Eric Anderson

❍ Field of current or former occupation: Academia
❍ Email: [email protected]


Question: What is your current occupation and where do you live? Please briefly describe your duties and responsibilities. How long have you been at this position?

Eric Anderson: Since 2012 I have been teaching art history at Rhode Island School of Design. I teach courses in the history of modern design and do research on German and Austrian design.

Question: Did studying German language and culture at Williams College help you in your professional and personal development? If yes, then how were German Studies useful to you? What opportunities and challenges did the German major open up for you both specific to your current occupation and more generally?

Eric Anderson: Yes, most definitely. My German studies at Williams and the year that I spent as a junior studying in Berlin started me on my current path. After Williams I did a Ph.D. in art history with a focus on modern German architecture and design. At RISD, I teach a seminar on the Bauhaus and feature German and Austrian artists and designers prominently in all my courses. I have written articles about Austrian and German design and travel to Vienna regularly for research. Maintaining professional contacts in Vienna and Berlin has been crucial for my work.

Question: Please share your advice or recommendation about the German department at Williams to a prospective student who is considering taking courses or majoring in our program.

Eric Anderson: Consider a semester or year abroad. I enrolled directly at the Humboldt Universitaet in Berlin for a year. This was both an inexpensive way to study abroad and especially good for my German speaking, since I was forced to handle arrangements on my own and to make friends with German students.
Look for ways to connect German Studies to coursework in other departments. Along with literature and culture classes in the German department, I took classes on German art history with Mark Haxthausen and Mike Lewis and wrote an art history thesis on the architect Walter Gropius.

Question: Would you be willing to serve as a contact person for current students of German about your career or life path? If so, how should students contact you?

Eric Anderson: I’d be glad to. I can be reached by email.