Please see our advising sheet for information about course selection in German.
German 101/401 – First Semester German, 4 cr.
Section information: please refer to MyCourseGuide
| 1 | MTWThF 9:55am-10:45am |
| 2 | MTWThF 11am-11:50am |
| 6 | MWTh 3:30pm-4:50pm |
Prerequisites: None.
Please contact jmschuel@wisc.edu with any questions.
(This course is also offered for graduate students as German 401.)
Presumes no knowledge of the German language. In the course students learn basic vocabulary around topics such as classroom objects, daily routines, descriptions of people and objects, simple narration in present time, etc. German 101 covers material presented in the textbook Vorsprung from Kapitel 1 to Kapitel 5. Students read and discuss “real” texts (written by and for native) speakers from the start. Grammar is explained using examples from these texts as well as from a graphic novel, told in installments, that traces the journey of an American exchange student, Anna Adler, to the university in Tübingen as well as her adventures once there. The course also offers basic cultural insights and comparisons that are further elaborated on in second-year courses. Testing is done in increments of chapter quizzes; there is no mid-term and no traditional final exam. Students also complete writing & reading assignments as well as matching assessments, all with a take-home component. There are two oral projects. Class participation is encouraged and an attendance policy is in place. This course cannot be audited.
Required texts:
Lovik, Guy, and Chavez. Vorsprung, 3rd edition – enhanced (Cengage) and bundled e-book license (access to iLrn). Check the course Canvas site for information on options for purchasing the required materials or Cengage Unlimited (subscription service).
Recommended texts:
Cecile Zorach and Charlotte Melin. English Grammar for Students of German. Olivia & Hill Press (latest edition) and a good German/English English/German dictionary.
German 102/402 – Second Semester German, 4 cr.
Section information: please refer to MyCourseGuide
| 1 | MTWThF 1:20pm-2:10pm |
| 3 | MTWThF 11am-11:50am |
| 5 | MTWThF 12:05pm-12:55pm |
| 7 | MWTh 3:30pm-4:50pm |
Prerequisites: German 101 or appropriate score on the placement exam.
Please contact jmschuel@wisc.edu with any questions.
(This course is also offered for graduate students as German 402.)
Continuation of German 101. Students learn to narrate using past time markers, to express wishes and conditional ideas, to expand on their ability to describe, and to understand and produce extended texts on everyday topics. German 102 covers material presented in the textbook Vorsprung from Kapitel 6 to Kapitel 10. Students read and discuss “real” texts (written by and for native) speakers from the start. Grammar is explained using examples from these texts as well as from a graphic novel, told in installments, that traces the journey of an American exchange student, Anna Adler, to the university in Tübingen as well as her adventures once there. The course also offers basic cultural insights and comparisons that are further elaborated on in second-year courses. Testing is done in increments of chapter quizzes; there is no mid-term and no traditional final exam. Students also complete writing & reading assignments as well as matching assessments, all with a take-home component. There are two oral projects. Class participation is encouraged and an attendance policy is in place. This course cannot be audited.
Required texts:
Lovik, Guy, and Chavez. Vorsprung, 3rd edition – enhanced (Cengage) and bundled e-book license (access to iLrn). Check the course Canvas site for information on options for purchasing the required materials or Cengage Unlimited (subscription service).
Recommended texts:
Cecile Zorach and Charlotte Melin. English Grammar for Students of German. Olivia & Hill Press (latest edition).
German 112/312 – Second Semester Dutch
| 1 | MTWTh 9:55am-10:45am |
Prerequisites: Dutch 111 or consent of instructor. Open to first-year students. (This course is also offered for graduate students as German 312.)
Language of Instruction: Dutch
One of the advantages of studying at the UW is being able to take courses in Dutch. Although the study of Dutch linguistics and literature has steadily expanded at major American universities in recent years, many universities do not offer this language. Since Dutch is a Germanic language – linguistically related to both German and English – and since Dutch culture and literature have always had close ties to a number of international cultures, Dutch is a logical choice as an additional language for American students of German language, literature and culture, and for those from a range of other majors or areas of interest.
Required Texts will be provided:
Code Plus Cursistenpakket deel 1, 0-A1, ThiemeMeulenhoff. ISBN 9789006815153
Please contact jvtaylor@wisc.edu with any questions.
German 203/403 Third Semester German, 4 cr.
Section information: please refer to MyCourseGuide
| 1 | MTWTh 11am-11:50am |
| 4 | MW 3:30pm-5:10pm |
Prerequisites: German 102 or appropriate score on the placement exam.
