German
Education
Ph.D., Germanic Languages and Literatures, Harvard University, 2002
M.A., German Literature, Harvard University, 1997
B.A., Religion, Boston University, 1982
About Grant Henley
I am very interested in the intersection and interplay of sacred and secular rhetoric in German literature from a variety of historical periods. My present research explores the role of narrative voice and the language of religious testimony in a twentieth-century postwar novel. My most recent publication examines the influence of writings by Lutheran mystical theologian Johann Arndt and Pietist pastor Philipp Jakob Spener on early eighteenth-century German poetry.
Before entering academe I served as a missionary in Germany planting churches in both Munich and Berlin between 1988 and 1992 during the fall of the Berlin Wall and German Reunification. I also worked as a minister with several congregations of the Churches of Christ in the United States. In my local church congregation in Glen Ellyn (Cornerstone Christian Church) I have taught several Sunday morning Bible class series and preach occasionally as part of their volunteer teaching staff. I also deliver sermons in German as a guest pastor at the German Lutheran worship service held monthly in Naperville at St. John's United Church of Christ.
In addition to my academic interests, I enjoy spending time with my wonderful wife, Amy, and my two sons, Dan and Joel. I also like swimming, bicycling, and tropical aquaria.
(For further information regarding courses that I am currently teaching and German Section programs that I direct, please click on my homepage.)
Courses Taught
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German 103: Accelerated Elementary German
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German 201: Intermediate German
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German 344: Masterpieces of German Literature from the High Middle Ages to 1850
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German 345: Masterpieces of German Literature from 1850 – 1980
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German 332: Multicultural Germany: The Holocaust and Contemporary Jewish Experience
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German 334: The Prison Writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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German 495 (Fall 2010): Goethe: The Early Works
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German 495 (Spring 2011): Advanced German Grammar Tutorial
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German 343: "Was ist deutsch?" German Cultural History from Charlemagne to National Socialism
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German 351: Exploring Kafka: His Life, Writings, and Literary Legacy
Membership in Professional Societies
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
American Association of Teachers of German (AATG)
Modern Language Association (MLA)
North American Christian Foreign Language Association (NACFLA)
Publications: Books
Cultural Confessionalism: Literary Resistance and the Bekennende Kirche. Studies in Modern German Literature. Vol. 102. Oxford: Peter Lang, 2007.
Publications: Articles in refereed journals or reference works
“‘The Fate of the Young Man Reading in the Church’: Literary Sacramentalism in Alfred Andersch's Sansibar oder der letzte Grund.” Literature and Theology 26.1 (March 2012): 53-76.
“‘Die mir recht in die Seele strahlte:’ Aspects of a Pietist Poesie in B. H. Brockes’s Irdisches Vergnügen in Gott.” Monatshefte 103.1 (Spring 2011): 1-22.
“The Language Café Experience: Creating a Special Venue for Intercultural Communication." The Language Educator 3.6 (November 2008): 28-31.
“Victor Lange.” Zusammen mit Theodore Ziolkowski und mit freundlicher Unterstützung von Frances Lange. Internationales Germanistenlexikon 1800–1950. Herausgegeben und eingeleitet von Christoph König. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2004. 1051–53.
“‘Aus der Fülle des Herzens’ – Rilke’s Biblical Poetry in Der Neuen Gedichte, Anderer Teil.” Neophilologus 84.4 (October 2000): 609–26.
Conference Presentations
“Johannine Testimonialism and Narrative Voice in Jurek Becker’s Jakob der Lügner (1969).” NACFLA Conference 2011. Abilene, TX. 8 April 2011.
“The Language Café Experience: Creating Intercultural Communicative Opportunities for the Foreign Language Curriculum.” TFLTA Annual Conference. Nashville, TN. 7 Nov. 2008.
“Servus in...the Classroom, on Campus, and in the Community: A Tutorial and Support Approach for German Program Development.” AATG Sustaining the Momentum Task Force Workshop. Goethe Institute. Chicago, IL. 13 Sept. 2008.
“Outside of the Box: Rethinking and Rebuilding the Small Undergraduate German Program.” ACTFL-SIG Small Undergraduate German Programs. ACTFL 2007 Convention. San Antonio, TX. 17 Nov. 2007.
“PowerPoint on the Run: Curriculum Ideas for Quickly Integrating Images, Text, and Music in the Communicative Classroom Environment (German).” Southeast Association for Language Learning Technology (SEALLT) Conference. Charleston, SC. 10 March 2006.
Presentations/Panel Discussions: by invitation
“Panel Discussion on Bonhoeffer’s Life Together.” A Faculty-Student Dialogue Hosted by College Librarian, Prof. Lisa Richmond (together with Drs. Treier, Johnson, Hawkins, Schwanda, and Buchanan). Barrows Auditorium (Billy Graham Center). Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL. 4 Nov. 2010.
“Thinking about Being a Pastor?” Question and Answer Forum on Full-Time Ministry (together with Drs. Greenman, Ryken, and Schwanda). Phelps Room (Beamer Center). Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL. 26. Jan. 2011.
“The Language Café Experience: Creating Intercultural Communicative Opportunities for the Foreign Language Curriculum.” Presented by special invitation to the faculty in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Rhodes College. Memphis, TN. 9 Mar. 2009.
“PowerPoint on the Run: Curriculum Ideas for Quickly Integrating Images, Text, and Music in the Communicative Classroom Environment (German).” Version 2. Presented by special invitation to foreign language faculty and graduate teaching assistants affiliated with the Language Resource Center. Columbia University. New York, NY. 13–14 April 2006.
“Heimatdichtung as Resistance Literature: Ernst Wiechert’s Die Majorin.” Dept. of English and Modern Foreign Languages (EMFL) Scholarship Luncheon. Lee University. 17 Nov. 2004.
Sermons: in Community Churches (German and English)
“Patience.” Part IV of sermon series on the fruit of the Spirit: “The Nine.” Sunday Worship Service. Cornerstone Christian Church, Glen Ellyn, IL. 30 May 2010.
“Unselige Habseligkeiten: Das Gleichnis von dem reichen Kornbauern.” German Lutheran Worship Service. St. John’s United Church of Christ, Naperville, IL. 1. Aug. 2010.
“Growing to Maturity in Christ.” Sunday Worship Service. Cornerstone Christian Church, Glen Ellyn, IL. 7 Nov. 2010.
“Foundations of Christian Fellowship.” Sunday Worship Service. Cornerstone Christian Church, Glen Ellyn, IL. 2 Dec. 2010.
“Die Alltäglichkeit der Allmacht Gottes.” German Lutheran Christmas Eve Worship Service. St. John’s United Church of Christ, Naperville, IL. 24 Dec. 2010.
“Aller Anfang beginnt mit Jesus Christus.” German Lutheran Worship Service. St. John’s United Church of Christ, Naperville, IL. 1 Jan. 2011.
“Zufriedenheit in dem HERRN.” Sunday Worship Service. Gemeinde Christi München, Munich, Germany. 29 May 2011.
“Die Qual der Wahl: Gottes Aufruf jedes Einzelnen in die Nachfolge Jesu.” German Lutheran Worship Service. St. John’s United Church of Christ, Naperville, IL. 3 July 2011.
“Immanuel: das Zeichen Gottes Beistand und Souveränität.” German Lutheran Christmas Eve Worship Service. St. John’s United Church of Christ, Naperville, IL. 24. Dec. 2011.