German Studies 110Y: Elementary German
An introduction to spoken and written German, and to the culture and history of German-speaking people and countries. Emphasis on grammar and practical vocabulary for use in conversational practice, written exercises, and listening and reading comprehension. By the end of the year, students will be able to read short edited literary and journalistic texts as a basis for classroom discussion and compose short written assignments. Students who successfully complete this year-long course and take GER 200 and GER 250 (220) will be eligible for the Junior Year Abroad in Hamburg. Credits: 5 per semester, 10 for yearlong course {F}
Section 01 - MWF 9-10:20 am - Judith Keyler-Mayer
Section 02 - MWF 11:-12:10 am - Anca Holden
German Studies 250: Advanced Intermediate German
Introduction and practice of more advanced elements of grammar, with an emphasis on expanding vocabulary. Discussion of topics in modern German culture; development of reading skills using unedited literary and journalistic texts; weekly writing assignments. Students in this course are eligible to take the examination for the Zertifikat Deutsch that is administered at Smith each spring by the Goethe Institute. The Zertifikat Deutsch is highly regarded by private and public sector employers in all German-speaking countries as proof of well-developed communicative skills in basic German. Students who successfully complete GER 250 (220) will be eligible for the Junior Year Abroad in Hamburg. Prerequisite: 200, permission of the instructor, or by placement. Credits: 4 ;{F}
MWF - 11:00 am-12:10 pm - Judith Keyler-Mayer
German Studies 300: Topics in German Culture and Society: Grim(m) Tales and Happy Endings
This course invites you to journey into the world of German fairy tales, of sagas and legends. Castles and humble huts, enchanted forests and crumbling ruins are the topographies of our critical inquiry into bewitching, at times haunting tales of power struggles, family conflicts, the rise from "rags to riches" as well as cruel acts, punishments and rewards. Although our focus will be on literary tales, chief among them the Tales Of the Brothers Grimm, we will look at other traditions of storytelling and their continuing relevance as literary and cultural products for today. Prerequisite: GER 250 (220) or permission of the instructor. Credits: 4; {F/L}
MW - 1:10-2:40 pm - Gertraud Gutzmann
German Studies 339: Topics in Media Studies: Reading Other People's Mail: Letters in Literature and Life
Would Goethe’s Werther have used e-mail? What if Dangerous Liaisons had appeared as a blog? Starting with two epistolary novels, Goethe's The Sufferings of Young Werther (1774) and Laclos's Dangerous Liaisons (1784), we will study the art and function of letter-writing by men and women in fiction and reality from the 18th century to the present. Additional readings from, for example, Schiller, Austen, F. Schlegel, Rahel Levin, Fontane, Freud, Kafka, Rilke, Proust, Th. Mann, H. Arendt, Derrida. Credits: 4; {F}{H}{L}
MW - 2:40-4:00 pm - Jocelyne Kolb
German Studies 360: Advanced Topics in German Studies: The Birth of German Studies
Goethe (1749-1832) did it all. He was a political advisor as well as a poet, a director of mines as well as of theater, a scientist as well as a painter. What is more, everything that Goethe did and wrote about during his long lifetime continues to shape German Studies as we now understand it. Using Goethe's literary, scientific, and theoretical writings as a touchstone, we will trace the historical context and current state of the field. Credits: 4; {F}{L}
W - 7:00-9:00 pm - Jocelyne Kolb
