Habits of Mind, Habits of Heart: Cultivating Humanity Through a Decolonized German Studies Curriculum

A Culturally Relevant Approach to Food Customs in the German Curriculum

“…As a result, the unit description is certainly not an exhaustive reflection of our cumulative efforts, nor is it our last. For those daunted by such endeavors (including ourselves at the beginning), we echo the sentiments of Randall (2020) to “start where you are” (p. 57).…”

“…We are also mindful that sharing a single unit does not fully capture our efforts. Centering diverse cultures in the German classroom necessitates a “paradigmatic shift” in the entire approach to the curriculum, its learning outcomes, and “the selection, scaffolding, and articulation of texts and tasks within the themed units that organize a course” (Randall, 2020, p. 45). What we present here is only a snapshot of our opportunities to apply culturally relevant and critical pedagogies to the German classroom.…”

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Teaching Matters

“…In the German Studies classroom, the two prongs of diversity practice are well established. Curricular choices in syllabi and textbooks reflect the need to decolonize and diversify the disciplinary image that students encounter (Criser & Knott, 2019;Randall, 2020). In addition to decentering the disciplinary narrative through the representation of historically excluded voices, diverse learning environments require structural shifts in the institutional framework that has perpetuated white supremacy in the classroom.…”