New Head leads School into the future

The School of Modern Languages has appointed Professor David Clarke as its new Head of School.

Professor Clarke has been part of the Modern Languages family since joining the School in 2018 as Professor of Modern German Studies. He subsequently became Programme Director for the Global Cultures (MA) programme and the School’s Deputy Director of Research, contributing to the School’s joint submission to 2021’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) alongside the School of Welsh.

Professor Clarke began his five-year tenure as Head of School on 1 May 2021 and is hoping to learn from the pandemic as he looks to the future.

He said, “The University is still coming to terms with the ongoing consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, and our School is no exception to this. While we are still working hard to deliver our programmes to students effectively, my priority will be to take stock of all we have learned this year and to see how our many innovations could help us in our future teaching and research.”

Professor Clarke cites collaboration as being key to the School’s success and is keen to harness existing relationships across the institution and further afield.

“We work with colleagues across the University to offer our joint degrees, our postgraduate supervision and our research activities. My goal is to strengthen and deepen those relationships and to explore the exciting possibilities for creating joint postgraduate taught courses and developing research networks and collaborative projects.”

“I am honoured to take on the role of Head of School and will work hard to uphold our justified reputation as an excellent School to study, teach and research in. We have fantastic colleagues, students, alumni community and partners that all play a part in what we do, and I look forward to getting to know everyone. I’m particularly looking forward to welcoming our new cohort of students in the autumn and supporting them as they work towards their degrees.”

Prior to teaching in Cardiff, Professor Clarke taught in Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Nottingham Trent University and the University of Bath and has taught a wide range of subjects, ranging from German and European literature and cinema, to European integration, translation studies and the politics of memory.

Over the last decade, Professor Clarke’s research has focused on the culture and politics of memory in Germany and beyond and cultural diplomacy.