Claire Cai joined the department in Fall 2022 as a Kade/Excellence Fellow.
Claire received her B.A. in German Studies and Economics from Haverford College in spring 2021. Her bachelor thesis evaluated the efficacy of integration courses administered by the Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge. After graduating, Claire spent a year in Berlin, Germany as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. Her dissertation analyzes the function of sight and visual representation in Ludwig Tieck’s early prose works through an exploration of their epistemological significance. In her free time, Claire likes to bake, crochet, and dance ballet.
Education
B.A., German Studies and Economics, Haverford College, 2021
Academic Interests
Romanticism
Aesthetic theory
The sublime
Postcolonialism and decolonization
Eco-feminism
Courses Taught
Elementary German 101
Intermediate German 131
Advanced German 231 & 232
German for Travel 103
German Conversation 104
German Culture 246: Early German Horror Films (self-designed)
Honors and Awards
Neuse Prize for Best Graduate Essay “Dead without Domesticity: The Politics of the Crypt in Stifter’s ‘Turmalin,’” Rutgers University German Department (2026)
Graduate Teaching Award, Rutgers University German Department (2024)
Augustus Taber Murray Fellowship, Haverford College (2022)
Conference Talks
“Rethinking Schwarzfahrer (1993),” Northeast Modern Language Association (2025)
“Monstrous Miriam: Representing the Female “Other” in Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam (1920),” Women in German Poster Session (2024)
Publications
“Man-Made Monsters in Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam (1920),” forthcoming in Monatshefte (winter 2026)
Service
Graduate Student Representative & Steering Committee member, Women in German (2024–2026)
Workshop co-organizer, “Platonow auf Deutsch: Proletarian Culture, Critical Theory, Praxis,” Rutgers University (2026)
Co-organizer of the German Graduate Student Conference “Utopia,” Rutgers University (2024)