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German Language and Literature

Spring 2023

  • 470:101 Elementary German

     

    This course will introduce students to the language and culture of German-speaking countries, using both prepared and authentic materials with theme-related vocabulary and grammatical structures. Students will have the opportunity to practice listening, reading, writing, and speaking in German through in-class activities and homework assignments. The program of the course corresponds to the Level A1 (Beginner) of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), a widely accepted European standard for language proficiency.

    By the end of the semester students will be able to:

    • understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type
    • introduce themselves and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people they know and things they have
    • interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.More specifically, students will be able to:
    • talk about themselves, their families, and their origins
    • talk about weather and clothing
    • order food and drinks in a restaurant or a café, discuss food and cooking, use cooking recipes
    • discuss different living situations, talk about houses, rooms, etc.
    • talk about their time and make appointments
    • orient themselves in a German-speaking urban setting and ask for directions
    • talk about things that happened in the past;
    • talk about professions, job, study, recreation, and daily life
    • talk about some major landmarks and places of interest of the German-speaking countries
    • talk about health and health issues
    • express their intentions, obligations and necessities.

    No prerequisites. This course is taught in German with some explanation of grammar points in English. Not open for credit to students who have had two or more years of secondary school German. Students of 101 are strongly encouraged to enroll in Elementary German Lab 103.

     

  • 470:102 Elementary German

    Not open for credit to students who have had two or more years of high-school German. Such students should enroll in German 121, unless they have placed into a higher-level German course.

     

    This course will continue introducing students to the language and culture of German-speaking countries, using both prepared and authentic materials with theme-related vocabulary and grammatical structures. Students will have the opportunity to practice listening, reading, writing, and speaking in German through in-class activities and homework assignments. The program of the course corresponds to the Level A2 (Elementary) of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), a widely accepted European standard for language proficiency. By the end of the semester students will be able to:

    • understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).
    • communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters.
    • describe in simple terms aspects of their background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.More specifically, students will be able to:
    • understand non-fiction texts on some topics, including classified ads
    • talk about migration, backgrounds, and languages, compare cities and countries
    • talk about families and everyday life, about city and country life
    • describe people
    • talk about travel
    • talk about leisure, hobbies and interests, as well as holidays and traditions
    • talk about media
    • talk about inventions, products and goods
    • organize a trip to a theater, etc.
    • talk about professional life
    • leave a message on the phone
    • express emotions and react to them using language

    The course is taught in German with some explanation of grammar points in English. 

  • 470:103 German for Travel

     

    This course will introduce students to the language and culture of German-speaking countries focusing on the language competencies particularly relevant in travel situations.

    By the end of the semester students will be able to speak about themselves in general and as travelers, ask basic questions about travel, discuss their travel interests and express likes and dislikes, speak about German-speaking countries and their inhabitants, orient themselves in means of transportation and accommodations used in Europe, purchase tickets and book hotel rooms on German-language websites.

    The course is taught in German with some explanation of grammar points and cultural references in English. Not open to students who have completed 01:470:102, 01:470:121, or the equivalent.

  • 470:104 German Conversation

     

    This course will introduce students to the language and culture of German-speaking countries focusing on the language competencies particularly relevant for oral communication in everyday situations. By the end of the semester students will be able to:

    • speak about themselves;
    • ask basic questions;
    • share basic information about their families and relatives;
    • speak about their studies;
    • speak about objects relevant to everyday situations;
    • speak about the weather;
    • express likes and dislikes. The course is taught in German with some explanation of grammar points and cultural references in English.

    The course is taught in German with some explanation of grammar points and cultural references in English. Not open to students who have completed 01:470:102, 01:470:121, or the equivalent.

  • 470:106 German for Reading Knowledge

    Professor Alexander Pichugin

    This course, taught in English and German, continues to develop the basic reading competencies in the German language. Texts read in the course are chosen from the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences.

