JYM welcomes new administrative director in residence

Hi everybody, my name is Christina Weiler, and I have recently joined the JYM team in Munich as administrative director in residence. I grew up in Oberstdorf, which is a beautiful town in the Bavarian Alps—famous for skiing, snowboarding, and ski jumping—about two hours south of Munich. I moved from Chapel Hill, NC, to Munich this summer, and I am very excited to now be living in this amazing city!

After completing my Abitur in Oberstdorf, I studied German, English, and Spanish at the University of Freiburg, where I received an Erstes Staatsexamen für Lehramt an Gymnasien and a Magister Artium in these subjects.

During an Erasmus semester, I had the opportunity to study abroad at the University of Valencia in Spain. Inspired by this life-changing experience, I wanted to go abroad again, and I was thrilled when I was selected for a year-long teaching internship at the Holy Family Community School in Rathcoole, Dublin.

After my studies in Freiburg, I went to the U.S. for what was originally planned to be only a year-long exchange. However, I made friends from all over the world there and decided to stay for my doctoral studies. I completed my Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at Purdue University in 2017. Before joining the JYM team in Munich, I served as German language program director and teaching assistant professor in German at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At UNC, I taught German language, literature, and culture courses as well as a graduate course on language pedagogy.

I have also served as vice president and president of the North Carolina Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German. My core principles as an instructor are the critical engagement with real-world issues and authentic materials, inclusive community building, and active collaboration. My research focuses on German literature, culture, and philosophy of the long eighteenth century in a comparative and interdisciplinary framework, with a special interest in environmentalism, cognition, and the philosophy of the arts and senses. I have published on Herder, Novalis, Alexander von Humboldt, and E.T.A. Hoffmann, and I have co-edited a volume entitled Memory in German Romanticism: Imagination, Image, Reception. I cherish my experiences living, studying, and teaching in Germany, Spain, the Republic of Ireland, and the U.S. Through them, I have been able to experience and witness the positive impact of study abroad on students’ growth in and outside of the classroom.

I have moved to Munich together with my husband, who is a huge FC Bayern München fan. Apart from embracing the soccer fever here, I look forward to exploring the Weltstadt mit Herz and the surrounding area, especially the beautiful lakes.

In my free time, I like to stay active with my husband by going for long walks. We are both big fans of spazieren gehen. In the States, we had a foster dog going on walks with us, and we are planning on getting a golden retriever puppy here soon. I also love swimming, running, and doing yoga, and on a nice day, you might find me reading a book under the shade of a tree.