I joined the University of Chicago in 2018, and started teaching the German language from novice to advanced mid including the Intensive Course. My family emigrated from Iran to Germany when I was only fourty days old. Raised in Heidelberg, German was my native language.
I completed my undergraduate degree in German at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, and my graduate studies in German Translation at the University of Tehran. I came to the U.S. in 2012 and obtained another graduate degree in Germanic Studies from Purdue University. Before coming to University of Chicago, I taught introductory German courses for two years at Purdue University, and was also responsible for the German Culture Club. In 2016, I then joined the Goethe Institute staff in Chicago where I continue to teach to this day.
I have also designed the course curriculum for the second and third part of the Intensive Course sequence. A course I call Deutschlandreise! A journey through different cities of cultural, political and literary importance to Germany and the rest of the world.
Besides teaching, I am also responsible for organizing and coordinating cultural and social events for language program students, and anyone interested in the German language and its culture. I also serve as the sponsor of the German Club at University of Chicago.
My teaching and research interests include foreign language pedagogy, technology integration in language teaching, revisiting songs in language pedagogy, religious history and belief systems.
I have written and presented papers on the effects of cultural and religious belief systems, on a variety of translated literary works.
I have also written and presented on German and Persian mythology, and their influence on culture, traditions and literature. I am currently working on technology integration in language teaching, and the use of music as a tool to facilitate language learning.
Intellectual Profile
- Presenter on Lesson plan of the day: Engaging activities and tasks at the University of Chicago’s Spring Workshop Series, on April 24 2019
- Designed the entire course curriculum for the second & third quarter of the intensive course sequence at University of Chicago (new course title: Deutschlandreise)
- Presenter on music in the German classroom at the University of Chicago/German department, in March 2020
- Presenter of a lightning talk on best practices and approaches to the challenge of virtual instruction at the shared LCTL Symposium with Michigan State University, in August 2020
- Recipient of the digital badge for in-service online language teachers conferred by the National Foreign Language Resource Center (on: Selecting and adapting materials for online language learning) in October 2019
- Recipient of an examiner- certification/Prüferzertifikat from the Goethe Institute Chicago to take exams, and level tests at different proficiency levels in 2018/2019
- Recipient of the OPI tester certification from ACTFL (The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) in 2019
- Recipient of the online teaching certificate from the Goethe Institute upon completing an intensive course on online teaching pedagogy in February 2019
- Awarded with the excellence Graduate Teacher Certificate, sponsored by the Purdue Teaching Academy.
- Creation and development of a landing page for the German department’s website together with success videos: with tips and tricks for future students on how to succeed in an intensive course, in August 2020
- Presenter on the influence of different cultural Belief Systems, and the effects of Superstition on translation, by the examples of Iran and Germany, at the Annual Conference of Challenges and Necessities Regarding Culture in the Quality of Teaching Foreign Languages, December 2011, Tehran
Currently pursuing or working on
- ProjectDeutschIG (an Instagram Account for students named) based on Emily Weider’s workshop on using Instagram to collate a personal dictionary and to use vocab over grammar (MWALLT 2020 Conference)
- DeutsCHIgUeberall: a Youtube Channel for the German department
- Collaboration with the German department on creating a blog (Blogademia) to share resources and reflections, and also to demonstrate thoughtful engagement with pedagogy and discipline.
- Grünes Diplom (the standard qualification for teachers of German as a foreign language at Goethe-Instituts worldwide. The program includes classroom observation, training in methodology and didactics, team-teaching, homework tuition, a seminar in Germany and a German language course at the C1 level.-2 year program)
- Working on creating cross-university culture and conversation cafés-consortiums
- Fostering Student Learning and interaction through Creative Language Experiences, digital tools and apps
Teaching
GRMN 20100 Deutsche Märchen (3 sections)
GRMN 12001 Intensive German 1
GRMN 12002 Intensive German 2
GRMN 10201 Elementary German for Advanced Beginners
GRMN 12003 Intensive German 3
GRMN 12001 Intensive German 1