Birgit Jensen

Associate Professor Emerita
German
jensenb@ecu.edu
Dept. Foreign Languages & Literatures
East Carolina University Mailstop #556
Greenville, NC 27858-4353

Background

Research Interests

Literary study: late nineteenth-century German prose and poetry

• Focus: autobiographies of the German working class in the late nineteenth century
• Other interests: narrative strategies used to restore the integrity of socially marginalized and devalued protagonists in German literature from the Middle Ages to today (e.g., children, Jews, lepers)

Pedagogy: active, project-based L2 learning

• Flipped learning in the flipped classroom
• Curricular design and student perception of learning
• Development of cross-cultural critical thinking skills through L2 acquisition
• Universal design for learning

Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications

• “The Witch in his Head: Rupturing the Patriarchal Discourse in Eichendorff’s Ballad ‘Waldgespräch.’” Goethe Yearbook XXIX (2022): 26-42.
• “Contesting Lewd Banter at Work: Ottilie Baader and Heinrich Holek’s Autobiographies.” The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory 49.4 (2021): 373-390.
• “Let’s Get Physical with the Two-Way Prepositions!” In: Teach German with a Sense of Humor: Why (and How to) Be a Funnier and More Effective German Teacher and Laugh All the Way to Your Classroom. Ed. Kishor Vaidya. Melbourne: Curious Academic Publishing (2021). N.p., e-book.
• Jensen, Birgit A., and Altstaedter, Laura Levi. “Flipped Learning and Critical Thinking in L2 Instruction.” Journal on Excellence in College Teaching 32.2 (2021): 53-76.
• Impuls Deutsch 2. Lernen. Co-authored with N. Tracksdorf, S. Kaupp, P. Volkhausen, F. Weidenauer. Stuttgart: Klett: 2020.
• Impuls Deutsch 2. Zeigen. Co-authored with N. Tracksdorf, S. Kaupp, P. Volkhausen, F. Weidenauer. Stuttgart: Klett: 2020.
• “Learning German in and for the 21st Century,” co-authored with Jill E. Twark, Susanne Lenné Jones, and David L. Smith. In: Outreach Strategies and Innovative Teaching for Small German Programs, ed. Gabi Eichmanns and Melissa Etzler, Routledge: 2021
• “Using Flipped Learning to Facilitate Cross-Cultural Critical Thinking in the L2 Classroom.” Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German 52.1 (2019), 50-68.
• “Das Unnatürliche im Blonden Eckbert: ein Ringen aus Begehren und Schuld.” Lublin Studies in Modern Languages and Literature 42.2 (2018): 1-19.
• “A (Free) Alternative to Studying Abroad: The Voluntary Social Year in Germany.” Global Partners in Education Journal 6.1 (2017): 111-122.
• “Erfolgsstrategien zur Wiederbelebung eines universitären Germanistikstudienganges in den Vereinigten Staaten.” Aussiger Beiträge 5 (2011): 23-34. Co-authored with Jill E. Twark and Susanne Lenné Jones.
• “‘Was sind wir Dienstboten doch für elende Geschöpfe‘: Female Working-Class Agency in Two German Autobiographies at the Turn of the Century.” Challenging Separate Spheres: Female Bildung in 18th and 19th Century Germany. Ed. Jeffrey L. Sammons. Oxford/Bern: Peter Lang, 2007.
• “Laborious Reproduction: Family and Gender Boundaries in Working-Class Autobiographies of the Late Nineteenth Century.” Zerreissproben/Double Bind. Familie und Geschlecht in der deutschen Literatur des 18. und des 19. Jahrhunderts . Ed. Christine Kanz. Wettstein: eFeF Verlag, 2007: 111-132.
• “‘What Miserable Creatures Are We Servants!’ Female Working-Class Agency in Two German Autobiographies at the Turn of the Century.” a/b: Auto/Biography Studies 20.1 (2006): 59-75.
• “Transgressing the Body: Leper and Girl in Hartmann von Aue’s Der arme Heinrich.” Amsterdamer Beiträge zur älteren Germanistik 61.1 (2005): 103-126.
• “Bawdy Bodies or Moral Agency? The Struggle for Identity in Working-Class Autobiographies of Imperial Germany.” Biography: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly 28.4 (2005): 534-557.
• “Vom jüdischen Geschichtsbewußtsein in Lion Feuchtwangers Jud Süß.” South Carolina Modern Language Review 4 (2005): 15-31.
• “Peter Schneider’s Vati: Contesting a German Taboo.” Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction 43 (2001): 84-92.
• “‘Abraxa Bösemiene’ or Word Order leicht gemacht.” Teaching Ideas VI. A Collection of Successful Classroom Strategies. Ed. John F. Lalande II. Cherry Hill, NJ: American Association of Teachers of German (2001): 29.
• Auf der morschen Gartenschaukel: Kindheit als Problem bei Theodor Fontane. Amsterdam: Rodopi (1998).
• “Die Entfachung der kindlichen Vitalität in Theodor Fontanes Grete Minde,” German Life and Letters 50.3 (1997): 339-45.

