IDS article from 12/07/2010: GERMANIC STUDIES RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Welcome to Germanic Studies at Indiana University, a dynamic and diversified department with a rich tradition. We offer demanding yet flexible programs in modern literary and cultural studies, medieval philology, theoretical linguistics, as well as instruction in three modern languages besides German. Our undergraduate students work closely in small group settings with highly trained instructors and faculty members who have won numerous teaching awards. Many participate in programs we maintain in Freiburg, Germany, and Graz, Austria. We urge our graduate students, who come to us from across the country and all parts of the world, to work at a high level of theoretical sophistication and to develop their skills as innovative and imaginative teachers. Nearly all find work in faculty positions at research universities and liberal arts colleges.
Ours is perhaps the most congenial Germanic Studies Department in the country; it is also one of the most challenging. If you are passionately driven by intellectual curiosity — join us!
Kari Ellen Gade, Department Chairperson__________________________________________________
Sprouse is professor of Germanic studies and second language studies. He serves as director of undergraduate studies for the Germanic Studies Department and as director of graduate studies for the Department of Second Language Studies. He earned his B.A. from Hiram College and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Princeton University. Sprouse joined the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1994.
Sprouse's research focuses on second language acquisition. Other research interests include the structure and history of the languages of Western Europe, particularly German, Icelandic and Welsh. He has directed the IU Summer Overseas Study Program in Graz, Austria, nine times since 2002.
"With his long-term service as our director of undergraduate studies, his dedication to overseas studies (in particular, the Graz program), his service to the Individualized Major Program and, last but not least, his undergraduate teaching record and his research partnership with undergraduate students, Rex is certainly a most deserving recipient of this award," said Kari Gade, chair of the Department of Germanic Studies.
Sprouse's plans for his tenure as Remak Professor are to develop a new introduction to Austrian studies, written in German for English-speaking learners of German, an inquiry-based textbook organized around open questions about the interpretation of Austrian society and culture. The working title of this project is Leitfragen Österreich.
News & Events
- Mediævalia 2013 presents Roger S. Wieck, Curator of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts at the Morgan Library & Museum, February 8, 2012. Pre-registration is required. For more information, including how to pre-register, please see the Germanic Studies Events page, or the Medieval Studies page
- The Germanic Studies Department is now on Facebook! Please visit our Germanic Studies page on Facebook
- New English-Language Summer Program in Berlin Spend next summer in Berlin and learn about how the city deals with its past and imagines its future. Take a new four-week summer course, taught by IU faculty in English. To learn more, click here. For a first-hand account of last year's program, see the student blog
