Last modified: Thursday, August 4, 2011
Knudsen, Sprouse named Remak Professors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 4, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Larry D. Singell Jr., dean of the Indiana University College of Arts and Sciences, has announced that Daniel Knudsen and Rex Sprouse have been selected to receive Henry Remak Professorships for 2011-2014. Each Remak Professorship comes with an endowment income of $25,000 per year, to be used at the discretion of the faculty members to enhance their teaching and research.
Sprouse is professor of Germanic studies and second language studies. He serves as director of undergraduate studies for the Germanic Studies Department and as director of graduate studies for the Department of Second Language Studies. He earned his B.A. from Hiram College and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Princeton University. Sprouse joined the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1994.
Sprouse's research focuses on second language acquisition. Other research interests include the structure and history of the languages of Western Europe, particularly German, Icelandic and Welsh. He has directed the IU Summer Overseas Study Program in Graz, Austria, nine times since 2002.
"With his long-term service as our director of undergraduate studies, his dedication to overseas studies (in particular, the Graz program), his service to the Individualized Major Program and, last but not least, his undergraduate teaching record and his research partnership with undergraduate students, Rex is certainly a most deserving recipient of this award," said Kari Gade, chair of the Department of Germanic Studies.
Sprouse's plans for his tenure as Remak Professor are to develop a new introduction to Austrian studies, written in German for English-speaking learners of German, an inquiry-based textbook organized around open questions about the interpretation of Austrian society and culture. The working title of this project is Leitfragen Österreich.
Knudsen, professor of geography, is the founding director of the International Studies Program and is director of the Landscape Studies Program in the University Graduate School. He earned his B.A. from Iowa State University and his M.A. and his Ph. D. from Indiana University. He is the former chair of the Geography Department and former associate director of the West European Studies Program. He joined the faculty in in 1986 after two years as a visiting professor.
"Henry Remak was not only an exceptional scholar but a person who always emphasized the needs of our students and the importance of excellent teaching and student mentorship," said Lois Wise, director of West European Studies and the European Union Center. "Holding a professorship named in his memory is truly an honor because of the values and achievements it represents. My heartiest congratulations to my colleague Dan Knudsen on this well-deserved accolade. His efforts in academic program development, teaching, and student mentoring are stellar. "
Knudsen plans to work on a new book about the broad frameworks in which tourism sites are constructed, tourism sites are experienced by tourists, and simultaneously within these frameworks, tourism places are performed. The book, titled Tourism: The Construction, Interpretation and Performance of Places, will be co-authored with Jillian M. Rickly-Boyd, Michelle M. Metro-Roland and Lisa C. Braverman. It is due out in 2013.
"The Remak Professorships recognize the significant contributions to undergraduate education that both Professor Knudsen and Professor Sprouse have made, as well as their attention to individual students," Singell said. "Their strong scholarly records underscore the close connection between excellence in education and excellence in research, which is the essence of a research university. I am very pleased to be able to recognize these two outstanding faculty members in this fashion."
Henry H.H. Remak was a professor of comparative literature, Germanic and West European studies and an academic administrator at Indiana University for decades. He died in 2009 at the age of 92.
