FEATURES

IT'S (NOT) THE CLIMATE

After moving last summer from his native Oregon to teach at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), the question Professor of German Language K. Scott Baker was often asked is Why? As in, why would you trade a mild climate and beautiful mountains for the flat geography and temperature extremes of the Midwest?

Writing in September 2003 Connections, Dr. Baker answered, "Many more immigrants settled in the Midwest than in the West. That leads to a greater interest in German both in [high] schools and at universities. In addition, schools in Oregon have far worse prospects than schools here. And I'm happy to be in a place where there are connections between the German programs in the schools and the university." That answer reveals an individual who approaches new surroundings with an open mind, who values teaching over ambience and who is committed to outreach.

Although he has always enjoyed learning new languages, Dr. Baker first imagined that his language of choice would be Spanish, because of an early interest in the nations and cultures of Central and South America.

Until, when he was in high school, the family moved to Germany for a year.

"My father, a high school German teacher, was selected for an exchange program operated by the Fulbright Commission," Dr. Baker explained. We went to a small town of 14,000 inhabitants south of Munich, called Wolfratshausen. My sister and I attended the local gymnasium (high school) and took all the required subjects, although we didn't get grades."

That experience triggered a burgeoning interest in the political and cultural diversity of Europe, in particular the German-speaking countries. Returning home to Eugene, Oregon, Dr. Baker attended Lewis & Clark College and graduated from University of Oregon with a B.A. in German and History. He then earned an M.A. in German language and literature at the University of Washington. He continued on with doctoral studies, and was awarded the Ph.D. in German literature.

During his years as a graduate student and doctoral candidate, Dr. Baker returned twice to Germany. The first time, under a graduate student exchange program between the University of Washington and the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität in Munster, he instructed German graduate students in conversational English and debate as well as English for the Humanities and Social Sciences. During that year Dr. Baker was also involved with curriculum development. As a lead teaching assistant (T.A.) in the Department of Germanics at the University of Washington, he had many discussions about curriculum with new T.A.s. Out of those conversations came a long-term interest in curricular issues.

In 1997, Dr. Baker was awarded a Fulbright Dissertation Research Fellowship to study in Jena, Germany. The city is known both for its university and as the home of the world-famous Zeiss optical works. An additional point of interest is Jena's location in the former East Zone or German Democratic Republic (DDR).

Nearly a decade had passed since the Berlin Wall fell, but reunification was proving to be a mixed blessing. "Under the communist system, Zeiss had 26,000 employees-about three people for jobs that only required one," Dr. Baker observed. After a new owner from the Western part of Germany took over, the work force was reduced to 2,000. It was in this setting that he arrived -this time with a family--to research his dissertation subject, a 19th century Hegel scholar, journalist and dramatist named Karl Gutzkow.

While factory workers were laid off and unemployment in the East remained around 16 percent-- "We would see a lot of people at home during the day" -- the university benefited. "One of the first priorities of the German government under reunification was rebuilding the universities," Dr. Baker said. "Respected scholars were given incentives to move to the East, and facilities were modernized."

Given his continuing interest in curriculum development, it's not surprising that Dr. Baker is pleased to share in oversight of the first year German curriculum for the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at UMKC. That oversight extends to his role as HSCP Coordinator for German. "The curricular issues are the same for the HSCP courses as on campus," says Dr. Baker, affirming a mandate of the HSCP: to ensure that concurrent enrollment courses provide the same high level of course integrity as on-campus class meetings through syllabus, teacher credentials, textbook utilization and testing.

Equally important is his commitment to outreach typified by the HSCP. It is in part a legacy from his father. "As a high school teacher, my father was frustrated by a lack of interest in his attempts to connect with the [University of Oregon]," Dr. Baker recalled.

Like many of his colleagues today, Dr. Baker researches ways to more fully engage students in learning. For German 315 and 325, Intermediate Conversation and Composition I and II, he incorporates in the syllabus videos of a popular German television series, "Unser Doktor Speckt" ("Our Doctor Speckt").

"It's about an administrator who moves from the West to become director of a school in the East," he explains. "Conflicts erupt among staff who had a comfortable niche under communism and those who want to use their new-found freedom to advance their own agendas. In addition, he's a kind of ladies' man, so there are romantic entanglements. My mentor at the University of Washington developed the program of study. It combines learning about recent German cultural history with vocabulary building and conversational practice."

Now settled in and adjusted to the Midwest, except for missing "the ocean above all," Dr. Baker has his agenda for the next year firmly set. His proposal for an applied business curriculum has been approved, and a course in German film is well along in the planning stage. These activities provide assurance that in Dr. Baker, the HSCP German language program is in excellent hands.