معرفی
Eric Klaus is Professor of German Area Studies and Chair of the German Area Studies program at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where he has served since joining the faculty in 2001. His academic leadership spans curriculum development and program administration within the German studies discipline.
- Ph.D. in German Studies, Brown University
- M.A. in Germanic Studies, University of Maryland College Park
- B.A. in German (Major) and History (Minor), Dickinson College
His scholarly work centers on German modernism, intellectual history, and literary theory. Klaus investigates the uncanny, esoteric traditions, vanitas motifs, and Bildung discourse across 18th-20th century German-speaking Europe. His research connects philosophical frameworks with literary analysis, particularly examining how somnambulism, dance of death imagery, and narrative structures reveal shifting epistemological foundations of the self in modern literature.
Klaus actively integrates his research into teaching through courses like "Madness and Mayhem in Modernity" and "Haunting Memories - revealing the uncanny," where students engage directly with primary texts and theoretical concepts. His pedagogical approach emphasizes challenging students to expand their intellectual boundaries while exploring thematic connections between historical contexts and contemporary issues.
- Modern Language Association (MLA)
- American Association of Teachers of German (AATG)
- American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
- Mid-Atlantic Conference on German Literature (MACLA)
- Europäischer Totentanz-Vereinigung
As a teacher-scholar, Klaus mentors students in advanced German language and literature courses while guiding research projects on topics like Gustav Meyrink's works and uncanny narrative structures. His collaborative research with students often emerges directly from classroom discussions, creating synergistic connections between teaching and scholarly inquiry. Klaus emphasizes experiential learning through intensive programs like Deutsche Sommerschule am Atlantik and partnerships with institutions including Brown University and the University of Maryland.
His academic environment at Hobart and William Smith Colleges provides the interdisciplinary flexibility to explore connections between German literature, intellectual history, and broader European cultural movements. Klaus's leadership in the German Area Studies program fosters cross-departmental collaborations that enrich students' understanding of German-speaking cultures within global contexts.
