Bradley Michael Blair
Graduate Student of Germanic Languages and Literatures
Contact Information:
- Address: 2090 FLB
M/C 178
Urbana, IL 61801 Office Hours: - M 9-10am
- Email: blair5@illinois.edu
Education
I received my Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Memphis in 2006 with a major in foreign language and a concentration in German. I also minored in philosophy with special attention to existentialism and in English with special attention to creative writing. I received my Master’s Degree in German from the University of Tennessee in 2008. My Master’s thesis focused on the role of Shakespeare and his dramas in the Third Reich. I am currently pursuing my PhD in German here at the University of Illinois, where my focus is applied linguistics. My research looks at the possible role of translation activities in foreign language teaching. Additionally, I am concurrently earning the graduate certificate in translation studies from our newly-founded Center for Translation Studies.
Distinctions / Awards
- I was awarded the Ruth E. Lorbe Excellence in Teaching Award in the Spring of 2010. Additionally, I was offered a Foreign Language and Area Studies scholarship to study Arabic during the summer of 2010, but I chose to pursue my dissertation work at that time.
Biography
A number of these bios I’ve read list the writer’s educational accomplishments and little else. Since there’s already a section designated for my educational background, I’ll skip it here and talk about what the rest of the People Profile doesn’t say about me. When I’m not lost in the depths of a research project or burning the midnight oil grading my students’ work, I can usually be found across a chess board. I’m also an avid, deeply committed and lifelong star trek fan, and I just like to watch it now and again too. When I have company, I enjoy cooking, and I find time for it even when company’s not around. Finally, I enjoy traveling. When time and money permit, I like to take off for cities I’ve never visited and get hopelessly lost. I did this in New York City not too long ago, and Chicago makes for a decent diversion.
Finally, yes, the rumors are true. I am totally blind and have been so all my life. I debated not mentioning it at all here, because it’s not the overarching and defining characteristic of my life. Still, I know that people are curious, and so it’s worth some mention. People often ask me, “do you take special classes, being blind?” My answer, “yes, the very difficult ones.” That being said, email me any time with any questions, blindness-related, research-related or if you just want to play some correspondence chess. If the latter, I always play white.
Courses
- I've taught a variety of courses here at Illinois, including beginning and intermediate-level German courses. During the calendar year 2010 I have been teaching the graduate course sequence, German for Reading knowledge, German 500-501.