Marianne Eiselt

I am passionate about teaching ESL and German as a Foreign Language. At the Department of Culture and Language Studies at UNB I teach German at the undergraduate level since 1999. My overall goal is to interest learners in both, language and socio-cultural aspects of German-speaking Europe.

I feel it to be my responsibility to motivate students to learn German by making them aware of the importance of Germany in International Business as Canada’s fourth largest trading partner, in Research and Development, Travel and Tourism, Governmental Affairs, in Philosophy, Literature, History and Music. I believe that knowledge in German makes them real players in the new frontiers of the 21st century.

To motivate students, I also encourage learners to consider Study Abroad Programs and Student Work Programs. The effectiveness of these language immersion experiences can clearly been seen in returning students, who improved their German language skills and world vision.

To make the learning experience more hands-on, I use a natural approach to language learning and bring authentic material to class. I use current supermarket fliers, German magazines and German train schedules to practice vocabulary and grammar in interactive exercises reflecting real life interactions.

I also bring traditional and modern German music to class for both, a cultural experience and to point out specific grammatical and linguistic features. The list of samples ranges from Beatles’ songs in German from their first performances in Hamburg to beer coasters, pumpernickel bread and “Stollen”, the traditional German Christmas cake. Each item has a story to tell. I also encourage students to bring artifacts they may have from Germany, Austria or Switzerland.

My student projects become relevant with actual things happening around you, like 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Via skype or telephone, my advanced students interviewed persons, who lived their first 18 years in East Germany and described to them their lives then and now. They recorded the interview and wrote a summary of it. We also read biographies of persons, who lived behind the Iron Curtain and in West Germany after 1989. Students then had to assume the role of one of those witnesses in a mock TV-talk show.

In a broader way, my goal is to portray a modern view of these countries and to foster understanding and tolerance between the nations. I participated in several teacher training workshops and the most inspiring one for me was the workshop “Theatre in the Classroom” in Berlin.

I use screen writing and theatre especially at our German Immersion weekends, events that I started and coordinated for the last four years with visiting colleagues from Germany. Since 2009, I am the president of the Atlantic Council of German Teachers, an organization which makes professional training and exchange, as well as student immersion programs a reality in our region.

I am very interested in German literature by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Georg Büchner, Bertolt Brecht and Friedrich Dürrenmatt. As a future project, I am considering the use of speech criteria to produce a new English stage translation of Büchner’s “Woyzeck”.

I also work as a free-lance translator of immigration documents and legal documents. I also translated a Canadian book about bears into German. I love nature, hiking and trekking in the Himalayas. I am the co-author of “Hiking Trails of New Brunswick”, now in its third edition.

Selected publications

Eiselt, M., Eiselt, H.A., (2014) Facility, Location and Employer-Employee Relations of German-Canadian Businesses in Canada. Journal of Comparative International Management, Vol. 17. No.1-26

Eiselt, M., Eiselt, H.A. (2007) Hiking Trails of New Brunswick, 3rd ed., Goose Lane Editions & Trails Canada, 326 pp.

Eiselt, M., Lorey, C. (2006) A New Guide to Reading German, 2nd ed., Captus Press, ON, 150 pp.

Eiselt, M., Eiselt, H.A. (2002) Discovering New Brunswick, Formac Publishing Co., Halifax, NS.

Eiselt, M., Lorey, C. (2000) A New Guide to Reading German, Captus Press, North York, ON, 138 pages.

Eiselt, M., Eppert, F. (1997) Den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen! Redewendungen verstehen und anwenden. (Hitting the nail on the head! Understanding and using idiomatic expressions) Diesterweg Verlag, Germany.

Eiselt, M. (2009) “Darstellendes Spiel im Fremdsprachenunterricht” (Unterrichtsforum) (Theatre in the classroom.) Forum Deutsch

Eiselt, M. (2005) “Presse im DaF-Unterricht”, (Print media in the classroom) Forum Deutsch, 14, 43-47.

Eiselt, M. (2001) “Deutsch im Indianerreservat,” (Teaching German at an Indian Reservation) Forum Deutsch, Herbst 2001, 13-15.

Eiselt, M. (1995) “Bühnentexte als Übersetzungsproblem: Georg Büchners Woyzeck” (The translation problems of stage texts: Georg Büchner’s “Woyzeck”), in Babel, vol. 41, no. 1, 36-42.

Courses taught

• GER 1001 Introductory German I
• GER 1002 Introductory German II
• GER 1033 Reading German I
• GER 3011/4013 Modern German Usage I and II
• GER 3022/4023 Advanced German Usage I and II
• GER 1071 German Culture II