CFP: Rethinking the 'Survey' Course (GSA 2022 Houston, 15.03.2022)

Call for Participants
German Studies Association Teaching Network Roundtable: Rethinking the Survey Course
Sept. 15-18, 2022
Houston, TX

Traditionally, survey courses aim to give a broad overview or serve as an introduction to a field of study. In addition, surveys have also been used to try to attract students into our programs to pursue a major or minor. However, the current academic climate of shrinking enrollments and tightening budgets has forced many programs to radically alter these approaches. With this roundtable we would like to open up a discussion about the German survey course, broadly conceived. What do survey courses have to offer for German Studies and related fields today? How do they need to be (re)designed to sustain and help grow and/or maintain programs? How can the survey course be more open and inviting, and reflect the changes in the field and the academy? Or does German Studies need to move beyond the survey all together?

The format of the roundtable will consist of very brief 8-10 minute informal presentations from participants followed by time for extended conversation, exchanges, and networking in a supportive environment. We invite proposals of no more than 250 words in English on various topics including, but not limited to:

Interdisciplinary cooperation
Courses taught in English vs. in German
Curriculum and enrollment implications
Specific courses you have taught or offered in your program
Positive and negative experiences
Challenging notions of canon or “coverage”
Making German/German Studies and related fields attractive to a more diverse student population
Student perspectives and factors
Collaborative teaching models
Institutional hurdles

Please send proposals with a short bio in English by March 15, 2022 to Karolina May-Chu (maychu@uwm.edu) and Kristopher Imbrigotta (kimbrigotta@pugetsound.edu). We welcome participation from colleagues teaching at institutions of all sizes in all academic ranks, tenured/non-tenured, from any related German Studies discipline, as well as advanced graduate students.