Sonja Klocke specializes in 20th- to 21st-century German culture with a specific focus on postwar and contemporary German literature and film, including the legacy of the GDR (socialist East Germany) and the Holocaust, women’s writing, minority literature, and transnational literature. Currently, she is working on a book project, "Inscriptions and Rebellions: The Female Body in Representations of East Germany," and a co-edited volume on Christa Wolf.
Originally from Germany, Klocke received her Ph.D. from Indiana University in 2007, and taught at Knox College in Illinois for five years. She reports that she is enjoying teaching literature and culture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as an assistant professor of German very much.
Welcome, Sonja! Tell us about your work and research interests.
I mainly study German literature and film of the 20th and 21st-century, especially those surrounding German unification, GDR literature and culture, women’s writing, transnational literature, and globalization. I am very interested in interdisciplinary work.
Why are you excited about being at UW-Madison?
I am very excited to join one of the most well-established German departments in the country, to work with the distinguished faculty at UW-Madison (both in the Department of German and beyond), and to work with the students here!
What courses do you teach?
German 411, on German culture in the 20th century, and German 676, an advanced seminar in German Studies focusing on borders and border-crossings.
What can students expect from you in the classroom?
I am looking forward to lively discussions in class! To me, engaging every student in the topic is always most important.
What do you like best about Madison so far?
I think Madison is a wonderful place with incredibly friendly people. I particularly enjoy the farmers markets and the great variety of fresh produce they offer. The beautiful outdoors, the possibilities to bike, and the lakes are particularly inviting. I like to sail, and I hope to get a chance to do that next spring and summer; it’s a wonderful way to unwind and take your mind off everything that might stress you out.
What is your favorite part of campus?
Memorial Library, and I would advise my students to avail themselves of the great resources it has to offer. And of course to join all the events the Department of German and German Club have to offer. I am particularly excited to get involved in Stockwerk Deutsch!