Brian Ernst

Winter 2013 Information

Writing 2: Academic Writing
MW 2:00pm - 3:50pm SSMS 1302

Office Hours:
MW 4:00pm - 5:00pm HSSB 3217

Spring 2013 Information

Writing 2: Academic Writing
MW 2:00pm - 3:50pm SSMS 1005 (Collaborate 1)

20th Century German History

Ph.D. Candidate
B.A., Loyola Marymount University; M.A., California State University Long Beach

Office: HSSB 3217
Hours:

Advisor: Harold Marcuse

I first became interested in German History during high school when I participated in a student exchange program with a family in Stuttgart. Since then, I have maintained a close relationship with my surrogate German family and have enjoyed many adventures throughout Europe. After completing my B.A. with an emphasis in Medieval Studies from Loyola Marymount University, I attended the M.A. program at California State University, Long Beach. Dividing my fields of study between Modern Europe and Modern America, I developed an interest in Borderland issues and the social friction that exists when two cultures come into contact with one another. This interest led to my first research trip abroad where I chose to study the integration efforts of an ethnic German expellee group in postwar West Germany called the Danube Swabians (Donauschwaben). Five years ago I completed my M.A. Thesis, "Creating the Ideal Heimat: The Danube Swabians in Baden-Württemberg, 1954-1974" before coming to UCSB. I am interested in expanding my thesis for the dissertation by examining the Donauschwäbische Zentralmuseum to complement my previous research on Danube Swabian memory and memorials.