German and Dutch Courses Spring 2024

(4 credits)

• SECTION 001: MTWRF 8:50 – 9:40 AM
• SECTION 002: MTWRF 11:00 – 11:50 AM
• SECTION 003: MWR 3:30 – 4:50 PM

Course Supervisor: Jeanne Schueller

Course Description: German 101/401 is an introductory course designed for beginners in German who have no previous knowledge of the German language. By the end of the first semester, you should be able to communicate effectively with others in German on a variety of topics, such as personal and public identity, family, education, career goals, and fitness. This class will expose you to authentic texts from a variety of sources in different genres and modes, for you to develop your reading, viewing, and listening skills and engage in critical thinking. Grammar and vocabulary will be introduced in context. Assessments focus on all skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening). Throughout the semester, you will learn more about yourself and deepen your linguistic and culture knowledge of the German-speaking world. You will also improve your language-learning strategies. To be successful and achieve course learning outcomes, you will be expected to complete homework on time and participate in class. Attendance is required. This course cannot be audited. The textbook, Augenblicke: German through Film, Media, and Texts, is available at the UW Book Store for around $40 and is used in first-, second-, third-, and fourth-semester German. Contact the course supervisor, Dr. Jeanne Schueller (jmschuel@wisc.edu), with any questions about the course or appropriate placement.

Prerequisites: None

(This course is also offered to graduate students for 3 credits as GERMAN 401.)

(4 credits)

• SECTION 001: MTWRF 9:55 – 10:45 AM
• SECTION 002: MTWRF 12:05 – 12:55 PM
• SECTION 003: MTWRF 2:25 -3:15 PM
• SECTION 004 MWR 3:30 – 4:50 PM

Course Supervisor: Jeanne Schueller

Course Description: German 102/402 is a continuation of German 101. Students need to have completed German 101 or achieve an appropriate score on the placement exam to enroll. By the end of the second semester, you should be able to communicate effectively with others in German on a variety of topics, such as soccer, technological innovations, and national identity. This class will expose you to authentic texts from a variety of sources in different genres and modes, for you to develop your reading, viewing, and listening skills and engage in critical thinking. Grammar and vocabulary will be introduced in context. Assessments focus on all skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening). Throughout the semester, you will learn more about yourself and deepen your linguistic and culture knowledge of the German-speaking world. You will also improve your language-learning strategies. To be successful and achieve course learning outcomes, you will be expected to complete homework on time and participate in class. Attendance is required. This course cannot be audited. The textbook, Augenblicke: German through Film, Media, and Texts, is available at the UW Book Store for around $40 and is used in first-, second-, third-, and fourth-semester German. Contact the course supervisor, Dr. Jeanne Schueller (jmschuel@wisc.edu), with any questions about the course or appropriate placement.

Prerequisites: GERMAN 101 or appropriate score on the placement exam.

(This course is also offered to graduate students for 3 credits as GERMAN 402.)

(4 credits)

MTWR 9:55 – 10:45 AM

Instructor: Jolanda Vanderwal Taylor 

Course Description: Continuation of GERMAN 111/GERMAN 311. All required course materials will be provided.

Prerequisites: GERMAN 111 or appropriate score on the placement exam. Open to First-Year Students.

(This course is also offered to graduate students for 3 credits as GERMAN 312.)

(4 credits)

• SECTION 001: MTWR 11:00 – 11:50 AM
• SECTION 002: MW 3:30 – 5:10 PM

Course Supervisor: Jeanne Schueller

Course Description: German 203/403 is a continuation of German 102. Students need to have completed German 102 or achieve an appropriate score on the placement exam to enroll. By the end of the third semester, you should be able to communicate effectively with others in German on a variety of topics, such as civic and social engagement, legends and myths, and traditions and celebrations. This class will expose you to authentic texts from a variety of sources in different genres and modes, for you to develop your reading, viewing, and listening skills and engage in critical thinking. Grammar and vocabulary will be introduced in context. Assessments focus on all skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening). Throughout the semester, you will learn more about yourself and deepen your linguistic and culture knowledge of the German-speaking world. You will also improve your language-learning strategies. To be successful and achieve course learning outcomes, you will be expected to complete homework on time and participate in class. Attendance is required. This course cannot be audited. The textbook, Augenblicke: German through Film, Media, and Texts, is available at the UW Book Store for around $40 and is used in first-, second-, third-, and fourth-semester German. Contact the course supervisor, Dr. Jeanne Schueller (jmschuel@wisc.edu), with any questions about the course or appropriate placement.

