Citation in Honor of Jennifer Redmann, 2022 Recipient of the Christian R. and Mary E. Lindback Foundation Award
Professor Jennifer Redmann is a widely recognized expert in curriculum development and German program building. She was the very deserving recipient of the American Association of Teachers of German’s 2020 Outstanding Educator Award, the organization’s highest honor. She is a cherished colleague whose work on multiliteracies has transformed the teaching of German at F&M. Her approach to integrating all elements of German language and culture into F&M’s curriculum erases the distinction between teaching and scholarship and models the best qualities of a liberal arts professor.
Professor Redmann is an extremely innovative and forward-thinking educator who understands the needs of students, has worked to diversify and “decolonize” the German curriculum, and serves as an influential spokesperson for the value of language instruction in 21st-century American higher education. In addition to her vast work on German pedagogical scholarship, she maintains a second research agenda that pairs the depictions of World War I with children’s literature. This is a significant project that contributes to our understanding of 20th-century literature and culture and informs elements of her teaching.
Professor Redmann has revitalized the teaching of German, elevated the status of language instruction, modernized the College’s pedagogical approaches, and made significant contributions to our assessment of teaching. Her gift is to integrate cultural topics with linguistic ones. Through this decisive stroke, she exposes students to a complex and holistic curriculum hat blends language learning with cultural competency. Because of this, F&M’s German Program was howcased in “Against Smallness: How Successful Language Programs Reimagine the Humanities” in the Fall 2019 issue of MLA Profession.
Passionately committed to enhancing the quality of German instruction, she has continued to participate in national conversations among teachers of German about the future of the field. The titles of her workshops reflect the thoughtful strategies she imparts to support and improve beleaguered German programs. At the same time, Professor Redmann challenges stable programs to revise their curricula in keeping with best practices, as evident in a 2020 article, “Leveraging General Education Language Requirements to Strengthen Language Majors,” and her 2021 publication, “Reinvigorating a Small Undergraduate German Program through an Integrated, Literacies-Based Curriculum.”
The epitome of Professor Redmann’s work on pedagogy is her co-authored book, “Schreiben lernen: A Writing Guide for Learners of German” (Yale UP, 2011), the second, significantly revised and updated version of which will be published soon. By having students at every level of language learning perform nuanced tasks and analyze complex real-world material, this pedagogical tool breaks down the barriers between studying German language and becoming fluent in German life and culture. This approach is at the heart of Professor Redmann’s teaching. She speaks eloquently of the importance of effacing the distinctions between language, literature, and culture. Learning German is aided and amplified by a deep engagement with all aspects of Germany, and cultural competency is an indispensable element of linguistic knowledge. Professor Redmann puts this belief into practice, and has made it the guiding principle of a successful and cutting-edge academic program highly regarded in the field.
Professor Redmann demonstrates the art of teaching German. Her deep knowledge of pedagogy and her ability to disrupt its practice in productive and exciting ways make her a model for liberal arts teaching.