Open to First-Year Students.
Please contact jmschuel@wisc.edu with any questions.
(This course is also offered for graduate students as German 403.)
German 203, like German 204, reviews German grammar but (a) prior knowledge of these concepts is assumed and (b) the sequence of grammar forms to be reviewed differs from that of first-year curricula (in other words, the grammar focused on in 203 is not identical to that dealt with in 101). The primary objective of the course is to give students the opportunity to explore language as it is embedded in the culture. Students will explore mostly contemporary but also historical aspects of the cultures of the German-speaking countries through a journey through the Stationen (stations) of which each stands for a major city in Austria, Germany, or Switzerland and the region that it represents. Testing is done in increments, with chapter quizzes instead of mid-terms or a traditional final exam. Students complete writing and reading assessments, all with a take-home component. There are two oral projects (not traditional exams). Mid-semester, students will have the opportunity to sign up for a mini seminar of their choice. These weeklong seminars substitute for regular class meetings and permit students to explore specific interests, ranging from cultural products such as food and drink or literary periods to cultural practices, such as the “rules of appropriate interactions” and how they are different from American practices, to cultural perspectives, such as the history of the language or regional differences in dialects. This course cannot be audited.
Required texts:
Augustyn and Euba, Stationen, 3rd edition (Cengage) and bundled e-book license (access to iLrn). Check the course Canvas site for information on options for purchasing the required materials or Cengage Unlimited (subscription service).
Recommended texts:
Cecile Zorach and Charlotte Melin. English Grammar for Students of German. Olivia & Hill Press (latest edition).
German 204/404 Fourth Semester German, 4 cr.
Section information: please refer to MyCourseGuide
| 1 | MTWTh 9:55am-10:45am |
| 2 | MTWTh 11am-11:50am |
| 4 | MW 3:30pm-5:10pm |
Prerequisites: German 203 or appropriate score on placement exam.
Open to First-Year Students.
Please contact jmschuel@wisc.edu with any questions.
(This course is also offered for graduate students as German 404.)
German 204, like German 203, reviews German grammar but (a) prior knowledge of these concepts is assumed and (b) the sequence of grammar forms to be reviewed differs from that of first-year curricula (in other words, the grammar focused on 204 is not identical to that dealt with in 102). The primary objective of the course is to give students the opportunity to explore language as it is embedded in the culture. Students will explore mostly contemporary but also historical aspects of the cultures of the German-speaking countries through a journey through the Stationen (stations) of which each stands for a major city in Austria, Germany, or Switzerland and the region that it represents. Testing is done in increments, with chapter quizzes instead of mid-terms or a traditional final exam. Students complete writing and reading assessments, all with a take-home component. There are two oral projects (not traditional exams). Mid-semester, students will have the opportunity to sign up for a mini seminar of their choice. These weeklong seminars substitute for regular class meetings and permit students to explore specific interests, ranging from cultural products such as food and drink or literary periods to cultural practices, such as the “rules of appropriate interactions” and how they are different from American practices, to cultural perspectives, such as the history of the language or regional differences in dialects. This course cannot be audited.
Required texts:
Augustyn and Euba, Stationen, 3rd edition (Cengage) and bundled e-book license (access to iLrn). Check the course Learn@UW site for information on options for purchasing the required materials.
Recommended texts:
Cecile Zorach and Charlotte Melin. English Grammar for Students of German. Olivia & Hill Press (latest edition).
German 214/314 – Fourth Semester Dutch
| 1 | MTWTh 2:25pm-3:15pm |
Prerequisites: Dutch 112 or 312 or consent of instructor
Language of Instruction: Dutch
Required Texts will be provided:
Code Plus Cursistenpakket deel 3, A2-B1, ThiemeMeulenhoff. ISBN 9789006815177
Please contact jvtaylor@wisc.edu with any questions.
German 245 Topics in Dutch Life and Culture: “The Low Countries: Low Lands or High Water?”
| 1 | TTh 2:30pm-3:45pm |
Prof. Jolanda Vanderwal Taylor
jvtaylor@wisc.edu
3 credits, H breadth
meets TuTh 2:30PM – 3:45PM, face-to-face
The Low Countries are famous for their close relationship with the water: windmills, dikes, and Hans Brinker’s silver skates are among the most persistent popular symbols of this “edge” of Europe– at least since “Hollandmania.” This course will provide a thorough introduction to the Low Countries, their history and their contemporary culture, by focusing on their love/hate relationship to the water. The water means danger, and thus dikes (and—famously—the need to cooperate), but also trade, opportunity, beauty, and a resolute openness to the world. We will discuss what terps and polders are – but also the recent idea of the “polder model,” and which aspects of Dutch culture it has come to honor and criticize. We will look at the meaning of water in Dutch history and geography; at its effects on economic, military, and political life; at its treatment in art and literature; its times of greatest damage (floods, including 1953) and Dutch responses (polders, windmills, the Delta plan, environmentalism). We will discuss the Hanseatic cities of the Netherlands, 17th Century art, water as defense strategy, the V.O.C. (Dutch East-India Company), land reclamation, the Eleven-Cities skating race, (photos of) contemporary landscapes, and Dutch views of what all these mean.
