German & Dutch Courses – Spring 2027

(4 credits)

• Lecture 001: MTWR 8:50 – 9:40 am
• Lecture 002: MTWR 11:00 – 11:50 am
• Lecture 003: 3:30 – 5:10 pm

Instructor: 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 (2e), is available at the UW Book Store for around $45 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.

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

(4 credits)

• Lecture 001: MTWR 9:55 – 10:45 am
• Lecture 002: MTWR 12:05 – 12:55 pm
• Lecture 003: MTWR 2:25 – 3:15 pm
• Lecture 004: MW 3:30 – 5:10 pm

Instructor: 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 (2e), is available at the UW Book Store for around $45 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)

• Lecture 001: MTWR 9:55 – 10:45 am

Instructor:

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)

• Lecture 001: MTWR 11:00 – 11:50 am
• Lecture 002: MW 3:30 – 5:10 pm

Instructor: 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 (2e), is available at the UW Book Store for around $45 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)

• Lecture 001: MTWR 9:55 -10:45 am
• Lecture 002: MTWR 11:00 – 11:50 am
• Lecture 003: MW 3:30 – 5:10 pm

Instructor: 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 (2e), is available at the UW Book Store for around $45 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)

• Lecture 001: MTWR 12:05 – 12:55 pm

Instructor:

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 graduate students for 3 credits as GERMAN 314.)

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: TR 2:30 – 3:45 pm

Instructor: Julie Larson-Guenette

Course Description: What is Global German studies? Throughout the semester, we will ask and answer this question together by learning about different methods for approaching and analyzing artifacts, practices, and perspectives of the German-speaking world within and across cultural and historical contexts (including in relation to Dutch-, Turkish-, and Yiddish-language cultures). Course themes include migration and diaspora, identity and belonging, religious conflict and pluralism, and change brought on by industrialization and globalization. Primary and secondary sources include texts by Tacitus, Martin Luther, Glikl, Immanuel Kant, Karl Marx, Walter Benjamin, May Ayim, Emine Sevgi Özdamar, Yoko Tawada, and more. Course assignments and requirements include written reflections, quizzes, a midterm, and a final project.

This course is taught in English and no prior experience with German is required. This course fulfills the Humanities breadth requirement.

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: MWF 12:05 – 12:55 pm

Instructors: 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)

• Lecture 001: MWF 9:55 – 10:45 am
• Lecture 002: MWF 1:20 – 2:10 pm

Instructor: Jeanne Schueller

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. Contact the course coordinator, Dr. Jeanne Schueller (jmschuel@wisc.edu), with any questions about the course or appropriate placement.

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

Fulfills Literature Breadth

(3 credit)

• Lecture 001: TR 11:00 am – 12:15 pm
• Lecture 002: TR 1:00 – 2:15 pm

Course Description: Fairytales, murder mysteries, sensational headlines, social media, and teen dramas: 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.

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: TR 4:00 – 5:15 pm

Instructor: Hannah Eldridge

Course Description: Singing mice, torture machines, academic monkeys, bureaucracies run amok, and of course giant insects: Franz Kafka (1883-1924) is an author whose impact on world literature cannot be overestimated. He is perhaps the only German-language author whose has become an adjective–and certainly the only German-language author with an imaginary airport named after him by The Onion!  In this course, we will engage with Kafka’s puzzling, challenging, and frequently very funny works as well as the international body of authors, visual artists, musicians, and film-makers he has inspired, from My First Kafka to Orson Welles, Yoko Tawada to graphic novelists Peter Kuper and David Zane Mairowitz. Following Kafka’s wide-ranging interests, we’ll divide his works and the works of other “Kafkaesque” authors into 5 themes: work, law, colonialism, animals, and the absurd.

