Course Offerings for 2010-2011:

Summer 2010:

• Language Study Abroad (LSA): see Programs in Berlin (German 3, 5, 6). Directed by Irene Kacandes.

• German 8. Advanced Language Skills. Taught at 9 by Veronika Fuechtner. Designed to develop facility in oral expression and writing; emphasis on vocabulary expansion and reinforcement of grammatical structures. The course will draw much of its material from the web, as well as from television films and more traditional print media. These works will serve as a basis for discussion and frequent writing assignments about contemporary linguistic, cultural, social, and political issues. Not open to returning FSP participants. WCult: W. Here is an example of an earlier syllabus.




• German 42. "Contemporary German Cinema." Taught at 10 by Veronika Fuechtner. Recent German films such as The Lives of Others, The Downfall, Head On or Run Lola Run have enjoyed much international success at festivals and box offices and drawn attention to a new generation of German-language film makers. This class will explore contemporary German culture of the last twenty years through their lens. We will discuss some of the main challenges that German society is facing today: overcoming the divide between East and West, integrating immigrant cultures, and coming to terms with the history of the Third Reich. In our analysis of popular mainstream movies as well as low-budget independent productions, we will also address how film makers today refer to the rich tradition of German cinema before reunification, e.g. the expressionist cinema of the 1920s or the New German Cinema of the 1970s. No German knowledge is required for this class - all films are available and subtitled in English. By special arrangement, this course can also be used to count toward a German Studies major or minor. Open to all classes. Dist: LIT. WCult: W.
• German 85. Independent study project. Before the beginning of the term, and after consulting with a faculty member, students submit a proposal to the department.

Fall 2010:

• Foreign Study Program (FSP - German 29-31): see Programs in Berlin. Directed by Gerd Gemünden.
• German 1. Introductory German. Taught at 9S by by Veronika Fuechtner and at 10 by an instructor to be announced. The 10 o'clock section will also use the x-hour on Thursday at 12. Introduction to written and spoken German. Intensive study of basic grammar and vocabulary through readings, oral and written drills, composition exercises, conversation, and practice in the virtual laboratory. The 5th edition of Na klar!, by Di Donato et al., replaces a previously-used textbook. But to get some sense of the course, look at an earlier syllabus.
• German 2. Introductory German. Taught at 9 by Bruce Duncan. It will also use the x-hour on Thursday at 12. Continued intensive study of basic grammar and vocabulary through readings, oral and written drills, composition exercises, conversation, and practice in the virtual laboratory. The 5th edition of Na klar!, by Di Donato et al., replaces a previously-used textbook. But to get some sense of the course, look at an earlier syllabus.
• German 3. Intermediate German. Taught at 11. Designed primarily to develop reading and speaking skills; emphasis on expansion of vocabulary and reinforcement of grammatical structures. Reading and discussion of texts of literary and cultural interest. Oral and written assignments.
• German 7. First Year Seminar. Taught by Veronika Fuechtner. See Special Listings.



• German 9. Introduction to German Studies: From the Reformation to Reunification. Taught at 11 by by Yuliya Komska. An introduction to German cultural history that examines social and historical developments from the age of Luther in the early sixteenth century to the unification of East and West Germany in 1990 as they are reflected in literature, art, music, and philosophy. Emphasis is placed on Germans' growing awareness of themselves as a nation and on an analysis of aesthetic and intellectual accomplishments that are representative of major periods in their history. Conducted in German. Dist: PHR. WCult: W.



• German 61. The Age of Goethe (1749-1832). Taught at 10 by Bruce Duncan. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was the most notable creative force of the period that bears his name, but his contemporaries included an astonishing number of other great geniuses in literature, music, philosophy, etc. In addition to reading representative literary works by Goethe, Hoffmann, Kleist, Lenz, Schiller, and Tieck, students will explore a topic of their choosing about historical, artistic, or scientific developments of the time. Conducted in German. Open to all classes. Dist: LIT. WCult: W.
• German 85. Independent study project. Before the beginning of the term, and after consulting with a faculty member, students submit a proposal to the department.

Winter 2011:

German 1. Introductory German. Taught at 9S by Ellis Shookman. Introduction to written and spoken German. Intensive study of basic grammar and vocabulary through readings, oral and written drills, composition exercises, conversation, and practice in the virtual laboratory. The 5th edition of Na klar!, by Di Donato et al., replaces a previously-used textbook. But to get some sense of the course, look at an earlier syllabus.
• German 2. Introductory German. Taught at 9Sby Bruce Duncan and at 10 by Klaus Mladek. The 10 o'clock section will also use the x-hour on Thursday at 12. Continued intensive study of basic grammar and vocabulary through readings, oral and written drills, composition exercises, conversation, and practice in the virtual laboratory. The 5th edition of Na klar!, by Di Donato et al., replaces a previously-used textbook. But to get some sense of the course, look at an earlier syllabus.


