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The article discusses a year-long outreach activity, "Sparking interest in German." Five University of Utah German students engaged in the AATG/Goethe-Institut-sponsored SPARK program and taught German to local middle schoolers. At the heart of this outreach project were questions such as whether student-run outreach programs could truly spark interest in German among middle school students and whether outreach projects administered via service learning or practicum courses offer our college students a viable academic experience. The article describes the structure of the program, student learning activities, and assesses whether the goals were reached. At the end of the project, parents, middle schoolers, and university students were highly satisfied with the SPARK program and recommended continuation of the program.

The article explores the benefits of extensive reading in the beginning German language classroom. Employing a simplified version of Johanna Spyri's novel "Heidi," the article brings together research on extensive reading and cultural literacy in a unit dedicated to the incorporation of Switzerland into the German language curriculum. The novel is used as a companion piece to the introductory textbooks common at the beginning level and helps develop linguistic skills at that level. Assigning "Heidi" as part of the German literary canon allows instructors to explore universal themes that align well with the AP curriculum, introduce beginning students to linguistic diversity in the German-speaking areas of Europe, teach literary analysis, and provide students with a pleasurable extended reading experience.

This article describes a five-week module on "Switzerland as a multi-ethnic society" intended to counteract the popular image of Switzerland as a homogenous country concerned mostly with tourism, chocolate, and watches. Instead, the module treats Switzerland through topics such as the definition of identity in a multi-ethnic society, the politics of immigration for a largely service-based economy, and the strains that migration puts on a modern society shaped by political will. The unit seeks to familiarize students with contemporary multi-ethnic Switzerland through a number of different texts (including film and music), compare the Swiss debates of migration and integration to those in the United States, and move students toward deep reflection on the larger issue concerning migration and national identity. The module is versatile in that it can be taught as part of a course on Switzerland, or of a broader course on migration in the German-speaking countries. (Contains 2 figures and 13 footnotes.)

Kaiser, Gerhard R., and Olaf Muller, eds. Germaine de Stael und ihr erstes deutsches Publikum: Literaturpolitik und Kuhurtransfer um 1800. Heidelberg: Universitatsverlag Winter, 2008. 406 pp. 45.00 € hardcover. This [...]