Hey there! I am Cosima and this is my teaching portfolio. I am excited to share my teaching philosophy and practice with you. This page gives you a more complete picture of where I am coming from:
Born in Hamburg, Germany, I moved to the US for Graduate School in 2017 after earning my BA degree in Göttingen, Germany. International exchange had always been a central part of my life. Before College, I had already lived in China, in the US and in India – experiences that turned me into a champion for intercultural communication in- and outside Germany. This trajectory defines my relationship to and teaching of Germany and the German language. (More on that on my “Teaching Philosophy” page!)
Currently, I am a PhD candidate and instructor of record at Columbia University’s German Department in NYC. In my research, I focus on 20th and 21st century transatlantic literary history and theory, with a focus on women writing. My dissertation is a comparative study of Hannah Arendt`s and Susan Sontag`s criticism, with a focus on their work on modern German literature.
As a Studienstiftung-, Cusanus-, and SDW-Fellow I have substantial experience with a range of scholarship programs. Apart from editorial and academic assistantships in Göttingen and at WashU (St Louis, MO), I worked in cultural and literature management and in multiple teaching positions for languages and literature at Universities in Germany, Estonia, India and the US. (More on this on my “Teaching Development” page!) I work as a Teaching Consultant for Columbia’s Center for Teaching and Learning. Every once in a while, I publish translations, essayistic work and poetry apart from academic writing.
Please do not hesitate to reach out. Great to meet you!
cmattner21@gmail.com
