Introduction

In recent years, many once traditional departments of German Languages and Literatures underwent a transformation to German Studies departments. These German Studies departments now include the teaching of German history, art, philosophy, gender studies, European Studies, and more in addition to language and literature instruction. The implications of this progressive expansion of German Studies need to be considered. Furthermore, budget restrictions oftentimes call for the merger of several departments, and interdisciplinary approaches are increasingly supported and demanded by the administration, also contributing to the need for a restructuring of German programs. The question remains how to ensure a steady enrollment in traditional German language and literature courses and to prepare students for a much changed job market in the field of German at the same time. It is therefore important to consider new ways of attracting students to German other than through language study and the exposure to German through literature.
Another major concern of higher education in the United States is the focus on international education. Compared to their international counterparts, American students in the past have had relatively limited exposure to global education including study abroad. The US government has increased its efforts to support study abroad experiences for American students at the secondary, but also at the post-secondary level. Generally, participation in study abroad programs has increased among undergraduates throughout the United States; however the trend seems to go towards short term study abroad programs rather than semester or year-long programs. As Cate Brubaker noted, there are numerous positive aspects of short-term study abroad programs such as minimal interruption of the students’ academic year at the home institution and the ability to take courses abroad that are compulsory at the home institution to fulfill general education requirements. Furthermore, as these programs are typically faculty-led, parents and students feel more secure.[1]
Although study abroad participation has increased significantly over the past decade among American undergraduates, college programs across the nation need to be proactive in their efforts to convince American students of the benefits of this aspect of a college education and attract them to such programs. In the following paper, I will describe a study abroad program at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh that is aimed at internationalizing our students’ educational experience through an innovative approach. This program is not tied to a specific discipline, but is truly interdisciplinary, but nevertheless succeeds in attracting students to the German division through the inclusion of a topic course on modern German history and society. I will give a general overview of the history of this program and its components, and will then focus on the course on modern German history that I taught in Germany over the past few years.

Strong study abroad opportunities can greatly contribute to the strength of a stateside university German program. First, obviously, is the valuable experience the student has living at the on-site location, which can greatly enhance the student’s linguistic abilities and cultural knowledge. Second, study abroad programs generate student enthusiasm for learning German, often converting study abroad participants into German minors, and minors into majors. Students returning from study abroad programs are truly excited about the language and self-confident about their capabilities in the language and in life. Students learn to deal with unknown and unexpected situations in a new culture, thus contributing to their problem-solving skills. They are often even more eager to continue studying German. These students’ zeal can spread to other students, who then apply to study abroad, thus continuing the growing spiral and contributing to the vitality of a university’s German program.

When examining faculty-led study abroad programs, a number of points should be taken into consideration. Summer programs usually offer a more affordable price and a time frame that will more likely fit into a university student’s curriculum. Semester programs, on the other hand, present the student with a longer, much more in depth array of experiences and linguistic practice. A faculty-led program for students exclusively from one’s own university also has advantages and disadvantages. The faculty member has a greater chance to become acquainted with student participants before leaving the States. Often, a closer tie with the students at one’s university already exists, and participating students may already be focused on the central aim of the study abroad program. However, it is not always easy to accrue a sufficient number of students from one university to enable a program to go and also to cover the expenses of the faculty member(s). If only one faculty member accompanies a student group, problems may occur if the faculty member must concentrate on one student due to a severe illness or other such diversions. The director may become overwhelmed with tasks while also being responsible for teaching a course. For this reason, it is vital that another faculty member knowledgeable about life in the German-speaking country be a part of the trip. Alternatively, many faculty members prefer directing in a program within a consortium, in which a number of universities help supply the total number of students in the program, and other faculty from member institutions contribute to teaching and supporting the director.

This essay will focus on the study abroad experience that is led and directed by a faculty member, using the experiences of my summer Austria-Bregenz Program of the consortium Kentucky Institute for International Studies. I began directing the program in 1996. The Austria-Bregenz program regularly has 36-39 students and a total of five faculty from institutions in the consortium, as well as occasional students from non-consortium universities. Approximately six to twelve students from my university, Murray State University, participate in the program each summer from the end of May to the beginning of July. Besides three levels of German instruction (beginning German through third year) and two business classes, other courses offered depend on the faculty chosen to teach in any given year. While some readers may see the program as too English-oriented, one must recognize that the program was created to provide faculty with professional development opportunities and students with the chance to study in a German-speaking country, even if they had never studied German. Every summer students who had not previously studied German return from Bregenz to their home institutions and study German there. Having a positive impact on students and on our respective programs at home is our goal.