    By the end of the semester students will be able to:

    • apply specific reading strategies to reading a text in German;
    • read German texts with correct pronunciation and intonation;
    • recognize most grammar phenomena and apply this knowledge to understanding;
    • apply some basic passive vocabulary to reading German texts;
    • efficiently use online and paper-based dictionaries.

    This course is delivered in a hybrid format, which is different from either a traditional classroom-based course or a fully online course. Students spend approximately half the time online and half in the classroom. Instead of meeting in-class twice per week for 80 minutes each class, students will meet once per week, and the rest of the week is held virtually in the Canvas learning management system.

    This course also follows a “flipped classroom” approach to learning. This means that students are expected to prepare for each class through readings, learning vocabulary and completing the assignments prior to attending class. This allows class time to be used for more active and engaging activities for a more enriching learning experience for students.

    The course is taught in English.

  • 470:121 German Intensive Review

    (121 is for students with two or more years of high-school German who do not place into German 131.)
    Not open to students who have taken 01:470:101-102.

     

    An intermediate reinforcement course. Practice in speaking, reading, and writing German; extensive grammar review; cultural topics. Prepares students to take German 131. This course meets with 470:102.

  • 470:132 Intermediate German II

    Prerequisite: 01:470:131 or placement.

     

    In this course students will further develop their competencies in German language and culture of the German-speaking countries on the intermediate level, using both prepared and authentic materials with theme-related vocabulary and grammatical structures. Students will have the opportunity to practice listening, reading, writing, and speaking in German through various in-class activities and homework assignments. Using a variety of media, such as written texts, video, and audio clips, students will explore the course’s five major themes: Climate and Environment; Social Behaviors; Generations; Migration; Europe.

    The program of the course corresponds to the Level B1.2, which is the first half of Level B1 (Intermediate) of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), a widely accepted European standard for language proficiency. By the end of the course sequence, students will be able to understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc.; deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken; produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest; describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

    The course is taught in German with some explanation of grammar points in English.

    Fulfills SAS core goal AH q

  • 470:225 Fairy Tales Then and Now

    Professor Martha Helfer

    In English. No prerequisites.

    01:470:225:02 2nd-year section
    01:470:225:03 3rd-year section
    01:470:225:04 4th-year section
    01:195:246:01

    This course analyzes the structure, meaning, and function of fairy tales and their enduring influence on literature and popular culture. While we will concentrate on the German context, and in particular the works of the Brothers Grimm, we also will consider fairy tales drawn from a number of different national traditions and historical periods, including the American present. Various strategies for interpreting fairy tales will be examined, including methodologies derived from structuralism, folklore studies, gender studies, and psychoanalysis. We will explore pedagogical and political uses and abuses of fairy tales. We will investigate the evolution of specific tale types and trace their transformations in various media from oral storytelling through print to film, television, and the stage. Finally, we will consider potential strategies for the reinterpretation and rewriting of fairy tales. 

    All sections meet together.

    This course has no prerequisites. Taught in English.

    Satisfies SAS Core Curriculum Requirements AHp, WCd.

  • 470:232 Advanced German II

    In German.

    In this course students will further develop their competencies in the German language and culture of the German-speaking countries towards the upper intermediate level, using both prepared and authentic materials with theme-related vocabulary and grammatical structures. Students will have the opportunity to practice listening, reading, writing, and speaking in German through various in-class activities and homework assignments.

    Using a variety of media, such as written texts, video, and audio clips, students will explore the course’s eight major themes: Extreme Things; Nature and Technology, Lifestyles; Sites and Events; Volunteering; Architecture; Germans; Streets and Stories.

    The program of the course corresponds to Level B2 (Upper Intermediate) of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), a widely accepted European standard for language proficiency.

    The course is taught in German with some explanation of grammar points in English. 

  • 470:244 Topics in German Culture: The Language of Music

    Professor Alexander Pichugin

    Taught in English. NO Prerequisites or knowledge of German necessary.

