeton University Andromache Karanika, Assoc. Prof. of Classics,Univ. of California, Irvine Tommaso Gazzarri, Assistant Professor of Classics, Union College Peter van Minnen, Professor of Classics, University of Cincinnati Laurie Haugh, German teacher, Glenbrook South High School and the Glenbrook Academy of International Studies Cassandra Casias, PhD candidate, Emory University Hanna Roisman, Arnold Bernhard Professor in Arts and Humanities, Professor of Classics (E Helene Zimmer-Loew, AATG Executive Director (ret) Nicholas Baechle, Professor of Classical Studies, Hanover College Professor killiam, emerita sweet Briar college Peter J. Miller, Assistant Professor, Department of Classics, University of Winnipeg James F. McGrath, Faculty Director of the Core Curriculum, Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature, Butler University Roger D. Woodard, Raymond Professor of the Classics, University of Buffalo Erika Lupacchino, German Teacher, Victor J. Andrew High School Norman Austin, Professor of Classics Emeritus, University of Arizona Samuel Hahn, PhD Student (Classics), University of Colorado Boulder Douglas Simms, Professor of German and Chair of the Dept. of Foreign Languages and Literature, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Bruce W Frier, Distinguished University Professor, Law School, University of Michigan Kathleen M. Coleman, James Loeb Professor of the Classics, Harvard University Scott Lepisto, Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics, The College of Wooster Garth Tissol, Professor of Classics, Emory University Denise L. Montgomery, Associate Professor of Library Science, Valdosta State University (Retired) William Murray, Stathis Professor of Greek History, University of South Florida Sinja Küppers, PhD student in Classical Studies, Duke University Martha Sprigge, Assistant Professor of Musicology, University of California, Santa Barbara Keyne Cheshire, Professor of Classics, Davidson College Richard P. Martin, Antony and Isabelle Raubitschek Professor in Classics, Stanford Ms. Carol Devoss, AATG member David Konstan, Professor of Classics, New York University Christina Crosby, Professor of English and Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Wesleyan University Anette Bliss, German Teacher and FL Department Chair, Central High School, Burlington, IL Matthew McGowan, Associate Professor of Classics, Fordham University Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature, University of California, Davis Deborah Boedeker, Professor Emerita of Classics, Brown University David Chu, Doctoral Student, University of Colorado Boulder Distinguished University Professor of German, The University of Vermont Anne Feltovich, Assistant Professor of Classics, Hamilton College Alexandre Roberts, Assistant Professor of Classics, University of Southern California Chair and Professor of Classics, Convener of Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Georgetown University Johanna Jurgens, Teacher of German, Dist. 86 Brandon Jones, Visiting Lecturer in Classical Studies, Boston University Associate Vice President, Dean of the Graduate School, and Professor of Spanish, University of West Georgia Brigid Garvey, University Teaching Fellow, German Department, Dalhousie University, NS Josef Neumayer, Instructor of German, Niles West High School Joy Reeber, Visiting Instructor of Classics, University of Arkansas Susan O. Shapiro, Associate Professor of History and Classics, Utah State University Thomas J Sienkewicz, Capron Professor of Classics Emeritus, Monmouth College, Monmouth IL Barbara Weiden Boyd, Professor of Classics, Bowdoin College Sarah Painitz, Assistant Professor of German, Butler University Carl Robertson, Associate Professor of Chinese, Southwestern University John F. Finamore, Roger A. Hornsby Professor of the Classics, University of Iowa Evelyn Adkins, Assistant Professor of Classics, Case Western Reserve University Lauri Reitzammer, Associate Professor of Classics, University of Colorado, Boulder Jessica Tindira, Future Faculty Teaching Fellow of French, Butler University Gundhild Eder, German Teacher, Falmouth Academy, Falmouth, Massachusetts Kendra Eshleman, Associate Professor of Classics, Boston College Richard Janko, Distinguished University Professor of Classical Studies, University of Michigan, Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences Melissa Harl Sellew, Associate Professor of Classics and Religious Studies, University of Minnesota Raffaella Cribiore Professor of Classics, New York University John Peradotto, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus, University at Buffalo Sabrina Clarke, Instructor of Music Theory, West Chester University of Pennsylvania Jake Morton, Assistant Professor of Classics, Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota Rogelio Cabrera Keely Lake, Chair of the National Committee for Latin and Greek Jessica Seidman, Visiting Lecturer of Classical Studies, Wellesley College Kathleen Shea, Assistant Professor of Environmental Humanities/Classics, Whitman College Eleanor Dickey, Professor of Classics, University of Reading William Hansen, Professor Emeritus of Classical Studies & Folklore, Indiana University, Bloomington Ann R. Raia, Professor Emerita, Classics, The College of New Rochelle David Withun, English Instructor, Savannah Technical College Richard H. Armstrong, Associate Professor of Classical Studies, University of Houston Kacy Peckenpaugh Asst. Professor of German and French, Weber State University Susan Dunning, Sessional Lecturer, Historical Studies, University of Toronto Mississauga James M. Reddan, Director of Choral Activities at Western Oregon University. WMC Alum '99 Giuseppe L. Ficocelli, MA Student in Classics, University of Ottawa (Canada) Thalia Pandiri, Professor of Classics and Comparative Literature, Smith College Zackary Rider, Lecturer in Latin and Classics, University of South Carolina Aimee Brett Kass, Esq., 1979 graduate of Sweet Briar College, Completed Advanced German Language Program Brett Martz, Associate Professor of German, Longwood University Gregory Staley, Professor of Classics, University of Maryland Alexandra Pappas, Associate Professor of Classics, San Francisco State University Karen Carducci, Greek and Latin, the Catholic University of America Cristiana Sogno, Associate Professor of Classics, Fordham University, New York Ian Hochberg, Upper School Latin Teacher, St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School Niko Tracksdorf, Assistant Professor of German, University of Rhode Island Michael McOsker, instructor in Classics, Ohio Wesleyan University Joanne Waugh, AFGLC Professor of Greek Culture, Associate Prof of Philosophy, USF, Tampa Heidi Lechner, German teacher, Libertyville High School Allison Das, Upper School Classics Teacher, The Kinkaid School Nancy McAnlis, Mathematics Teacher for the Deaf, Rocky Mountain Deaf School, Denver CO Dr Thomas Kohn, Associate Professor and Major Advisor for Classics, Department of Classical and Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Wayne State University Erin K. Moodie, Assistant Professor of Classics, Purdue University Erin Watley, Assistant Professor in Communication, McDaniel College Lauren Arkin, German Teacher, Yorkville CUSD 115 Bonnie Rock-McCutcheon, Lecturer of Arts and Letters, Wilson College Jackie Elliott, Associate Professor of Classics, University of Colorado Boulder Barbara Gold, Edward North Professor of Classics Emerita, Hamilton College Victoria E. Pagán, Professor of Classics, University of Florida Yurie Hong, Assoc. Professor and Chair of Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies, Gustavus Adolphus College William Thalmann, Professor of Classics and Comparative Literature, University of Southern California Daniel Nodes, Professor of Classics, Baylor University James M. May, Professor of Classics and Bjork Distinguished Professor, Emeritus, St. Olaf College Mark Williams, Professor of Classics, Calvin College Katie Robinson, Vice Chair National Committee for Latin and Greek Kurt A. Raaflaub, Prof. emeritus of Classics and History, Brown University Kira Jones, Classicist and Art Historian, Emory University Jennifer L. Good, Associate Professor of German, Baylor University Elizabeth Wade-Sirabian, Professor of German, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Nicolas P. Gross Elizabeth Dolly Weber, Clinical Associate Professor of French, University of Illinois at Chicago William H. Race, George L. Paddison Professor of Classics, Emeritus, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tim Stover, Associate Professor of Classics, Florida State University Jeffrey Hunt, Senior Lecturer, Baylor University Alexander Andree, Professor of Latin and Medieval Studies, University of Toronto Christiane Frederickson, Norcal AATG Jane D. Chaplin, Professor of Classics, Middlebury College Steven Ramey, Professor in Religious Studies, University of Alabama Tobias Myers, Assistant Professor of Classics, Connecticut College Michèle Hannoosh, Professor of French, University of Michigan Therese M. Dougherty, SSND, Professor of Classics, Notre Dame of Maryland University John Noyes, Professor of German, University of Toronto Teacher for the Deaf, Alumni Michael Okyere Asante, PhD Candidate in Ancient Cultures/Lisa Maskell Fellow, Stellenbosch University Lisa Connell, Associate Professor of French, University of West Georgia Daniel Libatique, Visiting Lecturer in Classics, College of the Holy Cross Marian Graham, Professor, ELAP (ESOL/ELL), Montgomery College, Takoma Park, MD Curtis Hutt, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Nebraska at Omaha Regina Hoeschele, Associate Professor, Department of Classics, University of Toronto Jacob S. Neely, Ph.D. Candidate and Graudate Instructor of Spanish, University of Kentucky Assistant Teaching Professor, Florida State University Paul Properzio, Teacher of Latin and Greek, Boston Latin Academy Kirsten Day, Associate Professor and Chair of Classics, Augustana College Flora Iff-Noël, Teaching Assistant at Harvard University Jonathan Justice, German Teacher, Naperville North High School, Naperville IL Marianne HOpman, Associate Professor of Classics, Northwestern University Wolfgang Mieder, Distinguished University Professor, University of Vermont Linda Butt, Lifetime Director of the German Society of Maryland and former German teacher Vera Bolton, German Teacher Lois Hicks-Wozniak, Lecturer, Music Cultures/World Music, Marist College and SUNY New Paltz Darlene Lyon, German teacher, Berea City School District Bartell Berg, Assustant Professor of German at the University if Southern Indiana Bruce Lincoln, Caroline E. Haskell Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of History of Religions, University of Chicago Justina Gregory, Sophia Smith Professor of Classics Emerita, Smith College Phiroze Vasunia, Professor, Greek and Latin, University College London Maria V. Handelsman Spanish Lecturer Roger S. Bagnall, Professor emeritus of Ancient History, New York University Isabel Valiela, Adjunct Associate Professor of Spanish and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Gettysburg College Mike Lippman, Associate Professor of Practice, Classics, University of Nebraska, Lincoln Jacob