It's been 10 years since I started teaching in the college classroom, first as an instructor of intensive German language, then in interdisciplinary programs like Stanford's Program in Writing and Rhetoric and as a TA for "Chemistry and Art," and now at Georgia Tech, where I continue to teach German as well as life design and organizational culture. 

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I see my classroom as a laboratory in which students can experiment with raw materials and develop their own content. Most of my courses involve project-based learning and collaborative activities -- inspired by the communicative approach in foreign language studies, which uses roleplay and authentic materials to help students build the courage to connect and communicate with native speakers in unfamiliar settings. In addition to the career courses listed above, which I love to teach, here are some of my favorite courses: 

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Building Community: Culture, Identitiy, and Inclusion

Designed for graduate assistants working in marketing and community engagement roles, this course covers theories in communication, design, inclusion, and organizational culture. We talk about customer narratives, resilience psychology and optimism, team culture and belonging, mental health and well-being, graphic design, and public writing. 

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Germany Today: Politics and Culture

In this course, students follow current events in Germany and learn about the politica system, major debates, and the history of German politics, working directly with speeches, news media, and election data. This course has been taught during the Syrian civil war, EU financial crisis, the signing of the Paris Accords, Russia's entry into the Ukraine, and during two election cycles in Germany. Taught in German. 

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Old Stories, New Media: Great German Tales and their Adaptations 

There are some stories we see again and again: the star-crossed lovers, the battle of good vs evil, the mad genius. This course surveys German cultural history through the eyes of its most enduring myths and tales, such as the Grimm fairy tales, Tristan and Isolde, and the Faust Legend. Students learn about translation and adaptation theory, and explore many versions of each tale to discover how narratives evolve across historical periods and media. Taught in German.

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Russian for Spies (public workshop)

A one-hour crash course in introductory Russian, held at the James Bond Convention, 2018. Students learned to deliver a secret message that the mission had been accomplished, as well as some basic phonetics, cognates, and 1970s-era pop culture.​