Professional Service

  • C21: Journal of 21st-Century Writings.  Manuscript reviewer for journal C21: Journal of 21st-Century Writings (David Mitchell Special Edition) . 09/2017 - 10/2017
  • Journal of Austrian Studies. manuscript reviewer. 03/2016 - 12/2016
  • German Quarterly (journal) . manuscript reviewer . 01/2016 - 12/2016
  • Journal of Austrian Studies. manuscript reviewer. 01/2015 - present

Internal Service

  • Scholarship Committee. member, 01/01/2024 - 05/15/2024. Department service.
  • World Languages and Cultures Major Restructuring Committee Chair. spearhead initiative to transform current CLCS major into Dept.-wide major for current minors and "small languages", 01/01/2021 - present. Department service.
  • Executive Committee. member, 01/01/2021 - present. Department service.
  • World Languages and Cultures Major Proposal Committee Chair. spearhead initiative to transform current CLCS major into Dept.-wide major for current minors and "small languages", 10/2020 - present. Department service.
  • Member, Executive Committee. along with other members of committee, advise Chair on departmental administrative matters, 08/2020 - present. Department service.
  • Section Head (Program Representative), German -- course scheduling, outreach events. Program Representative, 01/2019 - present. Department service.
  • Graduate Committee. member, 08/2018 - present. Department service.
  • internal reviewer for various URC funding applications. reviewer, 01/2018 - present. University service.
  • Merit Committee. member, 01/2018 - 05/2018. Department service.
  • College of Humanities Retention, Promotion, and Tenure Committee. member, 08/2017 - 05/2019. College service.
  • College of Humanities Retention, Promotion, and Tenure Committee. member, 08/2017 - 12/2017. College service.
  • Chaired interdisciplinary faculty learning group on empathy; faculty members from Humanities, Law, Medicine, etc. met with Salt Lake community members to work on topics related to empathy in education. 01/2017 - 12/2017. University service.
  • peer reviewer / classroom observation and report. 01/2017 - 12/2017. Department service.
  • Served as section head (program adviser) for German major. Worked on curriculum revision, scheduling outreach events, etc. 01/2017 - 12/2017. Department service.
  •  Section Head (adviser and program representative), German. Led major revamping of the German major and minor to respond to student needs & help students graduate more efficiently, 01/2016 - 12/2016. Department service.
  • Member of General Education Curriculum Council -- reviewed courses & helped set policy for Gen Ed. 01/2016 - 05/2016. University service.
  • Played central role in strategizing and writing Dept. roadmap; served on College Roadmapping Committee / helped with writing of College document. 01/2016 - 05/2016. College service.
  • Executive Committee. 08/2015 - present. Department service.
  • Program representative and organizer, German Studies. 08/2015 - present. Department service.
  • Graduate programs review working group: strategized ways to improve departmental graduate programs. member, 10/2013 - 12/2013. Department service.
  • General Education Curriculum Council. Review courses for university-wide General Education status; help develop Gen Ed policy. member, 08/2013 - present. University service.
  • Holocaust Days of Remembrance Steering Committee. Helped design publicity and outreach for Days of Remembrance activities; helped host guest speaker. member, 01/2013 - 05/2013. University service.
  • Retention, Promotion, and Tenure Committee Secretary. 10/2012 - 11/2012. Department service.
  • Undergraduate Curricular Review Committee. establish new learning outcome goals for CLCS Program, 08/2012 - 05/2013. Department service.
  • Coordinator of CLCS Program: mentor and advise graduate students, coordinate plans of study, schedule classes, continue to update curriculum (e.g., secured approval of 2 DARS-transcripted emphases in CLCS). 08/2012 - 05/2013. Department service.
  • Head of CLCS RIG: planned and coordinated visit of Haun Saussy, former President of American Comparative Literature Association; organized workshop for CLCS graduate students and faculty as well as public lecture for U of U community. 08/2012 - 10/2012. Department service.
  • Head of RIG. Formed CLCS RIG to study future of Comparative Literature in 21st century, 08/2011 - 12/2012. Department service.
  • Holocaust Days of Remembrance steering committee. advise, 01/2011 - present. University service.
  • Academic Senate; ongoing. see 2010 contributions, 01/2011 - present. University service.
  • Head of Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies; ongoing. see 2010 contributions, 01/2011 - present. Department service.
  • Head of Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies Program (CLCS). Supervise redesign of program curriculum, supervise graduate admissions, strategize and organize events (speakers, RIGs, etc.), mentor individualized programs of graduate students, 08/2010 - 07/2012. Department service.
  • Departmenal Representative to Academic Senate. vote on University issues, 01/2010 - 07/2012. University service.