Chandler Buford; Graduate Teaching Associate of MFLL, German; University of Tennessee, Knoxville Rona Randall Student of Classics at the University of Mary Washington Deborah Roberts, Professor of Classics and Comparative Literature, Haverford College Gary Dare, Principal, GLD Technology Advisory (and former language student) Julia Farmer, Professor of Spanish, University of West Georgia Zachary Borst, Graduate Student, Department of Classics, UCLA Patricia Marshall, Lecturer in Classics, Siena Collège, Loudonville, NY Rebecca Harley, Certified Interpreter; ASL instructor Continuing Education CCBC Maryland Sara Hall, Associate Professor of Germanic Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago Edward M. Harris Emeritus Professor of Ancient History durham University Joela Jacobs, Assistant Professor of German Studies, University of Arizona Krishna Winston, Professor & Chair of German Studies & Professor, Environmental Studies, Wesleyan University Brent Vine, Distinguished Professor of Classics and Indo-European Studies, UCLA Katherine Wasdin, Assistant Professor of Classics, The George Washington University Ariana McCann, World Language Department, Holbrook High School, Holbrook, MA Melissa Cheadle, School Counselor, music minor, Howard County Public Schools Anna Kieper, teacher of German, UWaterloo Jamie Burgess, Community French Teacher, Steamboat Springs, Colorado Thomas J. Nelson, Research Fellow in Classics, Cambridge Peter Anderson, Professor of Classics, Grand Valley State University Karen Martin, Bilingual Literacy Specialist - DSD; Adjunct Professor - McDaniel Deaf Ed Kira Buehl, Graduate Student in Intercultural German Studies, University of Waterloo, ON Stephanie Cvach, music teacher, Havre de Grace Middle School, MD Annie Barry, Administrator, Columbia University Abigail Safago, German studies program Aquinas College 2020 Sierra Faseler, German Teacher, Denton High School Robert J. Penella, Emeritus Professor of Classics, Fordham University Stefani Legall-Riddle, German Teacher, South Forsyth High School Laurel Kearns, Professor Ecology, Society and Religion, Drew Theological School Matthew Chaldekas, Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics, University of California-Riverside Tracy Hughes, German Teacher, Hanover Co. Schools Victoria Regan, Educational Assistant, Canton MA Deborah Houghton, German Teacher, Manchester High School, Midlothian, VA Sabine Beirold, Instructor of German, Whitefish Bay Middle School Pamela Zinn, Assistant Professor of Classics, Texas Tech University Coran Klaver, Associate Professor of English, Syracuse University Jennifer Eames, Dorchester County Public Schools, German Teacher, McDaniel Alum Class of 2005 Cerue Diggs, Ph.D. German Teacher, PGCPS Ann Kalscheur Suárez, Associate Faculty, Spanish, MiraCosta College James Brown, French and German Teacher at Fallston Middle School, Fallston, Maryland Robert Parker, German and Spanish Teacher, NYC DOE Yannick A. Viers, Lecturer IV of French, The University of Michigan Samuel J.M. Boardman BA 04/MLA 09 Carroll Phillips, AATG, AATF, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (Ret) Edward Larkey, Professor of German Studies and Intercultural Communication, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Annette Budzinski-Luftig, Lecturer, German Program Coordinator, Towson University Susan Libby, Proessor of Art History, Rollins College David Petrain, Associate Professor of Classical Studies, Hunter College, CUNY Marcia Hackett, Liberty High School, CCPS, Eldersburg, MD Serena Connolly, Associate Professor of Classics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey George W. Houston, Professor of Classics Emeritus, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Caroline King, MPA candidate, Georgia State University Tim DeMarco, Adjunct Instructor of German, Stockton University Deborah Lyons, Associate Professor of Classics Hugh Parker, Associate Professor, Classical Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro Lowell Edmunds, Professor Emeritus, Rutgers, The State University of NJ Heidi Trude, French Teacher, Warrenton VA Ingrid Ippach, M.A. German teacher Lanphier High School, Springfield, IL Fritz Graf, Distinguished Professor of Classics, The Ohio State University Uta Larkey, Professor of German, Goucher College Rosalie Streng, Maine Township High Schools, IL (retired) Rebecca Edwards, Associate Professor of Classics, Wright State University Anne H. Groton, Professor of Classics, St. Olaf College Italo Simonelli, Professor of Mathematics, McDaniel College Daniel Miller, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Religion and Social Thought, Chair, Department of Liberal Studies, Landmark College John Goulde, Professor of Comparative Religions, Emeritus, Sweet Briar College Petra Schmid-Riggins, Ed.D., high school educator, Phoenix Union High School District, AZ Anne Leblans, Associate Professor of German Brian Oyler, AATG member former French, German and Spanish teacher Northern Illinois Susanne S.Sutton, UMBC, Baltimore, Maryland Christin Whitehead, German Teacher and Department Chair, Timberland High School, Wentzville, MO Anne Leblans, Associate Professor of German, St. Mary's College of Maryland. Arthur Edward Kölzow, Lecturer, East Tennessee State University Dr. Timothy Wutrich, Senior Instructor of Classics, Case Western Reserve University Peter C. Pfeiffer, Professor of German, Georgetown University Karin Lindgren, translator and former instructor of French and ESL at Adrian College and Siena Heights College The Rev. Kristin Grassel Schmidt, Senior Co-Minister, Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley (music major) Christopher Bungard, Butler University Rebecca Wilson McDaniel Class of 2014 Katy Maile, German Teacher at Parkway Central Middle School, Chesterfield, MO Markus Vogt, Community Education Center Manager, Community College of Vermont instructor, Newport,VT Assistant Professor of German, Allegheny College John Higgins, Research Associate, Smith College Mary Rosalie Stoner, PhD student in Classics, University of Chicago Lorriana Markovic, former voice professor at McDaniel College Bro. Charles Filberg, F.S.C., German and Religion Teacher, Calvert Hall College High School, Baltimore, MD Patricia Johnson, Professor of Classical Studies, Boston University Alison T. Smith, Assistant Professor of French, The Citadel Chair, Department of Global Languages and Cultures and Professor of French at Northern Arizona University Donald Lateiner, professor of humanities-classics emeritus, Ohio Wesleyan University Brian Liu, Asst Professor, Washington Adventist University Karin Radhe German Instructor Howard Community College Tom Lathtoum - Western Maryland College class of 2001 Christine Thomas-O'Meally, Owner & Operator of Mezzoid Voice Studio Laura Harrington, Boston University Matthieu van der Meer, Assistant Professor of Classics, Syracuse University Brandi Crawford, WMC class of 2002, Music Teacher/Private Voice Instructor (music/theatre major) Darcy Krasne, Lecturer in the Discipline of Classics, Columbia University Iker Sedeno, Graduate Teaching Associate of Spanish, University of Tennessee T. Nicole Goulet, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Indiana University of Pennsylvania Eric Dugdale, Professor of Classics, Gustavus Adolphus College Daniel Desmond, Centennial High, Ellicott City, MD Paula Hickey, Digital Media Coordinator, Voice of America (Washington D.C.) Cori Crane, Assoc. Professor of the Practice of German, Duke University Sabine Woerner, German Department at Elgin Community College, IL Sharon L. James, Professor of Classics, UNC Chapel Hill Sarah Gleiss, German teacher, Sun Prairie High School, Sun Prairie Wisconsin Anna Lynch, German major, McDaniel class of 2010 Rosa Toledo, Spanish Senior Lecturer, MFLL, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Sue Marshall, retired German teacher, Phillips High School, Phillips, WI Tanja Falwell, German teacher Richard King High School, Adjunct Professor of German Language and Culture Texas A&M Corpus Christi Marianne Zemil, German and French teacher, The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools Katherine Lockwood, Cascade High School, Everett, WA Jorge Bravo, Associate Professor of Classics, University of Maryland Ursula Horstmann Nash, teacher, Grants Pass High School Iffat Fathima, NIU Alumni Hiltrud Arens, Professor of German, University of Montana Samuel Huneke, PhD Candidate, Department of History, Stanford University Andrea Bryant, PhD Candidate (ABD) in German, Georgetown University Sara Buck, RN, MSN, MPH - Northern Illinois University class of 2000, BA, French Language and Literature Janice Smith Warshaw, Assistant Professor and Director of Deaf Studies, California State University, Fresno Christopher Ocker, Chair of the Department of Cultural and Historical Studies of Religion, Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley Solène Inceoglu, Lecturer in French Studies, Australian National University Karen Caroe, Classical Studies and Latin teacher, Desert Springs Christian Academy, Las Cruces, NM Priscilla Layne, Associate Professor of German, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Susan Treggiari, Professor, University of Oxford Hope Williard, Academic Subject Librarian, University of Lincoln (UK) Cameron Pearson Postdoctoral Scholar, Ancient History, University of Warsaw Roger Brock, Senior Lecturer in Classics, University of Leeds, UK Manuel Clemens Jacqueline Paskow, Emerita Professor of French and German, St. Mary’s College of Maryland Matthew Scheiber, German Teacher, Whitmer High School, Toledo, Ohio Beverly Weber, Associate Professor of German Studies, University of Colorado Boulder Katherine Skow, Professor of German, The Citadel Bronwen Wickkiser, Associate Professor and Chair of Classics, Wabash College David Johansen, Professor of Music, Southeastern Louisiana University Elizabeth A. Castelli, Professor of Religion, Barnard College at Columbia University Lee Forester, Professor of German, Hope College Amy Browning-Dill, Highschool Teacher of Studio Art and German at STARS, Springfield, VA Rebecca Maerten, Mount Hebron High, Ellicott City, MD Molly M Levine, Professor of Classics, Howard University Gabriele Miller, German Instructor at CCC College, Goucher College, Towson University Christine Theisingers, German Teacher, LaSalle Peru High School Jason Herrman, German Instructor, Horizon High School, Thornton, CO Andrea Ganger, German Instructor and English Learner Coordinator, Fairfield Community Schools, Goshen, IN Kathryn Simonsen, Associate Professor, Classics, Memorial University of Newfoundland Dr. Brigetta M. Abel, Assistant Professor (NTT) and Director of Writing, Macalester College Paula Blum, German Teacher, Shining Mountain Waldorf School, Boulder, CO Wayne Franits, Distinguished Professor of Art History, Syracuse University Sonia Tendrich, Teacher of the Deaf/HH, ISD 917, MN Michael Busk, German & ESL Teacher, Roselle, IL Will Funk-Heiser, Long Reach High School, Columbia, MD Haley Bly Melissa Etzler, Lecturer of German and First Year Seminar, Butler University Christopher M. Bly, Clinical EMR Supervisor, BA Foreign Languages and Literature, Carrollton, GA Levi P. Bly, Minister to Students, BA Foreign