German Language and Literature Commons^™

Change In Grammatical Competence On Study Abroad, Falk Kleinert, Dr. Hans Wilhelm

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Study abroad has long been argued to be the best way to improve a student´s proficiency in a second language, e.g., German. This claim is being scrutinized more and more in light of the current economic struggles facing many students and their families. This project is part of a larger study conducted by my mentor, Dr. Kelling, and his colleague, Dr. Laura Smith, assessing language gains on Berlin study abroad.

Language Acquisition On A German Study Abroad, Zachary Duvall, Dr. Laura Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

With increasingly difficult economic circumstances, ever more evidence is needed to validate the costs of study abroad. This study iss part of a larger project conducted by my mentor, Dr. Laura Smith and her colleague Dr. Kelling to assess linguistic and cultural changes by students during study abroad.

German Jewish Female Scientists: Untold Stories, Justin Peacock, Dr. Robert B. Mcfarland

Journal of Undergraduate Research

When one hears about the Jewish scholars who fled the German Third Reich during the Nazi’s reign of terror, one often hears of Einstein, Freud and others; however, a little known fact is that many scholars in pre-Nazi Germany were Jewish women. These Jewish women were at the forefront of their gender, struggling to be among the first women to gain a secondary education and doctorates to teach at the universities. Many of these scholars’ stories have gone untold through the years because of their gender and because of their race, which the Nazis sought to destroy. Many of their …

Louise Gottsched: Digital Library Research From 1771 German- Language Women’S Texts., Samuel C. Lindsey, Michelle Scott, Dr. Robert Mcfarland

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Scholars have failed to systematically observe and record old German facsimiles of German women’s literature for a variety of reasons. First, many of the records have remained unpublished. Second, it is expensive to get hold of these texts due to their rare and fragile condition. Third, it is difficult to read the Old German type and handwriting. Johann Christoph Gottsched was one of the most important dramatic theorists of Enlightenment-era Germany. One of his greatest students and influences was his very gifted and intelligent wife, Louise Adelgunde Victorie Kulmus. While some of her dramatic and theoretical works have been published, …

Thuringian Scenes, Utz Rachowski, Michael Ritterson

German Studies Faculty Publications

"Thuringian Scenes" is an ironic name for the twenty-five matter-of-fact statements by a teenage victim of political repression driven to the murder of his tormentor in juvenile detention. The setting is the picturesque Thuringian region of the former East Germany.

Luise Adelgunde Victorie Gottsched, Jesse C. Wood, Dr. Michelle Scott James

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Johann Christoph Gottsched is an extremely well-known figure in German literary history. He was a prominent author of the enlightenment, and scholars and casual readers of German drama and literature recognize him as one of eighteenth century Germany’s most read authurs. Unfortunately, the light on Johann Gottsched has cast a shadow on his wife, an equally talented author and playwright. Luise Adelgunde Victorie Gottsched wrote many plays in her life and translated many more. Once her husband began compiling the Dictionary of the German Language & Model Grammar, however, she devoted her time to helping him with this monumental task. …

The Impact Of Vowel Mergers In The Acquisition Of German Vowels By Speakers Of Utah English, Andrew Whitlock, Laura Catharine Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

When learning a second language, non-native speakers are usually marked by speech patterns which are common to other learners from their same language background. This is because research has shown that learning to hear and produce sounds of a second language (L2) is strongly influenced by the speaker’s first language (L1).

Translation Of The Princessin Von Uganda, Jeff Bailey, Dr. Michelle James

Journal of Undergraduate Research

It was interesting working on the translation of this script. The themes that came up in the story were many, and quite diverse. The problems of translation were no fewer. The first challenge was that of vocabulary. The second problem was one of cultural knowledge. The final problem was unfortunately of a technical nature.

Prosodic Templates And Plural Formation In German Low And Middle Dialects, Jessica Anderson, Dr. Laura Catharine Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My research is to examine the actual structure that dictates the shape of plural formation in German, and why in some dialects we see a failure to consistently form the plural using the method present in the standard language. Using previous research along with new data gathered from the Pfeffer Corpus, our goal was to examine the varying plural forms attested and gather a clearer picture of dialectal differences.

German-Tongans: A Look At Racial Integration In Twentieth Century Germany, Kasia Cook, Dr. Hans-Wilhelm Kelling

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In Tonga, an archipelago deep in the South Pacific Ocean, German immigrants during the middle and late nineteenth century played an important role in the development of the islands. The presence of businessmen involved in the Copra trade was especially significant, and according to historical evidence, members of the Wolfgramm and Sanft families, both from Pyritz, Pomerania, Prussia were among the most influential. During Germany’s colonial period, race was a primary factor in determining how a person was treated, yet despite European racial prejudice, all three men married Tongan women and eventually became fully immersed in Tongan culture. Regardless of …

The Feminine Faust: An Analysis Of Ada Christen’S Faustina, Katherine Lyman, Dr. Christian Clement

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Ada Christen (1839-1901), Viennese feminist, naturalist, and popular poet, published Faustina: Drama in fünf Akten, in 1871. The drama, which was set as a melodramatic version of Goethe’s Faust, did not succeed, and today, Faustina still exists only in library archives (Kord 344). The purpose of my work with Faustina was twofold: to transcribe the text of the play for SOPHIE, BYU’s database of German women’s literature, and then to write a paper analyzing the text.