Because Kafka inspires such strong responses from thinkers, artists, and activists, the main assignments in this course ask you to “write,” “make,” and “do”—that is, write a paper on how the works have changed your thinking, make an artistic response to one of the works (film, music, painting, graphic novel, digital art…), and take an action to change one of the systems in which you find yourself, whether politically, in the institution of the university, or in broader social/cultural life. You’ll share each assignment with your fellow students and discuss what you chose and how you did it, bringing Kafka out of the classroom and into the world.

Authors/directors include: Sharon Dodua Otoo, Boots Riley, Yoko Tawada, Virginia Woolf, Hiyao Miyazaki, Haruki Murakami, Annette von Droste Hülshoff, Michael Götting, Jordan Peele, and W.G. Sebald.

Prerequisites: Satisfied Communications A requirement.

(Fulfills Literature and Humanities breadth requirements)

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: TR 2:30 – 3:45 pm

Instructor: Mark Louden

Course Description: When people think of Mennonites and Amish, images of soberly clad rural folk who drive horse-drawn buggies often come to mind. In fact, the Anabaptist world is profoundly diverse, including people who do not dress distinctively or set limits on technology. In this course, we will explore the diversity among Mennonites and Amish through the lens of literary works written by, and to a lesser extent, about them. We will read and discuss a range of contemporary and historical prose and poetic works by Canadian and US American Mennonite and Amish writers, including Julia Spicher Kasdorf, David Klein, Miriam Toews, and Rudy Wiebe, among others. We will also read one novel by a contemporary Swiss writer, Katharina Zimmermann, “Furgge,” which is set in 18th-century Switzerland.

Prerequisites: This course is open to students who have satistfied the Communications A requirement.

(3 credits)

• Lecture 002: TR 2:30 – 3:45 pm

Instructor: Sabine Mödersheim

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)

• Lecture 003: MW 4:00 – 5:15 pm

Instructor: Oksana Stoychuk

Course Description: Exploration of diverse world literary traditions with an emphasis on German and German speaking cultures.

Prerequisites: Satisfied Communications A requirement

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: TR 11:00 am – 12:15 pm

Instructor: Sunny Yudkoff

Course Description: American literature has never been written in one language. While English has become dominant in the United States, there has been a long tradition of American literary and cultural production in other languages. This class focuses on the Jewish immigrant experience in Yiddish—a fusion language that brings together German, Hebrew, English, Russian, Latin, and more. We will follow Yiddish culture from the beginning of the twentieth century until today as it has been alternatingly supported, neglected, and imbued with nostalgia. The questions driving our inquiry will be: What does it mean to translate America into Yiddish and what does it mean to translate Yiddish for America? Major terms to be discussed include: cultural translation, ethnicity, migration, “Melting Pot,” multilingualism, and assimilation. Themes include: Jewish-Christian difference, ethnic American humor, race and Jewish culture.

Prerequisites: None

(This course counts as a cognate course for the German major. This course fulfills the General Education requirement in Ethnic Studies.)

(6 credits)

• Lecture 001: 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 discussions will be in German.

Prerequisites: Ger 204 or Ger 249

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: MTWR 9:55 – 10:45 am

Instructor:

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 undergraduate students for 3 credits as GERMAN 112.)

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: MTWR 12:05 – 12:55 pm

Instructor:

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

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

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: TR 1:00 – 2:15 pm

Instructor: Jolanda Taylor

Course Description: What makes a family? How can the family support its members, and how do they construct a collective identity? What factors make or a break a family? (Genetics? Shared history? Love? Commitment? Compassion? Shared values? ….) We will analyze well-known, (mostly) recent Dutch novels and films, to discuss their portrayals of different kinds of wonderful and horrible families, and the many kinds of love, joy, intrigue, mystery, and disaster that can occur.  

As we read and discuss these novels and films, we will consider the role in general of the family in human culture, and we will consider the status of the family in Dutch cultures. Doing so will enable you to learn about diverse citizens of the Netherlands. We will also consider not just which issues the authors of these texts raise and what they say about them, but also how: what literary techniques do authors use to craft these texts, and what do the effects they fashion allow them—and the reader—to accomplish? And because looking at foreign/other families can help put one’s own experience into perspective, our discussions will allow each of us to reflect on and refine or further integrate our own views and values as they pertain to relationships, personhood, and our ideals and responsibilities as members of families and as citizens. 