Introduction

While Business German had its first tentative beginnings at U.S. colleges and universities in the 1970s, it was deemed “the wave of the future” in 1980 after the University of Wisconsin at Madison conducted a survey on the discipline’s state. By 1991, Business German was offered by more than 150 colleges and universities in the U.S. prompting Nollendorfs to conclude that “Business German seems no longer just the wave of the future; it seems here to stay.” (1991: 222)  Indeed, judging by the number of articles published about Business German during the first few years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall, one could infer that the discipline had reached a sort of prime during the early 1990s (not at least due to much support from the Goethe Institut).

Much has changed since then. Globalization is no longer a utopia, the united Germany has become the economic powerhouse and one of the political pillars of a greatly enlarged European Union, and the Fall of the Berlin Wall was just commemorated for the 20^th time. However, the number of articles on Business German has decreased considerably since the mid-1990s. Does this mean that the discipline is past its prime or is it by now firmly established in the curriculum with its novelty worn off? This paper seeks to highlight the benefits and potential, but also the challenges of the state of Business German at the beginning of a new decade by illustrating the Business German program at Wake Forest University, NC, and by drawing concomitantly from national trends.

Business German at Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University is a liberal arts university with ca. 4,300 undergraduate students located in Winston-Salem, NC. The Department of German and Russian offers a BA in German or Russian, and enjoys a relatively large number of German majors and minors.  A two-semester Business German sequence is offered every other year. While the interest among undergraduates in German language and culture learning is comparatively high, it has become increasingly apparent that not all students majoring or minoring in German are attracted to the literature track. Typically, twelve to fourteen German majors and minors enroll in Business German (Introduction to Business German in fall; Intermediate Business German in spring). It should be pointed out that the university focuses on a low teacher-student ratio. Prerequisite are three to four semesters of college German. In general, the Business German courses consist of students who are greatly attracted to studying German and wish to pursue a field with more practical applications. Many of those enrolled pursue dual degrees in Business and German, Economics and German, Accounting and German, or International Studies and German. The sequence concludes with the option of taking the Zertifikat Deutsch für den Beruf (ZDfB) exam offered by the Goethe Institut at the end of the spring semester. The feedback from students has been very positive with many saying that the Business German sequence has been one of the most rewarding but also challenging learning experiences of their undergraduate studies.

The following section gives examples of teaching materials from both Business German courses at Wake Forest.

By Astrid Weigert

“And the first prize goes to…,” these celebratory words were the final fanfare for the speech competition project at the Department of German at Georgetown University, which a month earlier had been part of a week-long set of activities commemorating the 20^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. An animated group of about 60 attendees, among them undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff, cheered the 3 winners, and watched excerpts of their winning speeches on Youtube, all the while enjoying German Christmas pastries and hot cider.  What ended so joyously during our holiday party on December 9, 2009, had been set in motion almost a year earlier when my Department, like many others, received a letter of invitation from the German Information Center (GIC) to participate in the “Freedom without Walls” student project week.

The letter of invitation had outlined a number of potential projects that could be part of such a “Freedom without Walls” campus week. We settled on the following: building a replica of the Berlin Wall, a public lecture by German author Peter Schneider and a second one by Prof. Michael Lützeler on Peter Schneider’s oeuvre, a “Berlin Club Night” for the students, a photo exhibit, a film series, and finally, the speech competition in which students would reflect on the significance of the historic event.

Given my Department’s emphasis on curricular cohesion and on teaching all classes in German, it was clear that we wanted GU students to present their speeches only in German (and not in English as the GIC letter had suggested). Our first challenge, therefore, was how to prepare our students in terms of content and language to give a rather complex speech in German on a political-historical topic. The speech competition subcommittee, consisting of our curriculum coordinator Dr. Marianna Ryshina-Pankova, Ph.D. candidate Rebecca Weidner, and myself, quickly identified an existing instructional unit on the fall of the Wall in our 3^rd year course as the best point of departure. A closer look at the materials used in this unit, however, revealed that they were focused exclusively on the years 1989-1990 and reflected only the events and issues of that particular time period. Clearly, if we wanted our students to speak meaningfully about the significance of the events 20 years later, we would need to redesign the unit and include materials ideally up to 2009.

