German Language and Literature Commons^™

Dietrich Von Bern’S Captivity Among Monsters: A Heroic Motif And Its Variations In Waldere, Virginal, Sigenot, And Laurin, Jonathan Seelye Martin

Faculty Publications – Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

No abstract provided.

Media Literacy Meets Language Education: Fictional Science (Fisci) Promotes Skills To Identify And Refute Fake News, Stephan Schicker, Jürgen Ehrenmüller, Melanie Hendler, Victoria Reinsperger, Natalia Kubai, Lucia Miškulin Saletović, Bettina Steinbauer, Sabine Schmölzer-Eibinger

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This article presents the theoretical and conceptual foundations of the interdisciplinary didactic concept of Fictional Science (FiSci), which is positioned at the interface between media and language didactics. Based on reference concepts such as epistemic vigilance, inoculation, lateral reading, and media literacy in education, FiSci aims to promote secondary school students’ skills in dealing with fake news. While course 1 of FiSci (Activating the Fake News Radar) sensitises students to false information, course 2 (Verification of Information) teaches strategies for identifying false information that are also used by professional fact-checkers, and course 3 (Refutation) focuses on refuting false information.

Guillaume Dustan's Ethico-Politics Of The Body, Noah Mertz

Foreign Languages & Literatures ETDs

In this MA Thesis, I lay out a synthetic overview of polemical French writer Guillaume Dustan's (1965-2005) political philosophy. He is criticized first as irresponsible and dangerous for his defense of barebacking (sex without condoms) in the midst of the AIDS epidemic, and then, after his death, as a neoliberal/anarcho-capitalist for his focus on individual liberty. My overview touches on Dustan's Freudian belief that repression is the root of all social ills, his functional ethics of self-responsibility, the revaluation of heteronormative Judeo-Christian morality towards 'virtusex,' and his social contract that minimizes repression. Dustan’s goal is for you to autonomously subjectify …

Terminating Pregnancies In Boccaccio, Anne C. Leone

Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics - All Scholarship

Analyzing examples from the Decameron (1349-51), De mulieribus claris (1361), and the Corbaccio (1365), I argue that Boccaccio (1313-75) demonstrates an awareness of theological, legal and medical opinions on abortion and contraception at the time. However, he is more attuned to the practical concerns of pregnancy than are many of his contemporaries. Acknowledging the variety of situations facing pregnant people and some parts of their lived experience that were ignored by many religious and legal authorities, Boccaccio highlights a disconnection between theory and practice, and thereby raises questions about the limits of abstract knowledge in the face of practical concerns.

Reflections: Two Linear B Signs (69, *47) In Light Of The Ancient Egyptian ‘Union Of Two Lands’ (Sema-Tawy), Gerald Leonard Cohen

Arts, Languages and Philosophy Faculty Research & Creative Works

This article suggests that two Linear B signs (69, *47) denote ‘union,’ specifically the ancient Egyptian ‘Union of Two Lands,’ i.e., North and South Egypt. The Egyptian term for this union is sema-taui (from sema ‘union’, ta ‘land’; -ui ‘dual; taui ‘two lands'), and the earlier suggestion that sign 69 derives from a picture of a leaf should perhaps be reconsidered in favor of the Egyptian sema-tawy symbol. Also, on a very speculative note I suggest that the Linear B pronunciation of sign 69 as /tu/ may derive from the /t/ and /u/ sounds of taui ‘two lands.’

A Dialetical Materialist Reading Of Language And Ideology In The Metamorphosis, Sidhanth Sethi

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses

In this paper I use a dialectical materialist conception of ideology to analyze how it functions through language in Franz Kafka’s story The Metamorphosis. Beginning with Hegel’s account of consciousness as constituted through contradiction and its material reorientation in Marx and Engels, this project situates ideology within the social relations that shape human life. I then employ Evald Ilyenkov’s conception of material generation and Valentin Volosinov’s semiotic theory, arguing that signs constitute the material medium through which ideological meaning is produced and through which consciousness learns to misrecognize its own conditions. Using this framework, I interpret Gregor Samsa’s transformation as …

