Please Note: The following is an abridged CV.
Education
Ph D, University of Texas at Austin, 1976.
Major: German Literature Supporting Areas of Emphasis: Music Dissertation Title: Rhythmos and Logos in the lyric structures of Hölderlin's poetry
MA, University of Texas at Austin, 1970
UT-Austin Exchange Scholarship, Free University, Berlin, 1966
B.MUS, Oberlin Conservatory, Performance: Flute, 1964
Junior Year Abroad: Mozarteum, Salzburg, Austria, 1963
Oberlin College Summer Program in Vienna, Austria, 1962
Professional Positions
Academic - Higher Education
Founding Director, Texas Tech U. Center in Quedlinburg, Germany, Fall 2005 - Spring 2011
Graduate Advisor in German, TTU, Lubbock, 1990-2005
Associate Professor of German, Texas Tech University, 1983
Founding Director & Accounts Mgr., Southwest Center for German Studies, TTU, 1981-2008
Founding Faculty Member, Englisch-Sommerschule-Wust, Germany, (TOEFL Administrator, English Teacher, Chamber Music Groups, Promoter, Recruiter of TTU student TAs), 1991 - 2008
Instructor of German and Flute, University of California-Bakersfield, 1971-73
Flutist, Austin Symphony, 1967 - 1970
Awards and Honors
Associate Professor Emeritus status conferred by Texas Tech University, April 2013
Deutsches Verdienstkreuz, The German Government Medal of Service, Houston, 2002
Lucius Clay Medal, German-American Clubs of Germany, Düsseldorf, Oct. 2001.
Teaching
Teaching Experience
Texas Tech University Center in Quedlinburg, Germany, 2005 - present
CMLL 2301, "German", 1 course.
GERM 0007, Study Abroad Fee, 2 courses.
GERM 3305, German Language Studies, 2 courses.
GERM 3306, Contemporary Germany, 2 courses.
GERM 4000, "German Internship" Quedlinburg, Germany, 2 courses.
GERM 4335, Internship to German, 2 courses.Texas Tech University Lubbock Campus, 1990 - 2005:
Graduate Seminars in German Lyric, Das deutsche Lied, German Women Writers, The German Short Story, German-Texans on the Llano Estacado
1976 - 1983: Entire range of beginning and intermediate German classesUniversity of California at Bakersfield, 1971 - 1973:
Flute Instructor and German Instructor
Research
Articles
McClain, M., The Alluring Myth of the Desert: European Fascination with the Llano Estacado, Proceedings of the Fifth Conference on Desert Development, TTU, 1997.
McClain, M., Karl Mays Llano estakado und die Wirklichkeit heute, in Jahrbuch der Karl-May-Gesellschaft, 1994, p. 299-311.
McClain, M., Oh, what a blow that phantom gave me!, in Karl May I'm Llano Estacado, Hansa Verlag, 2004, p. 11-15
Artistic and Professional Performances and Exhibits
Traveling Exhibit: "German-Texans and the Llano Estacado Connection"
Meredith McClain (Curator), Lyn Stoll (Exhibitor), "German-Texans and the Llano Estacado Connection," an 11 panel traveling exhibit funded by the; German Federal Republic and Texas Tech University, opened Sept. 2000 as a special feature of the international Symposium on Karl May. The exhibit then traveled for three years throughout Texas.This original version of the exhibit is currently (October/November 2010) on display in Austin at the German-Texan Heritage Society Headquarters. A second copy was created in 2004 and sent to Germany where it is still shown at various locations upon request.
International Karl May Symposium, Sept. 2000, Lubbock, Texas
See: "Ein Comanche-Gebet zum Karl May Symposium"
Published Intellectual Contributions
German language Catalog of the Traveling Exhibit published as a special edition by the Karl May Press
McClain, M., Wolff, R., Biermann, J., Barth, A. In Reinhold Wolff & Joachim Biermann (Ed.), Deutsch-Texaner und ihre Beziehung zum Llano Estacado (Nr. 132 / 2005 ed., vol. Sonderheft, pp. 72). Husum: Karl-May-Gesellschaft. www.karl-may-gesellschaft.de
German language Proceedings of the Karl May Symposium held in Lubbock, TX., 2000
Karl May im Llano Estacado: Symposium der Karl-May Gesellschaft in Lubbock, Texas, (7. bis 11. September 2000), Husum: Hansa Verlag, 2004, pp. 339. ISBN 3-920421-90-6
Panel Exhibit created for the International Karl May Symposium at TTU, 2000
German-Texans and their Relation to the Llano Estacado, McClain, M., exhibit curator, in conjunction with her German graduate students and executed by the Southwest Collections Library Archivists, September 2000. On permanent loan to the Crosby County Pioneer Memorial Museum in Crosbyton, Texas for distribution throughout Texas. A copy of the 11 panels into German is on permanent loan to the Karl May House Museum in Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Germany for distribution throughout the Federal Republic.