(3 credits)

• Lecture 002: TR 4:00 – 5:15 pm

Instructor: Jolanda Taylor

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: TR 9:30 – 10:45 am

Instructor: Julie Larson-Guenette

Course Description: You’ve likely noticed that language learning is individual and that you and your peers are progressing uniquely through a combination of coursework, experiences abroad, interpersonal relationships, or media consumption. It is common for language learners even at advanced levels to use structures repetitively while speaking or writing in German, or struggle to produce grammatically accurate language on their own. Are you ready to challenge yourself to bring your language production to the next level? If so, this course will help you recognize and identify areas that you would like to improve and further develop, analyze structural elements of German, merge fluency with accuracy, and develop your ability to consciously reflect how you are using German in speaking and writing.

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: 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 and create original work. Assessments include active class participation, preparation of single-page storyboards, a review of and in-class presentation on a graphic novel of students’ choice selected from the instructor’s collection, single-page storyboards, and a 2-page comic for a class zine. Partner, small-group, and whole-class discussions will be in German. No books required for purchase. All materials will be made available on Canvas.

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

Fulfills Literature Breadth

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: T 2:25 – 5:25 pm

Instructor: B. Venkat Mani

(3 credits)

• Lecture 002: TR 1:00 – 2:15 pm

Instructor: Julia Goetze

Course Description: On May 8, 1945, the Wehrmacht unconditionally surrendered, marking the end of World War II (WWII) in Europe. The time following the capitulation is often referred to as Zero Hour (Stunde Null), during which Germany attempted to dissociate itself from the Nazi regime. While the term Stunde Null is contested in academic and political discourses today, it generally encapsulates the idea of a tabula rasa—a radical break with the past and a sweeping new beginning. But what did Stunde Null actually look like in Germany? To what extent was 1945 really a new beginning, and in what ways did the past continue to shape the emerging postwar order? This course takes these questions as its starting point and examines life in Germany between May 1945 and 1949 through the analysis of different texts and media, including audiovisual material.

The course will begin by equipping students with a foundation of historical knowledge regarding the social, political, and economic state of Germany between May 1945 and 1949. Next, students will examine different aspects of postwar life through a variety of literary and audiovisual texts that were published during or thematize this period, including radio plays, short stories, films, and graphic novels. Specifically, we will consider how WWII survivors of diverse identities experienced and came to terms with their new reality and how questions of guilt, responsibility, belonging, memory, and reconstruction were negotiated in the emerging postwar society. Toward the end of the semester, we will extend our examination beyond 1949 and consider how narratives that continue to shape political discourse in Germany today are, in part, rooted in the experiences, conflicts, and interpretations of the immediate postwar period. In doing so, the course builds a bridge between Germany’s postwar past and the present and asks how the ways in which societies remember and interpret the past continue to shape political and social debates.

The course is not only a historical content course, but also an introduction to how to read, analyze, and discuss various kinds of literary and audiovisual texts in German. It aims to equip students with historical and theoretical knowledge as well as language-learning and analytical strategies, while simultaneously building vocabulary and communicative competence in German. The course targets the development of all language skills (i.e., reading, writing, listening, and speaking), as well as critical thinking and interpretive skills. All course assignments and classroom discussions will be in German.

Prerequisites: GER 249, 258, and 262 or GER 249 and 285

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: MTWR 8:50 – 9:40 am
• Lecture 002: MTWR 11:00 – 11:50 am
• Lecture 003: MW 3:30 – 5:10 pm

Instructor: 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 (2e), is available at the UW Book Store for around $45 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.

