Laura McLary | University of Portland

Laura McLary

Laura McLary photoProfessor of German Studies

“I am fortunate to teach in an environment that puts students’ learning and formation first. I hope my students become global citizens and find new ways of seeing the world that includes openness to difference and willingness to question assumptions. I currently am chairing the Collaborative for International Studies and Global Outreach (CISGO). In that capacity, I would like to see the adoption and implementation of global and intercultural learning outcomes so that we can have a shared vocabulary about student learning in a global and intercultural context. I plan to continue to cultivate a robust dialogue here on campus about international and global learning.

In my field, I am specifically interested in early 20th century Austria. It was a time that was innovative and creative in all areas, especially literature, music, and art. As an amateur artist and musician, I appreciate the rich overlay of the arts that are characteristic of this time and place, and they speak to me in a direct and visceral way. When I am studying this time, it feels like a lived experience.

My areas of expertise include the Austrian authors Georg Trakl, Lilian Faschinger, and Thomas Glavinic. I am also interested in literary theories dealing with material culture and memory. Currently, I am working on a book on the memory and memorialization of the poet Trakl, who was born in Salzburg in 1887 and died at the beginning of World War l. I hope the book will open up a new way of reading Trakl and his time that includes a wider understanding of his work in a larger social, historical, and religious context.

I enjoy working with students on applications for post-undergraduate grants to research, study, and teach in Germany and Austria. I’ve mentored around 70 students who have been recipients of Fulbright, Austrian-American Educational Commission, DAAD, and CBYX grants. Many of my students stay in touch over the years, and I feel proud of each of their achievements as if they were all my own children.”

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