2023-24 Fulbright Teaching Assistant in German

Roger Williams Hall, Room 228
dlautner@bates.edu

Pronouns: he/him/his

Hallo miteinander!

My name is David. I grew up in southern Austria, a half-hour car ride from Slovenia and Italy. Living in these borderlands, where pristine forests, lakes, and mountains are in ample supply, I spent much of my youth outdoors hiking, biking, and climbing my way all across the southern Alps. I learned to appreciate being able to visit distinct linguistic regions and engage in intercultural exchange frequently. My passion for nature and the diversity of human cultures has since taken me to six out of seven continents and, finally, New England! 

After graduating from an internationally oriented high school and my mandatory “semester” in the Austrian military, I majored in English and American Studies as well as History at the University of Graz (“Karl-Franzens-Universität,” or KF), where I recently earned a master’s degree. For the last two years, I’ve been teaching American literary history and English phonetics at the KF-departments for English and American studies. Last fall, I also interned for the Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute, an organization dedicated to investigating the socio-historical impacts of modern warfare in various contexts. 

As this year’s teaching assistant, I particularly look forward to learning about students’ inspirations for studying German and supporting them wherever I can so they may capitalize on their unique motivations. To acquire a new language effectively, you must immerse yourself in another culture. I cannot wait to introduce you to the rich spectrum of German dialects, specifically Austrian-German, and its historical and cultural background.

Liebe Grüße,

David