A new article from Dr. Morgan Marcell Koerner has just appeared in Traditions and Transitions: Curricula for German Studies, an essay collection with works by 20 international scholars in the field of German as a Second or Foreign Language, published by Wilfrid Laurier Press and edited by John Plews and Barbara Schmenk. Entitled “Literatur liberated from Wissenschaft: Writerly Approaches to Literature Across the German Curriculum,” the book chapter  “proposes using Roland Barthes’s theory of the ‘writerly’ text as a basis for curriculum design and implementation for German language and literature. He takes issue with formal approaches to literary study and illustrates how to enact a curriculum for reading and writing German through parody that is more participatory, more open-ended, and more creative” (Plews/Schmenk, “Traditions and Transitions” 15-16).

The chapter is part of a larger project on creative writing and theater as approaches to foreign language literature and culture. Over the past 6 years at the College of Charleston, Dr. Koerner has investigated the effectiveness of these methods as a gateway into foreign language literature for millennial students who have less experience with reading literature than previous generations.  “I’m particularly grateful for my students’ role in this research,” Koerner notes. “I’ve had a fabulous group of students at all levels since I came to the College in 2007. Whether they are staging a rap battle in German 101 or rewriting literary works and performing them in front of a live audience in my senior level theater seminars, my students have been more than willing to engage in more playful and theatrical approaches to German language, literature, and culture. This willingness to ‘ham it up’ is not only crucial for speaking a foreign language, it is also extremely useful as an approach to difficult literary texts.” Dr. Koerner, who became an Associate Professor of German this Fall, counts himself lucky not only because of his students, but also because his supportive colleagues and administration: “Not every institution would reward tenure to an Assistant Professor of German who publishes at the intersection of performance studies and language pedagogy, but The College of Charleston and the School of Languages Cultures and World Affairs clearly care about scholarship on innovative teaching and learning. My former chair Dr. Nancy Nenno was always very encouraging of this line of research, and the School of LCWA and the College administration has been a champion of expanding traditional models of scholarship to include the scholarship of teaching.”

At present, Dr. Koerner is currently working on two articles based on action research from his most recent adventure with theater, his performance oriented course “Beyond Drama: German Theater into the 20^th Century” from the Spring of 2013” in which he and his students explored experimental theater traditions from throughout the 20^th century. The course culminated in a spectacular live performance in German entitled  “Beyond Drama:  13 Performers Try to Transform the Audience” (pictures of this performance from April 23^rd, 2013 are available on the German and Slavic Studies Department’s facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CofCGermanSlavic).

Koerner, Morgan. “Literatur liberated from Wissenschaft: Writerly Approaches to Literature Across the German Undergraduate German Curriculum.” Traditions and Transitions. Curricula for German Studies. Eds. John L. Plews and Barbara Schmenk. Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2013. 175-190.

A new article from Dr. Morgan Marcell Koerner has just appeared in Traditions and Transitions: Curricula for German Studies, an essay collection with works by 20 international scholars in the field of German as a Second or Foreign Language, published by Wilfrid Laurier Press and edited by John Plews and Barbara Schmenk. Entitled “Literatur liberated from Wissenschaft: Writerly Approaches to Literature Across the German Curriculum,” the book chapter  “proposes using Roland Barthes’s theory of the ‘writerly’ text as a basis for curriculum design and implementation for German language and literature. He takes issue with formal approaches to literary study and illustrates how to enact a curriculum for reading and writing German through parody that is more participatory, more open-ended, and more creative” (Plews/Schmenk, “Traditions and Transitions” 15-16).

The chapter is part of a larger project on creative writing and theater as approaches to foreign language literature and culture. Over the past 6 years at the College of Charleston, Dr. Koerner has investigated the effectiveness of these methods as a gateway into foreign language literature for millennial students who have less experience with reading literature than previous generations.  “I’m particularly grateful for my students’ role in this research,” Koerner notes. “I’ve had a fabulous group of students at all levels since I came to the College in 2007. Whether they are staging a rap battle in German 101 or rewriting literary works and performing them in front of a live audience in my senior level theater seminars, my students have been more than willing to engage in more playful and theatrical approaches to German language, literature, and culture. This willingness to ‘ham it up’ is not only crucial for speaking a foreign language, it is also extremely useful as an approach to difficult literary texts.” Dr. Koerner, who became an Associate Professor of German this Fall, counts himself lucky not only because of his students, but also because his supportive colleagues and administration: “Not every institution would reward tenure to an Assistant Professor of German who publishes at the intersection of performance studies and language pedagogy, but The College of Charleston and the School of Languages Cultures and World Affairs clearly care about scholarship on innovative teaching and learning. My former chair Dr. Nancy Nenno was always very encouraging of this line of research, and the School of LCWA and the College administration has been a champion of expanding traditional models of scholarship to include the scholarship of teaching.”

At present, Dr. Koerner is currently working on two articles based on action research from his most recent adventure with theater, his performance oriented course “Beyond Drama: German Theater into the 20^th Century” from the Spring of 2013” in which he and his students explored experimental theater traditions from throughout the 20^th century. The course culminated in a spectacular live performance in German entitled  “Beyond Drama:  13 Performers Try to Transform the Audience” (pictures of this performance from April 23^rd, 2013 are available on the German and Slavic Studies Department’s facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CofCGermanSlavic).

