Aaron Saint John

A man wearing a tan floral jacket stands in front of a tree

Graduate Student in German
Associate in German

he/him
415 Sproul
Office Hours
Fall 25: Tuesday 9:30am–10:30am, Thursday 2pm–3pm

Research

My research focuses on portrayals of female water spirits in German literature from the late 18th to the early 21st centuries. I’m specifically interested in asking how the evolving motif of the feminine voice has served as an unstable expression of both human and nonhuman agencies in the distinct yet interrelated traditions of Undine, the Sirens, and the Loreley. Drawing on concepts from critical theory, the philosophy of language, and feminist ecocriticism, I aim to explore how explicitly gendered and anthropomorphized depictions of (super)natural elements can challenge binary notions of subjectivity and trouble the limits of what we consider to be human.

Education and Degree(s)

  • 2016-2020-BA German and History- University of Sheffield
  • 2020-2021-MA Modern Languages and Cultures (German)-University of Sheffield
  • Exchange, German and History- Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin

Honors and Awards

  • 2023-2024-UC Davis Provost First Year Fellowship
  • 2020-2021, Sheffield Postgraduate Scholarship (University of Sheffield)
  • 2020, German Embassy Book Prize (University of Sheffield)

Courses

  • GER 001 (Elementary German)

Research Interests & Expertise

  • Modern German literature
  • Critical Theory
  • Cultural memory
  • Gender studies
  • Ecocriticism

Publications and Presentations

  • "Becoming Visible: Towards an Inclusive Topography of Memory in Jenny Erpenbeck's Gehen, ging, gegangen" | 16th Annual GGSA Conference, The Ohio State University, February 2024