Augusto Boal’S Forum Theater In Language And Culture Courses A Reflective Documentation, Mona Eikel-Pohen, Mona Eikel-Pohen

Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics - All Scholarship

This documentation is the revised and translated version of the 2024 article Augusto Boals Forumtheater im Deutschunterricht (Eikel-Pohen 2024). It features new observations from the second iteration of a Forum Theater project in a GER 202 language and culture class from 2025 and is again based on autoethnographic notes (Rodriguez-Mejia 2023: 71). It documents the revised application of Augusto Boal’s Forum Theater applied to language and cultural teaching in a socially critical, holistic, cooperative, intercultural, and practical way. Boal’s method aims at exposing structural oppression and allows individuals to explore options for action through play. The instructor followed Boal’s model …

The Quest For Liberation: Philosophy And The Making Of World Culture In China And The West, Chunjie Zhang

Philosophy & Theory

Contemporary debate on cosmopolitanism routinely refers to Immanuel Kant as its intellectual origin. A group of Chinese and German-speaking thinkers in the early twentieth century, however, used classical Chinese philosophy as an alternative intellectual genealogy to reimagine ethics, politics, society, and modernity for the entire world. Their engagement with Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism broadens the scope of global intellectual history to include a non-European origin of concepts and ideas.

Due to the differences in their local crises, the Chinese and the European stories are often narrated in separate national and cultural contexts. Bridging the critical divide between China and the …

The German Press's Coverage Of The Bavarian Freikorps, Chase Kinder

Research from the Berry Summer Thesis Institute, 2025

The Freikorps (Free Corps) was a German paramilitary group that primarily consisted of former World War I soldiers who experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and continued their military combat by suppressing communist revolutions in Germany throughout the early Weimar Republic. My research investigates how the German press in Munich covered the Bavarian Freikorps’ swift removal of armed communists and their violence against German civilians during the suppression of the Bavarian Soviet Republic in May 1919. This news coverage influenced how a large portion of German civilians viewed and interacted with German veterans of World War I and the Freikorps after …

Dispositions And Dispossessions: Interwar Left-Wing Literary Writing In Vienna And Zagreb, Ivana Perica

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her article Dispositions and Dispossessions: Interwar Left-wing Literary Writing in Vienna and Zagreb, Ivana Perica examines how political fiction in Vienna and Zagreb during the interwar period reflected competing narratives of emancipation and liberation. She argues that while both cities engaged with left-wing political thought, their literary scenes diverged significantly due to differing socio-political contexts. The article juxtaposes the Austro-Marxist cultural project of Red Vienna, which sought to reconcile class divisions through socialist cultural policies, with the more fragmented leftist movements in Zagreb, where political fiction often expressed disillusionment with the failure of revolutionary change. Through a …

De Vente A Alemania, Pepe A ¿Te Has Venido A Alemania, Pepe?: Aspectos Económicos Y Culturales De La Emigración En Dos Generaciones Distintas, Daniel López Fernández

Homage to Alexander von Humboldt: Travels to and from Spain Throughout the Centuries / Homenaje a Alexander von Humboldt: Viajes hacia y desde España de todos los siglos

En Vente a Alemania, Pepe, el epónimo protagonista decide seguir el camino de muchos de sus compatriotas y abandonar temporalmente España con la intención de ganar más dinero en el extranjero, una esperanza que se ve pronto frustrada. Décadas más tarde, la crisis económica que comenzó en 2008 parece haber dado lugar a una repetición de este capítulo tragicómico de la historia española. No obstante, existen diferencias notables entre ambas generaciones. La migración actual atañe a una generación muy distinta de la que se marchó en los años sesenta y setenta. Se trata, en muchos casos, de inmigrantes con una …

Esperanza, De Marina Caba Rall, Y Blutorangen, De Verena Boos: Recuperación De La Memoria Histórica De La Migración Española A Alemania, En Dos Novelas Alemanas Del Siglo Xxi, Adriana Haro-Luviano Ma, Dietrich J.G. Rall Dr.