Languages & Literature, Carrollton, GA Andrea Newbolds German River Ridge High School Pasco, Fl Carl A. Rubino, Winslow Professor of Classics Emeritus, Hamilton College Deborah Reisinger, Associate Professor of the Practice in French, Duke University Lisa Marie Anderson, Professor & Chair of German, Hunter College (CUNY) Eli Cross, German Teacher, Coughlin High School Brent A. R. Hege, Center for Faith and Vocation Scholar in Residence and Lecturer in Religion, Butler University, Indianapolis Yuki Gibson, German teacher, Loudoun County High School Kathy Gearhart retired German teacher, Severna Park HS, MD Aine Zimmerman, Lecturer of German, Hunter College (CUNY) Patricia Schneider, German Teacher, Clarkston High School, MI Niall W. Slater, S.C. Dobbs Professor of Latin & Greek, Emory University Vassiliki Panoussi, Professor of Classical Studies, William & Mary Brandon L. Guernsey, Visiting Assistant Professor of French, St. Mary's College of Maryland David Levene, Professor of Classics, New York University Jacqueline Long, Associate Professor, Department of Classical Studies, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Arts & Sciences, Loyola University Chicago Sebastian Heiduschke. Associate Professor of German and Film. Oregon State University. Martha Risser, Associate Professor of Classics, Trinity College Seth Holtzman, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Catawba College K. Merinda Simmons, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Alabama Aleidine J. Moeller, Professor of Language Education, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Astrid Weigert, Teaching Professor, Department of German, Georgetown University Jessame Ferguson Jessica Wood, Lecturer of German, Northern Arizona University, AZ Joseph Stumpf, Chair, History and Political Science, Montgomery College MD Yvonne Poser, Assoc. Professor, German section , World Languages & Cultures, Howard University, Washington, DC. Ryan Hendrickson, Lecturer IV and Coordinator of First Year French, University of Michigan Thomas Salumets, Associate Professor, University of British Columbia Lawrence J. Bliquez, Professor of Classics Emeritus, Univ. of Washington Annie Falk, German teacher, Concord Academy, Concord MA Gretchen Friel, English and German Teacher Barrington High School, Barrington, IL Michelle Lynn Kahn, Assistant Professor of Modern European History, University of Richmond Matthew Fanuka, Anthropology PhD Candidate, University of Minnesota Diane Grimes, Associate Professor of Communication and Rhetorical Studies, Syracuse University Kerstin Hopkins, Principal German Language School Washington, DC John Paluch, Associate Professor of Instruction, Northwestern University, Department of German Anne Friedrich, German Teacher at Farmwell Station MS, Broad Run HS and GLC Lawrence S. Schwartz, German Teacher, Lanier Middle School, Fairfax, VA Susanne Rinner, Associate Professor of German Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, President, American Association of Teachers of German (AATG, 2018-2019) Felicitas Rossbach, German Language School Washington, D.C. Alexandre Abdoulaev, Professor of Music History, University of Delaware Alex Nohai-Seaman, Associate Professor of Music, Suffolk County Community College Linda L. Gaus, German translator and teacher at the GLC Navisa Hunter, Teacher Assistant and Substitute Teacher at the German Language School Washington, DC Ines Kuperberg, Lehrerin GLC Caroline Ansahl, German teacher, German Language School, Washington DC Maheen Arif, Student, Supernova School Tanja Dresp, PhD, German instructor German Language School Washington, DC Harald Menz, Ph.D., Professor of World Languages and Cultures, Bethany College, WV Erin K. Anderson, PhD, Associate Professor of Sociology at Washington College, Chestertown, MD Aabia Ather, Student, Supernova Sheila Murnaghan, Porfessor of Classical Studies, The University of Pennsylvania PhD student in Music Composition, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA Melanie Nunes, GIS Washington Kellye Deane German teacher Gretna, NE Ann M. Nicgorski, Professor of Art History and Archaeology, Willamette University, Salem, Oregon Patrick Brugh, Language Learning Center Director, Loyola University Maryland, Affiliate Assistant Professor of German Micaela Champion, student at McDaniel College Class of 2022 Patrick Bahls, Ph.D., University Honors Program Director and Professor of Mathematics, University of North Carolina, Asheville John H. Starks, Jr, President Classical Association of the Atlantic States, Assoc. Prof. of Classics Binghamton University SUNY Mirko M. Hall, Professor of German Studies, Converse College Sophie Mills, Professor of Classics, UNC Asheville Brett M. Rogers, Associate Professor of Classics, University of Puget Sound Ann Dunn, Lecturer in Humanities, University of North Carolina Asheville Jody Christophe, Middle School World Languages Chair, Diversity Leadership Team, McDonogh School Gaetano DeLeonibus, Professor of French, Willamette University, Salem, Oregon. Karen Morgan German teacher, Pearson Online and Blended Learning, MA, 2000 Florida German Teacher of the Year Desiree Reynolds, German teacher, Robinson SS, Fairfax ret. and German Language Teacher GLC, Potomac. Giovanna Faleschini Lerner, Associate Professor of Italian, Chair of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Franklin & Marshall College Lisa Gasbarrone, Professor of French, Franklin & Marshall College Nadra Hebouche, Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies, Franklin and Marshall College Ann Wetherell, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art History, Willamette University Leah Holz, Visiting Assistant Professor of French, Franklin and Marshall College Annegret Haseley, German teacher, GLC Washington DC Cathy Dwyer, German Teacher, Noblesville High School, Noblesville, IN Katherine McClelland, Professor of Sociology, Franklin and Marshall College Jeffrey Nesteruk, Professor of Legal Studies, Franklin & Marshall College Ortwin Knorr, Associate Professor of Classics, Willamette University Meagan Tripp, Visiting Instructor of German, Franklin & Marshall College Cindi Hodgdon, German teacher NH James W. Watts, Professor of Religion, Syracuse University Silke Wehner Franco, German teacher, East Brunswick, NJ Nina Bond, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Russian and Russian Studies, Assistant Director of Postgraduate Fellowships Samantha Stinson, associate tutor of music, Edge Hill University Jon Stone, Associate Professor of Russian and Chair of Comparative Literary Studies, Franklin & Marshall College Christina Ellison, German School and Doctor of Modern Languages Program coordinator, Middlebury College Masha Kamyshkova, Senior Lecturer of Russian, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Typhaine Leservot, Associate Professor of French and Letters, Wesleyan University Scott Lerner, Shadek Professor of the Humanities and French and Italian, Franklin & Marshall College Ehab Iwidat, Former Arabic House Director, Birzeit University Ingrid Genzel, German teacher at the German Language School Washington, DC Lise Leet, Visiting Assistant Professor of French, Franklin & Marshall College Emily Batinski. Associate Professor of Classics, Louisiana State University Siham Bouamer, Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies, Sam Houston State University Mohamed Mehdi, Oakton Community College Anne Schoenhagen, PhD, Language Director, Goethe-Institut Washington Joel Eigen, Professor Sociology, Emeritus Robert Yelle, Professor and Chair of Religious Studies, LMU Munich Susanne Koehler, German Teacher GLC Daniel A. Brooks, Visiting Professor of Russian, Franklin & Marshall College Magda Tarnawska Senel, Director of the German Language Program, UCLA Patricia Branstad, instructor of German (retired) Gustavus Adolphus College Timothy Moore, Biggs Distinguished Professor of Classics, Washington University in St. Louis Alejandro Ramos Jennifer Mackenzie, Assistant Professor of Italian Studies, Franklin & Marshall College Arianna Fognani Visiting Assistant Professor, Franklin & Marshall College. David McConeghy, Salem State University Cathy Altmeyer, Assistant Professor of German, Washington & Jefferson College Wendy Stevenson, Ph.D. Kathleen Scollins, Associate Professor of Russian, University of Vermont Delana Marie Snyder Elke Nicolai, Associate Professor of German, Hunter College, CUNY Edith W. Clowes, Brown-Forman Professor, Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of Virginia Vanessa Plumly, German Lecturer, SUNY New Paltz Ivor Bolton University of Birmingham uk Rebecka Snell Labson, MLS and parent of former students Sabine Harvey, Coordinator of German, University of Texas at Arlington Anthony Sciubba, Ph.D. Candidate at Emory University Kara Bezanson Delana M.Snyder German Teacher DW Daniel High School Central, SC Manya Whitaker, Associate Professor of Education, Colorado College Maggie Ball, Associate Professor Art & Art History, Retired, Carroll Community College, Westminster, MD Anna Zimmer, Assistant Professor of German, International Studies, and Honors, Northern Michigan University Carissa Lick, EL teacher, St. James Public Schools (MN) Dr. Deborah Kent, Professor of Music, Howard Community College, Maryland Melvin Brennan, former visiting professor, Towson University, COO Rdigewood YMCA, 1996 grad and founder of Progressive Students Union Daphne Warren, German Teacher, Plano Senior High School Miriam Stewart, Music Education Major at McDaniel College Christiane Steckenbiller, Assistant Professor of German, Colorado College Ethan Brown, McDaniel College Elizabeth Hobbs, McDaniel College 2021 Abigail Stanley, Bard College Dexter Hoyos, FAHA, Associate Professor and Honorary Affiliate, University of Sydney, Australia Andrew Pyne, McDaniel College Class of 2020 Veronica Lathroum, MLS, and Alumna - Class of 2013 Christiane Eydt-Beebe, Dept Chair, World Languages &Cultures, Eastern Illinois University Natalia Pardalis, music educator Pardalis Studio for Music and Performing Arts German Lecturer, Purdue University Northwest Gabriele Braband, PhD, Daniel High School, Central, SC Shelby Denhof; English and German Teacher, Rockford Public Schools, Michigan Roger Adkins, Director of International and Cultural Education, Gustavus Adolphus College Simon Noriega-Olmos, Researcher, Center of Philosophy, University of Lisbon Curtis C. Bentzel, Associate Professor of German, Franklin and Marshall College Ina Sammler, DAAD Lecturer, special scientist, University of Cyprus In line with research that established best practices for academic writing productivity, DDGC piloted a virtual writing support group Summer 2018. The goal of the group was to organize a forum in which folx working in German Studies (and sibling disciplines) can support one another's research, share writing tips, discuss pitfalls, and thereby stimulate scholarly productivity. The setup was simple with the aim of producing big results: group members checked in twice each week (beginning and end of week). During the first check in, members articulate clear and measurable writing goals. During the second check in, members confirm if they met the goal, what went well, and what they hope to improve the following week.