Native Speaker Judgments On The Accentedness And Personal Traits Of American And Korean L2 Learners Of German, Charles Richards, Dr. Hans-Wilhelm Kelling

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Everyday listeners make personal judgments about the people with whom they are speaking based on the accent or voice quality of the speaker. Studies have shown that a person’s speech– independent of accent–can influence a listener to make judgments about the speaker’s intelligence, sociability, trustworthiness, and a number of other personal traits (Hiraga, 1999). But what happens when “foreign” accent is added to the equation? Purnell et al. (2005) found that when the same person reading from the same script called to make appointments to see apartments, the speaker had more success getting an appointment when he spoke with a …

Sophie Discovers Amerika: A Digital Accompaniment, Alexander Smith, Dr. Michelle James

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Before beginning this project I was aware of the vast variety of literature available in both English and German language. Having been fortunate enough to work with Dr. James already on the Sophie Project, an undertaking of the Department of Germanic and Slavic here at BYU, I was also aware of the number of German-language literature pieces that Dr. James has collected over the past years. However, I was not aware of the impact that this literature can have and the insights that it can provide. Being a European myself, I was excited to begin work on this specific area …

Study Abroad And Rounded Vowels, Kelley Manning, Dr. Laura Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

“Simply phonetics. The science of speech. Thats my profession: also my hobby. Happy is the man who can make a living by his hobby!” –Professor Henry Higgins (pg. 8)¹

Perception And Production Of /L/-/R/ Sounds By Korean Learners Of English And German, Hyuna Kim, Dr. Laura Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Numerous articles have examined the difficulties Korean speakers have learning the English /l/ and /r/ sounds (e.g., Borden et al 1983; Smith, 2001; Han, 2002). Most Korean learners of English hear and produce no distinction between English /l/ and /r/, because no surface contrast exists in Korean between these two liquid sounds (Iverson & Sohn, 1994). The English retroflex /r/ does not exist in Korean; Korean only has a phoneme /l/ with three distinct allophones: an apical flap [ɾ] in the initial position (as in atom in English), a lateral [l] in the coda position, and a geminate [ll] in …

Hedwig Irle: Life Of A Woman Missionary In Colonial Africa, Kimberly Merkley, Dr. Cindy Brewer

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Along with my mentor, Cindy Brewer, my goal for my ORCA project was to research and write an introduction to a 30 page book, titled Die Schwarze Johanna, by a female German missionary in Namibia in the early 20th century. The text, as of now, has no digital copy and has only been printed in the original Gothic text in the German language. In my project proposal, I also outlined plans of submitting both my introduction and the transcribed version of the text itself to the Sophie Project, an online database which seeks to publish little-known works of German women …

Senior Mary Kate Smith Awarded Fulbright Fellowship To Germany, Lawrence University

Press Releases

It seems at a young age Mary Kate Smith already was destined to be a teacher. Volunteering as a fourth grader on weekends to help her teacher with a class for pre-kindergarten students, it was clear what path her career would follow.

Sixteen years later, Smith’s passion for teaching burns as bright as ever. She soon will put her passion into practice in Germany as the recipient of a Fulbright U.S. Student Program Scholarship. Beginning in August, Smith will spend the 2013-14 academic year as a teaching assistant at either a German middle or high school in a city still …

Vocabulary Acquisition And Technology, German I/Ii, Grade 10-12, Beate U. Brunow, Travis Trojan, Arthur Turfa

Arthur Vining Davis High Impact Fellows Projects

Information technology plays an important role at Blythewood High School and the recent purchase of chrome books for students will be part of our project. All students will have access to chrome books, and Dr. Turfa also uses the social learning network “Edmodo” to communicate with his students. The project focuses on developing lessons for beginning German classes that combine knowledge and understanding of German-speaking cultures with communication. This approach reflects the current ACTFL standards for foreign language learning (preparing for the 21^st century) with the guiding learning principle: “Knowing how, when, and why to say what to whom.” …

Kreuzberg/Calvary, Utz Rachowski, Michael Ritterson

German Studies Faculty Publications

Utz Rachowski's poem "Kreuzberg," first published in 1995, appears here in English translation surrounded by the work of much younger talents.

