Adam J. Toth

Adam J. Toth is an Assistant Professor of German at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), overseeing all German language courses and teaching World Cultures. He holds a BA in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Riverside; an MA in German Literature and Culture from Penn State; and a PhD in German Literature and Culture from Penn State. His research focuses on race theory in German intellectual history, intersections of war and pandemic (WWI/Influenza) with Marxist/Freudian thought, and German-Jewish studies. He integrates cultural competency into language pedagogy, emphasizing German drama, theater, and culinary culture. Teaching since 2010, he previously taught in Pennsylvania, Indiana, North Carolina, and Virginia before joining UAB in 2022.

Education:

• PhD, German Literature and Culture, Penn State University
• MA, German Literature and Culture, Penn State University
• BA, Comparative Literature, UC Riverside

Research Interests:

Explores German literature/film through frameworks of race theory, war studies, and cultural adaptation. Current work examines how the Great War and 1918 pandemic reshaped Marxist and Freudian paradigms, intersecting with youth culture and sexuality in early 20th-century contexts.

Teaching:

Focuses on integrating cultural themes (e.g., theater, culinary practices) into language instruction to enhance student engagement and cultural awareness.