Susanne Binder

Susanne Binder researches and teaches across the disciplines of German Studies and Egyptology in the Department of International Studies: Languages and Cultures and in the Department of Ancient History.

Teaching
In German Studies she teaches at intermediate and advanced level (GMN 311, GMN 414), preparing students for the Goethe-Institute exams at C1-level in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) as well as thematic units on aspects of the German language, culture and history (GMN360 The German language in use – variation and change, GMN361 Berlin: A window to German culture and history). Susanne regularly teaches introductory German "Reading for Special Purposes" for ancient historians who need to acquire reading knowledge for their research, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level (GMN 295, INTS 600).

In Ancient History, Susanne's focus is on Egypt with the introduction to hieroglyphic Egyptian (AHIS178), units on Ancient Egyptian Literature (AHIS272) and on specific phases of Egyptian history (Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom). Working with texts in hieroglyphic Egyptian is integral part of these units.

Teaching Awards
2012 - The Faculty of Arts Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning
2012 - Vice Chancellor's Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning

Research
Susanne's research interests focus on literature and literary studies and on 19th century German manuscript documents, travel accounts, historical enquiry and the history of 19th century scientific exploration of Egypt, esp. the German expedition with Richard Lepsius (1842-45). The on-going Weidenbach Diary Project has close ties with the Lepsius Archive at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and has been supported and funded by an MQRDG (research development grant, 2014-2015) as well as by the Universities Australia and DAAD ) German Academic Exchange Service) Australia-Germany Joint Research Cooperation Scheme (2016-2017).

In Egyptology, her research concentrates on the New Kingdom, administration and society, prosopography, Egyptian archaeology and material culture. Since 1995, Susanne has taken part in the annual archaeological fieldwork of the Macquarie Theban Tombs Project, working in Luxor (Egypt) with A/Prof. Boyo Ockinga and the team in the tombs TT 148 (Amenemope), TT 233 (Saroy), TT 147 (Neferrenpet) and TT 149 (Amenmose), which date to the 18-20th Dynasties of the New Kingodm (ca. 1400-1140 BCE).

Higher Degree Research (PhD) supervision – current

• Meg Lisle (2015-2020) Working title: The role of women in the practice of religion in the New Kingdom: a sociological and anthropological analysis.
• Laura Peirce (2016-2019, under examination) Foreigners at Karnak: utilising the 'other' for the study of Egyptian identity from the Second Intermediate Period until the reign of Thutmose III (c. 1803-1425 BC).
• Gillian Smith (2017-2020) Working title: The Hypostyle Hall at Karnak: art, architecture and space.
• Sophie Harris (2018-2021) Working title: "Recount to me some fine words (md.wt nfr.wt) and choice utterances (ṯs.w stp.w)": metaphors and their rhetorical significance in ancient Egyptian didactic literature.