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

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: MTWR 9:55 – 10:45 am
• Lecture 002: MTWR 12:05 – 12:55 pm
• Lecture 003: MTWR 2:25 – 3:15 pm
• Lecture 004: MW 3:30 – 5:10 pm

Instructor: 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 (2e), is available at the UW Book Store for around $45 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.

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: MTWR 11:00 – 11:50 am
• Lecture 002: MW 3:30 – 5:10 pm

Instructor: 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 effective with others in German on a variety of topics, such as traditions and celebrations, city and rural life, 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 $40 and is used in first-, second-, and third-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.)

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: MTWR 9:55 – 10:45 am
• Lecture 002: MTWR 11:00 – 11:50 am
• Lecture 003: MW 3:30 – 5:10 pm

Instructor: Jeanne Schueller

Course Description: German 204/404 builds on third-semester German and prepares students for our fifth-semester German skills courses. You need to have completed German 203 or achieve an appropriate score on the placement exam to enroll. The course is designed to help you develop your speaking, reading, viewing, and listening skills and engage in critical thinking by exploring language as it is embedded in the cultures of the German-speaking world. Four thematic units cover questions related to belonging, migration, study abroad, sports and sports culture in the US and Europe, gender and gender identity, environmentalism and sustainability, art and architecture, rural and urban life and communities, museums and memorials, and the media. You will engage with these topics through multiple genres and multimodal texts, including short literary stories, non-fiction texts, a novel, and feature-length films and videos. Assessments focus on all skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening). This course reviews grammar in context but prior knowledge of most grammar concepts is assumed. Class participation is expected, and attendance is required. Required materials will be available at the UW Book Store and on Canvas. This course cannot be audited. 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.)

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: MWF 1:20 – 2:10 pm

Instructor: Sonja Klocke

(3 credits)

• Seminar 001: TR 1:00 – 2:15 pm

Instructor: Adam Stern

Course Description: Beginning with a patient reading of the biblical book of Genesis, this course will follow the philosophical reception and interpretation of Abraham (and his family) across the Christian, Jewish, and Islamic traditions. Special attention will be paid to questions of ethics, faith, evil, sacrifice, fate, and kinship.

Prerequisites: Junior Standing or 3 credits in Philosophy

(4 credits)

• Lecture 001: TR 1:00 – 2:15 pm
• Discussion 301: W 11:00 -11:50 am

Instructor: Jolanda Taylor

Course Description: What makes a family? How can the family support its members, and how do they construct a collective identity? What factors make or a break a family? (Genetics? Shared history? Love? Commitment? Compassion? Shared values? ….) We will analyze well-known, (mostly) recent Dutch novels and films, to discuss their portrayals of different kinds of wonderful and horrible families, and the many kinds of love, joy, intrigue, mystery, and disaster that can occur.  

As we read and discuss these novels and films, we will consider the role in general of the family in human culture, and we will consider the status of the family in Dutch cultures. Doing so will enable you to learn about diverse citizens of the Netherlands. We will also consider not just which issues the authors of these texts raise and what they say about them, but also how: what literary techniques do authors use to craft these texts, and what do the effects they fashion allow them—and the reader—to accomplish? And because looking at foreign/other families can help put one’s own experience into perspective, our discussions will allow each of us to reflect on and refine or further integrate our own views and values as they pertain to relationships, personhood, and our ideals and responsibilities as members of families and as citizens. 

(4 credits)

• Lecture 002: TR 4:00 – 5:15 pm
• Discussion 302: W 1:20 – 2:10 pm

Instructor: Jolanda Taylor

(3 credits)

• Seminar 001: T 2:25 – 5:25 pm

Instructor: B. Venkat Mani

(3 credits)

• Lecture 001: T 4:00 – 6:30 pm

Instructor: Julia Goetze

Course Description: SLA Research Practicum is an advanced, project-based seminar designed to support graduate students in moving an existing empirical second language acquisition (SLA) research project from proposal toward implementation, analysis, and/or dissemination. Unlike a traditional graduate seminar organized around a common set of readings, the course is structured around students’ individual research projects and the concrete work required to advance them. Students enter the course with a substantially developed empirical project—for example, a research proposal developed in a previous seminar or another project for which significant conceptual and methodological groundwork has already been completed—and identify a specific, feasible research goal to accomplish during the semester.