Prerequisites: GERMAN 102 or appropriate score on the placement exam.

(This course is also offered to graduate students for 3 credits as GERMAN 403.)

(4 credits)

• SEC 001: MTWR 9:55 – 10:45 AM
• SEC 002: MTWR 11:00 – 11:50 AM 
• SEC 003: MW 3:30 – 5:10 PM 

Course Supervisor: Jeanne Schueller

Course Description: German 204/404 is a continuation of German 203. Students need to have completed German 203 or achieve an appropriate score on the placement exam to enroll. By the end of the fourth semester, you should be able to communicate effectively with others in German on a variety of topics, such as city and rural life, how film influences cultural perspectives, the concept of home, and migration, immigration, and integration. This class will expose you to authentic texts from a variety of sources in different genres and modes, for you to develop your reading, viewing, and listening skills and engage in critical thinking. Grammar and vocabulary will be introduced in context. Assessments focus on all skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening). Throughout the semester, you will learn more about yourself and deepen your linguistic and culture knowledge of the German-speaking world. You will also improve your language-learning strategies. To be successful and achieve course learning outcomes, you will be expected to complete homework on time and participate in class. Attendance is required. This course cannot be audited. The textbook, Augenblicke: German through Film, Media, and Texts, is available at the UW Book Store for around $40 and is used in first-, second-, third-, and fourth-semester German. Contact the course supervisor, Dr. Jeanne Schueller (jmschuel@wisc.edu), with any questions about the course or appropriate placement.

Prerequisites: GERMAN 203 or appropriate score on the placement exam.

(This course is also offered to graduate students for 3 credits as GERMAN 404)

(4 credits)

MTWR 12:05 – 12:55 PM

Course Description: Continuation of GERMAN 213/313. All required course materials will be provided.

Prerequisites: GERMAN 213 or appropriate score on the placement exam.  Open to first-year students.

(This course is also offered to graduate students for 3 credits as GERMAN 314.)

(3 credits)

• SEC 001: MWF 12:05 – 12:55 PM
• SEC 002: MWF 1:30 – 2:10 PM

Instructor: Julie Larson-Guenette      

Course Description: Drawing mainly on contemporary audio and video materials from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, students will explore linguistic and cultural variation of German by learning how native speakers vary their use of sound structures, vocabulary, and grammar according to speech situation.

Learning Outcomes: By the end of the course, the aim is for students to:

• improve their comprehension and production of spoken German via exposure to the language in use in audio and video formats and through use of the International Phonetic Alphabet;
• develop communication strategies to increase oral fluency;
• promote their awareness of how spoken German varies according to speech situation and region mainly in terms of sound structures, vocabulary, and pragmatics of speech;
• enhance their understanding of contemporary German-speaking cultures in Europe and the central role that language plays in shaping these cultures.

Prerequisites: GERMAN 204 or appropriate score on placement exam or consent of the course supervisor. This course can be taken subsequent to, prior to, or concurrent with GERMAN 262, GERMAN 258, and GERMAN 285. Open to first-year students.

(3 credits)

• SEC 001: MWF 9:55 – 10:45 AM
• SEC 002: MWF 1:20 – 2:10 PM

Instructors: Jeanne Schueller, Mary Hennessy 

Course Description: This course is designed to acquaint you with German literary, cultural, and historical texts and provide an overview of cultural developments in German-speaking countries. An important goal of this course is to offer explicit instruction on reading strategies to help students improve their comprehension of a range of texts. In German 258, you will recognize different genres (text types) and identify applicable reading strategies; implement critical reading skills for reading and comprehending different genres and written registers; identify, define, and implement vocabulary related to the topics covered in class; situate a text within its cultural and historical contexts in the German-speaking world; demonstrate the ability to read autonomously; and select and interpret a text based on individual academic interests. Two books and a course pack are required and can be purchased at the UW Book Store. All other materials will be available on Canvas.

