Dr. Ryan Carroll has joined the faculty of the Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies at the University of Georgia as Lecturer and German Language Coordinator. Dr. Carroll comes from a position teaching German as a Second Language at Bard College in Berlin, Germany. He taught intermediate German language courses both in person and online to students from North and South America, Europe, and the Middle East. Dr. Carroll completed an M.A. in German Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University. He plans to use his experiences as an engineering student to better connect with undergraduate students completing the Engineering and German dual degree program, a partnership with Germanic & Slavic Studies and the College of Engineering at UGA. In 2020, Dr. Carroll completed a DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service)-funded Cotutelle dual PhD in Germanic Linguistics at the University of Waterloo (Canada) and the University of Mannheim (Germany). His dissertation focused on the construction of identity in conversation and publicly visible language in German-speaking South Tyrol in Northern Italy. His dissertation research built on his previous research on the intersection of language and identity in minority language communities. While completing his dissertation at the University of Mannheim, Dr. Carroll also worked as a research assistant in a DFG (German Research Foundation)-funded research project in which the grammatical resources of German heritage speakers in the United States were examined. Dr. Carroll’s recent publications include a co-authored chapter in the forthcoming volume Germans of the Waterloo Region, which describes the experiences of German-speaking immigrants finding work in the Waterloo Region of Ontario, Canada. Dr. Carroll’s research interests include interactional linguistics, language and identity, linguistic landscape studies, and multilingualism. "Igniting students’ passion for learning a new language and culture is what really excites me," said Carroll on his new position. "I am looking forward to working closely with undergraduate and graduate students in the Department to support students as they find their place in the community of German speakers, learners, and teachers.” When not teaching in Berlin, Dr. Carroll enjoyed exploring the urban and natural environments in his home borough of Pankow and running along its namesake, the Panke River. Tags: German, University of Georgia, Bard College, University of Wisconsin-Madison