Koerner, Morgan. “Literatur liberated from Wissenschaft: Writerly Approaches to Literature Across the German Undergraduate German Curriculum.” Traditions and Transitions. Curricula for German Studies. Eds. John L. Plews and Barbara Schmenk. Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2013. 175-190.

Friends, family and college officials gathered to mark the re-naming of the center in Ganaway’s honor.

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20131102/PC16/131109816/1009/college-of-charleston-honors-first-black-graduate&source=RSS

The College of Charleston on Saturday recognized its first African-American graduate at a dedication ceremony for the Eddie Ganaway Diversity Education and Resource Center.

Friends, family and college officials gathered to mark the re-naming of the center in Ganaway’s honor.

Ganaway, a 1971 graduate of the college, helped jump-start its diversity efforts, said President George Benson.

Benson said the school is more diverse but it is not yet where it needs to be. “We will get there,” he said.

DERC, which opened in 2010, is devoted to promoting and advancing domestic and global diversity. It offers a wide range of books, journals, videos, recordings and global cultural artifacts that focus on racial, ethnic, social, cultural and religious diversity.

Ganaway left a legacy of faith, hope and love, said Demetria Clemons, a member of the college board of trustees. “He was a humble, spiritual man,” she said.

Ganaway’s achievements show what one committed person can do, said Dr. Lucille Whipper.

“Love to Eddie Ganaway was not just a word, but it was a word with action,” Whipper said.

Ganaway grew up in Charleston Heights and graduated from Bonds Wilson High School in 1962. He attended Benedict College, but a lack of funds led him to enlist in the U.S. Navy where he served as a medic in Vietnam for four years. After his discharge, Ganaway contacted the college admissions office and was encourage to apply. He was admitted in 1968.

“Despite the relative isolation he experienced as one of the few black students on campus, Ganaway came to see the college experience as deeply enriching and rewarding,” according to the college media relations office.

He went on to earn a master’s degree in history from Duke University. He taught at Illinois State University and South Carolina State University. He enjoyed a long career in academia and the insurance industry.

Ganaway, who died Jan. 13, founded the College of Charleston’s first Black Alumni Caucus. In 2007, he was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters from his alma mater. He credited the college with awakening him to “this tremblingly wonderful sense of possibility we all have as human beings.”

A new article from Dr. Morgan Marcell Koerner has just appeared in Traditions and Transitions: Curricula for German Studies, an essay collection with works by 20 international scholars in the field of German as a Second or Foreign Language, published by Wilfrid Laurier Press and edited by John Plews and Barbara Schmenk. Entitled “Literatur liberated from Wissenschaft: Writerly Approaches to Literature Across the German Curriculum,” the book chapter  “proposes using Roland Barthes’s theory of the ‘writerly’ text as a basis for curriculum design and implementation for German language and literature. He takes issue with formal approaches to literary study and illustrates how to enact a curriculum for reading and writing German through parody that is more participatory, more open-ended, and more creative” (Plews/Schmenk, “Traditions and Transitions” 15-16).

The chapter is part of a larger project on creative writing and theater as approaches to foreign language literature and culture. Over the past 6 years at the College of Charleston, Dr. Koerner has investigated the effectiveness of these methods as a gateway into foreign language literature for millennial students who have less experience with reading literature than previous generations.  “I’m particularly grateful for my students’ role in this research,” Koerner notes. “I’ve had a fabulous group of students at all levels since I came to the College in 2007. Whether they are staging a rap battle in German 101 or rewriting literary works and performing them in front of a live audience in my senior level theater seminars, my students have been more than willing to engage in more playful and theatrical approaches to German language, literature, and culture. This willingness to ‘ham it up’ is not only crucial for speaking a foreign language, it is also extremely useful as an approach to difficult literary texts.” Dr. Koerner, who became an Associate Professor of German this Fall, counts himself lucky not only because of his students, but also because his supportive colleagues and administration: “Not every institution would reward tenure to an Assistant Professor of German who publishes at the intersection of performance studies and language pedagogy, but The College of Charleston and the School of Languages Cultures and World Affairs clearly care about scholarship on innovative teaching and learning. My former chair Dr. Nancy Nenno was always very encouraging of this line of research, and the School of LCWA and the College administration has been a champion of expanding traditional models of scholarship to include the scholarship of teaching.”

At present, Dr. Koerner is currently working on two articles based on action research from his most recent adventure with theater, his performance oriented course “Beyond Drama: German Theater into the 20^th Century” from the Spring of 2013” in which he and his students explored experimental theater traditions from throughout the 20^th century. The course culminated in a spectacular live performance in German entitled  “Beyond Drama:  13 Performers Try to Transform the Audience” (pictures of this performance from April 23^rd, 2013 are available on the German and Slavic Studies Department’s facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CofCGermanSlavic).

Koerner, Morgan. “Literatur liberated from Wissenschaft: Writerly Approaches to Literature Across the German Undergraduate German Curriculum.” Traditions and Transitions. Curricula for German Studies. Eds. John L. Plews and Barbara Schmenk. Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2013. 175-190.