Colin Benert

Colin Benert is an Associate Instructional Professor in the Department of Germanic Studies at the University of Chicago, where he has taught full-time since 2013. His work bridges literature, music, and critical theory, with a focus on German cultural production from the 18th to 20th centuries.

Benert’s research explores intersections of philosophical aesthetics and social/political agendas, as seen in his analyses of Kafka and Wagner, as well as temporal structures in literature and music. His teaching emphasizes communicative language acquisition and media technologies, and he has designed courses such as 'Green Germany' and 'The Musical-Political Sublime.'

He serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies, advising Germanic Studies majors and minors, and organizes extracurricular events like Kaffeestunde and Kinotag. Publications include studies on Goethe, Hoffmann, and Wackenroder, with a current book project examining the spatiality of time in Romanticism.

Benert integrates Chicago’s cultural resources into his pedagogy, arranging visits to operas, architecture tours, and talks by guest speakers like the German Consul and author Sabine Scholl.