People

Beth Kautz (Director of Language Instruction, Department of German, Scandinavian & Dutch; College of Liberal Arts Language Center liaison)
Co-principal investigator for the project, Beth has advised on technology issues related to the project and is supervising web delivery of the project. She collected web links, organized the means for sharing materials among developers, contributed original photography, and has been involved in all aspects of the project, including proposal writing, campus-wide networking about the project with colleagues, oversight of materials development, and implementation. Her presentations at local, regional, and national conferences, beginning in 2011, are advancing the dissemination of the materials.

Charlotte Melin (Associate Professor, Department of German, Scandinavian & Dutch)
Co-principal investigator and initiator of the project. She has been involved in all aspects of the work, including proposal and copy writing, professional development and research activities related German studies and environmental topics, networking about the project with colleagues, course development, and curriculum piloting. She was the UROP mentor for Peter Schmitt (spring 2011) and work supervisor for Adam Oberlin (summer 2011). Additional contributions to the project have included dissemination of the materials through presentations on campus and at national conferences and publication.

Adam Oberlin (ABD PhD candidate, University of Minnesota)
Wrote the instructional materials for the 15 modules and designed the website in summer 2011. He didacticized a broad range of authentic texts from governmental, non-profit, corporate, media, and other sources. With experience in teaching at the college level and in regional outreach through the College in the Schools German program, his work reflects awareness of the wide potential audience for environmental content for German language courses. His primary aim in producing these materials is to expose advanced high school and university German students to sustainability and other ecological topics, both in general and in the specific contexts of German-speaking Europe and the United States.

Peter Schmitt (2011 BA German, Sustainability Studies minor, University of Minnesota)
Carried out an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) project, “Green Germany,” in spring 2011. He helped frame the list of topics to be included, researched and collected websites and other materials that became the basis for the module worksheets, and provided overviews of content that aided other project developers in their subsequent work. His previous participation in a study abroad program in Freiburg, Germany, summer work experience at Concordia Language Villages (Waldsee), and dual academic fields were important factors in the development of the project.

We would also like to thank the following individuals for their encouragement and support:

  • Elaine Tarone (director, Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition)
  • Karin Larson (coordinator, Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition)
  • Lance Neckar, Nick Jordan, Carissa Schively Slotterback
  • Members of the Institute for Advanced Study faculty seminar "New Curricula for Sustainability Studies: Making Places that Maintain Abundance and Scarcity" (spring 2011)
  • Beth Mercer-Taylor (University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment)
  • Helga G. Braunbeck (North Carolina State University)
  • Edwin Dehler-Seter and Daniel S. Hamilton (Concordia Language Villages, Waldsee)
  • Matthew Rohn (environmental studies affiliated faculty member, St. Olaf College)
  • Jenneke Oosterhoff (senior lecturer, Department of German, Scandinavian & Dutch)