Homage to Alexander von Humboldt: Travels to and from Spain Throughout the Centuries / Homenaje a Alexander von Humboldt: Viajes hacia y desde España de todos los siglos

Las novelas Blutorangen (2015) y Esperanza (2016) narran dos sagas familiares ficticias que integran en la complejidad de su estructura temas como la memoria y la represión del recuerdo, la post-memoria, la historia y el olvido, los conflictos culturales y la manera de enfrentarse con el pasado. Desde su formación profesional como historiadoras, ambas autoras vertebran sus novelas con la construcción de imágenes históricas que reflejan la migración española a la Alemania de mediados del siglo XX, la integración de las dos protagonistas a la sociedad y cultura alemanas, así como su regreso a España, para esclarecer tanto las causas …

Paradise Lost Thrice: Exile And The Abrahamic Religions In Aciman, Werfel, And Ashour, Malak K. Hosny

Theses and Dissertations

Exile is an integral part of the history of all three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This thesis compares between literary narratives of the exile of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. It explores the notion that having been exiled from Eden with the fall of Adam and Eve, and having each religion’s prophet’s story intrinsically tied with exile, the believers’ exile is then the third in a layered cycle of exile. Having lost the paradise, believers tend to search for earthly paradises that they attach themselves to, and then tragically lose those as well. The thesis’ three primary literary texts …

Returning Into The Deep Forest--A Methodological Practice Around Memory, Asianness, And Speech, Yu Ye

Masters Theses

">">The title of this thesis is borrowed from the Tang dynasty poem Deer Enclosure by Wang Wei: “Empty mountain, no one in sight—only the echo of voices. Returning sunlight slips into the deep forest, shining once more on moss.” I feel like my essay is responding to this kind of sensation: light does not shine head-on, but folds back, glancing sideways through dense branches, illuminating what is often overlooked. In that gesture of return—quiet, angled, persistent. This thesis unfolds in three chapters, each following a distinct path—image (Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes), movement (The Rings of Saturn by …

Deterrence, Détente, Disarmament: German Relations With Nato And Russia Since Reunification, James Mroczka

Honors Theses

One consequence of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine was the German Chancellor’s declaration of a turning point in his country’s foreign policy. Although Germany is a loyal liberal democracy, it is noted for its staunch efforts to mediate between its Western friends, especially its NATO allies, and Russia. However, the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war has become emblematic of the persistent cooling of relations between these factions. This historical moment has thus called into question the efficacy of certain longstanding aspects of German foreign policy, including its attempts at mediation. Many of Germany’s behaviors seem deeply entrenched, however.

This begs the …

The Small Worlds Of Childhood: Philosophy, Poetics, And The Queer Temporalities Of Early Life, Lauren Shizuko Stone

Gender & Sexuality

The Small Worlds of Childhood argues that prose representations of bourgeois childhood contain surprising opportunities to reflect on the temporality of experience. In their narratives of children at home in their everyday worlds, Adalbert Stifter, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Walter Benjamin are not only able to shed a unique light on key issues in the history of philosophy. They also offer a queer critique of the normative expectation that the literature of childhood is oriented toward the future.

Stone shows that when writers engage in philosophical storytelling, showing children tarrying in quotidian experience, they dislodge childhood from its nostalgic value …

Cultivating Confidence, Curiosity, And Motivation In The Second Language Classroom, Janelle Carter

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This portfolio documents the author's journey through the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University, highlighting the evolution of their teaching philosophy and pedagogical practices through theoretical exploration, hands-on classroom experiences, and reflective practice. It details the integration of current research, collaborative learning, and innovative assessment strategies, such as self-created rubrics, to foster student engagement and agency in teaching German as a second language. Additionally, the portfolio includes a co-authored research study that examines the motivational factors influencing university students’ decisions to continue learning Arabic, French, and German. This study explores how personal, academic, and social …

Reflections On Linear B, (Part 11): Linear B Sign 55 And The Ancient Egyptian Wish For An Eternity Of Life Or Rule, Gerald Leonard Cohen

Arts, Languages and Philosophy Faculty Research & Creative Works

Linear B sign 55 (pronounced /nu/) is evidently of unknown origin, and the present article suggests a possible solution. As with several other Linear B signs I have treated, the solution is sought in Egyptian hieroglyphs, only this time two hieroglyphs are required for the solution (one for the shape, one for the pronunciation).

