German is a pluricentric language with many standard and nonstandard varieties. Students of German are usually unaware of its rich regional variation, and studies attribute this to limited resources and instructional time (van Kerckvoorde, 2012). The "DACH" model of teaching German, which includes linguistic and cultural elements from…

This observational study examines the use of the German hip-hop music video, "Gute Menschen" by the band OK KID (2015), as a basis for developing students' symbolic competence regarding contemporary discourse on racism in Germany. Based on earlier investigations (Putnam, 2006; Sosulski, 2013), this article advocates for the use of German…

This article explores the intersection of international collaboration and community-engaged learning in the context of a curriculum development project focused on sustainability in German-speaking cultures. By closing the loop in international exchange between partners abroad and local community organizations, students in German Studies programs…

Sustainability and environmental justice are connected concepts; however, environmental justice serves as a foundation to an approach to sustainability that moves beyond conservation and preservation of resources for current and future generations to explore issues of equity in terms of access to resources and protection from environmental…

To facilitate a more affirming classroom, this article highlights the implementation of culturally relevant and critical pedagogies of language learning to address issues related to social awareness in the language classroom. By appealing to cultural backgrounds of students and cultural backgrounds of diverse German-speaking populations, students…

This article details recent efforts to develop the undergraduate German curriculum with a focus on innovations in on-site linguistic and cultural-historical learning. Amid challenges stemming from the shifting functions of higher education, the changing profiles of student interests, and the evolving contours of our field, 21st-century German…

More than ever, faculty need to ensure that undergraduate curricula not only provide students with tools to gain linguistic proficiency but also teach them to analyze both written and visual information to attain historical literacy. Developing both intercultural proficiency and insights into various historical memorialization processes ensures…

The creation of pedagogical activities in line with genre-based approaches has substantially shaped world language curriculum design and instruction, as seen in Martin (2002a), Crane (2006), and Maxim (2004); however, an insignificant number of principled guidelines suggests exactly how to achieve these pedagogical goals (Kubota, 2016;…

If the German-speaking world is conceived of as a pluralistic society, open to migration, and integrated in global networks, then what could "Heimat" mean for German Studies? This article presents a rationale and curricular design model for critically unpacking the cultural narrative of "Heimat" within a globalized context. As…

Global German Studies require a reassessment of the global histories, narratives, and injustices that continue to be underrepresented in the classroom as well as a critical reflection of how we define "German." This article investigates the crucial role of decolonization in the reenvisioning of the discipline. Decolonization is…

Striving to be more representative in their answer to the question, "What is German," many programs are expanding their curricula to include the history and perspectives of Black Germans and Austrians. Through discussion of a course on "Die afrikanische Diaspora im deutschsprachigen Europa," this article argues that examining…

The development of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) becomes increasingly important in the world language curriculum and a crucial goal to prepare students for real-life communicative situations outside of the classroom. This article discusses how a simulation exercise based on the contentious construction of the Tesla Gigafactory in…

This article advocates for the inclusion of queer and queer of color discourse into graduate curricula in North American German Studies. It presents a brief overview of major discussions in queer of color studies, proposes sample readings of queer of color texts in Germany that help graduate students develop sophisticated understandings of German…

"Fairy Tales and the Transmission of Prejudice" is a unit in a lecture course on fairy tales that draws on research on anti-Semitism in 18th- and 19th-century German literature and culture, mapping questions raised in 18th- and 19th-century tales onto contemporary issues: The unit traces a trajectory from the Enlightenment to the…

Units and classes dedicated to multiculturalism in Germany have predominantly focused on Turkish-German literature and culture. Afro-Germans have been a minority whose culture and literature have only marginally been included in German classes, even though Afro-Germans have been a part of Germany for centuries and have undergone efforts at…