Because the pilot group was a great success, we are launching a regular writing support group, which will be held each semester. The next group is forming for Fall 2018. If you'd like to be part of the group, send an email to me (ervin.malakaj[at]ubc.ca) and I will be sure to send you instructions on how to join our digital platform (we use Slack to check in with the group). The dates for the group are Aug 29–Dec 3, 2018 (15 weeks). Why do we teach German?
October 2-8 is National German Week, and the AATG is raising awareness about the study of German and the need for more future German teachers! As stated on their website, “TEACH GERMAN Day is designed to recognize the important role that German teachers play in our schools and communities and encourage the next generation of German teachers.” As part of AATG’s “Teach German Day” initiative, we are sharing some personal reflections on our profession. Here are some responses from faculty involved in the “Diversity, Decolonialization, and the German Curriculum” initiative: I had a great high school German teacher who not only taught us vocabulary and grammar, but he also introduced us to “Seeräuber Jenny” from Dreigroschenoper and some truly weird stories by Peter Bichsel. I am grateful to Herr Suchomel for creating an immersion environment in the classroom, and for his passion as a teacher. After graduation, I was a high school exchange student at a Gymnasium in Schleswig-Holstein, and discovered first-hand that Germany is much more than Lederhosen and the Alps, but in fact that there are small fishing villages and sandy coasts. I had amazing Gastfamilien and made friends who I am still in touch with today. For me, the best part about being a German teacher is the fact that language classes open students up to new worlds and challenge some of their preexisting ideas about what is “normal” or taken for granted. I’m always learning with my students and from my students! I love teaching new texts and films and get excited to go to class to see what students will have to say about them. It’s a great profession that allows you to have friends all over the world, to keep exploring new cities and landscapes, to read different authors and genres, and to learn more about the complexities of what it means to be a German speaker in the world today. As college German professors, we rely so much on the amazing work done by German teachers in the schools. If you’re passionate about German and teaching, you will be a great German teacher! -Kathryn Sederberg, Kalamazoo College Teaching German to students in the U.S. made me look at my personal background in the East of Germany, my first language, and the culture around me when I grew up, in an entirely new light. There are moments when we discuss vocabulary terms only to realize that there are so many aspects and histories behind each word. This experience brings me joy because these conversations can lead to a chain of other beautiful and meaningful words. One thing that seems to stand out as a common goal for my students is being able to find other ways to convey what they want to say, even if they do not know the word. For the past few weeks, we have been covering the German elections in my conversational class. One of my students wrote in a reflection paper that she is not fond of discussing politics. She was unfamiliar with a lot of words and phrases that were being used in class and then had to look them up on her own. However, when her American friends were speaking about the election in the aftermath, she was able to give them more-in-depth information on the election process in Germany. I was so proud of her for being able to be an expert at this moment with her friends. It is amazing to see the students' growth over the course of one semester, barely fifteen weeks, where they are excited, tired, inspired, frustrated, and all struggle and succeed-- each in their own way. The uniqueness of each student surprises me over and over again. - Christin Zenker, Washington University in St. Louis One thing I wish everyone knew about teaching German is that it is a broadening field with increasing reach beyond the classic “lang and lit” model. As someone with an interdisciplinary background who came to German Studies through the “side door,” I find this trajectory highly rewarding to teach and remarkably enriching for students. Today’s German course topics, texts and tasks require students to critically and comparatively examine diverse spheres of everyday life and culturally embedded modes of thought from several analytical perspectives. But most exciting to me is the opening of German Studies to become a space for awareness raising and activism surrounding social justice issues—racism, environmental justice, gender equality, etc.—making the study of the German-speaking world a space for critical reflection on students’ home cultures. - Amanda Randall, St. Olaf College Something magical (and strange) takes place when learning a new language. Students feel unsettled in the first semesters and slowly come to find a firm ground to stand on in new linguistic and cultural contexts. I feel that these moments in our German language and culture courses have great potential for transformation: that is, because they have the potential to uproot students from the way they have done things (linguistically and otherwise), they offer important chances for social change. This is why German Studies in particular and language/culture studies in general are so important to me and why I love being part of this profession. - Ervin Malakaj, Sam Houston State University I love to inspire my students to push their boundaries and discover that they can do much more with the language than they themselves thought possible. This can happen at all stages of language learning. In 101, students feel empowered, when, after less than four weeks of German, they are able to ask enough questions to find out a fellow student’s secret identity during an in-class game. Last semester, I challenged advanced students of German to write a DADA-style poem that they performed in an avant-garde concert on campus. The whole class was nervous when I told them what we’re going to do (including me); however, the resulting poems were fantastic and after the performance, everyone beamed with pride! In moments like these, students grow through their use of German and that’s why I love being a German teacher. - Petra Watzke, Skidmore College Assembled Thoughts on the “Why” and “How” of Diversifying and Decolonializing German Studies7/6/2017 by Amanda Randall (St. Olaf College)Introduction: Das Unbehagen im Deutschunterricht[1]
Two years ago, I began in a tenure-track position in German at St. Olaf College, a small Lutheran-affiliated liberal arts college located in southern Minnesota. My graduate training in the Department of Germanic Studies at The University of Texas at Austin, together with transdisciplinary undergraduate study and master’s-level work in cultural anthropology at other institutions, prepared me well to work in a department that is beginning to transition to a content-based curriculum (CBI) aligned with the dominant foreign language (FL) curriculum design maxim: content from the beginning, language throughout (Bernhardt & Berman 1999; Byrnes 2002; Swaffar & Urlaub 2016), that is, creating a “more coherent curriculum in which language, culture, and literature are taught as a continuous whole” (MLA 2007: 237)[2] whereby students acquire “the ability to read, and write, and speak with critical discernment about important matters in the world through and awareness of and facility with multiple languages” (Ryshina-Pankova and Byrnes 2017: 425). The formal move from the communicative method and bifurcated language-before-culture / “meal-before-dessert” paradigm to CBI resonates well with my scholarly orientation. But in transitioning from graduate study focused on researching the history of German-speaking cultural anthropology to daily and rigorous engagement with questions pedagogy and curriculum design, I felt a growing sense of unease. This Unbehagen concerned the cultural content being taught, that is, the image of “German” culture conveyed to students in the thematic organization, text selection, and pedagogical scaffolding of beginning- and intermediate-level textbooks, but also in broader scholarly discussions of foreign language curriculum design encountered in publications, conferences and teaching workshops in the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany. True, representations of more diverse identities and experiences—especially those that are defined in hybrid ethnic terms, like Turkish German and Afro-German—have been appearing with greater frequency in both German Studies literary and cultural research and in teaching materials. But these identities still appear marginal, even tokenized, against the ethno-national norm of “German” identity. When consulting with St. Olaf colleagues about which curricular models we might adapt from other recognized foreign language programs, I winced at the idea that the intermediate sequence for which I am responsible be framed in terms of “being German.” The ultimate point of that thematic framing—that all individuals are socialized into some set of more or less commonly held practices, institutions and beliefs—is certainly important for students to recognize and is, in fact, affirmed in the 2007 MLA Report, Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed World, and the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages. Yet, to my ears, the notion of “being German”—or “being” any ethno-national identity descriptor, for that matter—rings prescriptive and undifferentiated. Even the compromise framework at which the German faculty arrived, “becoming German,” meant to better highlight diverse positionalities and the processual nature of identity-formation in a society, left me feeling discomfited because it still seems to retain a teleology of unreflected Leitkultur[3] that essentializes a certain class and regional identity and precludes discussion of cultural literacy in terms of identity politics or diversity within “German” culture. Further heightening my unease are the various strands of influence reflected in both popular and academic commentary on the current political climate in the US and Europe, where issues of ethnicity, religion, migration and integration, but also gender and ability, are at the forefront of news and politics. It has taken some time, research, and intentional conversations with likewise unsettled professional peers and mentors to articulate the core of what has been bothering me about German language and culture teaching in US higher education. And it is this: despite instructors’, SLE scholars’, and textbook publishers’ increasing awareness of and sincere efforts to better reflect in the curriculum the diversity within the German-speaking world, there persists a monolithic, ethno-national, heteronormative and ableist image of what it is to “be” and “become” “German” that colors or even overshadows the presentation of and engagement with difference—and, by extension, with critical questions of social justice—within the cultural areas about which we Germanists teach. The “German” curriculum and the notion of “German” identity are constructs two centuries in the making that reflect a narrow image—namely, that of the Federal Republic of Germany—of what it means to “be German.” That is, the ethnic-national definition of “Germanness”—that one does not “become” German, but can only really “be” German through bloodline—that underpinned Germany’s nineteenth-century national unification and successor nationalisms persists in German Studies curricula in their tendency to eschew or marginalize both the diversity of German-speaking communities (Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, the GDR, as well as communities of German-speakers outside of Europe, both today and historically) and the diverse communities and identities (ethnic and national, but also gender, class) within German-speaking spheres. At best, diversity appears as a tokenized side-note to the main, ethno-national cultural narratives of FRG-Germanness—“cultural capsules” introducing Islam in Germany or characteristics of Schweizerdeutsch. At worst, diversity appears as a social problem requiring resolution through immigration policy, integration education, and the like. This tendency to diversify curricula without questioning the social stratification implied in the ways the “Others” of the German-speaking world are presented (or not) suggests that committing to more fully diversifying the German Studies curriculum is not enough: the curriculum must concomitantly be decolonialized. Where