Faculty Profile
Antje Pfannkuchen
Associate Professor of German (2009)
Contact Information
Bosler Hall Room M11
717-254-8151
Bio
Antje Pfannkuchen is a researcher in German media studies, literature and cultural history. Her work is concerned with the role of (media)technology in society, historically and today. She studies connections between media, technology, science, literature and art, especially in the 18th and early 19th centuries. She co-edited "The Technological Introject," a volume engaging the ideas of Friedrich Kittler, mastermind of German media theory. She has also published on German Enlightenment poet and scientist Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, on Romantic physicist Johann Wilhelm Ritter and on Ezra Pound's interests in 19th century German science. Her current book project investigates the correlations of the history of electricity, German early Romanticism and the invention of photography. Courses she has taught include German Media Cultures, Introduction to German Film, German Stories, German Film and Activism, Goethe Forever!, The Two Germanies, German Romanticism, German-Jewish Culture and all levels of German language.
Education
- M.A., FU Berlin, 2000
- M.P.S., New York University, 2002
- Ph.D., 2010
2025-2026 Academic Year
Fall 2025
GRMN 101 German in Everyday Life
This course is an introduction to the German language and culture of daily life. It focuses on the acquisition of language skills, such as speaking, reading, writing, and listening and does so while also learning about aspects of every-day cultures in German-speaking countries. Classes are small and emphasize communication. After successfully completing German 101 and 102, students are expected to have reached a basic level of intercultural and cross-cultural competence, that is, to be able to communicate with members of German-speaking cultures with an awareness of differences in language and culture.
GRMN 102 German in Everyday Life
This course is an introduction to the German language and culture of daily life. It focuses on the acquisition of language skills, such as speaking, reading, writing, and listening and does so while also learning about aspects of every-day cultures in German-speaking countries. Classes are small and emphasize communication. After successfully completing German 101 and 102, students are expected to have reached a basic level of intercultural and cross-cultural competence, that is, to be able to communicate with members of German-speaking cultures with an awareness of differences in language and culture. Classes meet five times a week. Prerequisite: 101 or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor.
GRMN 251 The German Political Landscape
Cross-listed with POSC 290-04. This course introduces students to the structure of the German government, the main institutions, political parties and organizations and their historical context. The central focus is on how political Germany works today and what it took to get there since 1945. Public media institutions that are an important part of German civic interactions will be studied as well as possibilities for involvement of citizens and residents. Taught in German.
POSC 290 The German Political Landscape
Cross-listed with GRMN 251-01.