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The Purpose of These Resources

At its higher end, the target language proficiency of this project is ACTFL Intermediate-High. Learners whose reading skills are at that level can understand simple stories, including the past tense and other features of language that are used in connected narration ("because", "afterward", etc.). But Intermediate-High proficiency is not sufficient for facile comprehension of specialized writing about STEM subjects, or the history of those subjects, in which the German-speaking cultures figure so prominently. Yet there are motivated learners who, though their current German proficiency is not beyond Intermediate-High, might well want to gain some knowledge about the history of German science and technology - as might some other students who are not learners of German (or at least not yet). Such students might be found, among other places, in AP German, history and science / math classes. And many teachers, whether of German or STEM, want to be able to recommend enrichment reading in the area of STEM+German (perhaps even for themselves).

The resources provided below are of two kinds: 1) books about various facets of science, mathematics and technology, and their history, in the German-speaking world; 2) readings about specific figures in that area, above all Alexander von Humboldt (whose importance and appropriateness for STEM+German learning will be explained further below). The resources are broadly selected; some are more generally about Europe or science or culture in general, but all make prominent mention of German figures and topics. As for level of difficulty and appropriate age of readers: outstanding middle-schoolers and highschoolers in the top quartile should, given interest in the subject, be able to handle texts that are mostly narrative in approach and clearly intended for a semi-popular adult audience, for example Kepler's Witch or (with caution about gruesome content) The Master Plan. Humboldt's Cosmos can be appreciated for the adventure story it tells, but it does contain some science explanations at the level of the adult educated reader (but not college science major). At the upper range of difficult is, for example, The German Genius, which can challenge (but also fascinate) truly outstanding highschoolers whose coursework (and perhaps serious personal interests) have already given them some entry into, for example, Greek philosophy, the Bible, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and modern European history - in short, students who do well in AP courses and are looking for even more knowledge. As for readings about (relatively speaking) narrower topics, learners who excel in high school math and science can handle, for example, Science: A History 15433-2001, and outstanding history students will not be overchallenged by Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 or Madame de Staël (which is included both because de Staël's huge circle encompassed many important German cultural figures, and because students of German often study other European languages and cultures).

••availability; public library; ebooks etc.

List of Readings in English

The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science. Holmes, Richard. New York; Pantheon, 2008.

Alexander von Humboldt: His Portraits and Their Artists – A Documentary Iconography. Nelken, Halina. Berlin: Dietrich Reimer, 1980.

Einstein in Berlin. Levenson, Thomas. New York, Bantam: 2003.

The German Genius: Europe's Third Renaissance, the Second Scientific Revolution, and the Twentieth Century. Watson, Peter. New York: Harper, 2011.

Humboldt's Cosmos: Alexander von Humboldt and the Latin American Journey That Changed the Way We See the World. Helferich, Gerard. New York: Gotham, 2004.

Kepler's Witch: An Astronomer's Discovery of Cosmic Order Amid Religious War, Political Intrigue, and the Heresy Trial of His Mother. Connor, James A. New York: HarperCollins, 2004.

Madame de Staël. Fairweather, Maria. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2005

The Master Plan: Himmler's Scholars and the Holocaust. Pringle, Heather. New York: Hyperion, 2006.

Mercator: The Man Who Mapped the Planet. Crane, Nicholas. New York: Holt, 2002.

The Passage to Cosmos: Alexander von Humboldt and the Shaping of America. Walls, Laura Dassow. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2009.

Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945. Judt, Tony. New York: Penguin, 2005.

Science: A History 1543-2001. Gribbin, John. New York: BCA/Penguin, 2002.

•• Key figures (Humboldt, etc.)

•• see above list for general titles about Humboldt

Stars, Mosquitoes and Crocodiles: The American Travels of Alexander von Humboldt. Selsam, Millicent E., ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1962.

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