RESEARCH IN GERMAN STUDIES: TIPS FOR UNDERGRADUATES Brooke Kreitinger, Ph.D. Department of Languages, Literature and Cultures (German) The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

SO YOU WANT TO CREATE SOME KNOWLEDGE....  take it seriously  figure out where your interests lie  make it relevant to your life  planning to go to graduate school? Know what research entails beforehand!

CONDUCTING RESEARCH IN GERMAN STUDIES What is German Studies? Language (and foreign language instruction) + Literature and film + Culture = INTERDISCIPLINARY! Germanists use a variety of approaches and theories: linguistics, second language acquisition theory literary theory, film theory women’s and gender studies, feminist theory psychology, sociology, history, geography, economics, politics, philosophy, religion natural sciences even!

HOW DO GERMANISTS ENGAGE UNDERGRADS IN RESEARCH?  Research projects for courses/independent projects  Research Assistants  German Embassy supported projects and contests  On-site research: study abroad programs – UNCEP  Grants to conduct research abroad DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) Fulbright Bundestag Internships (International Parliamentary Scholarships) Summer Programs (DAAD, Goethe-Institut, etc.)

HOW DO I GET STARTED? come up with an idea talk to your professors – what do they work on? Can you work with them? ask how you might be able to work further on a topic or how you might be able to investigate a work of literature/film in more depth visit with a research librarian  figure out which databases and journals are central to German Studies read scholarly articles – become familiar with academic discourse attend academic presentations and conferences collaborate!  e.g. social bookmarking, shared bibliographies

WHAT DO I DO WITH MY RESEARCH? UNCG Research Expo (Annual) Undergraduate Conferences Presentations or poster sessions Maybe some “grown-up” conferences? Southeastern Women Studies Association (SEWSA) Women in German (WIG) Undergraduate journals Organize your own conference!

MARKETING YOUR RESEARCH AND SKILLS Revise your work = writing sample for applications to grad. school Articulate what your unique contribution is. What is original about your idea? Translate the variety of tasks you do in researching into the language of a resume, i.e. “soft skills”  critical thinking skills  I can engage with a topic from multiple perspectives and test my own thinking and argumentation against the ideas and arguments of others.  I can synthesize and analyze diverse ideas in a coherent argument = I can connect dots well in writing to uncover information about the bigger picture.  writing and organizational competencies  resourcefulness

WEBSITES Grants for research abroad  BundestagInternships  Fulbright  DAAD  UNC Exchange Program Undergraduate Conferences for German Studies  Moravian College & Lafayette College:  Wesleyen: Undergraduate Journal for German Studies  The Kennesaw Tower erziehung-der-ansicht-von-christa-wolf-der-geteilte-himmelhttps://commons.kennesaw.edu/kennesawtower/content/ddr- erziehung-der-ansicht-von-christa-wolf-der-geteilte-himmel

IMPORTANT DATABASES AND JOURNALS FOR GERMAN STUDIES MLA International Bibliography, Academic Search Complete German Quarterly New German Critique Women in German Yearbook Monatshefte German Life and Letters German Studies Review Unterrichtspraxis