A Question of Inclusion: Intercultural Competence, Systematic Racism, and the North American German Classroom

This study investigated stereotypes about teachers of German that 67 novice learners of German at a U.S. university had reportedly encountered. Consequently, the investigation explored the perceived accuracy of clichés associated with native‐speaker and non‐native‐speaker instructors. Students' stereotypical notions were sorted into categories using principles of grounded theory. Statistical analyses showed that respondents were able to list various stereotypes about instructors of German. Responses also reflected societal narratives concerning native‐speaker and non‐native‐speaker teachers' strengths and shortcomings. Last, and of importance to the future of German Studies, participants considered more favorable stereotypes about teachers as more accurate and less‐favorable clichés as more inaccurate. The study discusses implications for teaching, program advertisement, and research on how learners' imagined construct of the language classroom community may benefit the study of German.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Analytical,” “Angry,” and “(Too) Honest”?! Learners' Stereotypes about Teachers of German

Rothe

2022

“…Layne (2020) provides an example of her class, “Germany and the Black Diaspora” that centers blackness and comparative study of racism in Germany and the United States in a historical context, in order “to recover marginalized narratives, decenter whiteness, and offer students multiple perspectives on Germany and on Black cultures” (p. 84). Merritt (2020) focuses on the negative impacts of an “intercultural approach” (p. 177) that in spite of the name is “a white Eurocentric model” (p. 179) to teaching German language and culture on “Students of Color and other students who have not acclimated to Western university culture” (p. 177) and encourages us to rethink in critical terms “not just what we portray when we teach, but also how we teach and whether our methods foster inclusivity rather than perpetuate stigmas and stereotypes” (p. 178). Reinhart Byrd's (2020) point of departure is acknowledgment of centrality of whiteness in German Studies and the “psychological toll” it inflicts on Students of Color (pp.…”

Section: Selected Practices and Resourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contextualizing DEIA in the German language classroom: Terminology and history, DDGC and recent developments, and practices and resources

Tarnawska Senel

2023

This paper takes a closer look at diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in the context of German Studies and the language classroom in the United States. The first part of the article examines the terminology, provides a general history of DEI/DEIA in higher education in the United States, and traces the development of DEI practices and language to include accessibility, belonging, and anti‐racism. The second part of the article focuses on the scholarly collective Diversity, Decolonization, and the German Curriculum and its self‐reflective and self‐critical stance toward our field, solidarity efforts to create networks of tangible support and empowerment, and its foregrounding of activism. This leads to a discussion of the intersections between current political events and classroom practices. Finally, the last section details three DEIA practices in the classroom—positionality, social justice framework, and antiracism—as well as resources for their implementation. It also points to new promising developments, for example, new outcomes and assessments for the language and culture classroom and pedagogy of care.

“…The ethnocentric assumptions about what is “German” is notably present in many German language textbooks common in the U.S. market. More recent calls for inclusion of social justice themes arose from the push to decolonize language and cultural studies of Germany (Gallagher & Zenker, 2020; Merritt, 2020; Tarnawska Senel, 2020). This demonstrated a need to develop symbolic competence regarding racism and ethnocentrism in Germany (Ilett, 2009; Nenno, 2019).…”

Section: Competencies Needed For Discussing Racism In the L2 Classroommentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The intrafamilial conflict in “Gute Menschen” rejects the initial positioning of the mayor's family as White saviors. OK KID's music video serves as a critique of the White savior trope as opposed to the celebration of the trope as seen in the contemporary Willkommen bei den Hartmanns (Merritt, 2020). The emphasis in the video on the disparate treatment of Fresh Eazzy's character provides visual and textual resources for engagement of examples of cultural practices as well as the relationships between the practices and cultural perspectives.…”

Section: Using “Gute Menschen” To Develop Symbolic Competencies About...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Symbolic Competence and Race in “Gute Menschen”: Teaching About Racism in Germany Through a Hip‐Hop Music Video

Chen

2022

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 music videos to develop students' abilities to decode multimodal symbols (i.e., visual, musical, and lyrical symbols) individually and holistically. Existing research supports the use of target language music videos in beginner‐ and intermediate‐level lessons because of their affective and aesthetic properties (Gullete et al., 2016; Kaiser, 2011; Schier, 2014; Spinner, 2008). Prompted by the lack of adequate discourse on racial and cultural diversity in many widely used textbooks (Ilett, 2009; Risager, 2006), and in the specific German curriculum (at an R1 university located in the Southwest) circa 2019, this project offers an example of internet‐accessible realia that directly addresses discourse on racism in Germany. Resulting findings and discussions are based on students' written assignments from two third‐semester German classes. The results demonstrate that conversations about racism can be successfully taught in beginner‐ and intermediate‐level curricula.