Prerequisites: GERMAN 204 or placement into GERMAN 249, 258, or 262. Open to first-year students.

(Fulfills Literature Breadth)

(3 credits)

• SEC 001: TR 9:30 – 10:45 AM
• SEC 002 : TR 2:30 – 3:45 PM

Instructor: Zach Ramon Fitzpatrick

Course Description: Fairytales, murder mysteries, film reviews, and … resumes? Welcome to Intermediate German Writing! In this class, students will expand and enhance their writing skills in German by exploring a variety of different text types and genres reflecting the diversity of the German-speaking world. Daily course participation will involve active in-class discussion as well as collaborative and individual writing activities. Learners will work with authentic texts, music, and film, and they will also engage with synonyms, regional variations, and register to develop the skills to express themselves effectively and creatively in German. Through the composition of a variety of text types, from the practical to the fanciful, course participants will expand their individual comfort zone and improve their own communication skills as well as comprehension of written texts. Materials and in-class discussions will be in German.

Prerequisites: German 204 or appropriate score on placement exam or consent of instructor. This course can be taken subsequent to, prior to, or concurrent with German 249 and German 258.

(Counts as LAS credit (L&S))

(3 credits)

• LECTURE: MW 12:05-12:55 PM
• DISCUSSION 301:  W 9:55 – 10:45
• DISCUSSION 302: T 3:30 – 4:20 PM 
• DISCUSSION 303: T 4:35 – 5:25 PM
• DISCUSSION 304: M 2:25 – 3:15 PM

Instructor: Pamela Potter

Course Description: Was Nazi Germany the incarnation of evil in the modern world? Did its culture consist only of propaganda? How did everyday Germans conduct their lives in the Third Reich? This course introduces students to the conditions that led to the Nazis’ rise to power in 1933 and then examines how Nazi policies influenced daily life. We will consider both the culture of everyday life – gender relations, religion, education, consumer culture –and the more traditional domains of high and low culture: music, theater, film, radio, art, architecture, and literature. The course aims to identify common misconceptions about life and culture in Nazi Germany, to gain a deeper understanding of the workings of its cultural policy and use of media, and to assess whether there is anything we can identify as a distinct “Nazi culture.”

All readings are in English and will be available on Canvas. There will be a mid-term and final examination, as well as additional weekly assignments due in the sections.

(3 credits)

TR 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM

Instructor: Katerina Somers

Course Description: This course is about Germanic barbarians as they have been imagined and reimagined in Europe and North America. Our origins story for the barbarian is Tacitus’s Germania, in which the Roman senator created the fierce and wild-eyed savages who destroyed three Roman legions at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE. In the medieval Lay of the Nibelungs, these same barbarians acquire the civilized veneer of courtly manners and opulent wardrobes, but retain their propensity for brutal acts of violence. They are more thoroughly rehabilitated in the centuries to follow, when German-speaking intellectuals cultivate and promote a sense of nationalism in the absence of a German nation. During this time, the barbarian attains a new status, embodied in characters like Siegfried and Brünhilde in Wagner’s four-opera cycle The Ring of the Nibelung and Hermann the German in Heinrich von Kleist’s play, The Battle of Hermann. Yet the myth of the German barbarians, their imagined indigeneity and racial purity, their supposedly ancient and uniquely German culture that reflects the true nature of the Volk, is treated as fact. Even worse, it becomes the template for what all Germans should strive to be. Finally, we investigate the migration of the Tacitean ideal to North America, where it appears in the form of the liberty-loving Anglo-Saxon. We end the course by tracing its influence in the formation of a US-American national identity.

Prerequisites: Open for all levels including Freshmen.

(Breadth – Literature. Counts toward the Humanities req. Level – Elementary. L&S Credit – Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S.)