Citations—Contributions to Karl May Studies
"How to Build Worlds With Words: Karl May's Virtueller "Wilder Westen"
G. Bernhard, D. Kattenbusch und P. Stein (Hg.) Namen und Wörter. Freundschaftsgabe für Josef Felixberger zum 65. Geburtstag. Regensburg: Verlag Christine Lindner, 2003, 223-242.
Articles
"The Alluring Myth of the Desert: European Fascination with the Llano Estacado"
Published in Proceedings of The Fifth Conference on Desert Development, TTU, 1997
"Oh, what a blow that phantom gave me!" in Karl May im Llano Estacado, Hansa Verlag, 2004, p. 11 - 15.
Research Review, Reference
Vistas Writers: "Doppelgänger: Parallel Lives" in: Vistas, Summer 2004, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 40 - 45.
Exhibit Opening, Hall of State, Dallas, TX. 2003: "The Old West: German Fantasy & Texan Reality."
Focus Magazin: "Mythen im Wilden Westen," Jürgen Schönstein, Nr. 45, 2001. MYTHEN: Im Wilden Westen - Medien - FOCUS Online
Invited Presentations
2010
University of Texas at Arlington. Keynote Address, Oct. 28, 2010
McClain, M., The Eleventh Annual Graduate Student Symposium on Transatlantic History: "The European Imagination of the Americas", "Karl May's Imaginary Llano Estacado and its Impact"
2007
University of Arizona, Tucson: International Symposium on Transcultural and Translinguistic German Studies. "Karl May and Heinrich Schmitt: Fantasy and Reality of the Llano Estacado."
2006
Magdeburg, Opening Fulbright lecture series at Magdeburg University. "Myth and Reality of the Llano Estacado."
Leipzig Karl-May-Freundeskreis: "Wie kommt eine texanische Professorin zu Karl May?", roundtable discussion.
2005
Quedlinburg, Germany, Carl Ritter series at the Volkshochschule. "Karl May und der Llano Estacado."
Leipzig State Library: "Karl May's Llano Estacado and the Reality today." An afternoon lecture for university English classes.
Leipzig State Library: Deutsch-Texaner und ihre Beziehung zu dem Llano Estacado. Evening opening of traveling exhibit and lecture.
2004
Saarbrücken, Germany, Hotel opening of exhibit. "Die Deutschen auf dem Llano Estacado."
2003
Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Exhibit opening in Karl May House Museum: "Karl Mays Llano Estacado und die Wirklichkeit heute."
Hall of State, Dallas Fair Park, Exhibit opening and lecture sponsored by the Dallas Historical Society and the Dallas Goethe Center. The Old West: German Fantasy & Texan Reality."
Media Contributions
Newspaper
The Wall Street Journal. (September 2000). Front page report of the "International Karl May Symposium," created through the Southwest Center for German Studies at TTU. in Lubbock, TX.
Approximately 20 articles since Sept. 2005 in the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, under "Lokales" or "Quedlinburger Harz Bote", referencing TTU students at the Center in Quedlinburg and our activities. For example under "Quedliburger Harz Bote", 02. 5, 2010 cites an article about our student intern at the Quedlinburg hospital.
Radio
Mitteldeutscherundfunk Sendungen: 20 Minuten Interview. Kierstn Poggendorff mit Meredith McClain: "Und jetzt gehe ich nach Quedlinburg."
Deutschlandradio Kultur. (09, 04. 2010). Interview am Quedlinburger Marktplatz: "Markttag in der Stadt an der Bode."TV-Video
Deutsche Welle TV. (October 2, 2010). "Quedlinburg" featuring 2 TTU students.
Documentary: "Karl May & The Wild West." Jason Friesen, Producer, Canada. 2008. A 47 min. presentation of the major May researchers in Germany & US. Available privately.
Direction of Graduate Students
During tenure with the Department of Classical & Modern Languages & Literatures at Texas Tech University, guided graduate student study for professional applications, helping place German M.A graduates in secondary teaching positions and Ph.D programs. Connected graduate students to study/teaching opportunities, research programs, and seminars in Germany during summer sessions. Guided graduate studies; coordinated minors and teacher certification. Member of MA exam committees Fall, 1999 - Spring 2005.