Taking Center Stage: Lessons of Austrian Comedy in an Advanced German Course

Abstract

This article focuses on approaches to teaching dramatic comedy in an upper‐level undergraduate course. In particular, it outlines how the genre of comedy permits a special focus on Austria, where the rich tradition of comedy holds a prominent place in German‐speaking Europe. I argue that dramatic comedy grants language learners a unique perspective on the distinct literary and cultural histories of each German‐speaking nation, and that the single‐genre focus allows for closer attention to a variety of sub‐genres, topics, historical periods, rhetorical devices, as well as linguistic variation. The particular approach to comedy outlined here integrates dramatic performance with creative and analytic writings tasks designed to develop cultural and intercultural competencies as well as aesthetic and interpretive abilities. Furthermore, special attention to the rhetorical devices and linguistic variation in comedy promotes critical language awareness and a higher level of linguistic proficiency.