Selected Digital Contributions

• “Using Microsoft Forms to Prepare Students for Online Synchronous Instruction,” ECU OFE Symposium: How I Survived the Pivot: Creative Solutions to Facilitate Remote Learning, 2020
• “Differentiating through PBL with Birgit Jensen,” Module 5 (Differentiating Assessment), Flipped Learning 3.0 Differentiation Strategies, Flipped Learning Global Webinar
• “How and Why I Started Flipping,” Flipped Learning Today Newsletter, Spring 2018, https://flt.flippedlearning.org/why-i-flipped-learning/how-and-why-i-started-flipping/
• “Binaries Be Gone. How Flipped Learning Can Help Students Think Critically,” Flipped Learning in my Beginning German Courses, 17 February 2018, http://jensensflippedgerman.blogspot.com/2018/02/binaries-be-gone.html
• Syndicated on the Flipped Learning Network, 22 February 2018, https://flippedlearning.org/syndicated/flipped-learning-can-help-students-think-critically/
• “Episode 008 – Birgit Jensen,” podcast, Flipped Learning Network, 29 September 2017, http://podcasts.flippedlearning.org/askthefln/podcast/episode-008-birgit-jensen/
• “A Practical Example of a Flipped Lesson in a Beginning German Classroom,” College STAR module, https://www.collegestar.org/modules/a-practical-example-of-a-flipped-lesson-in-a-beginning-german-classroom
• “Episode 008 – Birgit Jensen,” podcast, Flipped Learning Network, 29 September 2017, http://podcasts.flippedlearning.org/askthefln/podcast/episode-008-birgit-jensen/
• “Four Reasons to Flip Your Foreign-Language Classroom,” Flipped Learning in my Beginning German Courses, 21 September 2017, http://jensensflippedgerman.blogspot.com/2017/09/5-reasons-to-flip-your-foreign-language.html
• Syndicated on the Flipped Learning Network, 24 September 2017, https://flippedlearning.org/syndicated/four-reasons-flip-foreign-language-classroom/
• “How I Started Flipping,” Flipped Learning in my Beginning German Courses, 27 June 2017,
• Syndicated on the Flipped Learning Network, 6 July 2017, http://flippedlearning.org/syndicated/how-i-started-flipping/
• “Letter to My Future Students,” Flipped Learning in my Beginning German Courses, 20 June 2017, https://jensensflippedgerman.blogspot.com/2017/06/letter-to-my-future-students.html
• Syndicated on the Flipped Learning Network, 22 June 2017, http://flippedlearning.org/syndicated/letter-future-students/)
• “How My Beginning German Courses Evolved: from Flipped Classroom to Flipped Learning ,” Flipped Learning in my Beginning German Courses, 19 June 2017, http://jensensflippedgerman.blogspot.com/2017/06/how-my-beginning-german-coursesevolved.html
• Syndicated on the Flipped Learning Network, 20 June 2017, http://flippedlearning.org/academic_subject/foreign_languages/beginning-german-course-evolved-to-flipped-learning/ )
• “Flip For a Day!” Flipped Learning in my Beginning German Courses, 05 June 2017, https://jensensflippedgerman.blogspot.com/2017/06/flip-for-day.html
• Syndicated on the Flipped Learning Network, 13 June 2017, http://flippedlearning.org/syndicated/flip-for-a-day/ )
• Syndicated on the Flipped Learning Network, 13 July 2017, http://flippedlearning.org/syndicated/flip-for-a-day/ )

