Matthew Childs

Matthew Childs is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Germanics. He joined the department in 2015 having completed his M.A. in German Studies as well as his B.A. in German and Classical Civilization at Florida State University. This year he has been awarded a Max Kade Fellowship. As a Fellow he will help coordinate the Germanics Department’s film series and provide language tutoring for students. He will also represent the department’s graduate students as a senator in the Graduate and Professional Student Senate. Matthew was awarded the "Fresh Voice" award by the GPSS for his outspoken commentary on various issues.

His academic interests include Goethe Studies, particularly Goethe’s Faust. His M.A. thesis, entitled “An Analysis of Light Metaphors in Goethe’s Faust,” investigates the connection between various light metaphors and Faust, asserting that they trace the cyclical path of Faust’s intellectual enterprise. His other interests are the 18^th Century, the Enlightenment, early 20^th century literature, critical theory, and contemporary issues of modern (post-nationalist) Germany.