Raised and partially trained in Germany, Prof. Kuhn-Osius received his PhD from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a dissertation on the topic of what we mean if we say that we understand a literary text. His literary interests include Goethe, 18th-century enlightenment era literature, and the 20th century up to the present. Special areas of concentration include, but are not limited to, Goethe's Faust, the literary reaction to World War I, and the works of Heinrich Boell.
He has published over thirty articles and reviews on literary and pedagogical topics. Professor Kuhn-Osius has a strong interest in teaching German at all levels from the beginning to the PhD level. He has special expertise and interest in teaching German language to very advanced learners and is also the main author of a three-volume series of introductory textbooks which are currently used and/or tested at various colleges in CUNY.
Professor Kuhn-Osius participated in the work on several grants from the NEH to improve language and literature teaching. In the work on these grants he has received training and certification as an oral proficiency tester. He also has been serving as Chair of the AATG Testing Commission for many years with the primary responsibility for preparing the annual national German tests administered in high schools throughout the USA. Dr. Kuhn-Osius is fascinated by the processes of intercultural communication. For this reason he stays in close contact with current developments in German life and society.
He has served in various study abroad capacities including as director of the Hunter summer program in Germany.