Thyra Knapp

Thyra Knapp is an Associate Professor and Director of German Studies at the University of North Dakota (UND), where she has taught since 2011. Her work bridges German language, literature, and cultural studies, with a focus on the interplay between visual art and textual narratives in 20th-century German literature. She has published extensively in leading journals such as Seminar, Monatshefte, and German Quarterly.

Her research centers on ekphrasis—the description of visual art within literary texts—and its role in shaping identity and aesthetic discourse, particularly in postmodern German novels and poetry. This interdisciplinary approach informs her teaching, which spans introductory language courses to advanced seminars on German drama, urban narratives, and cultural studies.

Recent scholarly trends in her publications include: (1) ekphrastic techniques in postmodern German literature, (2) urban identity in feminist German prose, (3) Swiss cultural identity in transnational contexts, (4) ethical dimensions of art-literature intersections, and (5) multimodal pedagogical strategies for German education.

• Scientific Awards
  • Max Kade Foundation Grants
  • Senate Scholarly Activities Committee Awards
  • Fulbright Commission Seminar Participation
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate Fellowship
• Education
  • Ph.D. in German, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2008)
  • M.A. in Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Kansas (1998)
  • B.A. in Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Kansas (1994)