Selected Research Presentations

• “Why You Should Consider Flipping Your Students’ Learning,” keynote address, IES República de Entre Ríos Profesorado de Inglés, 4th Annual Conference (2022)
• “Practical Ways to Enhance Your Novice Learners’ Intercultural Reflections,” ACTFL (2020)
• “Using Flipped Learning 3.0 to Promote Cross-Cultural Critical Thinking in a Beginning German College Course,” Southeastern Association of Cultural Studies, Charlotte, NC (2020)
• “Flipped Learning 3.0: German Studies Instruction for the 21st Century,” German Studies Association, Portland, OR (2019)
• “Interkulturell-kritisches Denken im DaF-Unterricht,” GETVICO, New York (2019)
• “Functional Proficiency and Transformative Learning in the Modern Language Classroom,” Higher Education Flipped Learning Conference, Greely, CO (2019)
• “What is Flipped Learning?” edCamp, Eastern North Carolina Digital Learning Collaborative (2019)
• “Four Steps to Encourage Transformative Learning in L2,” SCOLT (Southern Conference on Learning Languages), Myrtle Beach, SC (2019)
• “Flipping the Foreign Language Class: Students’ Perceptions,” ACTFL Convention, New Orleans (2018)
• “Flipped Learning at ECU,” East Carolina University, Office of Faculty Excellence (2018)
• “Using Flipped Learning to Activate Cross-Cultural Critical Thinking Skills,” workshop session, FlipTech 2018 East Coast Conference, Collingsworth, NJ (2018)
• “Beyond the Flipped Classroom: Flipped Learning,” workshop presentation, Lilly Conference on Designing Effective Teaching, Anaheim, CA (2018)
• “Penal Servitude and Constructions of Selfhood in the Kaiserreich,” Philological Association of the Carolinas, Charlotte, NC (2017)
• “Immerse Yourself in the German Culture For Free by Volunteering in Germany or Austria,” Global Education Conference (2017)
• “How We Stay Strong: A Small German Program at East Carolina University,” webinar, ACTFL (2017)
• “Motivate Your Students Through Flipped Learning and Target Culture 2.0,” workshop presentation, Foreign Languages Association of NC, Durham NC (2017)
• “From College Professor to College STAR: How to Implement Effective UDL Based Instructional Strategies,” Lilly Conference on Designing Effective Teaching, Asheville, NC (2017)
• “Exploring the Flipped Class,” workshop presentation, Teaching with Technology Summer Academy, ECU Office of Faculty Excellence (2017)
• “How to Attain Flipped Learning in Your Classroom,” instructional consulting, Teaching with Technology Summer Academy, ECU Office of Faculty Excellence (2017)
• “Freiwilliges Soziales Jahr: The Voluntary Social Year in Germany,” Global Partners in Education Conference, ECU (2017)
• “Flipped Learning – Grammatik anders herum,” workshop presentation, German Teachers Virtual Conference, New York City (2016)
• “Flipped Learning: Why and How to Do It,” workshop presentation, Foreign Languages Association of NC, Durham, NC (2016)
• “Trust Work and Emotional Labor in German Workers’ Life Narratives,” Philological Association of the Carolinas, Charlotte, NC (2016)
• “Reflections on Flipping a (German College) Classroom,” Wilmington, Philological Association of the Carolinas (2015)
• “Inverted Instruction: A Discussion of Interim Results,” ECU, Dept. of Foreign Languages (2015)
• “Flipping Your Classroom: A Shift in Learning and Teaching,” ECU, Dept. of Foreign Languages (2014)
• “Breathing New Life into a Dying FL (German) Program: A Success Story and Lessons Learned,” Winston-Salem, Philological Association of the Carolinas (2014)
• “The Struggle over Lorelei’s Essence: Imagery and Text in Eichendorff’s Ahnung und Gegenwart,” Philological Association of the Carolinas, Asheville, NC (2013)
• “Zwischen Feudalismus und Bürgertum: Eltern-Kind-Schemata in Adalbert Stifters Brigitta,” Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference, Winston-Salem, NC (2012)
• “Drei Jahre im Weiber-Zuchthause: Emotional Labor in Prison,” Philological Association of the Carolinas, Asheville, NC (2011)
• “Between Brothel, Bar, And Buffet: a German Travel Autobiography From Argentina And the Yukon Territory Back To Berlin,” Philological Association of the Carolinas, Charleston, SC (2010)
• “What Workers Knew: Autobiographical Responses to Class Inequalities in Imperial Germany,” Downtown Dialogues in the Humanities, ECU, Greenville (2009)
• “Imagined Communities: Autobiographies of Working-Class Women in Imperial Germany,” ECU International Scholars Symposium, Greenville (2009)
• “Crossing National, Class, and Gender Frontiers in the (Fictitious?) Autobiography of Mieze Biedenbach,” German Studies Association Conference, San Diego (2007)
• “German Culture from WWII to Today,” ECU, School of Education, East Carolina Foreign Language Educators Collaborative (2006)
• “Mieze Biedenbachs Erlebnisse: An Intrepid Waitress in Imperial Germany (1876-1905),” Pennsylvania Foreign Language Conference, Pittsburgh, PA (2006)
• “‘Schmutzige Fabrikkinder’? Childhood Narratives in Working-Class Autobiographies of the Late Nineteenth Century,” Philological Association of the Carolinas, Myrtle Beach, SC (2005)
• “Laborious Reproduction: Working-Class Experiences of Mothering and Marriage in Imperial Germany,” Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference, Charleston, SC (2003)
• “Autobiographical Agency: Working-Class Women in Imperial Germany,” Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference, Greenville, SC (2002)
• “‘Für die Mutlosen und Verzagten’: Questions of Subjectivity in Working-Class Autobiographies of the Late Nineteenth Century,” Tales Told by Women: German Women’s Writings of the 18th and 19th Centuries, Athens, GA (2002)
• “Constructions of Self in Late-Nineteenth Century Autobiographies of the Working Class,” Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference, Wilmington, NC (2001)
• “Peter Schneider’s Vati: A Contested Narrative,” Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference, Greenville, NC (1997)
• “‘Pillow Talk’ in German Proletarian Autobiographies of the Late Nineteenth Century,” German Studies Association Conference, Seattle (1996)
• “Western Childhood Then and Now: Historical and Ideological Changes in the Family and their Commentary in German Literature,” Faculty International Lecture Series, John Carroll University (1996)
• “The Fragmented Ich: The Search for Identity in German-American Texts,” M/MLA Annual Convention, St. Louis (1995)
• “Inscriptions and Erasure: Childhood in Theodor Fontane’s Novels,” German Studies Association Conference, Chicago (1995)
• “Hartmann von Aue’s Der arme Heinrich: Transcending Medieval Girlhood,” Illinois Medieval Association, 12th Annual Meeting, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb (1995)
• “Der literarische Widerstand gegen die Kindheit des 19. Jahrhunderts: Fontanes Kinderjahre,” M/MLA Annual Convention, Minneapolis (1993)

