Dr. Jill Beckman is the Director of the Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (DWLLC), Interim DEO of the Department of German, and Associate Professor of Linguistics.

Glenn Ehrstine's primary research explores the intersections of literature, religion, and politics in medieval and early modern Germany, with a particular focus on the cultural transformations that occurred between late medieval Catholicism and the early Protestant Reformation. His more recent research concerns the Catholic theatrical traditions that the Reformation erased or altered. For his teaching, he focuses on practical aspects of German language, literature, and culture that hold broader interest for students in Iowa.

Wolfgang Ertl's scholarly interests focus on 20th and 21st century German literature and culture, with emphasis on GDR and postunification literature and German lyric poetry. His research and teaching interests also extend to 19th century German literature and interdisciplinary studies in literature and ecology. He is furthermore engaged in studies in art history and has been exhibiting his paintings in oil, pastel, and acrylics since 2007 in various juried shows in New England (www.wolfgangertlart.com).

Sarah Fagan’s research and teaching interests include Germanic linguistics, theoretical linguistics, and the German language.

Meredith Mahy Gall is the senior academic advisor for the Division of World Literatures, Languages, and Cultures (including all world languages, International Studies, linguistics, and translation) and global health studies students.

Prof. Gölz teaches German and Comparative Literature at the University of Iowa's Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. She is also active in the University of Iowa's Program in Literary Translation. In addition to her scholarly work, she also has worked with photography and makes documentary films. Her teaching and research interests include theories of textuality, gender and figurative language, theory and poetics of reading, the history and social impact of the invention of writing, manuscript studies, the relation of photography and textuality, performativity, and the construction of "space," and urban semiotics.

Elke Heckner teaches in the German Department. She is currently completing a book manuscript, tentatively entitled, "Memories of Futurity: Remapping Visual Representations of the Holocaust and Genocide." Her recent articles in Shofar and New German Critque examine issues of second- and third generation witnessing in film, TV productions and memorial culture.

Kirsten E. Kumpf Baele is the Director of the Anne Frank Initiative (AFI) and a Distinguished Associate Professor of Instruction in German at the University of Iowa. Her work centers around human experiences and social justice, as reflected in her research, teaching, and public engagement. Her academic career has consistently been shaped by stories and lived experiences that highlight social inequalities, constraints, and the potential for personal transformation. Her work focuses on the liminal and transitional spaces that, when closely examined, reveal richness, reclamation, and resilience. She is both personally and professionally driven to (re)examine concepts of confinement and resistance—whether literal, physical, or figurative—to challenge reductionist systems and structures that fail to honor individuality or foster empathy.

Andy has an M.A. in Linguistics with a focus on teaching English as a second language from the University of Iowa. His professional interested include language instruction, the promotion of inclusive learning environments, and instructional technology and design. He has studied Russian, French, Italian, and German in the classroom and enjoys working with faculty and students in the division to aid, promote, and enhance the learning of languages.

Waltraud Maierhofer is professor of German and in the Global Health Studies Program. She teaches courses on German literature and culture and also on international culture. Her research and teaching interests include German literature and culture from the eighteenth century to the present. She is especially interested in representations of health and Human Rights issues (contraception, abortion, disabilities), in intersections of historiography and fiction, ego-documents and biography, but also book illustrations and text–image relations, and she has edited several historical documents and translations.

Bruce Nottingham-Spencer spent time abroad at the Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, Germany and the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg, Germany. He currently supervises the Elementary German program and teaches a variety of courses including German Composition and Conversation, and Business German. His interests include Historical Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Language Pedagogy, Second Language Acquisition, Crime Fiction, and Germanic Mythology.

Fabienne Rink is a journalist and translator of German and French literature who was born and raised in Germany close to Cologne. She received her BA in Journalism from TU Dortmund University and worked as a journalist for WDR (West German Broadcasting Company) and in PR for “Theater Dortmund”. Fabienne is currently pursuing an MFA in Literary Translation at the University of Iowa and an MA in Literary and Cultural Studies at TU Dortmund University. She is also a Graduate Teaching Assistant in German and Rhetoric. Her interests include US-culture, immigration, media studies, music, and theatre.