Imagine it’s 2015 and the worst has come to pass. In the two years following the economic crisis that began in fall 2008, a third of high schools with German programs eliminated them due to shortfalls in state education budgets. Across the country, school superintendents went on record in public meetings stating that districts could offer only Spanish. Even in suburban schools, German classes were dropped year after year, while beginning Chinese was added, with mixed success. The first wave of German program closures at state and community colleges, followed by reorganization of smaller units into Modern Language departments and the retrenchment of faculty lines at research universities, resulted in many painful reductions. The ensuing combination of weak enrollments, increased staffing by disenfranchised instructors without tenure, and faculty retirements left departments poorly prepared to deal with the “budget cliff” of 2012. At that point, administrations across the U.S. asked faculty and staff to cut an additional 5-10% over the following three years. Many departments that were already operating in skeletal form were left with no choice but to merge with other units or reduce course offerings to a minimum. The recruitment and training of graduate students is being curtailed at all but a handful of institutions, since it is no longer economically viable for U.S. students to pursue a Ph.D. in a field of such career instability.

Now let’s imagine a different scenario. As school districts grappled with budget reductions in 2008-9, strong partnerships of teachers, parents, and community members were forged with university and college German departments. These networks successfully advocated on behalf of high school German programs, supported thriving immersion schools, and raised public awareness about the relevance of studying German. While a decreasing number of students elected to study the language for heritage reasons, the post-recession growth of export/import traffic with Europe, U.S. investments in sustainable technologies, and the search for models for health care reform, among other factors, fueled renewed interest in German. Following an agonizing period of self-reflection, college and university departments focused with fresh energy on building areas of strength and redefining institutional structures. Successful departments built new collaborations across disciplinary units, promoted increased study and internships abroad for undergraduates, developed language-enriched content-based curriculum, addressed issues of diversity, pioneered e-learning, and in some cases “privatized” operations through cooperation with donors. Graduate program admissions were “right-sized” to ensure better support, education, and placement of Ph.Ds. While the trend toward expanding employment of adjunct instructors rather than adding tenure-track faculty continues, faculty-like privileges have been ensured for many (including research and professional development support, long-term or renewable contracts, and participation in institutional decision making), a move that is dismantling the so-called language/literature divide and enhancing the quality of undergraduate education across the U.S.

Both scenarios are, of course, hypothetical, but I offer them by way of introduction to thinking about how to address the present “crisis” in German studies. Recognizing that solutions will depend on institutional profile, I will advocate specific interventions that have proven effective in my department and that have applicability which transcends local experience. Bluntly, we live in a climate in which it seems nearly impossible to translate salutary discussion about the value of the Humanities into the kind of tangible support that is so desperately needed. Given these circumstances, my advice focuses on concrete tactics that my department has found crucial to successful operations. Briefly, these five recommendations involve proactive strategic planning, outreach, curriculum design, study abroad, and development.

Literatur in den German Studies: Eine Provokation

I.

Wo bleibt eigentlich die Literatur? Wer spricht heute noch über Literatur? Wer liebt sie noch? Wer kennt sich noch aus?

Über die Kollegen aller Fachbereiche will ich gar nicht sprechen. Den Studenten ist es meist peinlich, spricht man sie vor Kursbeginn auf das Buch an, mit dem sie die Pause füllen. Viele entgegnen möglichst schnell, das sei nur für einen anderen Kurs; andere haben dabei, was man selbst nicht kennt und deshalb kaum mit spitzen Fingern anfassen will: Fantasy-Reihenschmöker, knallige Mangas, gelegentlich rührenderweise einen Hesse-Band, oder Ayn Rand.

