Lisa Parkes

Lisa Parkes is a Senior Lecturer and Director of the German Language Program at Harvard University's Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures. She also serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies and is a member of the Standing Committee on Theater, Dance, and Media. Her roles involve curriculum development, program administration, and interdisciplinary education initiatives.

Dr. Parkes holds a PhD in German from UCLA (2009) and a BA in German and Music from the University of London. She previously directed UCLA's German language program (2002–2009).

Her teaching focuses on German drama/theater, foreign language pedagogy, translation studies, and community-engaged learning. She has directed student productions of works by Brecht, Büchner, and others, and co-leads Harvard's Vienna/Berlin summer program integrating advanced language study with cultural history, art, and theater.

She has served on editorial boards for Unterrichtspraxis and AAUSC’s Issues in Language Program Direction, and previously chaired the Massachusetts chapter of the AATG.