EDUCATION
MA, PhD (The Ohio State University)
PROFILE
My primary research interests lie in German genre and culture studies of twentieth century literature, film, music and art. In particular, I focus upon the popular portrayal of security issues and the literature of the fantastic. The intellectual forays into these interconnected yet disparate domains have directed my eye towards the analysis of their common generic elements and their comparison via theories of cognition and narrative. This includes, for instance, the role of simple narratives and metaphors that move across genre. For the past two years, I have been investigating the conceptual foundation of a variety of genre in the late twentieth century that appear to influence the shaping of gendered identities and assignment of agency into hegemonic forms of social control. It is within the fantastic and speculative worlds of science fiction and fantasy that modes of strategic, repetitive and novel alterations of narrative and generic elements promise to disrupt the stability of political conventions embedded within social discourse and offer new solutions and warnings to their readers. In turn, these interests influence my teaching, with which I encourage students to experiment with new ideas, concepts, methods and technologies, so that they can expand their conceptual horizons, acquire new skills, and build upon their cultural and linguistic knowledge of the German-speaking world in a contemporary global context.
I am currently directing departmental outreach efforts for Ohio State to lead in the advocacy and development of German language programs throughout the state with both innovative and proven measures. These initiatives include strengthening the bonds between the university and its regional community of educators by hosting visiting High School students for German Day and organizing conferences with workshops for teachers to continue to develop their skills with knowledge of new approaches and materials. In addition, we are just investigating the feasibility and desirability of distance learning options for schools and students that would otherwise have to forgo German language instruction. Please feel free to contact me via email if you are interested in any of the aforementioned programs.
COURSES
- Language Courses: Elementary and Intermediate German (101.01-104.01, 1103.01); Individualized Instruction: Elementary and Intermediate German (101.51-104.51)
- General Education Courses (taught in English): German Science Fiction, Germanic Myth and Popular Culture, East and West German Popular Culture, The Holocaust in Literature and Film, Hollywood: Exiles and Emigres
- Second Year Writing Course (taught in English): Images of America in German Literature and Film, Across the Atlantic: German Literature at Home and Abroad
PUBLICATIONS
- “Review of the Student Performance of Peter Weiss’ ‘Marat/Sade’” Communications from the International Brecht Society 41, 2012. 90-92.
- “The Compensation of Thialfi and Roskva: A Myth of Child Exposure” In Leshyn, Victoria and Evan Torner, eds. Myth: German and Scandinavian Studies. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009. 77-88.