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Winter 2022 Class Schedule

Winter 2022 Class Schedule

Winter 2022 Classes
Course Title Instructor Time Topic
101-1-27  Beginning German Paluch MTThF 4-4:50PM
101-2-20 Beginning German Zeller MTWF 9-9:50AM
101-2-21 Beginning German Hutter MTWF 10-10:50AM
101-2-22 Beginning German Swistelnicki MTWF 11-11:50AM
101-2-23 Beginning German Meuser MTWF 3-3:50PM
102-2-20 Intermediate German Ryder MTWF 9-9:50AM
102-2-21 Intermediate German Melovska MTWF 10-10:50AM
102-2-22 Intermediate German Meuser MTWF 11-11:50AM
102-2-23 Intermediate German Kerlova MTWF 1-1:50PM
207-0 Current Events in German Media Paluch MWF 2-2:50PM
221-1 Introduction to Literature: 1800-1900 Weitzman MWF 3-3:50PM Longing and Struggle
244-0 Analyzing Freud Weitzman

 MWF 1-1:50PM

245-0 Special Topics  Zeller

 MWF 3-3:50PM

Secrets, Spies, and Solidarity- from Deutschland 83 to Deutschland 89 and today! 

248-0

Learning Diversity: Germany and Global Migration

Holt T TH 3:30-4:50PM Migrants, Refugees, and 'Guests"
309-1

Advanced Business German: the German Economy

Ryder MWF 1-1:50PM
321-3 Recoveries and Transitions: 1945-present von Holt T TH
12:30 - 1:50
322-0

German Contributions to World Literature

Kerlova T TH
3:30-4:50
Prague: City of Cultures and Conflicts
Co-list with Slavic 393
349-0

History of the Holocaust
Lecture

Ionescu T TH 11AM-12:20 PM Co-list with History 349

Discussion Section

Fri 10:00, or
Fri 11:00, or
Fri 1:00
403-0

German Literature and Critical Thought, 1900-1945

Fenves M 2 - 4:50

Winter 2022 course descriptions 

GER 101-1,2,3 : Beginning German 

This is the first quarter of the Beginning German sequence: a systematic introduction to basic German. All four language skills - speaking, listening comprehension, reading and writing - are stressed to insure that students acquire a basic command of German. Classes are conducted in German, with occasional use of English. Key feature of this quarter: Individual oral interviews at the end of the quarter.
Prerequisite in German for 101-1: None or one year of high-school German.
Prerequisite in German for 101-2: 101-1 or placement exam results.
Prerequisite in German for 101-3: 101-2 or placement exam results.

GER 102- 1,2,3 : Intermediate German

This is the second quarter of a three-quarter sequence of Intermediate German. The thematic focus this quarter is on contemporary Germany as a multi-ethnic society. As materials we will use the TV show Türkisch für Anfänger and articles from a variety of German magazines or newspapers. We will follow recent 21st-century German cultural and political questions. All language skills are practiced throughout the year, but each quarter focuses on different language areas. In the Winter quarter we focus on colloquial and idiomatic contemporary language. The Spring quarter will be devoted to excerpts from German literary works of varying genres and discussion arising from them. The fall quarter was dedicated to 20th-century German history and politics through a literary lens.
Prerequisite in German for 102-1: 101-3 or placement exam results
Prerequisite in German for 102-2: 102-1 or placement exam results.
Prerequisite in German for 102-3: 102-2 or placement exam results.

German 207-0 – Current Events in German Media

Using the broad range of media now easily available on the internet, this course will provide an opportunity to learn about current issues in Europe as examined through German language media. Print articles, radio broadcasts, TV news shows, and other internet websites now allow immediate access to contemporary Germany and we will use these sources during class discussions and activities to investigate issues in sports, politics, education, economics, history and culture.
Prerequisite in German: German 102-3.

German 221-1 – Introduction to Literature: 1800-1900

This course will introduce students to representative works of nineteenth-century German literature in their historical and literary contexts. The readings will move through the periods of Weimar Classicism, Romanticism, Young Germany, Realism, and Naturalism, focusing on the dramatic political, emotional, and intellectual upheavals in German culture during this century, and the desires, struggles, and longing for liberation of various kinds out of which these upheavals sprang. The course also provides an introduction to literary analysis in German, and gives an overview of various literary genres used in the nineteenth century such as poems, novellas, stories, and novels.
Prerequisite in German: One 200-level course in German or permission of the DUS.
This course counts for Distribution Area VI.

German 244 – Analyzing Freud

This class will take a look at the life and work of the groundbreaking Viennese psychologist Sigmund Freud from a comparative and interdisciplinary angle. Almost 80 years after his death, Freud's legacy continues to be controversial: some claim that his theories are no longer relevant in the light of new research, whereas others defend his theories and/or expand upon the implications and influence of his ideas, in the realm not only of psychology, medicine, and neuroscience, but also in the fields of sociology, cultural studies, philosophy, literary studies, criminal justice, queer and gender studies, communications, and many more. What is certain, however, is that, one way or another, Freud's theories and ideas have marked the world for all time. This class will read fundamental texts from Freud's body of work in dialogue with texts by Freud's near and distant predecessors and followers, both to situate Freud in his historical and cultural context, and to think through the many different kinds of questions that Freud's work addresses.
Prerequisites: None.
This course counts for Distribution Area VI.

