German Department: Research Not Solely for the Sciences

For this reason, the German department held its first "Forschungsfest," or exhibition of research opportunities in the German department, on March 27. Informal conversations over food were followed by a program of four fifteen-minute slots, enabling seniors and faculty to showcase opportunities for independent research and collaboration with professors that can take place before senior year.

Each slot consisted of "flash talks" of around three minutes, with the format also allowing for interviews and posters, followed by ample opportunity to ask questions, explained Tautz, who organized the event. The aim is to show that research is being done across the college and, in German in particular, that opportunities exist for students to be involved, thrive, and excel independently and in collaboration.

Furthermore, just because you're studying a traditional subject doesn't mean you are wedded only to traditional research methods, said Tautz, a specialist in eighteenth-century German cultural studies, among other things, who often embraces a digital approach to her research.

Here's a look at some of the projects the presenting seniors talked about:

"Working as a research assistant in German has been one of the most meaningful experiences I have had at Bowdoin," reflected John Schubert '26. For the past three years, he has assisted Tautz on a number of projects. Much of his work involves developing research questions and ideas, he said. "For example, I receive draft abstracts or publications from Professor Tautz and am tasked with finding primary or secondary source material that would help develop the work further. This usually takes the form of an annotated bibliography." Schubert said his research work has enabled him to touch on a variety of projects, mostly concerning literary and cultural history around the year 1800. "Literary history, in particular, has been a gift. It has been incredible to see how literary history acts as a broken mirror for political, cultural, and social histories in the German-speaking world."