Community Partnership

  • Organizer, Faculty Learning Community on Empathy -- bring together members of U and SLC community to discuss / share ideas on projects related to empathy. 01/2014 - present
  • Teach Gateway to Learning German Summer Seminar for Utah high school teachers. 08/2010 - 08/2010

Outreach

  • Funded by the Dee Council, the College of Humanities, CTLE, Tanner, and the Lang. & Lit. and English Depts., I hosted a two-day national interdisciplinary symposium on “Empathy, Contemplative Practice and Pedagogy, the Humanities, and the Sciences” on September 26-27, 2014. The symposium brought together neuroscientists, spiritual teachers, pedagogy experts, literary scholars, artists, and others to brainstorm with U of U faculty and students (& members of the Salt Lake community) about empathy across various disciplines. The goal was to generate interdisciplinary dialogue and learning that could be taken back to participants’ and attendees’ classrooms and lives. Approximately 75 people attended, including U of U faculty and students from multiple humanities and sciences disciplines and members of the larger Salt Lake Community. The event is now available as a webcast open to the public at https://eq.utah.edu/u/items/c3412803-358e-44e3-a601-3e863402218a/6/viewcontent?_sl.t=true. I am currently hosting an interdisciplinary empathy working group (funded by CTLE) whose members are drawn from various U of U disciplines (medicine, literature, economics, dance, theatre, urban planning, Honors, etc.) to discuss and strategize how empathy-related initiatives can be integrated into the University of Utah with an eye toward promoting student success and well-being. Among the initiatives we are discussing are forming an Honors College Praxis Lab for students (approval granted; will be taught in 2016-17). Finally, I hosted a workshop and public talk by Prof. of Psychology Emanuele Castano of the New School for Social Research (NY) in Dec. 2014. Prof. Castano spoke on his recent and highly publicized (NY Times, NPR, _Science_) research on the links between reading literary fiction and cultivating empathy. 01/2014 - 12/2014
  • Began planning for interdisciplinary symposium on the intersection of empathy, contemplative pedagogy, the humanities, and the sciences to be held at U of U in Fall 2014. The symposium will bring together experts in neuroscience, literature, psychology, education, etc. to give presentations and brainstorm with U of U faculty presenters and students on the nexus of contemplative education, the humanities, and the sciences. Secured the participation of several important outside presenters so far; applied for College of Humanities Great Ideas in the Humanities Grant and Dee Council Grant to fund symposium; awarded Great Ideas funding (Dee Grant decision pending). See details in "Summary and Future Plans" below. 08/2013 - present
  • Tanner Gateway to Learning Workshops for High School Teachers. 08/2009 - 08/2012

Honors & Awards

  • Faculty Release for Scholarly Pursuits (URC Faculty Fellow Award). University Research Committee (URC), 01/2020
  • Faculty Release for Scholarly Pursuits (leave time awarded). University Research Committee (URC), 08/2019
  • received $1,000 toward funding of interdisciplinary symposium on "empathy, contemplative pedagogy, the humanities, and the sciences" to be held at U of U in Fall 2014. Tanner Humanities Center, 11/2013
  • received $5,000 toward funding of interdisciplinary symposium on "empathy, contemplative pedagogy, the humanities, and the sciences" to be held at U of U in Fall 2014. Great Ideas in the Humanities Grant, 11/2013
  • Post-Tenure Research Assignment. College of Humanities, 08/2013