GERMAN:

Expanding German Studies through Interdisciplinary Offerings and/or English Speaking Study Abroad Courses in Germany

Session Coordinator: Monika Hohbein-Deegen

Dept. of Foreign Languages & Literatures, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

800 Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh, WI 54901-8693

deegen@uwosh.edu

The German LTL at the University of Connecticut as an example for successful interdisciplinary teaching

The interdisciplinary Linkage through Language Program (LTL) at the University of Connecticut links a one-credit foreign language course, e.g. German, with regular three-credit classes, e.g. film, history, music, and politics, and allows students to combine their language skills with a variety of disciplines. The LTL course is in most cases team-taught by faculty from the language department and the parent class.

In an LTL discussion lesson students explore and discuss authentic material, e.g. the Kaiserproklamation of 1871 or a letter from Mozart, which reinforces their understanding in the parent course. While using the four skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing, the students improve their German, their discipline and are able to enhance their critical thinking in small class settings. Consequently, there is an increasing interest in German culture and language.

I taught German LTL classes linked to history, geography and culture classes for a few semesters and also the current director for this program at the University of Connecticut. At the M/MLA session I present the program, show a German LTL master class and outline course curricula, and describe my experiences with this program in the perspective from a teacher as well as an organizer.

Martina Lüke

University of Connecticut

MARTINA.LUKE@huskymail.uconn.edu

Found in Translation: Bringing Interdisciplinarity and Career Prospects to the
Foreign Language Curriculum

Dwindling enrollment numbers in German language and literature courses have prompted many German programs to consider other ways to attract student enrollments. Much success in this area is credited to courses taught in English as well as those which reach beyond single disciplines because they better respond to students’ interests and to professional demands. This paper will show how the development of a translation program expands German Studies beyond the traditional language, literature and culture courses. Through the incorporation of existing offerings of both German as well as other departments as well as through newly designed teach-taught courses translation students not only engage in a variety of disciplines but also significantly improve their career prospects.

Susanne Lenné Jones

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

sujones@uwm.edu

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Being Undisciplined: Interdisciplinary Programs and Experiential Learning Abroad

In the past five years, the German Studies Department at the University of Cincinnati has been instrumental in developing two new interdisciplinary programs with significant study-abroad components. One program (European Studies) is a collaboration between the departments of German Studies, Romance Languages, History, Sociology, and Political Science. The other program (The New Berlin) is organized by the Department of German Studies, but has involved students from disciplines as far-ranging as Music, Engineering, and Pharmacy. The study-abroad component of these programs has taken students to Berlin (6 times), St. Petersburg, Brussels, and Lyon, among other places.

In this paper, I discuss the promises and problems of being “undisciplined abroad.” How do you structure a program to attract students of widely varying interests, backgrounds, and linguistic skills? How do you then execute such a program successfully? What are the benefits of having an expansive notion of one’s constituency? What are the potential problems? How do you arrange finances and financial aid to make it feasible for students at a public university such as UC to afford the program? Based upon my experiences with students, colleagues, and administrators over the past five years with these programs, I will share insights into what works and what does not.

Todd Herzog

University of Cincinnati

Todd.Herzog@uc.edu

Teaching East German History Abroad: Interdisciplinary Learning in Berlin, Potsdam and Leipzig

As part of the new study abroad program European Odyssey at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, I taught a two week session on East German history to students of various disciplines. The initial objective of this new study abroad program was the exposure of American undergraduate students to international cultures by offering a semester long program consisting of five courses which were taught by a team of four faculty members in their respective fields. All courses were interdisciplinary and conducted in English. During my portion of the program, I introduced the students to the factual and emotional history of East German people from the end of World War II to the present by means of classroom lectures, trips to historic sites and museums, as well as organizing discussions with eye-witnesses of significant historical events.

In this presentation, I will discuss my experiences in teaching this course and show how such an approach can contribute to an increase in German language class enrollment. Furthermore, I will show how the variety of courses taught in a setting like the European Odyssey provides information and opportunities for the students in ways of determining their own career ambitions and/or majors because the program itself attracts mainly students fulfilling their liberal arts general education course requirements.

Monika Hohbein-Deegen

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

deegen@uwosh.edu