diversifying the curriculum entails recognizing and engaging the real and legitimate internal diversity and complexity of German-speaking societies, not just comparisons to the outside, decolonializing entails recognizing, questioning, and destabilizing the hegemonies implicated in the construction of cultures, canons, and curricula. In a sense, decolonialization serve as a critique of existing diversification efforts, for Zoé Samudzi (2016) pointedly states, “The inclusion of marginalized identities and experiences without decentering dominant narratives is an understanding of diversity that leaves oppressive structures intact, and in fact, insulates them from criticism.” Understood in this way, to diversify and decolonialize the German Studies curriculum does not mean simply “adding” or “replacing” cultural texts in order to include a wider array experiences and identities within German-speaking societies today, but rather a paradigmatic shift that demands 1) a new, social justice-oriented set of intended learning outcomes and organizing frameworks that, in turn, would inform both 2) the selection and articulation of themes and 3) the selection, scaffolding and articulation of texts and tasks within those themes. If the progress toward instantiating translingual and transcultural competences in our curricula in order to prepare students for living in a “changed world” (MLA 2007) has stalled, as Ryshina-Pankova and Byrnes argue (2017: 424), then perhaps the initiative to diversity and decolonialize the German Studies curriculum for a still further changing world could prove the critical elaboration to drive that mission back into dynamic motion. One might rightly ask, how can we teach students to deconstruct and challenge the stereotypes, normativities and potential injustices underlying narratives of “Germanness” if they do not first have the chance to encounter those “standard” images and discourses? The practical and philosophical question of what texts would be displaced in order to make space for greater polyvocality and criticism is an issue I discuss later in this blog. Suffice it to say here that an iconoclastic discarding of the texts and narratives from which German Studies curricula are still most frequently built is not what I am advocating precisely because that could undermine the process of reflexive, critical learning and, moreover, could render the field unrecognizable to students whose horizon of expectations (Jauss 1970: 12) for German Studies must first be met before it can be—indeed, in order for it to be—transformed. Rather, decolonializing the German Studies curriculum would entail both diversifying and decentering the cultural narratives within the “German” cultural content in order to unsettle the ethno-national, largely FRG-centered (with Austria, Switzerland and the GDR on the margins, but still positioned as legitimately, if erroneously, “German”) image of the German-speaking world. Connecting German-speaking Europe to other world cultures and to its own cultural politics in this way can help students to recognize themselves more readily as products of culture and occupiers of positionalities within societies that are likewise internally diverse. Confronting German-speaking world cultures in this shifted framing would provide students with opportunities to confront their own essentialized worldviews and to recover an awareness of diversity where only sameness[4] had been seen before. Especially in a social and political climate in which isolationism, racism, sexism and other forms of individual and institutionalized discrimination appear emboldened and civil, reasoned public discourse becomes suppressed, the project of diversifying and decolonializing the German Studies curriculum becomes an ethical enterprise that is the heart of the humanities mission to instill in students attitudes and aptitudes for building and living a more connected, not less world. My intent with this inaugural blog entry of the Diversity, Decolonialization and the German Curriculum (DDGC) web community is to identify the manifold stakes (the “why?”) and practical considerations (the “how?”) we instructors face in thinking through how to diversify and decolonialize our curricula. From the enterprise of higher education and the humanities to the “scene on the ground” at my home institution, I see potential to answer to needs of a broad, interlocking array of constituents. As for the many practical challenges that typically accompany a paradigm shift, I address these in terms of two of my primary concerns, namely curriculum redesign and conditions of implementation. My ultimate hope for this blog entry is for it to be an invitation for further discussion, idea- and resource-sharing, and encouragement for all those seeking to infuse the German Studies curriculum with diverse perspectives and social criticism by decentering the dominant cultural narratives in our inherited materials and intellectual habits and by providing students with the linguistic tools with which to engage with social justice issues in “transcultural” comparison, not just between national communities “C1” and “C2”, but between stakeholders within a German-speaking sphere that is anything but homogeneous and monolithic. The Stakes of DDGC for the Humanities and for German Studies The latest disciplinary stock-takings[5] confirm that the field of German Studies has diversified and decentered its disciplinary identity. The training, research and teaching of Germanists extends from language and literature in all disciplinary directions—from film and media studies to STEM and environmental studies to ethnography and all other configurations of cultural studies and social sciences. Institutionally, however, German programs remain housed with the modern languages within humanities faculties. In that sense, the fate of German Studies is still tied tightly to the fate of the humanities, and as we cannot help but hear in public and institutional discourse, the humanities are facing a “crisis.”[6] There is ongoing debate among humanities scholars about that crisis, asking what the mission and value of their disciplines are, could and should be, particularly in light of the social cynicism and economic pragmatism found in public opinion and discourse and in political and educational policy decisions concerning the value of university education in general. Such debates about the value and role of the humanities in US higher education have their roots in the 1970s and 80s (Newfield 1995, 2016; Nussbaum 1997, 2010; Smith 2015), but the political climate surrounding and especially following the 2016 presidential election has infused the discussion with a new urgency to move past the discourse of “crisis” and toward actionable imagining of possible ways forward that still recall the traditional mission of humanities education, but that recapture them for a new set of social and political realities. In discussing how humanities fields must reshape the discourse surrounding their mission and value, for example, Gary Schmidt observed at a 2017 meeting of the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages that a goal of the humanities is to help students to become souverän—both confident and competent—when discussing and acting upon the pressing social, political, ethical questions of the day. Yet college students and all those who are invested in their futures are undeniably and understandably concerned about the value of a humanities degree, especially considering the scandalously high cost of higher education. Still coping with the economic, social and ideological aftermath of the 2007-08 economic downturn, many are justifiably more worried about what kind of livelihood one can expect at the other end of a university degree program, if one can afford one at all, than about the diversity of their own educational experiences. That the fate of initiatives to provide more equitable access to university education remains unclear and contested only exacerbates the dilemma. Criticisms of the various exclusionary structures of higher education and the classic (and classist) notion of Bildung undergirding the humanities are valid. Yet from Humboldt to Habermas, Nussbaum to Newfield, there remains overriding agreement that the aim and value of advanced study and of the humanities’ role within curricula is to cultivate a humane citizenry and to foster the habits of self-cultivation for the sake of all humanity. In that sense, we must not shrink from, but rather double down on, the mission of the humanities as not just a public good, but as good for the public (Newfield 2016). Despite, or perhaps as a result of the precarity surrounding access to higher education and dissenting evaluations of its purpose and value, students are caught in a paradox: they are invested in seeing and affecting social change (Fox 2012), yet driven toward “practical” educational choices. For those students, the way forward that they see might not entail a humanities major, but rather a major in the social sciences, as those fields appear to offer a way to marry intellectual rigor and social criticism with “practical” skills and methods applicable in the job market where graduates can begin immediately affecting change while also securing a more stable livelihood. This perception has had a negative effect on humanities course enrollments, faculty hiring, and program sustainability. In response, proposals for reframing the value of the humanities range from shoring up the traditional core of aesthetics and hermeneutics in order to rescue the humanities on their own terms, to finding transdisciplinary alignments with STEM fields, social sciences, and business in order to reposition the humanities not as a support (and hence ancillary) to those fields, but rather at the core of all human enterprise because the humanities are the disciplines articulating the questions of what it means to be human and humane, and eliciting diverse answers to those questions. One finds these same dilemmas and strategies debated within the fields of modern languages, most recently in “The Issue” section of the The Modern Language Journal (Summer 2017).[7] There, Marianna Ryshina-Pankova and Heidi Byrnes (p. 424) remind readers not to lose sight of the core contribution of foreign language studies within the humanities: “the issue is not about disciplinarity,” they argue, but is rather “a sophisticated linking of best knowledge about instructed language learning for literate adults with content that is both possible from the standpoint of emerging L2 abilities and desirable as learners engage with the other culture(s).” Yet the question of what content is “desirable” has clearly been influenced by outside pressures, including students’ (and education funders’) economic concerns and program survival fears. In German Studies, initiatives to incorporate and collaborate with STEM fields and international business programs are beginning to flourish[8] and receive ample support from organizations like the Goethe-Institut and AATG. These are positive developments in the sense that they are successfully addressing the question of “relevance” of our field. Nonetheless, the argument for caution and moderation must be taken seriously, lest in our strivings to make German “relevant” to undergraduates we acquiesce to the pragmatist paradigm of higher education and ultimately undermine our holistic intellectual mission and identity by recasting German language and cultural learning as a “soft” career tool. By the same token, the strategy of shoring up programs strictly along the lines of philology and aesthetics in the hopes that students will recognizes, as we do, that common human experiences and concerns can be enlightened through the study of linguistics and literature also can falter if a greater balance of voices and perspectives in the texts from which we build our canon is not attained. Too often, these texts are still couched in terms of canonicity and/or correctness, rather than as windows into still-current questions about the relations of a cultural hegemony and those living it. As German Studies moves ever further into an interdisciplinary identity and practice, it may be in our best interest—for our own survival and for the sake of social justice and humanity—to find a path between the conservative and the collaborative positions, to reform the field so as to teach young citizens via critical, comparative study of German languages and cultures how and why to think and act humanely in a diverse, globally connected, yet in places highly unjust and inhumane society. In his interpretation of the Humboldtian vision, German education reformer Hartmut von Hentig lists as the first of six