The primary purpose of the practicum is to help students bridge the gap between designing an empirical SLA study and carrying it out. Depending on the stage of the project, semester milestones and goals might include developing and piloting research instruments; preparing an IRB application; recruiting participants and collecting (pilot) data; refining an analytic framework based on pilot findings; coding or analyzing data; interpreting findings; or producing a substantive written research report. Projects at more advanced stages may also be considered on an individual basis, including the preparation of a manuscript, dissertation chapter, or conference presentation when the proposed work would benefit from sustained collaborative feedback and is appropriate to the goals of the practicum.

The seminar operates as a collaborative research workshop. Students will be divided into two groups, with each group presenting approximately every other week. Before their scheduled session, presenting students will regularly and independently circulate substantive work in progress, such as draft instruments, protocols, analytic materials, data excerpts, coding frameworks, manuscript sections, or presentation materials, to their peers. Class meetings will be devoted to discussing this work, identifying methodological or conceptual challenges, providing substantive feedback, and determining concrete next steps. At the conclusion of each workshop, students will establish specific goals to accomplish before their next presentation approximately two weeks later. Students are therefore expected not only to advance their own research independently between meetings, but also to engage seriously and constructively with their peers’ projects throughout the semester.

Prerequisites: Graduate standing

Because the course depends on sustained engagement with ongoing research, enrollment is limited and requires instructor permission. Prospective students will submit a project proposal before enrollment that describes the project’s current status, work already completed, and a specific goal for the semester (including milestones to reach this semester goal). Admission is at the instructor’s discretion and will be based on the project’s readiness for sustained work, the feasibility of the proposed semester goal, and the student’s ability to contribute to and benefit from the collaborative workshop format. Enrollment will be capped at six students, with the possibility of admitting up to eight students depending on project stage and fit.

To be considered for the course, please send an email to julia.goetze@wisc.edu with a 1–2-page attachment covering: a 1 paragraph description of your project; your research questions; work completed to date; current project stage; specific semester goal/final deliverable; 3–5 anticipated milestones needed to accomplish the semester goal; and what kinds of feedback/support you expect to need from the group

(3 credits)

• Seminar 001: M 2:25 – 5:25 pm

Instructor: Sonja Klocke

Course Description: Are you wondering how to make literature in English translation attractive for your students? Are you thinking about ways to teach Nelly Sachs, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Anna Akhmatova, Leo Tolstoy, Astrid Lindgren, August Strindberg … to students accustomed to miniscule screens with ephemeral flashes of communication that instantaneously vanish into thin air (both with regards to endurance and actually visible text)? Then this seminar is for you. Intended for current and/or future instructors of college-level literature courses, it offers an introduction to methods and didactics of teaching literature. The goal is to help you learn about and understand key concepts of approaching different genres in creative ways that make these texts appealing to undergraduate students. Course participants will design instructional materials, lessons, and assessment tools for teaching literature, and are encouraged to develop their identity as teachers of fictional texts. This seminar combines theory and practice-oriented work and is entirely assignment- and project-based (no exams).

Evaluation: Attendance; class participation; preparation for class and of readings as well as discussion of these readings before class on canvas; presentation on a theoretical text students choose in consultation with instructor; presentation of instructional materials and lesson plan; classroom observation; teaching portfolio.

Contact: Please contact sklocke@wisc.edu with any questions.

Prerequisites: Graduate or professional student

Language of instruction: English

(3 credits)

• Seminar 001: R 2:25 – 5:25 pm

Instructor: B. Venkat Mani

(3 credits)

• Seminar 001: 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 450,000 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 based on 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.