Course Descriptions

German

GERM 101: , GERM 102, GERM 103 Elementary German (1)
The language skills: listening comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing. Essentials of grammar are completed during the beginning of GERM 103 and followed by readings in literature and culture, with extensive practice in speaking. Open to beginners, and placement by examination. THeidt

GERM 201: Intermediate German (1)
Intensive review of basic German grammar and syntax through exploration of a broad range of materials: contemporary literature, video, newspaper and television materials, situational/conversational exercises and daily written assignments. Oral and written examinations. THeidt

GERM 201Q: Intermediate Quick-Start German (1/2)
Taught in conjunction with GERM 201, the course stresses the grammar and vocabulary necessary to discuss with Germans in Germany topics ranging from everyday life to past and current politics and culture. Over December Break, students stay with families and attend classes at the Gymnasien, or high schools. Further assignments are developed and overseen by the instructor. Staff

GERM 202: Introduction to German Literature (1)
Readings and discussions in German of various twentieth-century works. Critical analyses of narrative prose, drama, and poetry. HUMTHeidt

GERM 209: Business German in Cultural Perspective I (1)
This course examines the language and culture of the German business community, and prepares students to participate in discourses on economics and politics. Topics covered include the Wirtschaftswunder (the boom of German economy in the 50s and 60s); job market, immigration, and foreign workforce; German unification and its economic impact; the European Union and international trade; technology and the marketplace; topics in intercultural communication. HUMKMaurer

GERM 210: Conversation and Composition (1)
Training in speaking and writing idiomatic German through exploration of materials from German language newspapers, contemporary literature, and film. Also includes selective grammar review on the intermediate level. Students will learn the basic skills they need to analyze literature and film (e.g. writing a summary, writing a characterization) and acquire the necessary vocabulary and cultural skills to live and study at a German University. THeidt

GERM 248: Teaching Assistant (1/2 or 1)
Staff

GERM 295: Special Topics (1/2 or 1)
Courses offered occasionally to students in special areas of German not covered in the usual curriculum.Staff

GERM 302: , GERM 302E Realism in the German Context (1)
The realist tradition in German literature and film from the 19th century to the present. Students are presented with an overview of what German writers and filmmakers have viewed as 'life as it really is' and how they have chosen to represent 'reality' over the past 150 years. THeidt

GERM 317: Goethe (1)
Reading and discussion of Goethe's major works, including selections from his lyric poetry. Class discussions in German. Staff

GERM 319: or GERM 319E German Literature from the Beginning to the 18th Century (1)
(In German or English) Old High German literature, the lyric and epic of the High Middle Ages, the literature of the Reformation, Baroque, and Enlightenment. Staff

GERM 320: Advanced Conversation and Composition (1)
Training in speaking and writing idiomatic German through exploration of materials from German language newspapers, contemporary literature, and film. Also includes selective grammar review at the advanced level, and intensive practice in conversation and composition. Students will improve the skills they need to analyze literature and film (e.g. writing a critical essay; writing a research paper) and improve the vocabulary and cultural skills to live and study at a German University. THeidt

GERM 323E: (1)
Survey of major works, directions, and themes in German literature from 1750 to 1850. The course approaches the material from diverse scholarly and/or thematic perspectives, depending on course topic. Topics for the course may include: sacrifice and tragedy; the outsider; crime and punishment; the monstrous; family and society. HUM

GERM 324: , GERM 324E 19th Century German Culture (1)
Course topics are the political and ideological consolidation of a German nation in the nineteenth century; intersections of the construct of nation with Germany's imaginary others; challenges posed to national identity by social, political, and intellectual developments. We discuss philosophy, literature, art, and music/opera in their social and political contexts. Thematic aspects of the course typically include: industrialization, urbanization, antisemitism, the culture/civilization distinction, class struggle, changing perceptions of the human subject.THeidt

GERM 325: , GERM 325E German Culture: Focus on Berlin (1)
(In German or English) Exploration of contemporary German culture through focus on the nation's once and future capital. This is not a cultural history course but is instead designed to give students insight into the people and concerns "behind the headlines." Course materials include both fiction and non-fiction (political and economic) readings, interviews, slides, film, video and music. THeidt

GERM 326: , GERM 326E 1920's Berlin: Fears/Fantasies (1)
Introduction to the society, culture, and politics of the Weimar Republic (1919-1933) with particular focus on Berlin. We investigate the literature, visual culture (including film), and political and philosophical writing of that period to acquaint ourselves with major themes of modernity that are still virulent today. The course content may include, but is not limited to, the political, social, and psychological impact of WWI; new technologies (radio, film); mass society and the city; the "New Woman"; the gay liberation movement; theatre, film, and cabaret; the rise of fascism.THeidt

GERM 328: Twentieth Century German Theater (1)
German plays and theatrical techniques from the 1890s to the present, including naturalism, expressionism, epic theater, and documentary theater. Representative works from Hauptmann, Kaiser, Brecht, Frisch, Durrenmatt, Heiner Muller, Borchert, and others. Students participate in the production of one play in German. NBlackadder

GERM 330: or GERM 330E German Prose Fiction (1)
The German novelle and novel of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Authors read include Goethe, Kleist, Stifter, Storm, C.F. Meyer, A. von Droste-Hulshoff, Hauptmann, T. Mann, Kafka, Grass, and Kaschnitz. Staff

GERM 332: or GERM 332E Gender Studies in German Literature and Culture (1)
How is gender constructed in the intellectual and literary history of German-speaking countries, and what are the interrelations between gender construction and the life of cultural or political institutions? Possible course topics include: literature as a gendered institution; sexuality and the state; education; gay/lesbian literature; gender and race. THeidt

GERM 334: , GERM 334E Politics and Literature (1)
The course situates literary texts in their specific historical and political contexts, and confronts the philosophical and conceptual problems that arise at the intersection of literature and politics. This dual (historical and philosophical) perspective requires a combination of readings in history, literature, and philosophy/criticism. Topics include: literature and the formation of the public sphere; political agendas and aesthetic autonomy; economics and literature; writers in exile; censorship; revolution and literature. THeidt

GERM 336: , GERM 336E Contemporary German Culture (1)
The course examines contemporary German society and culture in an historical context. Topics include the political legacies of Nazism, East German communism, and the Student Movement of 1968; the role of religion in public life; Germany in a united Europe; immigration and changing concepts of Germanness; changing attitudes towards family, gender, and sexuality. Materials include scholarly essays, fiction, and film. THeidt

GERM 337: , GERM 337E German Society and Film (1)
Survey and analyses of German films within their social, political, and intellectual contexts. The course may present a broad survey from 1919 to the present, focus on an individual historical period, a director or group of directors, or on a theme in German film.THeidt

GERM 348: Teaching Assistant (1/2 or 1)
Staff

GERM 395: Special Topics (1/2 or 1)
Courses offered occasionally to students in special areas of German not covered in the usual curriculum.Staff

GERM 399: Senior Project (1/2 or 1)
Seniors prepare a study of appropriate scope in conjunction with any 300-level course in which they participate as regular students during their senior year. Students should identify the course in which they choose to do their project no later than the third term of their junior year and submit a preliminary topic and bibliography. With departmental approval students may undertake a project as an independent study. THeidt

GERM 400: Advanced Studies (1/2 or 1)
See College Honors Program. SKlocke