Most importantly, this is a course in the tradition of liberal education. This course particularly encourages students to expand their knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world. In acquiring this knowledge, we will practice a range of 21st-century skills, including: inquiry and analysis; critical and creative thinking; written and oral communication; intercultural knowledge and competence; and ethical reasoning and action.
The topic of how water interacts with the culture of the Netherlands involves many angles. Students are invited write a paper and make a brief presentation in class on a topic that relates to their major academic interests.
German 249 – INTERMEDIATE GERMAN-SPEAKING & LISTENING
| 2 | MWF 11am-11:50am |
| 3 | MWF 12:05pm-12:55pm |
Prerequisites: German 204, appropriate score on the UW System German placement test, or consent of instructor. This course can be taken subsequent to, prior to, or concurrent with German 262, German 258, and German 274/284. Open to first-year students.
Language of Instruction: German
Drawing mainly on contemporary audio and video materials from German-speaking countries, including podcasts, video clips from German-language television, and two contemporary films (“Das Wunder von Bern” and “Vitus”), this course is intended to deepen students’ appreciation of German as a spoken language by making them more aware of how native speakers adapt their German to fit the contexts in which they use it. The main objectives of the course are:
• to improve students’ comprehension and production of spoken German via exposure to the language in use in audio and video formats;
• to promote students’ awareness of how spoken German varies according to speech situation and region, mainly in terms of sound structures (pronunciation) and vocabulary;
• to enhance students’ understanding of contemporary German-speaking cultures in Europe and beyond and the central role that language plays in shaping these cultures.
Required Work and Grading:
On Fridays students will receive a Wochenplan outlining required work for the coming week that will include in-class activities and homework assignments. A main component of these Wochenpläne will be tasks to promote development of effective pre- and post-listening/viewing strategies for the various audio and video clips we will work with. Since an important aspect of the course is making students not only more aware of how native speakers pronounce German, but also the ways in which their pronunciation may differ from native norms, they will be recording themselves for most homework assignments using the free software Audacity. We will also work quite a bit with phonetic transcriptions of German to understand better how spoken German corresponds to or deviates from the written language. Finally, in order to expand their vocabulary and heighten their awareness of variation in spoken German, students will be required to create a “personal dictionary” over the course of the semester. Most weeks they will be asked to write down at least 10 new words and phrases they learn and note information about pronunciation and usage. Students will be asked to submit their personal dictionary installments to their instructor on Fridays. In-class work will be centered on activities spelled out in the Wochenpläne and sometimes supplemented by audio-visual materials, but it is expected that students will access these materials (on multiple occasions) mostly outside of class. All audio-visual materials will be accessible electronically over the 249 Learn@UW Web site, Learning Support Services, or online. In terms of cultural content, we will be working with sources that address topics such as the impact of the World War II and post-war eras; East/West differences and reunification; language use in Austria and Switzerland; and youth speech and popular culture
The final grade for the course will be determined as follows: 4 quizzes @ 10% = 40% 12 homework exercises @ 2.5% = 30% 10 personal dictionary installments 10% final pronunciation assignment 5% preparation before and participation during class 5% five-minute oral presentation (Referat) 10%.
There is no required textbook for this course; all materials will be accessible over Learn@UW.
Please contact mllouden@wisc.edu with any questions.
German 258: Intermediate German – Reading, 3 cr.
| 1 | MWF 9:55am-10:45am |
| 2 | MWF 11am-11:50am |
Prerequisites: German 204 or consent of instructor. This course can be taken subsequent to, prior to, or concurrent with German 249 and German 262.
Open to Fr.
Language of instruction: German
Please contact jmschuel@wisc.edu with any questions.
Course Description and Learning Goals: This course is designed to acquaint students 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, students will
- recognize different genres, reading styles, and strategies;
- implement critical reading skills for reading and comprehending different types of texts;
- demonstrate the ability to read autonomously;
- identify, define, and implement vocabulary related to the topics covered in class.