constituent criteria for a comprehensive understanding of Bildung: “Abscheu und Abwehr von Unmenschlichkeit” (Hentig 2009). This is Bildung not as a kind of acculturation mission or a matter of canonicity aiming at a social norm, but rather as clarification of what is acceptable and unacceptable in relations between human beings and nations. More poignantly, John McCumber (2016) captures the stakes of strategically repositioning the humanities when he asks, can you imagine a “society full of young people who are creative energetic, entrepreneurial, technologically informed--and wholly comfortable with mass slaughter? I can, I’m in a German department.” Captured in this pithy remark is the special role that German Studies can play in educating a humane and just citizenry. If we are to successfully confront the manifold social, political and economic pressures on our field, on the humanities, and on higher education, we must recognize and critically reevaluate the ethical implications of our teaching. In order to connect the value of canonical works and key cultural narratives of the German-speaking world to the mission of the humanities, our field must broaden its vision beyond "teaching" the history and implications of National Socialism, for instance, to illuminating the cultural, personal, and social stakes that moved individuals to question, to embrace, or to reject these politics—not as heroes or villains, but in terms of lived, everyday experience. Such a broadened vision also entails problematizing and transforming the artistic canons and cultural narratives themselves. The diversification of today’s German Studies curriculum with the introduction of content concerning migration, racism, gender bias, and colonialism is an important starting point. Admirable progress in this direction is already being made at the curricular level, even if much of that work is not yet published in academic sources. But such efforts to diversify the cultural narratives will prove inadequate to the mission of the humanities if those texts are not scaffolded with a more critical intent to decolonialize, that is, to decenter ethnocentric cultural narratives, to de-tokenize identities, and, ultimately, to place questions of social justice at the center of the curriculum. Diversification alone will not suffice to transform the German Studies curriculum at all levels into an enterprise of cultivating a humane, empathetic citizenry. The stakes associated with diversifying and decolonializing the German curriculum today are the same for the field of German Studies as for the humanities and for higher education. For institutions, divisions and programs, the matter comes down to articulating and actualizing a mission for the sake of survival: to reform the image and work of the humanities in order to continue forming a humane humanity. In this way, the project of diversifying and decolonializing the German Studies curriculum has very tangible implications when it is understood as aligned with a transforming humanities mission. Curricular reform has implications for students, who do, could, and many argue should reflect a broader range of identities, experiences and motivations for learning German language and German-language cultures as attested at various sites and eras; for German Studies departments under pressure to increase enrollments or else see their programs reduced or closed[9]; for colleges and universities under pressure to balance budgets, affordability, more equal access and mission; and for the humanities under pressure to prove their value to society vis-a-vis career outcomes and cultivating a humane citizenry. Before I turn to the question of how we can realize this mission in German Studies classrooms, departments, and professional organizations, I would like to share how my commitment to this project evolved in response to recent events at my institution. The stakes of DDGC reach to every level in which our field is implicated. But it was when I witnessed how my college came face-to-face with racism on campus that diversifying and decolonializing the German curriculum truly shifted for me from a lofty ideal to an ethical imperative. DDGC at St. Olaf College: My View from “The Hill” Across the country, colleges and universities are encountering and working to address campus incidents of racism, sexism, and other forms of institutional and individual discrimination and injustice. Such concerns and conflicts are arising at my institution, too. This on-the-ground reality makes the humanities mission to play a leading role in helping not only individuals, but institutions to commit to equitably and respectfully cultivating a humane, civil citizenry more pressing than ever. I do not wish to suggest that St. Olaf College is not exemplary of what happens when college campuses face these issues; rather, I recount a set of recent events concerning racism at my institution because it has been for me the most intimate, grounded example of why the DDGC initiative is so important. In writing about the conflict over racism[10] at St. Olaf College, I endeavor to practice the ethics of ethnography: acknowledging the authors’s positionality (reflexivity), providing for polyvocality and double-voicing, and resisting the aura of linear narration and the redemptive ending.[11] To write this section, I consulted members of the St. Olaf community who occupy different positions concerning these events, but ultimately, the experience I describe and the positionality most strongly reflected is my own. My account is not representative of the whole St. Olaf community, nor is St. Olaf representative of US colleges. I cannot offer a complete account of everything that happened nor can I generalize the experiences and perceptions of the students, faculty, staff, administrators, and other community members. I do embed a number of hyperlinks and encourage you to read, watch and listen to accounts from A Collective for Change on The Hill, St. Olaf College, and local, regional and national news media to assemble more viewpoints. Let me stress that what happened at St. Olaf was a serious, intense conflict that is still unresolved and continues to provoke ambivalence, frustration, hurt, and anger among different parties concerning different aspects. Across the spectrum positionalities, I think I can safely say it was an overwhelming experience for much of the community. When I began teaching on “The Hill,” as St. Olaf is nicknamed, my first impression was of a largely homogeneous student and faculty body. The St. Olaf community is predominantly white, middle-/upper-class and midwestern (myself included). This is not to say that economic, racial, gender, ability and national diversity are absent or undervalued here. Still, there seemed to be a certain innocuousness to diversity’s appearance and representation at St. Olaf. The more I engaged with and observed students and colleagues, however, the more I realized that there is, in fact, more diversity here than meets the eye. Not only did various more “visible” diversities become more apparent to me, the ideological diversity within the St. Olaf community—including within its constitutive, ostensibly visible “communities”—did, as well. In this regard, the St. Olaf community mirrors more closely the range of social positions and political perspectives found in the US as a whole. This particular kind of diversity became poignantly clear in the run-up to and wake of the 2016 presidential election through the public emergence of conflicts over politics and identity, and racial identity in particular. If the mission of higher education, and the humanities in particular, is to teach young citizens of a diverse society to examine evidence carefully and critically and to articulate their positions respectfully and effectively so that, even if there is not complete consensus, there may be humaneness and civility that are prerequisite to the pursuit of systemic justice, then diversity of experience, identity and thought can and should be considered something valuable for teaching. As teachers and models for our students, we must be cautious not to tokenize or marginalize certain experiences for didactic value. I ask myself, how can I cultivate a sense of community among students as a whole and among students in my classes in particular and still take adequate account of differences? What we can try to convey is that individual and group identities are not only diverse, but also complex. Recognizing and comprehending the complexity of identity can be uncomfortable for some and empowering for others. As a member of the St. Olaf faculty and community, I believe it is my responsibility to model for students how they can engage respectfully and critically with divergent perspectives without retreating from discomfort when a matter is complex or when it becomes explosive. At the same time, learning how to understand and respond to complexity is a challenge that also extends to faculty, staff and administrators, especially when tense situations like the one I describe throw into relief our positions on spectrums of privilege and power. Factors like employment or tenure status, race and gender identity, seniority and administrative level affect individual choices about engagement, including considerations of self-presentation and even self-preservation. The recent events and debates surrounding racism at St. Olaf caused me to confront and contemplate both the importance and challenge of living, witnessing and teaching complexity and how my own positionality affects how I respond to and engage with complex social justice issues (including how and what I write about my institution in this blog post). This past academic year, the St. Olaf campus was shocked into attention by the anonymous appearance of racial epithets scrawled on whiteboards and post-it notes in classrooms, dorms and the library. Through the efforts of engaged students and faculty members, the stories of students of color confronted with micro-aggressions and tokenism, and even by existential threats, were brought to public forum. In order to raise the issue of racial discrimination and threats on campus to community awareness and administrative priority, a movement of students of color, “A Collective for Change on The Hill,” organized a set of peaceful protest actions—teach-ins, building occupations, class boycotts, confrontations and conversations with administration, all with social media, campus media, and eventually national press coverage. The students of The Collective found much student and faculty support, but overall student, faculty and administrative perspectives on the matter remained divided. Some interactions became confrontational. The atmosphere became extremely tense. On May 1, the day of the class boycott and sit-in in Tomson Hall—coincidentally where my office is located—in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the situation, I alternated between joining the bursting atrium crowd to watch the speeches and discussions; watching the live stream of the teach-in and meeting with administrators happening in a large, overfilled lecture hall; and following the coverage on social, regional and national media. I felt torn when the administration’s invitation to go chapel to hear Prof. Paul Briggs, a person of color and pre-tenure faculty member, speak became a point of contention. Many community members (ultimately, myself included) chose to leave the Tomson sit-in to go to the chapel service, but many others chose to stay there in solidarity, since an agreement with the administration concerning The Collective’s demands had not yet been reached. At chapel, I listened to Professor Briggs talk about our current situation in terms of “a family trying to find itself,” about patience, about “trust[ing] the messiness of the process,” about individual fears about where to join in—“but do join in,” he encouraged. Later that day, as the dialogue between administration and students was nearing resolution, Professor Briggs gave another public address. He reported feeling torn, wishing he could have been with the students and at the chapel at once. I am still not sure how to resolve his profession of regret with the fact that his chapel talk resonated with me. In reflection, I recognize that how one chooses to respond in such moments is a function of positionality and relative privilege. I imagine many others also felt and still feel torn—about chapel and about the situation as a whole—but our ambivalence is not all the same because our positionalities are not all the same. I noticed this identity-tied complexity of reaction in classes later that week, as I, like many of my faculty peers, made space for students to write and talk with each other about what they had just experienced. There again, I witnessed St. Olaf’s philosophical and political diversity, including among students of color, and admonished myself not to make assumptions about the definition and make-up of any social group or individual. The afternoon of the Tomson Hall sit-in, President David Anderson signed a modified list of The Collective’s demands. Watching the final exchange on my computer screen, I was proud of our students and of my institution. Still, from all that had happened, it was clear this was not a resolution, but only a beginning. Like many US colleges and universities right now, the St. Olaf community is taking steps to address the issues of racism and social justice on campus and in the education we offer.