Hansjakob Werlen
Professor of German and Section Head
Education:
1980-87: Stanford University, Stanford, California, (Ph.D. in German Studies)
1985-86: Freie Universität Berlin
1978-80: University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (M.A., Modern Languages)
1975-78: University of Berne, Switzerland
Courses:
German 1B: First Semester Basic German
German 13: Introduction to German Literature
Interview:
Q: When did you come to work at Swarthmore
1987
Q: What were you doing before you came here?
Teaching Assistant and Graduate Student at Stanford University.
Q: Name one course you love to teach, and why.
I especially love to teach the Seminar on Goethe. In that class, we read some of Goethe's most complex works, like Faust and his late novel Die Wahlverwandtschaften, and I am always delighted by the novel insights the students bring to these demanding texts, as well as by their enthusiasm and appreciation for Goethe's singular artistic gifts.
Q: Describe a book or article you have written and what you learned from writing it.
Lately, I have been writing a series of articles on Johann Gottfried Herder. Herder has been the focus of much scholary as well as feuilletonistic writing recently, with often totally contradictory claims. While some see Herder as the father of the current multiculturalism movement, others regard him as the originator of a virulent German nationalism. Reading Herder's works shows that his many political, aesthetic, scientific and economic concerns led him to an intense engagement with the entire spectrum of scholary debates of his time. Often poetic and progressive, at other times querulous and sharp, Herder's works encompass not only the major controversies of his age, but also evince the often contradictory passions of their author.
Q: Who is your favorite writer in German?
Johann Wolfgang Goethe
Q: Describe the best meal you have eaten in a German home or restaurant.
The best meals depend as much on convivial togetherness with friends and family as on the quality of the food.
Q: What do you appreciate most about Swarthmore?
Inquisitive, dedicated students, supportive, stimulating colleagues, and an administration which is dedicated to support both of those groups.
Q: What is the role of German in the North America?
German, once a language of equal importance to English in the United States, still plays a major role in this country, be it as the language of the country of origin of over fifty million US citizens, or as the language in which much of the music, philosophy, and (this is true for an earlier time) science important to American scholars was created.
Q: Do you feel like a different person when you are speaking German, and if so how?
The embeddedness of each language into a specific culture facilitates in the speaker of that language a transition from one system of references to another. This cross-over brings with it not merely a new vocabulary, but many psychological changes as well. In that respect, I do feel like a different person when I speak any of the languages I know. I feel most at home in the Alemanic dialect spoken by about 1500 people in the Lötschental, a valley in the mountains of the Valais, Switzerland.
Q: What other disciplines have you studied, and how do they contribute to your work with German?
When I was a young student at the university of Berne, I studied Philosophy and English Literature and both contributed greatly to my further course of study. Philosophy by familiarizing me with many of the key concepts that were also important for writers of German literature, especially in the 18th and early 19th century, and English Literature by pointing to the many interrelated concerns and themes in the literature of different European countries.
Q: What do you like doing when you aren't reading or writing brilliant works of scholarship?
Organize activities of Slow Food, a world-wide eco-gastronomic movement dedicated to support organic farming, sustainable agriculture, artisanal food and drink production, and the rights to the pleasures of the table.
Q: Describe a course you've team-taught, or would like to team-teach at Swarthmore.
I had the opportunity to team-teach several courses at Swarthmore (with Richard Eldridge in philosophy and George Moskos in French and Tom Bradley in Russian) and learned a great deal from my colleagues in all those courses. I also taught a class with Azade Seyhan from Bryn Mawr which alternated between the Bryn Mawr camups and Swarthmore. It was an excellent way for Swarthmore students to learn more about their classmates from Bryn Mawr.
Q: What is your favorite place on campus?
Lilac Garden, next to the Meeting House.
Q: What can you see outside your office sindow?
Crosby Court and the lovely Rose Garden. In the Winter time, when all the leaves have fallen, I can see the tip of Liberty One and Two glowing in the Philadelphia night.
Q: What do you do to stay fluent in German or up-to-date in German culture and events?
While I read many German publications on the internet and in the library, there is no substitute for spending time in the countries where German is spoken. After more than 20 years in the US, living in Germany or Austria again becomes imperative to keep one's language up-to-date.