Dr. Isabel Kalous

Research Interests

Travel Writing
African American Literature
Cultural Mobility Studies
Transnational American Studies
Climate Change Fiction

Current Research Project

Sacrifice and Survival: Environmental and Antinatalist Discourse in Literature and Culture in the Anthropocene

Administrative Functions & Service to the Department/Faculty

Study advisor (American Studies) for studies abroad
Webmaster (American Studies/Prof. Paul)

Education

Dr. phil. in English and American Literature, Justus Liebig University Giessen (2020)
M.A. in International Cultural and Business Studies, University of Passau (2013)

Employment

as of 2023: Senior lecturer in American Studies at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
2021-2023: Scientific coordinator of the “Schelling-Forum,” Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities
2020-2012: Research Assistant at the Department of English and American Studies, LMU Munich
2015-2019: Research Assistant at the International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture, JLU Giessen

Fellowships, Grants, Awards

• 2023: Participant of the 12th International Summer Academy of the Bavarian American Academy
• 10/2019–03/2020: Doctoral completion grant of the FAZIT Foundation
• 2016–2019: Several travel grants from the International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture and the International PhD Programme Literary and Cultural Studies for conference presentations in Germany, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, and the US
• 2018: Dr.-Herbert-Stolzenberg Award for Excellence in Higher Education Teaching, JLU Giessen
• 2017: Participant of the annual summer school of the Hermes Consortium for Literary and Cultural Studies, Aarhus University
• 2015: Yale University Post-Graduate Research Fellowship of the Bavarian American Academy
• 2015: Travel grant for female early career researchers from the University of Passau
• 2014: Travel grant of the Graduate Center at the University of Passau

Service to the Profession

• Elected representative of the research management team of the International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture in the Board of Directors (2017–2019)
• Supervision of a teaching assistant (STIBET program, DAAD), JLU Giessen (winter term 2017/18)
• Member of the editorial team of On_Culture – The Open Journal for the Study of Culture (2016–2018)

Teaching

• Grundseminar Culture (FAU)
• American Journeys: Travel in Literary and Cultural Texts (FAU)
• Introduction to Climate Change Fiction (University of Passau)
• American Travel Writing (University of Passau)
• Slavery and Resistance in African American Literature and Culture (University of Passau and JLU Giessen)
• Introduction to Transatlantic North American Studies (JLU Giessen)