Jeanette R. Clausen
Introduction
I’m a relative newcomer to UALR: I joined the Department of International and Second Language Studies in 2007. I was attracted to UALR because of its strong commitment to teaching and the Fast Forward strategic plan. The department appealed to me because of the mix of disciplines – foreign languages, ESL, and second language acquisition—and the strengths of the faculty. After serving a three-year term as chair of the department, I have returned to full-time teaching.
I came to Little Rock from Indiana University Purdue University (IPFW) in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a campus similar to UALR in many ways. At IPFW, I wore a number of different hats, including Modern Foreign Languages Department Chair, Women’s Studies Director, and Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (not all at the same time!). I enjoy the challenges of academic administration.
In my free time, I like to bicycle, hike, and see films. During breaks, I visit my daughter Airen in California or my friends in Germany.
Teaching Interests
I enjoy teaching German language and literature at all levels. A new assignment in 2009-10 was teaching elementary and intermediate German online – an intense learning experience for all (especially me). In spring 2011, I will offer a seminar on literary and non-literary translation.
Research Interests
I’m interested in women writers in the German-speaking countries, minority voices in literature, cartoons and graphic novels, theories of language learning, and higher education administration. Two publications that appeared recently are: “Focus on Alice Schwarzer,” in Feminist Europa Review of Books, Vol. 7, No. 1 (2007) & Vol. 8, No. 1 (2008): 10-29; and a book chapter, “Rewarding Work: Integrating Service into an Institutional Framework on Faculty Roles and Rewards,” in Over Ten Millions Served: Gendered Service in Language and Literature Workplaces (SUNY Press 2010). While still at IPFW, I completed a translation of Irmtraud Morgner’s novel Life and Adventures of Trobadora Beatrice as Chronicled by Her Minstrel Laura. A Novel in 13 Books and 7 Intermezzos (U of Nebraska Press 2000).
Education
PhD in Germanic Linguistics, Indiana University
MA in German Literature, Indiana University
BA University of Wisconsin Milwaukee