William C. McDonald
Professor of GermanNEH Distinguished Teaching Professor, Teaching Resource Center (2005-8)
Master Teacher in Summer Language Institute
Degrees
Ph.D. Ohio State
Arthurian romance, the heroic tradition, pedagogy (especially the effects of /Spaßpädagogik/) , the intersection of teaching and technology, manifestations of the Tristan-figure
Courses Taught
Summer Intensive German (=DaF), German Composition and Conversation, Stylistics, Arthurian romance/
Recent Publications
Erec and Iwein by Hartmann von Aue, The Literary Encyclopedia; “Wolfram von Eschenbach: Parzival in the Computer Age,” Modern Myths; “Turnus in Veldeke Eneide: The Consequences of Violence,” reprinted in Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism; “Die riche vrouwe Dido (v.7558): Dido as Exemplar in the Erec-Romance of Hartmann von Aue,” Orbis Litterarum; and “Redacting Internet Short-Texts (IST) to Improve Second-Language German Writing Skills,” German as a Foreign Language.
Projects
Using the new media (including Youtube) to teach German composition and conversation. Exploring the limits of Internet Short-Texts (=IST) as templates for language courses.