Klaus Weissenberger

Like few others, Klaus Weissenberger, Professor of German Studies, is familiar with the key elements that distinguish Rice University from its peer institutions: close contact between students and senior faculty, small classes, and a genuine college environment. Reflecting back on his time as Master of Hanszen College (1998-2004), he notes that “these have been my most rewarding years at Rice.” Indeed, Professor Weissenberger still directs the German Table at Hanszen College, where students can meet every Wednesday for lunch and practice their German, and one of the most subscribed courses in the School of Humanities is his seminar on the German fairly tale, which focuses on the timeless nature of this genre from prehistoric times to the postmodern world. A renowned expert on German prose and poetry, Professor Weissenberger has most recently compared the Moses biographies of seminal German-speaking authors like Sigmund Freud, Thomas Mann and Martin Buber, taking a close interest, as always, in the intersection between life and literature.