[12] At the administrative level, dialogue is continuing between students and the President’s Leadership Team (PLT) and a Task Force is being convened. The administration has also arranged large and small workshops for faculty and staff to learn how to better understand and talk about identity, power and privilege. These are not huge strides, but baby steps: uncertain, exuberant, awkward, anxious and a cause to celebrate. But there is still a long, difficult road ahead; there have been and will be falls and injuries. In faculty forums, I have heard poignant expressions of concern and support for students and faculty members of color. I remember especially how one colleague described the St. Olaf community’s sincere, yet awkward effort to affect change and effectively teach social consciousness and justice. Faculty, staff and students—myself included—are still afraid of saying or doing the “wrong thing,” of alienating others and of exposing ourselves to judgment.[13] I am endeavoring to overcome my fear and “join in,” in my life and in my teaching. Recognizing, confronting, and learning how to respond to social justice concerns and incidents and systems of injustice is something I am learning how to do and how to teach. I believed in the movement to diversify and decolonialize the German Studies curriculum before these events occurred; witnessing this situation on the ground on my campus has confirmed that conviction and sharpened my focus. This spring, I happened to also be writing my first comprehensive review statement. In it, I doubled down: stating my intentions to diversify, decenter and decolonialize my teaching—because it matters to German Studies; it matters to the humanities; it matters to US higher education; it matters to US society; it matters to humanity; but most immediately, because it matters for my students and my institution. My department chair and mentor, Wendy Allen, reminded me in discussing this blog post that in our role as teachers, we can insist on habits of mind, not habits of heart, but that does not mean we should not try to connect critical aptitudes with empathetic attitudes. In the next section, I examine considerations and questions for how to affect students’ habits of mind through the German Studies curriculum, with an idealist humanist’s hope that if we cannot provoke concern for social justice, then we can at least offer students a framework for understanding culture—their own and that of others—that includes recognition and critical consideration of social justice concerns. Habits of Mind, Habits of Heart To this point, I have discussed “why” the German Studies curriculum should be both diversified and decolonialized by painting a picture of the multiple, interlocking stakes of the initiative for higher education, the humanities, and German Studies, and by recounting an example of the crucial importance of this paradigm shift in the context of my own institution. Now to the question of what we Germanists can do immediately and concretely in our own classes, departments and institutions. As with the process of addressing social justice issues on our campuses, in our country, and in the world, affecting change within individual German Studies programs will be a matter of baby steps—ones that need the support and investment of whole programs, not just individuals, in order to begin and to gain momentum.[14] This section is not a “how to.” Rather, it outlines the practicalities and nuances surrounding two central concerns: the process of curriculum design and the challenge of addressing resistance from those discomforted by or otherwise not convinced of the value of this shift. To ground the exposition, I want to first reiterate and elaborate how I see how the concept of decolonialization could be operationalized within German Studies in a way that implies more than the intuitive connotations associated with discussions of British and French colonialism specifically and with confronting racial injustice by including excluded groups and sites more generally. When I returned from the 2017 DDGC conference in Asheville, NC, and reported on what I learned there, my colleagues asked me what I meant by “decolonialization” and what it has to do with what we do in our department. I explained my understanding this way: diversifying and decolonializing the German curriculum entails:
These are the concrete points of intervention for curricular change. In short, decolonializing requires a fundamental reorientation of how we approach teaching students how to question the cultural content they encounter, rather than simply absorb it. But the overall shift must first be conceived of in terms of the full range of pedagogical work that prioritizes decolonialization as the telos and framing of diversity in the curriculum. This reform process entails, in this order:
1.The Question of Design All curriculum design rests on the selection, articulation and scaffolding of themes, texts and tasks. To design for diversity and decolonialization, this work should be aimed at helping learners acquire the desired new socially conscious, critical framework and the set of intellectual and linguistics habits that undergird it. For the many instructors trained in graduate programs that themselves have not or have only barely begun to diversity, let alone decolonialize, this kind of design work can seem an enormous, intimidating challenge. As difficult as those baptized in the classic canon may find the task, identifying new, more diverse texts is perhaps one of the more straightforward issues to solve, as ideas for new texts reflecting more diverse identities and experiences in and of the German-speaking sphere are circulating more widely than ever, and we must continue that work of resource sharing. Selecting and scaffolding course elements and sequences in a decolonializing frame is the more challenging task, but as this movement grows at the grassroots level, theoretical proposals and concrete examples of successful models will likewise proliferate in circulation to establish a more visible, accessible community within our field (see subsection 2 below). As stated, we must begin by articulating the intended end points of study and a critical framework within which to design a cohesive curriculum. But when we only have so much space in a syllabus, only so many contact hours, only so many foreign language semester and major course requirements, only so much individual control over a shared curriculum, the task of redesign implies many more basic strategizing questions, the answers to which will necessarily vary by program capacity, orientation and institutional context. Questions and concerns that have occurred to or been suggested to me include:
What I would like to propose is the addition of a framework from outside the present scope of established FLE research and practice. That is postmodern ethnography, which I referenced in my discussion of the situation at St. Olaf. While the field of foreign language education has productively adopted and adapted several anthropological concepts for the development of means and measures for integrating culture with the language curriculum, I have noticed that the postmodern turn that took hold in the 1980[19] in dialogue with postcolonial theory and that now undergird the mainstream of cultural anthropology has not made that transfer. Perhaps adapting some of the central elements of the “writing culture critique” could offer the missing link between efforts to instantiate transcultural competence and a framing a decolonializing curriculum. These elements include:
2.Meeting Resistance. In considering all of these issues of pedagogy and their potential theoretical underpinnings, we should bear in mind that although we are dealing with young adult learners at the college level, we should not be too quick to assume that most students enter our German programs ready and able to identify and confront paradigms that bracket off or exclude diverse voices (class, gender, ethnicity) and that reify structures of social stratification, marginalization and exclusion. This is why drawing the key critical frameworks through the whole curriculum, from first semester to senior capstones, is crucial. Even if students are able to quickly grasp and operationalize the basic dialectic of constructing-deconstructing a cultural text—a first-year task you can do in the target language—opening a space for cultural criticism can provoke anxiety for some students as the affective filter of language learning becomes compounded with the affective filter of perspective sharing concerning complex and contentious social issues that might challenge or set in conflict learners’ different positionalities. Moreover, if a fundamental function of this new framework is to guide learners to critically examine their own cultural situatedness in order to create a base for empathy and receptiveness to complexity in a transcultural understanding transferable to all interactions, not just between the “C1” and “C2” of their German courses, then the core of the decolonializing frame may actually provoke resistance among some learners. It would be no surprise, then, if many students (and instructors) would feel more comfortable with the familiar ethno-national narratives even if they recognize that those are not fully or fairly representative of the diversity and complexity of culture in German-speaking spheres. Not only can difference and complexity be uncomfortable to engage and hard to grasp, each learning community is composed of a different spectrum of positionalities that may be less obvious and cohesive than they appear, some of which may be less receptive or outright resistant to engaging culture in these ways. What do we do when habits of heart hinder the formation of new habits of mind? What do we do when students (or we instructors!) are reluctant to express critical thoughts plainly out of fear of offending or being judged? How do we address the question of what “authorizes” German Studies faculty members, supposedly responsible for teaching German language and “German” culture, to be arbiters of social justice thinking and dialogue? And, how can we respond to divergent habits of mind at the faculty level? The intellectual community of German Studies is richly diverse in its constituent areas of expertise and paradigm commitments. What if department colleagues are not convinced, for whatever reason, of the value of diversifying and decolonializing the curriculum? Paradigm shifts are not simply a matter of the abrupt swelling and quick spreading of one individual’s disruptive idea, as Kuhn (1962) would have us believe. Paradigms evolve in and between communities of knowledge in response to external and internal pressures. They are more often non-linear, non-cohesive, rhizomatic, and best identifiable in retrospect. That the movement to decolonialize curricula and scholarly research was happening earlier in neighboring fields—English, Spanish and French, in particular—suggests that we in German Studies might have seen this movement coming. But recognizing potential change on the intellectual horizon is not sufficient to make an idea take root. I mentioned earlier that diversifying and decolonializing the German Studies curriculum cannot be achieved if only undertaken by individual instructors or through individual courses. Nonetheless, that is the grass roots level at which most of us must start. How, by whom, to what extent, and at what speed such critical redesign can be accomplished depends on one’s departmental and institutional context (as well as one’s tenure and employment status). If you are creating a unit or a course on sustainability, include texts and scaffolding that provoke discussion of environmental justice. When covering migration, upset the practice of bracketing off “minority voices” or setting migrant voices as respondents to mainstream public discourse and policy, rather than the drivers of discourse speaking