Erik Born earned his MA in German Literature and Culture in Fall 2010 and is now pursuing a concurrent PhD in German and Medieval Studies. His research interests include mysticism, avant-garde film, media theory, and the cultural poetics of Austria. He graduated from The University of Chicago in 2007 with a BA in Fundamentals: Issues and Texts and a minor in Philosophy. As an undergraduate, he participated in a study abroad program at the Institute of European Studies in Vienna, which influenced his decision to enter the field of German Studies. He returned to Vienna with support from the Austrian Ministry of Education and taught English from 2007-2009 to young photographers, designers, and printmakers at die Graphische. His forthcoming presentations and publications will address the following topics:

• artificial languages and lexicography in the twelfth century
• the function of sound in "silent" cinema
• crusade songs as propaganda