(3 credits)

TR 9:30 – 10:45 AM

Instructor: Salvatore Calomino

Course Description: In this course students will have the opportunity to read and discuss significant narrative works from the German medieval period. Stories of heroes, knights, and courtly women were found in various medieval cultures with motifs being shared or typical of individual areas. German epics and romances from this time represent both important adaptations and original compositions. Narrative works of both types to be read will include classic Arthurian romances, Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival, Gottfried von Strassburg’s Tristan, and the Nibelungenlied. Students will write mid-semester and final examinations.

Upon completion of the course participants will
1. Have a strong background in significant genres of early literature.
2. Have developed an appreciation for the role of the court and patronage in the production of literary texts.
3. Have developed an understanding for borrowing and adaptations between medieval cultures.
4. Have developed an understanding for the unique feudal relationships within medieval societies and their representation in literary texts.

No knowledge of German required; open to all levels of registered students. Taught in English.

Contact for questions: calomino@wisc.edu or SCalomino@aol.com
Regular attendance is expected (or contact via email or telephone if attendance not possible)
Please note the following guidelines on academic honesty: http://students.wisc.edu/saja/misconduct/UWS14.html#points

(3 credits)

TR 2:30 – 3:45 PM

Instructor: Sabine Moedersheim

Course Description: “Climate Fiction” is an emerging genre of literature, graphic novels, and film exploring the consequences of climate change in the age of the “Anthropocene”, the epoch in which human impacts on the planet’s ecological systems reach a dangerous tipping point. The aim of this course is to discuss the human experience of climate change on a global scale through analyses of works by German authors such as Lutz Seiler, Yoko Tawada, Ilija Trojanow, Christa Wolf as well as writers from around the world, including Margaret Atwood, Octavia E. Butler, Amitav Ghosh, and others. We will explore dystopian, and apocalyptic stories but also works that imagine a more just future of resilience and social equality.

All materials will be in English translations or with English subtitles. Lectures and discussions will be in English. Prior knowledge of German is welcome but not required.

Prerequisites: Satisfied Communications A requirement

(Level: Intermediate. Breadth: Literature. L&S credit type: Counts as LAS credit (L&S). Cross listed: GERMAN 276, LITTRANS 276)

(3 credits)

Instructor: Oksana Stoychuk

Course Description: “Berlin is a place doomed to become, never to be,” as the historian Karl Scheffler famously stated in 1910. Over the last century, Berlin has continually reinvented itself – politically, culturally, and even geographically. It is precisely this endless becoming and shifting of the city, once separated by the infamous Wall, that makes it so attractive to writers and artists who try to catch the perpetual metamorphosis of the city. In this course, we will explore literary and cultural reflections of Berlin in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. We will examine the phenomenon of the transcultural city, revealing captivating facets of Berlin’s transnational history and its contemporary existence. Through the readings of Emine Sevgi Özdamar, Herta Müller, May Ayim, Jenny Erpenbeck, Sharon Dodua Ottoo and others, movies, and graphic novels, we will immerse ourselves in the tapestry of Berlin’s evolving transcultural identity.

Prerequisites: Open for everyone. No knowledge of the German language is required for this class.

(3 credits)

TR 1:00 – 2:15 PM

Instructor: Zach Ramon Fitzpatrick

Course Description: This course will provide a survey of one of the most influential national cinemas in the world. We will begin with the celebrated films of Weimar Germany (1919-1933), before proceeding to films made under the Nazis (1933-45); post-war popular cinema (Heimatfilme); cinema depicting life in socialist East Germany; films of the critically acclaimed New German Cinema of the 1970s; historical dramas; and art house and international favorites of the contemporary period. We will consider the parameters of national cinema, asking to what extent a nation’s films can be seen as a projection screen for cultural hopes and anxieties. We will also analyze how the films represent gender, sexuality, race, class, and more. We will likewise consider these films in light of the limits of national categorizations for cinema in a globalizing world and, specifically, in “post-migrant” Germany.