from the primary site of experience. At all course and design levels, resist the neat social categorizations of and within the dichotomous “C1” and “C2,” for this reorientation pushes beyond recognizing and engaging a “third space” (Bhabha 1993; Kramsch 2009: 239) to decentering and destabilizing the images of C1/L1 and the C2/L2 through which their respective (and sometimes shared) “Others” are imagined. There will be failed experiments, rejection by students, and even suppression by fellow faculty or administration. But there are many modes of intervention and avenues for idea and resource dissemination and discussion. If it is not feasible yet to diversify a curriculum, one can still begin introducing a decolonializing perspective, for instance, by raising the issue of canonicity as theme for critical analysis, not a tacit given. Ask students why they think a given literary text has become standard reading in German-speaking schools or US college German programs; ask them to come up with comparisons within their own schooling background; invite them to speculate about who makes decisions about which works become canonical and why; introduce them to the history of Germanistik and German Studies, not just the authors and text that have ordered the field in order to let students challenge the seeming naturalness of it shape. This line of inquiry can extend to the question of power and authority, and the dynamics informing how and why other works or voices and narratives are relegated to the margins. Bringing in works reflecting more diverse perspectives to be read against canonical pieces under a shared theme could then complete the diversify-decolonialize process, in this case in reverse. One can also begin introducing a social justice orientation within the standard cultural narratives of German Studies. For example, when teaching the film Sophie Scholl—die letzten Tage (2005) for fourth-semester German, I include discussion of the notion of Zivilcourage (inspired by the Goethe-Institut) in order to connect the history of grassroots resistance to National Socialism to what one could do today, as an individual or as part of a larger movement, to confront inhumanity and injustice in one’s own communities. I mention these sample strategies to highlight the importance of shifting, first, the intellectual goals and foundational analytical frameworks of a curriculum. This is not to say that infusion of diversity should be secondary or could be left aside, but rather that, in cases where we find ourselves unable to immediately or robustly diversify the texts we use, beginning to shift habits of mind in a direction of decolonialization in the sense of raising awareness of the existence and implications of complex positionalities, power differentials, and social justice concerns is still a possible and valuable turn within the fuller paradigm shift. In addition to direct curricular interventions, to change habits of mind within our field, we also must disseminate successful ideas and resources through the channels that serve to legitimate scholarship and teaching practice. There are, thankfully, in our field ample outlets for publishing and presenting foreign language pedagogy research: Die Unterrichtspraxis, Foreign Language Annals,[20] ACTFL, AATG, MLA and regional MLA divisions, CARLA and the Goethe-Institut, to name only a few. Also consider submitting an abstract for the planned DDGC edited volume (deadline September 15, 2017! Though we are all positioned at different kinds of institutions that value teaching scholarship in uneven ways (as do the modern languages fields often themselves, lamentably), dedicating space within our scholarly work to design, present, and publish empirical research and theoretical interventions will be crucial to substantiate the legitimacy and viability of this turn. In the following, final section, I present further concrete steps individual Germanists can take in different spheres of engagement to help to continue expanding the movement. Ruhe nicht bewahren. Weitermachen! The world has changed since the 2007 MLA report and is changing constantly. And so, we must broaden learners’ perspectives beyond the facile dichotomy of “C1” and “C2”—we must diversify the German Studies curriculum. As we broaden student horizons for what “learning German” covers and conveys, we also must adjust the stance—the attitudes and analytical abilities—we want students to take vis-à-vis other cultures and their own. That is the decolonializing project that activates the value of this paradigm shift as it aligns with a reinvigorated humanities mission. This is the beginning of an enormous undertaking that cannot be accomplished only by individuals, all at once, or on a grand scale. But there are nonetheless many ways to contribute where we each stand on the ground. Besides intervening directly in curricular design at your institution and publishing empirical case studies and theoretical expositions, we can support and develop diversity and decolonialization in the field German Studies by:
Works Cited
Notes [1] My heartfelt thanks to Katherine Arens, Janet Swaffar, Dillon Cathro, Ervin Malakaj and Regine Criser, and to the anonymous reviewers, for your comments and suggestions for the preparation of this essay. The ideas recorded here draw together my own reflections with the many insights I gained at the 2017 DDGC conference and in previous conversations with some of its attendees in other forums. I must especially acknowledge Jennifer Redmann, Brett Sterling, Emina Musanovic, Karin Maxey, Holly Brining, Kathryn Sederberg, Feisal Kirumira, Petra Watzke and Ashwin Manthripragada. I also must acknowledge Wendy Allen for our extended dialogues about how to effectively articulate these notions in the more familiar terms of foreign language pedagogy. [2] Quoted in Ryshina-Pankova & Byrnes 2017, p. 424. [3] Strikingly, the notion of Leitkultur is reentering German public discourse as a possible policy direction—an unsettling development that is ripe for critical analysis by students of German in a diversifying and decolonializing framework. See for instance. [4] Here we recall Vicki Galloway’s (1999) adaptation of Lévi-Strauss: “It is the assumption of sameness that triggers facile interpretation, immediate judgment, an turgid culture-ranking criteria” (p. 152). Paraphrased: the presumption of sameness is the end of cultural learning. [5] See especially Halverson & Costabile-Heming 2015 and the GSA Fortieth Anniversary Issue of German Studies Review (2016). [6] A quick Google search of “humanities crisis” yields a plethora of discourse on the topic. On the crisis for foreign language departments in particular, see Berman 2011 and “The Issue” section of The Modern Language Journal 101 (2), Summer 2017. [7] See especially Marianna Ryshina-Pankova and Heidi Byrnes’ (2017) commentary, “Embracing the Language-Educational Challenge of FL Departments: Reflections on Ways Forward. [8] See, for instance, the University of Rhode Island International Engineering Program and Northern Arizona University’s Interdisciplinary Global Programs. See also the STEM/MINT initiatives of AATG and the Goethe-Institut. [9] Among the German programs reduced or closed in the last decade are those of the University of Nevada, Reno; the University of Southern California; SUNY-Albany; Washington State University (Halverson & Costabile-Heming 2015: 91). Close to my home in Minnesota, Concordia College’s German major was recently eliminated. [10] I would be remiss if I did not also acknowledge the serious and likewise ongoing conflict over sexism, sexual assault and gender discrimination that arose on campus in 2015-16, my first year at St. Olaf. Though those events took place before the DDGC took hold in my conscience, they are no less relevant in terms of the need for this paradigm shift. [11] Rice anthropology faculty members George E. Marcus, James Faubion, Julie Taylor and Christopher Kelty were particularly influential for how I conceptualize and describe the method and ethic of ethnographic writing here. See footnote 19 for exact publication references. [12] One way St. Olaf College helping faculty and staff to think and talk about racial identity, racism and social justice, and how these issues affect our students is by connecting with the Sustained Dialogue Network. Learning opportunity have included large workshops with Managing Director Rhonda Fitzgerald and ongoing smaller discussion groups that capitalize on the expertise of St. Olaf faculty and staff members. Other universities, such as the University of Southern California, provide their own free “toolkits” online. For me, the stages of racial identity development and the “Privilege Walk” activity have been particularly enlightening. Please share more such resources in the comments section! [13] This tendency to avoid conflict may be, at least in part, an effect of midwestern, “Minnesota nice” culture. [14] Ryshina-Pankova and Byrnes (2017) likewise emphasize the need for meaningful curricular change to be a program-level effort: “To respond effectively to the external societal and internal institutional pressures…changes cannot be limited to a specific course taught by a specific faculty member, no matter how exemplary it might otherwise be…. Rather, change will need to occur across these three fundamental and interrelated areas of educational practice: (a) a programmatic mission statement that is anchored in collegiate humanistic learning, (b) an intellectually stimulating content- and language-integrated curriculum sequenced to enable the attainment of the specified goals over the 4 years of the program, and (c) language- and content learning-oriented assessment to provide publically available evidence for student achievement and advocacy for the program” (p. 425). [15] See also Anderson & Sosniak 1994. [16] See also the ACTFL “can-do” statement performance indicators. [17] See Redmann and Sederberg 2017 for a recent example of how to scaffold a thematic unit within the multiliteracies model that drives in the direction of critically identifying complex positionalities. [18] For an example of holistic rubric grading that based on movement through Bloom’s taxonomy to high-order criticism, see Hammer and Swaffar 2012. [19] Foundational texts of the “writing culture critique” include Clifford and Marcus 1986, Marcus 1998, and Marcus and Fischer 1986. Please email me if you would like a list of exemplary postmodern ethnographies to read! [20] View a comprehensive list of SLA research journals at https://linguistics.georgetown.edu/sla/resources/research-journals. [21] See, for example, Ervin Malakaj’s “Decolonialist Pedagogy” and Karin A. Maxey, Ph.D. Editors: Regine Criser (UNC Asheville) & Ervin Malakaj (Sam Houston State University)
The volume addresses questions of access and inclusion as they relate to student outreach, program advocacy, pedagogical and curricular models in the context of German language and culture instruction at the collegiate level. We seek to bring together scholars critically evaluating German Studies curricula against the backdrop of discourses on diversity and decolonialization. Contributions can draw on research in critical race, gender, feminist, LGBTQIA, disability, and/or ethnic studies and should be situated within current research in applied linguistics/pedagogy in German Studies. We are interested in both quantitative and qualitative approaches. To be considered for inclusion in the volume, send an abstract (300 words) and a cv to both Regine Criser ([email protected]) and Ervin Malakaj ([email protected]). Deadline for abstract submission is September 15, 2017. Final chapters (6500-7000 words) will be due February 2018. Following our successful DDGC conference March 2017 at the University of North Carolina, Asheville, we set out to find ways to share the rich discussions in which we partook and approaches we developed. This blog is intended to be a space in which we can carry forward the discussion since our conference, engage with ideas by people unable to attend, and to promote the work we do among a broader audience.
If you would like to submit material to be considered for inclusion in the blog, send a brief email to Dr. Regine Criser and Dr. Ervin Malakaj outlining your ideas. We hope to provide a peer-reviewed process within reason. |
Editorial Collective & Submission Information
The DDGC Blog is edited by an editorial collective. For more info about the collective and extensive submission information, click here. We want to amplify your ideas. Have an idea for a short or long post? We'd be glad to talk about it and help you get it published. Archives
January 2023
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