Gregory H. Wolf

Dr. Gregory H. Wolf teaches a wide range of courses on German culture and language, including German film, the graphic novel, Berlin culture, and German history. He is the advisor to both the active German Club and the local chapter of the national German honor society, and organizes a robust schedule of cultural events, including excursions to Chicago and colloquia focusing on German studies. The Dennis and Jean Bauman Professor of the Humanities, Wolf’s research interests include 18th through 20th-century literature, ethnic migration, and language pedagogy.

Dr. Wolf serves as the Director of Undergraduate Research at North Central College, where he facilitates opportunities for students from all academic disciplines to engage in meaningful, mentored and faculty-directed research. Within this context, he serves as the director of the Rall Symposium, the institution's research colloquium each spring, leads student researchers to the annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), chairs the Summer Undergraduate Scholarship Program (SUSP) and the Richter Committee, both of which financially support undergraduate research projects.

Gregory Wolf is also interested in sport as a reflection of society. In recent years, he has taught courses focusing on ethics and race in sports, baseball and society, and sport and Europe. He is also an active member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), the preeminent academic organization dedicated to baseball history and statistical analysis. he has edited more than 15 books focusing on baseball and has published more than 300 essays on baseball history. He currently serves as co-chair of the BioProject, SABR's critically acclaimed research committee focusing on baseball research.

As a proponent of the transformative effects of undergraduate research, Prof. Wolf has collaborated with students to publish essays in international scholarly journals and critically acclaimed websites. He has mentored students who have received prestigious Fulbright Fellowships to Germany and generous Richter grants to support their student research projects in Germany. His students have presented their research at national, regional, and state conferences.

Facebook page for the German program at North Central College  https://www.facebook.com/GermanProgramNorthCentralCollege/

Selected Scholarship

Publications in German Studies

"The Desire to Control Death: Heinrich von Kleist's Epistolary Correspondence on Schicksal, Tod and Selbstmord” “Wenn Sie das Wort Ich gebraucht.” Festschrift für Barbara Becker-Cantarino von FreundInnen, SchülerInnen und KollegInnen. John Pestejovsky and Jacqueline VanSant, eds. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2013, 165-190.

“The German Language: From German Immigrants to German-Americans” American Aid Society of German Descendents. Vereinszeitung 43.4 (2014): 20-21.

National Webinar “Graphic Novels in the German Classroom: Pedagogical Approaches” for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) on Wednesday, February 26, 2014.

National Webinar “Increasing and Retaining Students: Building a Robust German Program,” for the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) on May 1, 2012. The webinar was published by AATG and can be downloaded at http://www.aatg.org/webinars-on-demand

Publications in Sport  and Society 

Dome Sweet Dome. History and Highlights from 35 Years of the Houston Astrodome. Phoenix: Society for American Baseball Research, 2017.

When Pops Led The Family. The 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates, with Bill Nowlin. Phoenix: Society for American Baseball Research, 2016.

From The Braves To The Brewers. Great Games and Exciting History at Milwaukee's County Stadium. Phoenix: Society for American Baseball Research, 2016.

Winning On The North Side. The 1929 Chicago Cubs.Phoenix: Society for American Baseball Research, 2015.

A Pennant For The Twin Cities. The 1965 Minnesota Twins.Phoenix: Society for American Baseball Research, 2015.

Thar's Joy in Braveland. The 1957 Milwaukee Braves. Phoenix: Society for American Baseball Research, 2014.

Courses Taught

All Levels of Beginning through Intermediate German

German History through German Film

Berlin: A City in Flux

The Weimar Republic: Art and Society

The German Graphic Novel

German Life and Culture After World War II: the FRG and GDR

Castles, Cathedrals, and Culture: Epochs in German History