The shape of the Linear B sign is explainable as a simplified and somewhat altered form of a similarly shaped Egyptian hieroglyph which was pronounced /ḥeḥ/ and meant ‘a great but indefinite number;’ then by extension: ‘eternity’ and from there to Ḥeḥ, a god symbolizing eternity. …

Dekonstruktion Der Afd: Eine Analyse Der Rechtspopulistischen Deutschen Partei Der„Alternative Für Deutschland”, Elizabeth A. Breckenridge, Elizabeth Breckenridge

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Die Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) ist eine rechtsextreme populistische Partei, die innerhalb eines Jahrzehnts rasch an Macht gewonnen hat, insbesondere in den ostdeutschen Bundesländern, aufgrund ihrer Betonung der Nationalisierung, ihrer populistischen Rhetorik und ihrer Anziehungskraft auf Wähler, die Ängste vor Einwanderung und kulturellem Wandel hegen. Die AfD hat es innerhalb von fünf Jahren geschafft, eine starke Wählerschaft zu mobilisieren, 2017 Sitze im Bundestag zu erringen und gilt nun als wichtigste Oppositionspartei zu den etablierten Parteien. Die AfD ist die erste rechte Partei seit 1945, die aufgrund des Aufstiegs rechtspolitischer Ideologien bedeutende Wahlerfolge erzielen konnte. Aufgrund des reaktionären Pendelschwungs nach dem …

Die Weltwettbewerbsvorteile Deutschlands, Theresa Isbilir

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Der Weltwettbewerb ist schärfer als immer. Im Jahr 2020 wurde China der Erste im Maschinenbau auf der Welt. Früher war das Deutschland. Die vier Branchen der Wirtschaft Deutschlands sind die Elektro- und Digitalindustrie, chemische Industrie, Maschinenbau und Kfz-Industrie (Automobilindustrie). China begann, Deutschland in all diesen Anteilen zu überholen. Der Staat hat fast keinen Plan darauf zu reagieren, und die technologische Infrastruktur Deutschlands liegt hinter anderen Ländern. Diese sind die ersten Zeichen einer sterbenden industriellen Ökonomie, besonders für ein Land, dessen Exportquote 48,9 Prozent ist.

Remembering The Stasi On The Screen: Historical Film Analysis Of The East German Ministry For State Security, William H. Herzfeld

History Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to assess how the history and identity of the Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (Ministry for State Security, Stasi) has been internalized by the German people through film media. Germans endured significant trauma and cultural manipulation at the hands of the Stasi and the Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (Socialist Unity Party, SED) that is personified in many ways. The trauma that the Stasi inflicted sits heavily on the reflective interpretations of the DDR, complicating retrospection on life in the DDR and its positive elements. The Stasi have come to represent the essential negativity of life in …

Portrait Of A Fascist: Identity And Independence In Joseph Roth’S Das Spinnennetz (1923), Braden M. Ross

Vernacular: New Connections in Language, Literature, & Culture

Three days before Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch, the last chapters of Joseph Roth’s Das Spinnennetz were published in the Viennese Arbeiter-Zeitung. Detailing the decent of World War I veteran Theodor Lohse into the nascent Nazi party, Roth’s novel could not have been more prescient—and yet, it remains the least well-known of his works. Das Spinnennetz is not only a work of great fiction, but an eerie cautionary tale more prophetic than Roth could have ever imagined. In this article, I examine the metaphor of the spider’s web and how ordinary people like Lohse futility navigate their search for individual meaning …

The Aesthetics Of Belonging And Longing For A Home In Toxi, Temitayo O. Babayeju

Vernacular: New Connections in Language, Literature, & Culture

Robert Stemmle's film "Toxi" explores the challenges faced by Afro-German children in 1950s West Germany as they search for a place to belong in a society where most people look different from them. This essay examines their search for a home while considering the lingering effects of fascist ideology. Through a close reading of the historical, economic, and sociocultural state of West Germany in the 1950s, I examine key scenes in the movie that address the search for a Home for Toxi, while also analyzing society's reaction to her as seen in the Film. Central to this analysis …