Through careful film clip screenings, self-guided exploration, reading assignments, and discussions, you will develop analytical skills in the viewing and interpretation of films and in writing original arguments about film history and cinema culture. You will gain vocabulary for interpreting, analyzing, evaluating and researching films in the context of the history that shaped and was shaped by them.

Prerequisites: The course and all materials will be available in English. Prior knowledge of German is welcome but not required.

(3 credits)

MWF 1:20 – 2:10 PM

Instructor: Melissa Sheedy

Course Description: From wolves to witches, Rumpelstiltskin to Rapunzel, the German fairy-tale tradition is filled with rich imagery, familiar themes, and political and social subversion. Of enduring popularity and as constant subjects of reimagination and revitalization, German tales and their retellings serve as a unique lens through which to view the social, political, and cultural contexts in which they were produced. Through these texts, we will glimpse the underlying perceptions and values regarding family, gender, nation, nature, religion, and society, both in the first half of the 19th century and in the Germany of the last 25 years. With an eye to depictions of gender and gender roles as well as to conceptions of the environment and civilization, we will critically engage with these works and contextualize them within the social and political landscapes that shaped them. Our investigations will center on tales and their retellings in a variety of forms, with a special focus on fairytales by women writers. In recognizing and analyzing the Märchen’s influences in literature, art, music, poetry, and pop culture, we will begin to appreciate the fairy-tale’s enduring legacy and its place within German literary and cultural history. This course counts as a cognate course for the German major.

(6 credits)

MWF 9:55 – 11:50 AM 

Instructor: Melissa Sheedy

Course Description: Fairytales, murder mysteries, graphic novels, and pop music … Welcome to Intermediate Intensive (Honors) German! In this class, students will expand and enhance their reading and writing skills in German by exploring a variety of different text types and genres. Daily course participation will involve active in-class discussion as well as collaborative and individual writing activities. Learners will work with authentic texts, music, advertisements, and film reflecting the diversity of the German-speaking world, and they will engage with topics such as identity and culture, science and technology, and crime and punishment to develop the skills to express themselves creatively and effectively in German. In tandem with a focus on proficiency in writing, students will also work with and develop strategies to make reading in German enjoyable and valuable. Through the reading and composition of a variety of text types, from the practical to the fanciful, course participants will expand their individual comfort zones and improve their own communication skills as well as comprehension of written texts. Materials and in-class discussions will be in German. Equivalent to GERMAN 258 and 262.

Prerequisites: GERMAN 204 or appropriate score on placement exam. Not open to students with credit for GERMAN 258 or 262. Open to first-year students.

(3 credits) 

MTWR 9:55 – 10:45 AM 

Instructor: Jolanda Vanderwal Taylor 

Course Description: Continuation of GERMAN 111/GERMAN 311. All required course materials will be provided.

Prerequisites: GERMAN 311 or 111 or appropriate score on the placement exam.

(This course is also offered to undergraduate students for 3 credits as GERMAN 112.)

(3 credits)

MTWR 12:05 – 12:55 PM 

Course Description: Continuation of GERMAN 213/313. All required course materials will be provided.

Prerequisites: GERMAN 203 or appropriate score on the placement exam.

(This course is also offered to undergraduate students for 3 credits as GERMAN 214.)

(3 credits) 

TR 4:00 – 5:15 PM

 Instructor: Jolanda Vanderwal Taylor

Course Description: In this course we will consider a variety of fascinating texts in English translation selected from Dutch language literary offerings that take questions about heroes and anti-heroes, and the notion of success in life, as their topic. The texts we consider will approach these considerations from several different perspectives and vantage points.

We will look at the techniques, devices, methods and structures that writers employ to entertain, amuse and unsettle the reader, to provide an aesthetic experience, to challenge the reader, and to allow readers to consider the “big questions such as:

• What is success in life? What is the good life? What matters?
• How do we present ourselves to others, and to ourselves?
• What is important: outward appearances? A middle-class lifestyle?
• What does it mean to be honest about oneself, and with oneself? How does a lack of self-reflection or honesty affect the narration of a novel? How does an unreliable narrator function?
• Why do characters choose different values than those I aspire to?
• Why do writers decide to select heroes or anti-heroes, winners or losers, as the characters in their fiction?
• What questions should readers ask themselves and each other?