Mentorship of Undergraduate Research

• Conference presentation, “Using Flipped Learning 3.0 to Promote Cross-Cultural Critical Thinking in a Beginning German College Course,” SEACS, Charlotte, NC, Spring 2020.
• Poster presentation, “Building International Bridges for a Better Environmental Future.” Four undergraduate participants. The World Affairs Council of Eastern North Carolina, ECU (2011)
• Article, “Living Green in Germany and the United States: “Concepts of Environmental Sustainability in Two College Towns,” Valley Humanities Review, Spring 2011. Five undergraduate authors.
• Poster presentation, “Sustainability in German and U.S. American Public Culture.” Five undergraduate participants. NC Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Symposium , Raleigh (2010)
• Poster presentation: “Sustainability in German and U.S. American Public Culture.” Five undergraduate participants. ECU Research and Creative Achievement Week (2010)
• ECU Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Award, funded: $1,550. Two undergraduate participants (2010)

Funded Grants

• Inter-American Development Bank, Educational Grant, delivery of continuing professional development for Argentinean foreign language teachers” (2022)
• Summer Teaching Stipend, ECU (2019)
• ECU Office of Faculty Excellence CourseFIT stipend (2019)
• THAS Travel Grant (2018)
• College STAR Professional Development Grant, UNC (2018; 2017; 2017)
• Summer Teaching Stipend, ECU (2017)
• Special Project Funding, Thomas Harriot College of Arts & Sciences, ECU (2017)
• Departmental Development Funding, ECU (2017)
• Office of Student Activities & Organizations Co-Curricular Collaboration Grant, ECU (2017)
• BB&T Active Learning and Leadership Development Incentive Grant, ECU (2016)
• DAAD-Fulbright grant, Leipzig Summer Academy for American Faculty in German and German Studies (2016)
• Fulbright grant, Baden-Württemberg Seminar for American Faculty in German and German Studies (2011)
• Summer Research Stipend, ECU, College of Arts and Sciences (2003)
• College Research Award, ECU, College of Arts and Sciences (2002)
• Summer Research Grant, DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), Frankfurt-München-Berlin-Göttingen (1996)
• Summer Research Fellowship, John Carroll University (1995)
• Research Assistance Grant, John Carroll University (1994; 1995; 1996)
• Fulbright Dissertation Fellow, Frankfurt/M., Germany (1990-91 and 1991-92)

Selected Academic Honors and Achievements

• Robert L. Jones Teaching Award, East Carolina University (2021)
• Honored Instructor, Campus Living (2020)
• Designed the first Quality Matters-certified course at ECU, GLST 1060 (2020)
• ACTFL Small Undergraduate German Program SIG Award for Outstanding German Program Development and Advocacy (2017)
• Departmental Recognition of Outstanding Commitment to Teaching, East Carolina University (2016)
• Delta Phi Alpha (German National Honor Society; 1995)
• Distinguished Graduate Associate Teaching Award, Ohio State University (1993)
• Award for Best Graduate Research Paper in German, Ohio State University (1990)
• Award for Best Graduate Research Paper in German, Ohio State University (1989)
• Presidential Recognition of Superior Scholarship, University of Florida (1987)
• Award for Exceptional Scholarship in German, University of Florida (1986)
• Phi Beta Kappa (1986)
• Award for Excellence in Assistant Teaching, University of Florida (1985; 1986)
• Outstanding Two-Year Scholar, University of Florida (1986)
• Golden Key National Honor Society (1986)
• Award for Excellence in Assistant Teaching, University of Florida (1985)
• Departmental Recognition of Outstanding Commitment to Teaching, East Carolina University (2023)