Schokolade Und Klimawandel, Maura Macdonald

COD in Lingua

Chocolate is a beloved treat worldwide, but its production is threatened by climate change, as cacao trees are highly sensitive to environmental shifts. Rising temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns, driven by global warming, endanger cacao-growing regions, potentially leading to chocolate shortages and higher prices. While avoiding chocolate consumption is one solution, it's not realistic for many. A more feasible approach is controlling growing conditions through technological innovations like vertical farming. This method, which allows for climate-controlled indoor cultivation, could offer a viable solution to ensure the continued production of chocolate in a changing climate.

Migration Und Integration, Milagros Mendez

COD in Lingua

Migration is the relocation of individuals to other countries for reasons such as education, family, work, and politics. In Germany, migration is largely driven by EU freedom of movement, with other reasons including humanitarian factors and family reunification. Integration involves the inclusion of individuals with different values into a common society, and many immigrants successfully learn the language and become employed. However, migrants face challenges such as learning a new language and experiencing discrimination. Integration is essential for migrants, as it helps them adapt to a new society while also contributing to the economy and cultural diversity.

Jenseits Der Adoption: Wie Kleine Liebesakte Heimtiere Retten Können, Natalie Derewjanko

COD in Lingua

This text explores the positive impact of volunteering at animal shelters and fostering pets. It highlights ways to help animals in need, such as creating homemade toys for cats and offering a loving environment for fostering. The author emphasizes that these small acts of kindness reduce the need for euthanasia, improve animals' chances of adoption, and contribute to a more compassionate society. The text also reflects on the mental well-being benefits for shelter workers and advocates for a kinder, more responsible approach to caring for homeless animals.

Astrologie Und Der Zodiac: Mythos, Glaube Und Wissenschaftliche Realität, Natalie Derewjanko

COD in Lingua

This text discusses the role of astrology and the zodiac signs in various cultures, from their historical roots in ancient Mesopotamia to their spread across different societies, including Greece, China, and the Islamic world. It examines how astrology serves as a coping mechanism for some, offering a sense of control and identity. Despite its widespread appeal, the text argues that astrology is a pseudoscience with no scientific evidence to support its claims. It concludes that while astrology may provide entertainment and a sense of belonging, it does not influence our daily lives or destinies and should be viewed as a …

Sind Suvs In Der Großstadt Sinnvoll Oder Problematisch?, Samuel Miller

COD in Lingua

This essay explores the practicality and potential problems of SUVs in urban areas. It discusses why many people, especially those with larger families, choose SUVs, highlighting their need for space and safety. While SUVs offer advantages like greater cargo capacity and better crash test ratings, they also come with drawbacks, such as higher fuel consumption and increased emissions, which contribute to environmental issues like climate change. The essay also questions whether electric SUVs could be a solution, though concerns about battery mineral extraction persist. Ultimately, it concludes that the growing popularity of SUVs is driven by practicality, but cultural and …

Die Erneuerbare Energie, Sarah Grossman

COD in Lingua

Fossil fuels are the most used energy source but contribute to global warming. Renewable energy, like wind, solar, and hydro, offers sustainable alternatives. In 2020, renewables made up 21% of U.S. electricity generation. Chicago plans to use 25% renewable energy by 2025. Solar panels can lower electricity costs, though battery storage is expensive. Energy-saving practices, like using cold water for laundry, also help reduce consumption. Transitioning to renewables benefits both the environment and the economy.

Migration Und Integration In Der Gesellschaft, Samuel Miller

COD in Lingua

This essay discusses migration and integration in society, highlighting the critical perspectives surrounding mass migration. It distinguishes between voluntary migration for reasons such as work or pleasure and asylum-seeking migration, which often involves escaping danger or persecution. The essay explores how migration can offer opportunities for personal and societal growth, such as the pursuit of the American Dream and freedom. It also examines the concept of integration, contrasting it with assimilation, and emphasizes how both migrants and their host societies can benefit from cultural exchange. The author argues that integration is more beneficial than assimilation, as it fosters diversity and …