How Do We Teach Language, Literature, and Culture in a Collegiate Environment and What Are the Implications for Graduate Education?

Abstract

Graduate education is a critical mission of Research I universities. In light of the increased attention paid to languages, to assessment, and to the search for new models for teaching and learning in German Departments, a reexamination of how we train our students is called for. A graduate experience that does not compartmentalize too rigorously between training in Second Language Studies and Literary and Cultural Studies, but instead offers a more holistic education might serve our profession better in the long run. This position piece and its parallel contribution in the Spring 2008 issue of The German Quarterly provide some considerations for rethinking German graduate education.