Literature and Culture | Human Rights
Monograph
The Right to Difference (2021) examines contemporary novels that depict human rights violations: Schlink’s The Reader and Ljubić’s The Stillness of the Sea, Müller’s The Hunger Angel and Khider’s Die Orangen des Präsidenten, Grass’s The Call of the Toad and Janesch’s Katzenberge, Erpenbeck’s Go, Went, Gone and Bazyar’s Nachts ist es leise in Teheran. I examine how an exaggeration of difference leads to intergroup violence. In rethinking “interculturality” as a way of reading, I connect tolerance of ambiguity and uncertainty to human rights.
Articles and Book Chapters
Coleman, Nicole. “Interkulturelle Pluralität: Dis/ability in ausgewählten deutschsprachigen Bilderbüchern.” Jahrbuch für Internationale Germanistik. Eds. Laura Auteri et.al. Bern: Peter Lang, 2022. 571-88.
Coleman, Nicole. “The Political Tourist in Juli Zeh’s Die Stille ist ein Geräusch.” Anxious Journeys: Twenty-First Century Travel Writing in German, edited by Karin Baumgartner and Monika Shafi. Rochester, NY: Boydell & Brewer, 2019: 75-89.
Presentations
“Feminist Empowerment: Muslim Women’s Voices and the Hijab,” live panel at Women in German Annual Conference (Portland, OR/virtual, November 2021).
“Pluralität in der deutschsprachigen Kinder- und Jugendliteratur: Bilderbücher für interkulturelles Lernen,” live panel at XIV. Kongress der Internationalen Vereinigung für Germanistik (Palermo, Italy/virtual, August 2021).
“Performing Refugees – The (Un)making of Groups through Language and Literature,” Kentucky Foreign Language Conference (Lexington, KY, April 2017).
“Heimat: Remembered, Interpellated, and Radically Alien,” German Studies Association Conference (San Diego, CA, September 2016).
“Fantasies of Home: Refugees, Alienness, and the Construction of Heimat,” Binghamton University German Studies Colloquium (Binghamton, NY, April 2016).
“When Armenians Speak English: Ethnic Markings in Fatih Akin’s The Cut,” American Comparative Literature Association Conference (Cambridge, MA, March 2016).
“Fremdheit und Ferne im Werk Joseph von Eichendorffs,” Northeast Modern Language Association Conference (Toronto, ON, Canada, April 2015).
“www – World Wide Writing and Sudabeh Mohafez’s Zehn Zeilen,” German Studies Association Conference (Kansas City, MO, September 2014).
“Juli Zeh’s Die Stille ist ein Geräusch or the Impossibility of Traveling a War-Torn Country,” Northeast Modern Language Association Conference (Harrisburg, PA, April 2014).
“Writing the Intercultural Nation: The Future of Citzenship and Nationality in Multiethnic Societies,” Association for the Study of Nationalities Conference (New York, NY, April 2014).
“The Right to Difference: Genocide and Justice in Bernhard Schlink’s Der Vorleser and Nicol Ljubić’s Meeresstille,” American Comparative Literature Association Conference (New York, NY, March 2014).
“Blind Borders: Transnational Identities in Alea Torik’s Das Geräusch des Werdens,” German Studies Association Conference, Seminar “Transnationalisms: Sexualities, Fantasies, and the World Beyond” (Denver, CO, October 2013).
“Cinematic Encounters with the Other: The Play with Stereotypes,” Northeast Modern Language Association Conference (Boston, MA, March 2013).
“The Transnational Wanderer: Heimat and Identity in Abbas Khider’s Novel Der falsche Inder,” American Comparative Literature Association Conference (Providence, RI, March/April 2012).
Pedagogy | Intercultural Competence
Textbooks
Tracksdorf, Niko, Nicole Coleman, Steffen Kaupp, and Damon Rarick. Impuls Deutsch 2: Intercultural-Interdisciplinary-Interactive. Stuttgart, Germany: Klett, 2020.
Tracksdorf, Niko, Nicole Coleman, Damon Rarick, and Friedemann Weidauer. Impuls Deutsch 1: Intercultural-Interdisciplinary-Interactive. Stuttgart, Germany: Klett, 2019.
Link to the series: https://www.klett-usa.com/impuls-deutsch
Articles and Book Chapters
Peer-reviewed:
McGregor, Janice, and Nicole Coleman. “Three myths about ungrading.” Unterrichtspraxis. 58 (2025): 138-142.
McGregor, Janice, and Nicole Coleman. “Ungrading in Language Programs.” The Routledge Handbook of Language Program Development and Administration. Eds. Alan V. Brown, Cori Crane, Beatrice C. Dupuy, and Estela Ene. New York: Routledge, 2025. 174-84.
Coleman, Nicole. “Ungrading for Learning: Alternative Forms of Assessment in the Language and Literature Classroom.” Modern Language Studies. 54.1 (2024): 64-79.
Coleman, Nicole, and Steffen Kaupp. “Rethinking Grading for Social Justice.” How We Take Action: Social Justice in K-16 Language Classrooms. Eds. Kelly Davidson, Stacey Margarita Johnson, and L.J. Randolph. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing (forthcoming). Homepage/Blog.
