Dr. John Benjamin Assistant Professor of German Department Academic Counselor (German) Officer in Charge - Polish Forum English and World Languages john.benjamin [at] westpoint.edu About Education Research & Publications John D. Benjamin received his BA in German in 2005 from the University of California, Berkeley following a year abroad at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in 2003–04. After teaching English in Austria via the Austrian-American Educational Commission/Fulbright Program, he earned his MA in German from Princeton University in 2011. From 2011–15, he taught German at Princeton University, Westminster Choir College (Princeton, NJ), The College of New Jersey, and the University of Manchester (UK). He then earned his PhD in 2019 in Germanic Studies from the University of Texas at Austin with a dissertation that considered the role of multimodality in reading in a second language using the example of graphic novels. His scholarship focuses on reading in a second language, applied linguistics, and multimodal adaptation; German graphic novels; music; and the role of form in cultural development. His publications have appeared in Die Unterrichtspraxis, The German Quarterly, and Second Language Research & Practice, as well as in edited volumes on applied linguistics and visual culture. In addition to his teaching and research, he also acts as Officer in Charge of the Polish Language Forum (Kościuszko Squadron). Finally, he is an avid language learner and music enthusiast. Ph.D., Germanic Studies - University of Texas at AustinM.A., German - Princeton UniversityB.A., German - University of California, Berkeley Research Interests His scholarship focuses on reading in a second language, applied linguistics, and multimodal adaptation; German graphic novels; music; and the role of form in cultural development. Current Research In addition to forthcoming chapters on military identity in Alban Berg’s opera Wozzeck and the sampling of comics in the pop literature of Rolf Dieter Brinkmann, John is currently working on a project involving multimodal adaptation and German-language opera. Selected Publications Urlaub, P., Benjamin, J., & Lorenz, A. (2024). Zwischen Vergangenheit und Zukunft: Zum Spannungsverhältnis zwischen Deutsch als Fremdsprache und Deutsch als Fachsprache an amerikanischen Universitäten. In M. Szurawitzki & P. Wolf-Farré (Eds.), Handbuch Deutsch als Fach- und Fremdsprache: Ein aktuellen Handbuch zeitgenössischer Forschung. DeGruyter. https://www.degruyter.com/document/isbn/9783110690255/html?lang=deMiller, Z., Benjamin, J., Chenoweth, C., & Maggin, S. (2023). Leveraging language for specific purposes as a motivating factor for foreign language study. In E. H. Uebel, F. A. Kronenberg, & S. Sterling (Eds.), Language program vitality in the United States: From surviving to thriving in higher education (pp. 221–232). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43654-3Benjamin, J. (2021). Language learners read comics: Background knowledge and perceptions of multimodal texts. Second Language Research and Practice, 2(1), 24–40. https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/69856/1/02_01_10125-69856.pdfBelgum, K., Byrd, V., & Benjamin, J. (Eds.). (2021). Before photography: German visual culture in the nineteenth century. DeGruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/97831106964482018 (with Alexander Lorenz).