Course Offerings
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Fall 2012
GER 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 to 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. {F} 5 credits per semester; 10 for yearlong course
GER 200 Intermediate German
A review of basic grammatical concepts and the study of new ones, with emphasis on vocabulary building. An exploration of contemporary German culture through literary and journalistic texts, with regular practice in written and oral expression. Prerequisite: 110y, permission of the instructor, or by placement. {F} 4 credits
GER 231 Topics in German Cinema: Nazi Cinema
A study of German cinema during the Third Reich: the legacy of Weimar cinema; popular and high culture in Nazi ideology; the political function of entertainment; the question of fascist esthetics; constructions of masculinity and femininity; imaginations of the Other. With special focus on the films of Leni Riefenstahl. For comparison we will draw on some American examples (F. Capra, C. Chaplin, F. Zinnemann). Films to be studied: Hitler Youth Quex; Triumph of the Will; Olympia; Jew Suess, Muenchhausen, and others. Conducted in English. {A/H} 4 credits
GER 238 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. Taught in German. {F/H/L} 4 credits
GER 350 Language and Power
Language as the transmission of politics and culture: a study of the German-language media (newspapers, magazines, internet, television, supplemented by a variety of films and texts to be chosen in accordance with the interests and academic disciplines of students in the class). Active and intense practice of written and oral German through weekly compositions and linguistic exercises, as well as discussions and presentations analyzing the manner in which linguistic nuances reflect cultural and political practices. Conducted in German. Prerequisite: a 300-level course in German, permission of the instructor, or by placement. {F/L} 4 credits
Spring 2013
GER 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 to 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. {F} 5 credits per semester; 10 for yearlong course
GER 161 The Cultures of German-Speaking Europe
The purpose of this course is to provide curious students with a practical guide to the culture of German-speaking Europe from Teutonic barbarians to Teutonic rap. The main focus of this course will rest upon the interconnectedness of many diverse areas of German culture through the centuries (literature, art, philosophy, music, domestic culture, popular culture) and their relationship to contemporary life and society. Conducted in English. No previous knowledge of German culture or language required. {L/H} 4 credits
GER 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 who successfully complete GER 250 will be eligible for the Junior Year Abroad in Hamburg. Prerequisite: 200, permission of the instructor, or by placement. {F} 4 credits
GER 300 Topics in German Culture and Society: Growing Up in German-Speaking Europe
This course will focus on the concept and the reality of growing up in German-speaking Europe at different points in the past and in the present. Participants will examine texts and films for and about children and analyze the societal role of children and young adults and their education through the centuries. Readings of texts by Heinrich Hoffmann, Ludwig Thoma, Johanna Spyri, Waldemar Bonsels, Erich Kästner , Christine Nöstlinger and others. Taught in German. Prerequisite: GER 220, permission of the instructor or by placement. {L/F} 4 credits
GER 360 Advanced Topics in German Studies: German Wit
Each topic will focus on a particular literary epoch, movement, genre or author from German literary culture. All sections taught in German.
Is humor incompatible with the German character? Why is there no German Shakespeare or Molière? If there is such a thing as German humor, is it connected to Jewishness? George Eliot raises such questions in her seminal essay on Heinrich Heine, "German Wit" (1854), which will provide the starting point for a consideration of wit, humor, irony, satire, comedy in the literature, opera, and film of German-speaking countries. Writings by, for example, Lessing, Heine, Büchner, Nestroy, Freud, Th. Mann, Kafka, Brecht, Dürrenmatt, Frisch, Bernhard; operas by Mozart, Wagner, and R. Strauss; films by Ernst Lubitsch, Billy Wilder, Doris Dörrie, and Dani Levy. Conducted in German. {L} 4 credits