Coleman, Nicole, and Ivett Guntersdorfer. “Intercultural Competence for Global German Studies.” Unterrichtspraxis. 52.2 (2019): 138-145. https://doi.org/10.1111/tger.12096
Coleman, Nicole. “Filmische Stereotype im interkulturellen Landeskundeunterricht: Theorie und Praxis.” Unterrichtspraxis. 49.1 (2016): 47-56. https://doi.org/10.1111/tger.10210
Invited:
Silja Weber et.al. “Decolonizing German Studies Curricula: A Report from the 2019 GSA Seminar.” German Studies Review. 44.1 (2021): 155-66. http://doi.org/10.1353/gsr.2021.0008
Coleman, Nicole, and Lisa Hock. “Introduction: German Studies Go Global.” Unterrichtspraxis. 52.2 (2019): 124-129. https://doi.org/10.1111/tger.12094
Coleman, Nicole, and Lisa Hock. “An Approach both Global and Pragmatic.” Forum. German Quarterly. 92.4 (2019): 451-454. https://doi.org/10.1111/gequ.12117
Presentations
“Oktoberfest und Döner: Gedanken zur inklusiven Repräsentation von Materialien und Programmen in der nordamerikanischen Germanistik.” XV. Kongress der Internationalen Vereinigung für Germanistik (conference of the International Association for German Studies) (Graz, Austria, July 2025).
“Coordinating efforts to ungrade first-year language classes,” Northeast Modern Langauge Association Annual Conference (Philadelphia, PA, March 2025).
“Ungrading our Language Classrooms” (with Janice McGregor), Roundtable at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Conference (Philadelphia, PA, November 2024).
“Vocabulary in Language Textbooks: Significant and Useful” (with Niko Tracksdorf), American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Conference (Philadelphia, PA, November 2024).
“Increasing Motivation and Retention with Ungrading” (Poster Presentation), Coalition of Women in German Conference (Portland, OR, November 2022).
“Escape from Grading Hell: How to Move Away from Grades and Focus on Learning” (Roundtable Participant), German Studies Association Conference (Houston, TX, September 2022).
“”Increasing Engagement with Ungrading,” (prerecorded presentation, live chat), Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (virtual, March 2022).
“Ungrading in Language Learning Contexts: Techniques and Trajectories” (with Janice McGregor), live roundtable at the Eighth International Conference on the Development and Assessment of Intercultural Competence (virtual, January 2022).
“‘We are all more alike than not’ – Moving Beyond Universalism for Anti-Racist Pedagogies in the Literature Classroom,” invited talk at the University of Connecticut, event series “Decolonizing Area Studies” (virtual, March 2021).
“Integral und Plural: Deutsche Kultur im Sprachunterricht,” Southern Conference on Language Teaching (virtual, March 2021).
“Multilingual Communities of German Speakers” (prerecorded presentation, live chat), American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Conference (virtual, November 2020).
“Shifting Power: UDL and Feminist Assessment Practices for the German Classroom,” live panel at Women in German Annual Conference (virtual, October 2020).
“Integral und plural: Deutsche Kultur im Sprachunterricht” (with Joela Jacobs), live presentation at GETVICO24 (virtual, October 2020).
“Perspectives of Empathy,” American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Conference (Washington, DC, November 2019).
“Creating a Welcoming Classroom for all Students,” American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Conference (Washington, DC, November 2019).
“Decolonizing German Studies Curricula,” Seminar at the German Studies Association Annual Conference (Portland, OR, October 2019).
“Ungrading as Feminist Practice” (Poster Presentation), Coalition of Women in German Conference (Sewanee, TN, October 2018).
“Specifications Grading in the German Language and Literature Classroom,” Modern Language Association Annual Conference (New York, NY, January 2018).
“Interventions for Inclusivity and Social Justice,” Coalition of Women in German Annual Conference (Banff, Alberta, Canada, October 2016).
Workshops at Wayne State
Teaching Circle “Less Grading, More Learning” led for the Office of Teaching and Learning, 2021-present.
“Cultural Diversity,” Virtual Lunch and Learn Presentation, Office of Teaching and Learning, 2024.
“International Opportunities for New Faculty,” Presentation for the New Faculty Seminar Series, Office of the Provost, November 3rd, 2023, and November 19th, 2024.
“Faculty Engagement and Global Learning,” Presentation for the “Fulbright and COIL Faculty Development Session,” Co-hosted by Office of Faculty Affairs and Development, Office of Academic Student Affairs and Global Engagement, Office of International Programs, and Office of Fellowships, 2023.
“Global Perspectives in Courses Across the Curriculum,” Roundtable moderated for the Office of Teaching and Learning, 2022.
“Less Grading, More Learning,” Presentation, Office of Teaching and Learning, November 12th, 2020, and March 11th, 2021.
“Using VoiceThread to Engage Students Online,” Presentation, EdTech Thursday, Office of Teaching and Learning, September 10th, 2020.
“Preparing Language Courses for Student Success in Online and Remote Learning,” Panelist with Julie Koehler, Elena Past, and Roxana Zuniga, FLTC Summer Series, July 16h, 2020.
“Target Language Assessment in Online and Remote Courses,” Panelist with Michael Anderson, Silvia Giorgini-Althoen, Christine Knapp, and Julie Koehler, FLTC Summer Series, July 10th, 2020.
“Creating Interpersonal Discussion: VoiceThread and Flipgrid,” Presenter with Silvia Giorgini-Althoen and Julie Koehler, FLTC Summer Series, July 7th, 2020.
“Meeting Platforms: The Pluses and Minuses of Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Products,” Panelist with Anne Duggan, Julie Koehler, and Leonidas Pittos, FLTC Summer Series, July 2nd, 2020.
“Helping Students (with) Recall: Retrieval Practice with Quizlet, Socrative, Kahoot, and Poll Everywhere,” FLTC Brown Bag, October 2nd, 2018.