    This course invites students to explore the world of music and its connections to language. Students will trace the development of music and its connection to language from a historical and cultural perspective. Students will study the fundamentals of music and discover basic music terminology, which will be used throughout the course as a foundation for discussion of music throughout history. Eras covered will include Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and a variety of 20th Century genres. Students will gain an understanding of the context in which music was created by recognizing and aurally identifying style characteristics, genres, and representative masterworks from various periods.

    The course is conducted in English. Some optional course materials in other European languages are offered.

    Ability to read German, Italian, or French, as well as music score are welcome, but not required.

    This course is a mini-course starting on March 9, 2023 and running for seven weeks. The meetings of the course are conducted face-to-face.

  • 470:275 Introduction to German Studies: Weimar Culture

    Alfredo Franco 

    In English. No prerequisites.

    At the end of World War I, Germany was a traumatized, vilified, and defeated country, yet also, remarkably, a young one:  despite centuries of culture, it was less than fifty years old as a unified nation and was still building a plausible identity out of multiple regional differences and a complex relationship to the rest of Europe. The loss of the war had toppled the country’s monarchy and initiated a bold experiment in democracy. The Republic, which lasted from 1918 until 1933, has come to be known as The Weimar Republic, because its first leaders convened in the quiet city of Weimar, three hours outside of Berlin. In Weimar, they could pursue the normal functions of government, safe from Berlin’s chaotic violence, which included pitched battles among disillusioned war veterans, Communist revolutionaries, and right-wing, pro-monarchist militarists.

    Although the Republic experienced severe political and economic instability throughout its relatively brief life, it left an indelible mark on world culture: Walter Gropius, Martin Heidegger, Fritz Lang, Mary Wigman, Joseph Pilates, Paul Hindemith, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bertolt Brecht, Lotte Lenya, Theodore W. Adorno, and Marlene Dietrich are but a few of the many creative figures at work in Germany during this period. Extraordinary developments were not confined to the arts but were achieved in social, technological, scientific and political fields as well, not least in the realms of sexuality and gender. Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, the “Einstein of Sex,” founded the Institute for Sexual Research as early as 1919 in Berlin, creating an unprecedented haven for sexual minorities and transgender people. 

    This course will survey the history, literature, and politics of the Weimar era, as well as German visual arts of the 1920s and early 1930s. Though often remembered as a golden age of Modernism and experimentation, the art of the Weimar period can sometimes prove surprisingly traditional. Several German painters eschewed abstraction and returned to German Medieval and Renaissance Masters such as Holbein, Grünewald, and Albrecht Dürer, reinterpreting them in the light of contemporary, Post-World War I realities. Even the Bauhaus, at the forefront of international design and architecture, based its ethos on German medieval concepts of apprenticeship and craft. Indeed, some of the most influential figures of conservative thought also flourished during the Weimar period, including Ernst Jünger and Carl Schmitt. Weimar, not unlike our own time, was fiercely cleft in terms of politics. As Eric D. Weitz has written recently: “Weimar Germany still speaks to us.”

    When logistically possible, this course will include visits to the Neue Galerie (New York) and the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers. 

    This course will be taught in English and is open to first-year students as well as to non-German majors. No knowledge of the German is required.

    Course fulfills the Core requirements AHp, WCD.  

  • 470:299 Contemporary German Media and Society

    Prerequisite: 01:470:102 or 01:470:121, or higher. 

    In German. If taken twice, 470:299 may be counted for three credits towards the major or minor. 

    The main goal of this course is to increase the students' cultural awareness through the study of the various media and their role in contemporary German society, while furthering the students' German language skills through consistent speaking, listening, reading, and writing. In this course, students will explore the traditional, modernized, and news media and the role they play in different realms of contemporary German society. Chosen topics of the course are crucial to understanding the modern German-speaking world and include themes such as social structure, politics, culture, and everyday life. Special attention is paid to cultural comparisons between Germany and the United States.