This course invites its participants to read attentively, to think carefully, and to discuss thoughtfully and vigorously, based on a fascinating body of texts.

Prerequisites: German 214, 314 or equivalent, or consent instructor

(H and L breadth. Students participate in LITTRANS 326 for 3 hours a week, they read and write in Dutch, and participate in a one-hour discussion in Dutch in addition each week.)

(3 credits)

MW 4:00 – 5:15 PM

Instructor: Julie Larson-Guenette      

Course Description: When people learn a foreign language, much of the language training focuses on grammatical, lexical, and phonological accuracy. But what are social “rules” and constraints within language use? Often, the “rules” that describe appropriateness are not explicit, neither in speakers’ minds nor in the form of reference works. And “rules” vary according to context and social group. In this course, we will explore issues of sociolinguistics and language pragmatics that may affect your participation in German as a social language. We will use research articles, newspaper and magazine articles, published behavior codes, videos, advice manuals, and public discourse (such as blogs and comments) to investigate what social “rules” outline language use for native speakers of German and what specific expectations may be held of you, as a non-native speaker. Most readings will be in German; a minority of (especially research-related) readings will be in English.

Prerequisites: 9 credits completed at the 2xx level

(May count as credit for linguistics majors (consult with advisor))

(3 credits)

MWF 9:55 – 10:45 AM

Instructor: Jeanne Schueller

Course Description: This course examines German-language comics and graphic novels as reflective of cultural, social, and historical conditions. The course also focuses on aspects of comics theory, artistic practices, and narrative form. Students develop skills to analyze and interpret graphic novels. Assessments include active class participation, preparation of pre- and post-reading activities, short response papers, an in-class presentation on a graphic novel of students’ choice selected from the instructor’s collection, and an original graphic novel project. Partner, small-group, and whole-class discussions will be in German. Require books will be available at the UW Book Store or can be purchased online.

Prerequisites: German 249, 258, and 262; or 249 and 285.

(Fulfills Literature Breadth)

(3 credits)

TR 4:00 – 5:15 PM

Instructor: Sabine Moedersheim

Course Description: In diesem Seminar untersuchen wir ausgewählte Beispiele aus der deutschsprachigen Literatur und Kultur zum Thema Flucht, Exil, Heimat. In den letzten Jahrzehnten hat der Wandel Deutschlands zu einer multiethnischen und multikulturellen Gesellschaft bisweilen kontroverse Debatten über Zuwanderung und nationale, soziale und kulturelle Identitäten ausgelöst.

Im Kurs betrachten wir die historischen und kulturellen Aspekte dieser Transformationen und Erfahrungen von Heimat und Fremde, von Marginalisierung und Hybridität anhand von Texten und Materialien aus der zeitgenössischen Literatur und populären Kultur wie Rap und Hip Hop oder Slam Poetry und Graphic Novels, Film und Dokumentationen. Schwerpunkte sind dabei türkisch-deutsche sowie Schwarze deutsche Literatur und Kultur.

Prerequisites: (GERMAN 249, 258, and 262) or (GERMAN 249 and 285)

(Level: Advanced. Breadth: Humanities. L&S credit type: Counts as LAS credit (L&S))

(3 credits)

MWF 8:50 – 9:40

Instructor: Jeanne Schueller

Course Description: This course is designed to broaden your knowledge of German language and culture through the analysis and interpretation of film. We will consider the historical and cultural contexts of each film and read thematically related fiction and non-fiction texts. The course will introduce you to several critically acclaimed German-language films that explore a range of topics and genres. I will provide you with materials to help you better understand the films, but I am also interested in your reactions to them – what you enjoy, how they make you feel, what you discover about the German-speaking world, and what you learn about yourself through the process and the semester. Film-specific terminology and aspects of film analysis will be introduced at the beginning of the semester to facilitate our discussion of the films. Films and readings will be in German. Some films have German or English subtitles, and others are in German with no subtitles. Assessments include pre- and post-viewing activities, two reflective essays, a film review, an in-class presentation of your film review, and active class participation. Partner, small-group, and whole-class discussions will be in German. Class materials will be available for download from Canvas. Feature-length films will be viewed outside of class; some short films will be viewed together in class.