• German 10. German Culture and Society before 1900. Taught at 12 by Klaus Mladek. In 2011 Winter: "Justice, Passion and Evil: German Crime Stories (1750-1900)." Pitaval, Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, Hoffmann, Tieck, Büchner, Neuer Pitaval, Droste, Keller, Nietzsche und Freud. Essays, oral reports, and a final exam help students develop the ability to hear, read, speak, and write educated German. Conducted in German. Dist: LIT. WCult: W.



• German 44. German Literature and Thought (in English Translation). "The Faust Tradition," taught 10A by Ellis Shookman. Faust's famous story of selling one's soul to the devil in return for wealth, power, knowledge, love, freedom, or youth has been told in many ways and in diverse media. This course concentrates on the life and times of the actual Johann Faustus and their first literary treatment, on two dramatic classics, and on two twentieth-century novels. Representations of Faust in the visual arts, music, film, and other national literatures will also be regarded. In comparative breadth as well as critical depth, the course thus surveys the enduring fascination with Faust (and his sidekick Mephistopheles) from the Renaissance and the Reformation, through both the Enlightenment and Romanticism, and down to the present day. Conducted in English. German majors or minors can take this course for major or minor credit if they do additional work in German and participate in a German discussion section. The syllabus is still under construction, but a similar one from the Fall of '07 can be found here. German majors can take this course for major credit if they do additional work in German and participate in a German discussion section. Open to all classes. Dist: LIT. WCult: W.


• German 65. Topics in 20th Century Cultural Studies. Taught at 2A by Irene Kacandes. This seminar aims to introduce students to four major issues in German culture that span the course of the twentieth century: Die Großstadt, Gewalt und Antisemitismus; Stunde Null; Multikulturalismus; and Die Berliner Republik. It will further familiarize students with the methods of cultural studies, teach them how to explore a topic using different media, and improve their speaking and writing in German. The course is divided into four two-week segments with a week at the end for oral presentations of paper topics. For each topical segment there will be primary readings in German and some visual and musical material. This course also counts as the culminating experience for seniors majoring in German, who will meet as a group five times over the term during the x-hour. Conducted in German. Open to all classes. Dist: LIT. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult.
• German 85. Independent study project. Before the beginning of the term, and after consulting with a faculty member, students submit a proposal to the department.

Spring 2011:

• Language Study Abroad (LSA): see Programs in Berlin (German 3, 5, 6). Directed by Yuliya Komska.
• German 1. Introductory German. Taught at 9S by Ellis Shookman.. Introduction to written and spoken German. Intensive study of basic grammar and vocabulary through readings, oral and written drills, composition exercises, conversation, and practice in the virtual laboratory. The 5th edition of Na klar!, by Di Donato et al., replaces a previously-used textbook. But to get some sense of the course, look at an earlier syllabus.
• German 2. Introductory German. Taught at 10, it will also use the x-hour on Thursday at 12. Continued intensive study of basic grammar and vocabulary through readings, oral and written drills, composition exercises, conversation, and practice in the virtual laboratory. The 5th edition of Na klar!, by Di Donato et al., replaces a previously-used textbook. But to get some sense of the course, look at an earlier syllabus.
• German 3. Intermediate German. Taught at 11. Designed primarily to develop reading and speaking skills; emphasis on expansion of vocabulary and reinforcement of grammatical structures. Reading and discussion of texts of literary and cultural interest. Oral and written assignments.



• German 11. German Culture and Society in the 20th Century. Taught at 9L by Ellis Shookman.. Since 1900, Germany has undergone cataclysmic changes with global implications. This course will explore important moments in the cultural history of German-speaking countries from the Weimar Republic to the Holocaust, and from the Cold War to the fall of the Berlin Wall and beyond. Figures treated may range from Freud to Mann and from the Bauhaus to techno. Speaking and writing in German will be emphasized through class discussion, writing assignments and oral reports. Students will also learn how to use bibliographic tools and other German Studies resources. Conducted in German. Prerequisite: German 3, or equivalent. Open to all classes. Dist: LIT. WCult: W.



• German 13. "Beyond Good and Evil." Taught at 10 by Klaus Mladek and other members of the department. Borrowing its title from Nietzsche, this course examines some of the most famous and infamous figures - mythological, fictional and historical - that have profoundly shaped German identity. While exploring the lives, works, and influence of the likes of Luther, Faust, and Leni Riefenstahl, students will not only develop a greater understanding of Wagner's question "What is German?" but also learn how the answer to that question has come to epitomize notions of good and evil in general. Taught in English. WCult: CI.

• German 82. Seminar: Topic to be announced. Taught at 10A by Tanja Dückers, the Max Kade Distinguished Visiting Professor. Conducted in German. Dist: LIT. WCult: W.
• German 85. Independent study project. Before the beginning of the term, and after consulting with a faculty member, students submit a proposal to the department.
• German 87. Honors Thesis. Arrange.