  • 470:302 Introduction to Cultural and Literary Analysis: Adaptations

    Professor Michael Levine

    Adaptations

    Works of literature can enjoy an afterlife or even a rebirth in the adaptations based upon them. These re-envisionings have a way of tapping into unsuspected aspects of the original by translating them into a different medium. The course will explore these processes of translation and recreation by studying how literary works are adapted for the screen, set to music or reimagined as graphic novels. Among the works considered are graphic novel adaptions of Franz Kafka, Georg Büchner and Theodor Storm; Wagner’s operatic adaptation of the chivalric romance of Tristan and Iseult; and cinematic adaptations of works by Heinrich and Thomas Mann.

    Taught in German. Fulfills SAS core requirements AHp, WCd.

    300-level German-language courses open to students who have either successfully completed German 232 or will be simultaneously enrolled in either German 231 or 232. May be repeated for credit.

  • 470:302 Introduction to Cultural and Literary Analysis: Home, Bittersweet Home

    Dr. Stephanie Galasso

    If one takes Homer’s Odyssey as a starting point, much of Western literature is essentially a quest to find one’s way home. Modern German literature poses no exception to this timeworn theme. In this course, we will examine the thread of home as it develops over the course of German literary history.
    From Goethe’s homesick heroine Iphigenie at the outset of German classicism, to the tortured wanderings of so many Romantic protagonists (Ludwig Tieck’s Christian in “Der Runenberg,” Dorothea Schlegel’s eponymous Florentin, and Novalis’ Heinrich von Ofterdingen), the origins of a “German” national literary tradition often entailed literary reflections on home and belonging. We will question to what extent these seemingly abstract meditations on home also express and respond to emerging notions of gender, domesticity, national identity, and civility.

    In the second half of the course, we will consider the more overt political dimensions of this longing for home. We will read the works of authors such as Bertolt Brecht, Paul Celan, W. G. Sebald, and May Ayim, who, each in their own unique ways, invoke images of home as a means of resistance towards the violence of the twentieth century. We will also read essays from the recent pathbreaking anthology, Eure Heimat ist unser Albtraum (eds. Fatma Aydemir and Hengameh Yaghoobifarah).

    Taught in German. Fulfills SAS core requirements AHp, WCd.

    300-level German-language courses open to students who have either successfully completed German 232 or will be simultaneously enrolled in either German 231 or 232. May be repeated for credit.

  • 470:304 German and Comparative Literature: Plants and Politics

    Distinguished Visiting Craig Professor Jan Mieszkowski

    Taught in English. No prerequisites.
    Crosslisted with Comparative Literature 01:195:314:01

    In the modern era, botany and colonialism have been inseparable. With the rise of European imperialism, plants became big business, and their study and cultivation was as much a matter of trade and conquest as scientific inquiry. To create an empire meant remaking ecosystems abroad and at home. Botany has also been a preoccupation of modern artists, poets, and philosophers, who have asked why it is so difficult to represent plants and what it means that flowers are one of the most venerable models of language. In this course, we will explore the intimate relationships between aesthetic and scientific conceptualizations of the plant kingdom from the eighteenth century to the present, looking at works of poetry and prose, photography, and film. We will also consider attempts to envision a post-colonial botany. Authors will include Rousseau, Goethe, Kant, Hegel, Dickinson, Nietzsche, Benjamin, Freud, Rilke, Celan, Mayröcker, Walcott, Kincaid, and Moten.

    Fulfills SAS Core Goals AHo, AHp, WCd

  • 470:353 The Nazi Period in Film

    Professor Alexander Pichugin

    Taught in English. No Prerequisites.

    Exploration of important role of cinema during Nazi era. Study of historical situation in Germany between 1933 and 1945, and of representative films produced in Germany under the Nazi regime. Focus on the staging of power, representations of race, and the promotion of escapism in these films, as well as on retrospective representation of the period in contemporary cinema.

German Language and Literature Information

Upcoming Events

24 Apr 2024; 12:00PM - 02:00PM
German Awards Ceremony
24 Apr 2024; 04:00PM - 06:30PM
Declamation Contest