Writer, Editor, and Educator
San Francisco Bay Area
- Current
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- Content writer/editor at Live-Like-a-German.com
- Freelance Writer at Cengage Learning
- Past
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- Presenter/Sales Representative at Elgato Systems
- Independent Contractor at GATE English, Ltd.
- Independent Scholar at home
- Visiting Assistant Professor of English at Union College
- Assistant Professor of English at University of Michigan
- Education
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- Cornell University
- Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
- University of California, Berkeley
- Recommended
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2 people have recommended John - Connections
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18
connections
- Industry
- Writing and Editing
John Tanke’s Summary
After studying at U.C. Berkeley and Cornell University, I began my professional career as an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Michigan, then at Union College in upstate New York. At Michigan I designed and taught courses on college writing, surveys of medieval and Renaissance literature, and graduate courses in Old English, among other subjects. At Union I added courses on Chaucer and Shakespeare to my teaching repertoire. In nine years as an English professor, I served on department committees, advised undergraduates and Ph.D. candidates, published peer-reviewed articles, and delivered seven presentations at academic conferences in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Since moving back to the S.F. Bay Area, I’ve worked as a freelance writer for Cengage Learning, a demonstrator/salesperson in computer software, an online writing tutor for South Korean students, and a copywriter for a web-based travel agency. For the second half of my career, I’m looking for an editorial or marketing position in higher education publishing or online learning (with or without a German component). With my background as a scholar, teacher, and writer/editor, I would make a valuable asset to publishers and universities in the United States or Europe.
John Tanke’s Specialties:
Teaching and presenting, writing and editing in the Humanities and Social Sciences; German-to-English and English-to-German translation and writing.
John Tanke’s Experience
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Content writer/editor
Live-Like-a-German.com
(Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)
July 2009 — Present (5 months)
Writing and editing for a web-based company that helps Americans choose and rent vacation apartments in Germany.
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Freelance Writer
Cengage Learning
(Privately Held; Publishing industry)
March 2006 — Present (3 years 9 months)
* Authored online descriptions for primary sources in "A History of Western Society," 9ed. by John P. McKay et al. (Houghton Mifflin, 2008).
* Authored 16-page geography supplement, with analytical introductions and focus questions to seven full-page world history maps, for "Societies, Networks, and Transitions: A Global History," by Craig A. Lockard (Houghton Mifflin, 2008).
* Revised six chapters in accordance with new editorial protocols for introductions, focus questions, chapter summaries, and illustrations, for "The Earth and Its Peoples: A Global History," 4ed. by Richard A. Buillet et al. (Houghton Mifflin, 2007). -
Presenter/Sales Representative
Elgato Systems
(Privately Held; Computer Software industry)
January 2007 — January 2009 (2 years 1 month)
* Demonstrated Elgato's EyeTV software at the Macworld Exposition (1/8-1/12/2007, 1/14-1/18/2008, and 1/5-1/9/2009).
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Independent Contractor
GATE English, Ltd.
(E-Learning industry)
February 2008 — September 2008 (8 months)
* Provided online instruction in English composition to South Korean students at all levels.
* Scored student essays submitted to Yonsei’s University's International Essay Writing Competition. -
Independent Scholar
home
(Non-Profit; Research industry)
August 2002 — June 2005 (2 years 11 months)
* Worked on revision of Cornell Ph.D. dissertation as book titled "Spellbound: Riddles, Curses, and the Subject of Old English Poetry" (unpublished).
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Visiting Assistant Professor of English
Union College
(Educational Institution; Higher Education industry)
August 1999 — July 2002 (3 years )
* Designed and taught courses in Freshman composition, Chaucer, and Shakespeare, as well as surveys of medieval and Renaissance literature, and courses on special topics.
* Advised Freshmen and supervised Senior Honors Theses.
* Authored and published “Beowulf, Gold-Luck, and God's Will,” Studies in Philology 99.4 (2002): 356-379 and “The Bachelor-Warrior of Exeter Book Riddle 20,” Philological Quarterly 79.4 (2000): 409-427.
* Authored and delivered presentations at the Third Conference of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, University of Western Australia, Perth (July 6, 2001), and the Twenty-First Medieval Forum, Plymouth State College, Plymouth, NH (April 15, 2000). -
Assistant Professor of English
University of Michigan
(Educational Institution; Higher Education industry)
August 1993 — July 1999 (6 years )
* Designed and taught a range of courses, including college writing, introduction to literature, surveys of medieval and Renaissance literature, courses on special topics, and graduate courses in Old English and Old Norse language and literature.
* Served as Doctoral Committee member for two successful Ph.D. candidates.
* Served on departmental committees including Graduate Admissions and Undergraduate Composition.
* Reviewed articles submitted for publication to Michigan Germanic Studies.
* Authored and published “Wonfeax wale: Ideology and Figuration in the Sexual Riddles of the Exeter Book,” in Class and Gender in Early English Literature: Intersections, ed. Britton J. Harwood and Gillian R. Overing (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994), pp. 21-42.
* Authored and delivered presentations at the International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds, U.K. (July 15, 1999), and the 111th Annual Convention of the Modern Language Association of America, Chicago (December 29, 1995).
John Tanke’s Education
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Cornell University
Ph.D. , Medieval Studies (English and Germanic Literature) , 1985 — 1993
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Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
German literature 1984 — 1985
- Activities and Societies:
- Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)
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University of California, Berkeley
B.A. , English , 1979 — 1984
- Activities and Societies:
- University Symphony Orchestra (trumpet)
Additional Information
John Tanke’s Groups:
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Cornell University Alumni Network -
Cengage Learning -
DAAD Alumni -
Friends of Union College -
Cal Alumni Association | UC Berkeley
John Tanke’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- career opportunities
- consulting offers
- new ventures
- expertise requests
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