German 245-0 – Special Topics in German Literature and Culture

The course is structured around the recent German-American Cold War espionage series Deutschland 83, Deutschland 86, and Deutschland 89 (2016-2020) by Anna Winger and Joerg Winger. Participants will explore the political, social, cultural, scientific, and technological climate of the Cold War and the history of secret agents with a focus on East-Germany, West-Germany, and the US, while also critically examining relevant current developments on the global stage. Topics to be discussed in class include youth culture, communism, social democracy, nuclear armament, control by state and media, popular and classical music, the national military, the green movement, the LGBTQ community, and generational dynamics. Authentic materials from a variety of sources will be discussed to complement the film screenings, including propaganda, political speeches, song lyrics, historical texts, and news articles. Aesthetics and film techniques will also be analyzed. Continued development towards proficiency in all language skills is targeted. Aligned with the principles of Exploratory Practice, reflection and collaboration play a significant role; assignments will include regular reflections on selected episodes as well as on individual learning styles and progress, mini-presentations and creative tasks on chosen topics, short quizzes, two research papers, and a final project.
Prerequisite in German: One 200-level course in German or permission of the DUS.
This course counts for Distribution Area VI. The course may be repeated for credit with different topics.

German 248 – Learning Diversity: Germany and Global Migration

The so-called refugee crisis that began in 2015 re-defined Europe's self-perception, placing Germany very much in the focus of global attention: The government's decision to accommodate more than a million refugees met praise and criticism alike, both inside and outside of Germany. And subsequent shifts in German public discourse and state policy have indicated the extent to which historical conversations about immigration and identity continue to impact the contemporary moment. In this course, we will address the "crisis" as treated in the German-speaking world with an eye to its representation in the media and culture, the manifold political responses, and historical debates on migration, citizenship, and diversity. Students will follow ongoing news stories, familiarize themselves with current and historical policies regarding asylum in German-speaking countries, and read, watch, and discuss depictions of migrants, refugees, and "guests" in German-language literature and film. In addition, students will be asked to compare their findings with the situation in the US in the past and present to gain a deeper understanding of the issues involved and developed a nuanced understanding of both societies.
Prerequisites: None.
This course counts for Distribution Area IV.

German 309-1 – Advanced Business German: the German Economy

This course will give you an overview of the German economy, its underlying structures, its current trends and some of the political and global issues it is facing today. Throughout the course, you will gain tools that will enable you to become well-versed in German economic and sociopolitical topics. While the course is designed to introduce you to a variety of issues, you will also be able to delve deeper into one topic of your choice for your final project, such as national health care insurance or immigration. Although content-driven, the course will also further develop your language skills. You will expand your vocabulary and become familiar with advanced grammar structures used heavily in the business context. In-class activities and will focus on how to present graphics and statistics, and lead informative discussions in a business setting.
Prerequisite in German: Two 200-level courses in German or permission of the DUS.

German 321-3 – Recoveries and Transitions: 1945 - Present

From the end of the war to the end of the wall, German literature of the past half-century has been engaged in a complicated relationship with the socio-political sphere. Through a study of select literary texts, non-fiction essays, and films, we will explore how the author engages with (or, alternatively, rejects engagement with) the socio-cultural environment through the counter-discourse of literature. Topics of particular focus will include: representation of the National Socialist past; inter-generational conflict in German society; the ‘terrorist\' movement of the 1970s; the politicized climate of the women\'s movement; the response of the writer in East Germany; the role of historical memory in contemporary Germany; and the politics of national unification and citizenship.
Prerequisite in German: Three 200-level courses in German (at least one in literature) or permission of the DUS.
This course counts for Distribution Area IV and Area VI. 

German 322-0 – German Contributions to World Literature

CITY OF CULTURES, CITY OF CONFLICT: This course examines Prague, one of the most beautiful and culturally vibrant cities in Europe. The city's magnificent streets and buildings both conceal and reveal a past full of multi ethnic coexistence and inter ethnic conflict. The course aims to understand the development of Prague over the past two centuries from a multicultural, democratic city to a homogeneous, communist one, and ultimately to its present open and capitalist incarnation. We will read a range of literary and historical sources, including the story of the Golem and writings by Milan Kundera, Václav Havel, and Franz Kafka. We will also study the architecture of the city and watch films set on its streets.
Prerequisite: None.
This course counts for Distribution Area IV and Area VI. 

German 349-0 – History of the Holocaust

This course offers an examination of the origins and development of the massacre of European Jewry during World War II. GERMAN 349-0 and HISTORY 349-0 are taught together Students may not receive credit for both courses.
Prerequisite: None.

This course counts for Distribution Area IV.

 

German 403 – German Literature, Critical Thought, and New Media, 1900-45 (1)

The seminar seeks to encompass two major moments in the field of aesthetics: during the first five weeks we examine the founding of science of aesthetics in Alexander Baumgarten's doctoral dissertation (1735) and its putative completion in Hegel's posthumously published lectures (1835); in the following five weeks, we turn to the attempts on the part of Walter Benjamin and Martin Heidegger around 1935 to dispose with the founding conception of aesthetics and correspondingly approach the work of art in very different—but also perhaps complementary or entangled—ways. The four primary texts for the seminar are Baumgarten's "Mediationes philosophicae de nonnullius ad poema pertinentibus" (Philosophical meditations on something more than nothing pertaining to the poem), the introduction to Hegel's "Vorlesungen über Ästhetik" (Lectures on aesthetics), Heidegger's "Ursprung des Kunstwerks" (Origin of the artwork), and Benjamin's "Das Kunstwerk im Zeitalter des technischen Reproduzierbarkeit" (The artwork in the age of its technical reproducibility). Other ancillary and secondary works will be also be considered, depending on student interest and the direction of the conversation. We will work closely with the Latin and German texts; but the seminar will be conducted in English, and no knowledge of either German or Latin is required.                                                                      Prerequisite: Graduate-student standing or permission of the instructor.

 

 

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