Wo ist die gesellschaftliche, die akademische Kompetenz für Literatur geblieben? (…)

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Viele Kollegen und Kolleginnen, die uns einen Beitrag versprochen haben, konnten ihn nicht rechtzeitig zum 15. April fertigstellen. Wo man auch hinhört, wen man auch spricht (oder zu sprechen versucht), Zeit ist ein sehr kostbares Gut geworden, noch wertvoller auch für diejenigen, die früher schon über ihre Belastung stöhnten. Denn indem in der Finanzkrise das Geld knapp geworden ist, wird als zweite Ressource damit auch Zeit knapp: weil immer noch mehr von ihr gebraucht wird, überall.
Wenn defekte Geräte nicht mehr so schnell oder auch gar nicht mehr ersetzt werden, weil es keinen technischen Anschaffungsetat mehr gibt, dann müssen wir uns für unsere Kurse Möglichkeiten überlegen, diesen Ausfall aufzufangen, durch einen Behelf oder eine ganz neue Stundenplanung. Das sind kleine Ärgernisse, die sich summieren. Anfragen an andere Abteilungen und Einrichtungen auf dem eigenen Campus oder anderen werden nicht mehr oder nur nach längerer Zeit beantwortet, häufig mit geringerer Kompetenz als früher, weil nun weniger Leute die gleiche oder mehr Arbeit tun. Das lähmt.

Die Anschaffungsetats vieler Bibliotheken sind so stark gekürzt worden (an meiner Universität um 50%), dass viele von uns regelrechte Forschungsreisen zu anderen Institutionen unternehmen müssen, wo früher ein Gang über den Campus genügte (und man sollte endlich aufhören, Interlibrary Loan als Ersatz für eigene Bestände zu preisen; wer so argumentiert, hat noch niemals ernsthaft in einer Bibliothek gearbeitet). Besonders unerfreulich und zeitraubend sind die Diskussionen über Kürzungslisten von wissenschaftlichen Zeitschriften etc., die der Fakultät vorgelegt werden, damit diese dann entscheiden kann, ob sie in Zukunft lieber auf Niere oder Lunge verzichtet.

Dass ich im Frühjahr viel Zeit dafür einplanen muss, Empfehlungsschreiben für meine graduating seniors zu verfassen, bin ich gewöhnt; aber ich glaube nicht, dass es früher so viele waren, und so viele vor allem auch für den einzelnen Studierenden, der/die sich für mehr Stellen als zuvor bewerben muss, um angenommen zu werden. Viel Zeit verbringe ich mit Trösten und Ermuntern.

Aber in Zeiten schrumpfender Programme brauchen auch junge Kollegen mehr Unterstützung, um nach und mit dem Ph.D. eine erste, zweite oder gar dritte Stelle zu finden. Viele Universitäten haben auslaufende Zeitverträge nach Möglichkeit nicht mehr verlängert. Viele Adjuncts und Lecturers, die mit Herzblut unterrichtet haben und neue Ideen einbrachten, wie wir sie hier dokumentieren wollen, werden nach diesem Semester auf der Straße stehen, nicht nur in den German Studies. Und alle Dozenten, deren eigene Stelle nicht in Gefahr ist, kennen mindestens eine Person, der sie dringend helfen müssen und wollen, ein Auskommen zu finden.

Und alle schreiben wir jetzt natürlich vermehrt lange Anträge für Drittmittel, um unsere finanziellen Defizite ein wenig zu verringern.

Neben diesen beruflichen Zeitfallen lauern die privaten Nöte: Die Sorgen um die eigene Zukunft, die der Familie und der Freunde, die viele nachts nicht schlafen und tagsüber nicht wie gewohnt arbeiten lassen. Viele von uns mussten sogar den Abschied von Beruf aufschieben. Die Zeit der Krise ist nun ihre verlängerte Lebensarbeitszeit.

Es ist immer mehr zu tun, je weniger Geld vorhanden ist. Die Spielräume sind eingeschränkt, aber die Notwendigkeiten ufern aus. Das ist eigentlich ein Paradoxon. Wird die Krise zusätzlich verstärkt vom ständigen Reden über die Krise, das uns ebenso beschäftigt wie ihre Folgen? Die Zeit der Krise jedenfalls ist eine hoch determinierte Zeit, die trotzdem zu kaum etwas führt; für viele von uns ist sie ein überaus beschäftigtes Abwarten.