Prerequisites: German 249, 258, and 262; or 249 and 285.

(3 credits)

MWF 11:00 – 11:50 AM 

Instructor: Jeanne Schueller

Course Description: This course examines German-language comics and graphic novels as reflective of cultural, social, and historical conditions. The course also focuses on aspects of comics theory, artistic practices, and narrative form. Students develop skills to analyze and interpret graphic novels. Assessments include active class participation, preparation of pre- and post-reading activities, short response papers, an in-class presentation on a graphic novel of students’ choice selected from the instructor’s collection, and an original graphic novel project. Partner, small-group, and whole-class discussions will be in German. Require books will be available at the UW Book Store or can be purchased online.

Prerequisites: German 249, 258, and 262; or 249 and 285; or consent of instructor.

(Fulfills Literature Breadth)

(3 credits)

TR 8:00 – 9:15 AM 

Instructor: Salvatore Calomino

Course Description: This course provides further practice in reading and translating German expository prose in a variety of fields. At the start of the semester a review of both grammatical and syntactical topics vital to progress in reading will be combined with a discussion of selected chapters in R.A. Korb, Jannach’s German for Reading Knowledge. During the balance of the semester specific reading will be made available through both photocopy and internet sources. The goal for all participants will be enhanced practice and confidence in reading German at various levels of both scholarly and journalistic prose, in addition to developing a focus in reading for their specific research areas.

(3 credits)

MW 5:30 – 6:45 PM 

Instructor: Hannah Vandegrift Eldridge

Course Description: Ideas and theories of literary movements exemplified in selected primary and secondary literature. This reading-intensive M.A. seminar exposes students to major authors, epochs, movements, and trends in German-language literature from ca. 1750 to the present. It presents novels, short stories, dramas, poems, films, and other text types in their historical contexts and addresses questions of literary historiography and canon formation.

Prerequisites: Graduate student or two of the following course: GERMAN 302, 303, 305, 375/385

(4 credits) 

• LECTURE: TR 4:00 – 5:15 PM
• DISCUSSION: M 3:30 – 4:20 PM 

Instructor: Jolanda Vanderwal Taylor

Course Description: In this course we will consider a variety of fascinating texts in English translation selected from Dutch language literary offerings that take questions about heroes and anti-heroes, and the notion of success in life, as their topic. The texts we consider will approach these considerations from several different perspectives and vantage points.

We will look at the techniques, devices, methods and structures that writers employ to entertain, amuse and unsettle the reader, to provide an aesthetic experience, to challenge the reader, and to allow readers to consider the “big questions such as:

• What is success in life? What is the good life? What matters?
• How do we present ourselves to others, and to ourselves?
• What is important: outward appearances? A middle-class lifestyle?
• What does it mean to be honest about oneself, and with oneself? How does a lack of self-reflection or honesty affect the narration of a novel? How does an unreliable narrator function?
• Why do characters choose different values than those I aspire to?
• Why do writers decide to select heroes or anti-heroes, winners or losers, as the characters in their fiction?
• What questions should readers ask themselves and each other?

This course invites its participants to read attentively, to think carefully, and to discuss thoughtfully and vigorously, based on a fascinating body of texts.

Prerequisites: German 214, 314 or equivalent, or consent instructor

(H and L breadth. Students participate in LITTRANS 326 for 3 hours a week, they read and write in Dutch, and participate in a one-hour discussion in Dutch in addition each week.)

(3 credits)

W 4:00 – 6:30 PM 

Instructor: Mary Hennessy 

Course Description: Just over a century ago, World War I shattered Europe in one of the deadliest conflicts in human history. Germany’s military defeat initiated a political and cultural revolution that gave rise to the country’s first democratic constitution and to new cultural, social, and aesthetic forms. This seminar will examine the art, politics, and culture of Germany’s postwar state, the Weimar Republic (1919-1933). We will engage in close readings of both popular and avant-garde media: novels, poetry, plays, photomontages, paintings, architecture, film, and more. We will ask what it means to sort through the debris of war; to work and to live amid rapid social and technological change; and to create art during ongoing crises of democracy and capitalism.

