Political economy, German contemporary films, critical theory, immigration, theories of nationalism & citizenship.
Andrea Zach is a native German and holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies from George Mason University. Dr. Zach is a Term Assistant Professor of German and the interim Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and an affiliate of the Department of Cultural Studies at George Mason University. Dr. Zach teaches German language and culture courses as well as German literature in translation courses. Her studies are interdisciplinary and include political economy, German literature, German contemporary films and critical theory.
In Fall 2023, Dr. Zach is teaching a capstone course (GLOA 400) that focuses on the European Refugee Crisis.
Course Description
The European refugee ‘crises’ have dominated public discourse over the last several years, consuming media headlines, galvanizing public opinion, and eliciting of multifaceted responses among European member states. Throughout this course, students will analyze and contextualize the past and current refugee ‘crisis’ in Europe. The core questions to explore in this course are: What is the history of Germany’s policy on refugees after WWII and how has this changed over time? What role does the European Union play? What are the demographics today of refugees and what is their ‘target’ destination? What programs have been created? What impact has the ‘crisis’ had on local and domestic politics? Delving into these questions seeks to bring together insights from a variety of social science disciplines, including political science, sociology, economics, history, and art.
I am currently researching and writing on the complex dynamics of health and illness in Thomas Mann’s novel The Magic Mountain.
"Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin: The Spectacular [A]ffect of Vergangenheitsbewältigung." International Journal of Zizek Studies 6, no. 2 (2012).
GLOA 400: Nationalism in Modern Europe
FRLN 330: German Medieval Civilization, Literature and Culture
FRLN 330: Topics in World Literature: The Magic Mountain
GERM 365: Reading Narrative Prose
GERM 340: (Post)Memories: Transnational & Transcultural Imaginations in Literature and Film after the Wende
GERM 250: Gateway to Advanced German
GERM 210: Intermediate German
GERM 201: Intermediate German I
GERM 202: Intermediate German II
GERM 110: Elementary German
INYO 106: Research Methods for International Students
INYO 105: American Cultures (in-class and online)
PROV 504: Accelerated Introduction to Graduate Studies
PROV 502: Introduction to Graduate Studies I
BIS 491: Senior Project Presentation
BIS 390: The Research Process
CULT 320: Globalization and Culture
GLOA 101: Introduction to Global Affairs
Ph.D. Cultural Studies, George Mason University, 2017
M.A. Sociology, George Mason University, 2012
B.A. Liberal Studies, Marymount University, 2007
“Bodies and Anti-Bodies in Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain.” Cultural Studies Association Conference, Virtual Session, June 10—June 12, 2021.
"Subsidiarity: A Strategic Umfunktionierung of the 'national' film." Cultural Studies Association Annual Conference, Tulane University, LO, June 2019.
"The German idea heimat and the 'policing of crisis' in Germany/Europe." Cultural Studies Association Annual Conference, University of Villanova, PA, June 2016.