Gen Ms 27 Early 20th-Century German Print Collection Finding Aid, Julie Cismoski, Kristin D. Morris

Search the General Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Description:

Printed materials acquired by the donor's father while serving in West Germany during the Cold War. The Collection contains 37 items, books and ephemeral material. Materials deal with German history from the beginning of World War I to the end of World War II. Dates span 1914 to 1983, with the bulk evenly spread between the periods of 1915-1923 and 1934-1942. The collection includes propaganda, war humor, poems, songs, and a film promotional leaflet; stories from German prisoners of war during WWI; and materials related to revolution (following World War I). The two issues of Stern magazine were published …

Der Zauber Der Musik: E.T.A. Hoffmann Und Das Erleben Des Sublimen, Katelin M. Richter

Lawrence University Honors Projects

Die Werke von E.T.A. Hoffmann konzentrieren sich auf ein bestimmtes romantisches Konzept: auf die Sehnsucht nach dem Unendlichen und auf das Erlebnis dieses sublimen romantischen Reiches. Um Hoffmanns romantische Ästhetik besser zu begreifen, lohnt es sich seine Werke (Novellen, musikalische Schriften, Aufsätze und Kompositionen) heranzuziehen, um festzustellen, wie seine Figuren vor allem durch die Musik das romantische Reich erleben und wie und aus welcher Perspektive der Zuschauer auf dieses Reich reagieren kann. Diese Arbeit wird untersuchen, wie sich Hoffmanns romantische Ästhetik in den Erzählungen, den theoretischen Schriften und in der Oper Undine offenbart, wie seine Charaktere durch die Musik danach …

Eurotech Students In Germany: Preparation, Experience And Outcome, Daisy A. Michaels

Master's Theses

Higher education study abroad programs for U.S. students are on the rise. A variety of undergraduate disciplines are being coupled with international components to bring U.S. students to a higher level of global awareness to meet the demands of today’s economy. The University of Connecticut’s Eurotech Program is an example of this trend. Its students earn degrees in both German and engineering in a five year program. They are given practical training through study and internships in Germany under the auspices of the Baden-Württemberg Exchange Program. One of the Eurotech Program’s major goals is to enhance job opportunities for its …

Pushing The "Scented Envelope": Elisa Von Der Recke At The Cultural Crossroads, Carrie L. Cox

Theses and Dissertations

Pushing the "Scented Envelope": Elisa von der Recke at the Cultural Crossroads Carrie L. Cox Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages, BYU Master of Arts This thesis serves as an introduction to the 5-volume electronic edition of the collected works of the influential German-language author Elisa von der Recke to be published by the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages at Brigham Young University. The compilation presents a modern edition of Recke's published writings and letters in German, with an extensive critical apparatus in English, including introductions to the edition, author and individual sections, biographical information, a complete bibliography of …

Mein Lieblingstier / My Favorite Animal, Utz Rachowski, Michael Ritterson

German Studies Faculty Publications

This issue includes a profile of Utz Rachowski, who was writer in residence for German Studies in spring 2012, focusing on his earlier creative life under a repressive system and his continuing efforts to rebuild a free and humane society in unified Germany.

The Wild Huntsman (A Message For The Semi-Educated Classes), Utz Rachowski, Michael Ritterson

German Studies Faculty Publications

Utz Rachowski was Writer in Residence in the Department of German Studies in spring 2012. This story of youth, family, and homeland was originally published in German in 2006.

Interieur / Interior, Utz Rachowski, Michael Ritterson

German Studies Faculty Publications

This poem, from a 1995 collection by a German Writer-in-Residence Utz Rachowski, appears with a facing-page translation by Ritterson in the inaugural issue of the arts review from Franklin & Marshall College.

German Film And The Frankfurt School (Spring 2012), Robert D. Tobin

Syllabi

German Film and the Frankfurt School is an introduction to German cinema and media criticism. It will introduce students to important German films that have had a global impact, significant theoretical approaches to those films (especially those from the “Frankfurt School”), and the historical and cultural contexts in which these films and film theories arose. The class is cross-listed in German, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and Screen Studies. It provides a survey of an important art-form in German cultural history. Although National Socialism, the Holocaust and the Second World War are not the only themes of the course, they are …

Four Poems By Utz Rachowski, Utz Rachowski, Michael Ritterson

German Studies Faculty Publications

These four of Rachowski's poems were written at the conclusion of a visit to the US in 2008 and reflect his observations on poverty, freedom, slavery, and conflict in the US and West Africa.

Squaring The Cultural Circle: Dialectical Approaches To Reading Cultural Memory, Solibakke Ivan Karl

Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics - All Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Introduction: Thoughts Unfinished And Messages Undelivered, Solibakke Ivan Karl

Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics - All Scholarship

No abstract provided.