Der Ausweg aus den Nöten scheint nun für einige Optimierer in den Verwaltungen ein Umdenken von Grund auf zu sein, und als Redakteur einer Zeitschrift namens »Neues Curriculum« will ich das auch gerne begrüßen. Aber die Optimierung ist allzu häufig von einem rein ökonomischen Wunsch nach mehr Effizienz getragen: was alles kann weggelassen werden, um den kleinen Rest doch noch als akademisch bezeichnen zu können? Häufig wird schlank genannt, was nur noch dürr ist. Neue Pflichtkurse für Undergraduates werden geschaffen mit dem alleinigen Ziel, verlässlich große Klassen bilden zu können, um Kosten zu senken; neue Technologien werden gefördert, um die eingesparten Adjuncts und Lecturers (und auch die Teaching Assistants) durch mechanische Übungen und Repetitorien zu ersetzen. Die akademische Zeit soll in der Krise und nach ihr noch mehr zur Ressource werden, die bestmöglich verplant werden kann. Und unglücklicherweise machen viele unserer Studierenden diese rein numerische Gewinnrechnung mit: auch für sie ist Zeit Geld.

Nun ist es mittlerweile schon ein Klischee geworden, dass dort, wo die Gefahr ist, auch das Rettende wächst. Immer wieder wird leicht dahingesagt, dass die Krise als Chance begriffen werden sollte. Aber sie ist tatsächlich eine. Wir können in ihr zeigen, dass wir zu anderen, eigenen Optimierungen kommen können. Dass unsere Fächer eine überraschend hohe Konkurrenzfähigkeit besitzen, und dass sie unsere Studenten auf vieles vorbereiten, was die Analysten nicht vorhergesehen haben. Unsere Resultate können gerade den Begabteren unter ihnen den Wert einer guten, breiten Ausbildung deutlich machen. Dafür werden wir uns auf eine Renditendiskussion einlassen müssen, aber für diese gelten die alten Wall Street-Parolen nicht mehr. Wir können zeigen, dass wir mit neuen, zeitgemäßen Gegenständen, Methoden und Praktiken keine Hülsenfrüchte zu zählen brauchen, um mit unseren Programmen besser dazustehen (ich möchte das Objekt des Komparativs absichtlich offenlassen).

Das beste Mittel gegen Entmutigungen und aufkommende wie aufgekommene Depression war es schon immer, nicht gebannt auf das ganze Bergmassiv vor sich zu sehen, sondern sich die Aufgaben in kleine Abschnitte zu unterteilen: für die nächste Stunde, den heutigen Tag, diese Woche. Die Redaktion lädt alle Leser von »Neues Curriculum« ein, ihre kleinen und großen best practices in diesen Zeiten den Fachkolleginnen und -kollegen vorzustellen, als kurzen Kommentar unten oder als längeren Beitrag, auf deutsch oder auf englisch. Die Zeit der Krise ist auch eine Zeit der Gemeinschaft. Und anders als die Banken heute können wir als akademische Gemeinschaft eine Art von Urvertrauen nutzen, das jenen Austausch sicherstellt, der für die Wissenschaft immer schon systemrelevant war.

Heute kommt eine Email von Staci Ferris-Letsos und Carmen Rehl-Ruggio herein, die über die drohende Schließung der Deutschprogramme im Schuldistrikt Fulton berichtet und um Hilfe bittet. Wer Staci und Carmen unterstützen möchte, kann unter http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/saveGermaninFulton eine Petition unterzeichnen.

Hopefully, this site will start being useful to the academic community, especially the German Studies community, from day 1, even before the red ribbon is cut.

We would like to hear your comments and suggestions. You can drop us a line on-site, right below this blog entry; and of course, if you find a bug, please help us by reporting it to editors@neues-curriculum.org.

While anecdotal evidence has accumulated that high school German programs have suffered over the past twenty years and that this has had an impact on post-secondary German programs, little substantive qualitative or quantitative data supports these claims. The authors, who teach at Iowa State University, therefore designed and carried out a survey of their first-, second-, and third-year students to explore high school articulation with their program. Results suggest that strong high school German programs remain important as feeders for their program, but that it is possible to motivate students who have not had high school German to take on a major or minor in German. German is also primarily a secondary credential for their students, who generally have professional primary fields (especially Engineering and Business). Conclusions for recruitment, retention and outreach are further drawn.

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