A related goal of the seminar is to examine the relationship between Weimar and now. On the one hand, we will explore the echoes of Germany’s tumultuous interwar period a century later (inflation, new media environments, political polarization, abortion rights, queer and trans activism, and more). On the other hand, we will consider recent popular representations—including the hit series Babylon Berlin (2017-present) and the 2022 film All Quiet on the Western Front (based on Erich Maria Remarque’s best-selling 1928 novel of the same name)—to ask what kind of cultural work these representations perform today.

This seminar will be conducted in German.

Prerequisites: For GERMAN 676: Senior standing and GERMAN 337. For GERMAN 683: GERMAN 385 and declared in an Honors program.

(3 credits)

MW 4:00 – 5:15 PM 

Instructor: Julia Goetze

Course Description: Researchers of world language classrooms and language educators alike constantly seek to understand and investigate variables that influence students’ FL/L2 development, performance, and achievement. One set of variables that has captured their attention for decades are learners’ individual differences. Individual differences (IDs) are a unique, yet stable, set of characteristics in individuals that is related to their ability to succeed in learning a FL/L2 (Spada & Lightbown, 2013) and they include (among others) aptitude, learning styles, learning strategies, personality, attitudes, beliefs, motivation, and identity. Notably, a vast body of empirical work has found that IDs are some of the most consistent predictors of FL/L2 learning success.

This course introduces students to the domain of ID research in SLA by adopting the following course structure. First, students trace the historical development of the domain and learn to understand and describe how this development occurred in tandem with the emergence of influential paradigms in SLA. Second, students receive an overview of the various taxonomies of IDs that exist before exploring the most frequently investigated variables in the domain in depth, including their respective theoretical frameworks and commonly used methodologies. Third, student engage in critical discussions around the most pertinent challenges in the domain today, which include ‘fuzzy’ variable definitions and operationalizations, the imbalance between investigations of linear relationships and complex interactions between IDs and learning outcomes, the lack of diversity in research contexts and target populations, and the lack of focus on FL/L2 teachers’ IDs. Fourth, students design an empirical research project centered around an ID of their choice. The course is taught in English.

Prerequisites: Graduate level standing required.

(3 credits)

T 4:00 – 6:30 PM 

Instructor: Adam Stern

Course Description: What does it mean to read Judith Butler? To read Judith Butler reading? Or to read others reading Judith Butler reading? In this seminar, we will take the question of “reading” as a guide to Judith Butler’s work. Through close attention to Butler’s texts and the texts of Butler’s interlocutors, we will consider a range of salient questions regarding desire, gender, performativity, ritual, violence, vulnerability, biopolitics, power, critique, mourning, responsibility, and more.

Prerequisites: Graduate/professional standing

(Grad 50% – Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement)

(3 credits)

TR 1:00 – 2:15 PM

Instructor: Mark Louden 

Course Description: Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsylvania German) is an American language that developed from the immigration of German speakers to Pennsylvania during the eighteenth century. It is spoken today by over 400,000 people across the United States and Canada. Due to the exponential growth of its primary speakers, Amish and Old Order Mennonites, no language on the planet, large or small, is growing faster than Pennsylvania Dutch. The major goals of this class are twofold. First, students will be introduced to the basic structures of the language through practical exercises. Second, we will explore historical and modern aspects of the folklife of Pennsylvania Dutch speakers on the basis of textual, visual, and audio primary and secondary materials. As most of the secondary literature on Pennsylvania Dutch history, language, and culture is in English, this class will be taught in English.

Prerequisites: Graduate standing. Undergraduate students who have taken advanced-level courses in German are welcome with permission of the instructor. Note that since the class is taught in English, this course may not be counted toward the Certificate in German, though it may be applied to the German major as a cognate course.