Faculty Profile

Sarah McGaughey

(ask me my pronouns)Associate Professor of German (2007)

Contact Information

mcgaughs@dickinson.edu

Bosler Hall Room 114
717-245-1279

Bio

McGaughey is a scholar of modernist studies, in particular of the region of German-speaking Central Europe and of the interwar period. She focuses on the Viennese author Hermann Broch and the relationship between literature and architecture as a means of understanding modernism and modernity. She is author of "Ornament as Crisis: Architecture, Design, and Modernity in Hermann Broch's 'The Sleepwalkers'" (Northwestern UP, 2016) and a co-editor of "A Companion to the Works of Hermann Broch" (Camden House, 2019). She is also online editor of the journal for transatlantic German Studies, "Glossen" (blogs.dickinson.edu/glossen). Her current work is on the novel "Tschick" by Wolfgang Herrndorf. McGaughey enjoys teaching at all levels of the German program at Dickinson. She has developed and teaches courses on German cultural history of the environment (German Environments), German theater and radio, contemporary German literature, modern architectural history of German-speaking cultures, and "Popliteratur". She enjoys teaching German as a second language, reading and teaching contemporary German literature, and listening to and teaching with German-language pop music.

Education

  • B.A., Smith College, 1997
  • M.A., Washington University-St. Louis, 1999
  • Ph.D., 2005

2023-2024 Academic Year

Fall 2023

FYSM 100 First-Year Seminar
The First-Year Seminar (FYS) introduces students to Dickinson as a "community of inquiry" by developing habits of mind essential to liberal learning. Through the study of a compelling issue or broad topic chosen by their faculty member, students will: - Critically analyze information and ideas - Examine issues from multiple perspectives - Discuss, debate and defend ideas, including one's own views, with clarity and reason - Develop discernment, facility and ethical responsibility in using information, and - Create clear academic writing The small group seminar format of this course promotes discussion and interaction among students and their professor. In addition, the professor serves as students' initial academic advisor. This course does not duplicate in content any other course in the curriculum and may not be used to fulfill any other graduation requirement.

GRMN 201 Int German I:Contemp Grm Cltr
What did the Brothers Grimm do besides collecting fairy tales? How do narratives inform national identity? Why do Germans return their empty bottles to the store? Students approach such questions, which touch on language, culture, economics, geography, history, and more, through a variety of media in this course. At the same time, students review grammatical structures, expand their knowledge of stylistic forms, and practice various registers of written and spoken German. German 201 aims to develop students’ skills to understand and reflect upon German-language culture at a basic intermediate level. Classes meet four days a week. Prerequisite: 102 or 103, or permission of the instructor. This course fulfills the language graduation requirement.

Spring 2024

GRMN 201 Int German I:Contemp Grm Cltr
What did the Brothers Grimm do besides collecting fairy tales? How do narratives inform national identity? Why do Germans return their empty bottles to the store? Students approach such questions, which touch on language, culture, economics, geography, history, and more, through a variety of media in this course. At the same time, students review grammatical structures, expand their knowledge of stylistic forms, and practice various registers of written and spoken German. German 201 aims to develop students’ skills to understand and reflect upon German-language culture at a basic intermediate level. Classes meet four days a week. Prerequisite: 102 or 103, or permission of the instructor. This course fulfills the language graduation requirement.

WGSS 202 What is Feminismus?
Cross-listed with GRMN 250-01. In 2005 Angela Merkel became Germany's first female chancellor. In 2023 Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced her Feminist Foreign Policy. These historical events are perhaps the best-known moments of female agency in post-war German politics, but women are at the forefront of a longer history of activism, power, and agency in Germany. This course will look at both the forms of feminism as well as the political movements in which women took key roles. We will pose questions about the impact of feminist and female engagement in politics, changes in modes of political participation through feminist and female interventions, and conflicts and similarities in women's rights in Germany with those in the US and other countries. The course will be taught in English with a discussion session (FLIC) for German majors, German minors, and INBM/IS majors.

GRMN 250 What is Feminismus?
Cross-listed with WGSS 202-04. In 2005 Angela Merkel became Germany's first female chancellor. In 2023 Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced her Feminist Foreign Policy. These historical events are perhaps the best-known moments of female agency in post-war German politics, but women are at the forefront of a longer history of activism, power, and agency in Germany. This course will look at both the forms of feminism as well as the political movements in which women took key roles. We will pose questions about the impact of feminist and female engagement in politics, changes in modes of political participation through feminist and female interventions, and conflicts and similarities in women's rights in Germany with those in the US and other countries. The course will be taught in English with a discussion session (FLIC) for German majors, German minors, and INBM/IS majors.