Required Work and Grading: Much of the required work for this course will involve tasks to promote the development of effective reading strategies for the diverse texts and genres with which we will work. Graded and non-graded assignments consist of in-depth activities that guide students through the readings. Students are expected to prepare readings and accompanying exercises in advance of class and to participate fully in whole-class discussions and small-group/partner work. Class discussions will be conducted in German.
The final grade for the course will be determined by weekly graded and non-graded assignments, four quizzes, one final reading exam, and active class participation.
Required texts:
A photocopied course reader
Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Die Physiker (The Physicists, drama)
Thomas Brussig, Am kürzeren Ende der Sonnenallee (novel)
All assignments will be available to download via Canvas.
German 262 – INTERMEDIATE GERMAN WRITING
| 1 | TTh 9:30am-10:45am |
| 2 | TTh 11am-12:15pm |
Prerequisites: German 204, appropriate score on the UW System German placement test, or consent of instructor. This course can be taken subsequent to, prior to, or concurrent with German 249 and German 258.
Languages of instruction: German and English.
This course will strike a balance between individual and collaborative writing and between teacher- and student-guided writing activities. Students’ writings will rely on authentic text models, many with German-specific cultural connotations. Longer-term writing projects will alternate with short-term writing assignments.
Please contact mmchavez@wisc.edu with any questions
German 275/LitTrans 277/CompLit 350-002 – KAFKA AND THE KAFKAESQUE
| 1 | TTh 11am-12:15pm |
Franz Kafka (1883 – 1924) is an author whose impact on world literature cannot be overestimated. Born an Austrian Jew and living in the German-speaking Diaspora of Prague, he spent his days making a living as a successful employee of an insurance company and his nights desperately trying to create fiction that met his own exacting expectations. Constantly at odds with the demands of his family, friends, and fiancées/female acquaintances and plagued by poor health, Franz Kafka struggled his entire life long to reconcile the irreconcilable: life and writing. He published only very few texts during his lifetime and on his death bed he asked his friend Max Brod to burn all remaining manuscripts—a last will which Brod did not execute.
Kafka is an “international” author of a new type of “world literature,” the quality of which is irrefutable yet challenges traditional approaches and standard modes of reading. It is perplexing: We understand the words and sentences of Kafka’s texts, but when it comes to envisioning the universe therein and the texts’ internal logic, we encounter almost insurmountable barriers. Similar to Kafka’s characters, who are losers from the outset, the readers of Kafka’s texts seem doomed to fail in their attempts to understand this uncanny world, created out of common language. And here lies the uncomfortable paradox: We may understand his texts but we struggle to follow their logic and the mysterious world created by them. Even when our imagination and comprehension fall short of grasping the textual world we remain mesmerized by it. Thus, Kafka’s texts demand a transdisciplinary and comparative approach.
Kafka’s texts forged a new level and quality of literature that has triggered innumerable responses in many languages, media, and discourses, and the term Kafkaesque makes clear that the type and dimension of Kafka’s texts have been perceived as strange, uncanny, and resistant to any classification. In the attempt to adopt or imitate the Kafkaesque, other authors situate themselves in the literary tradition of the uncanny, which in part relies on the mystified city of Prague with its long Jewish tradition, as well as on the tradition of Romantic and ‘Gothic’ texts.
In this course, we will read a wide selection of texts by Franz Kafka in order to approach an understanding of his universe and prepare ourselves to view this universe in comparison with other contemporary authors as well as authors from other cultures and eras (N. Gogol, W.G. Sebald, T. Pynchon, H. Mulisch, P. Roth). Lectures will also highlight literature, film, and art works in the tradition of the Kafkaesque. There will be a midterm and a final exam. A small number of short writing and drawing assignments may be required. This course is open to freshmen. Please note that this specific “German 275” course does not count for the German Certificate since it is taught in English. German majors may count it as a cognate course for the major.
German/LitTrans 279 – YIDDISH LITERATURE AND CULTURE IN AMERICA
| 1 | TTh 1pm-2:15pm |
Prerequisites: None
At the turn of the 20th century millions of Yiddish-speaking East European Jews arrived in America. Through study of the Yiddish literature and culture they produced, this course will give students insight into these immigrants’ experience and their efforts to find a comfortable perch in the American landscape. The course will be subdivided into four sections covering different aspects of these Yiddish-speaking immigrants experience and efforts: The immigration process and arrival in America; immigrant entry into the workplace; encounter with urban modernity and America’s racial and ethnic diversity; the tension between assimilatory pressures and the desire for a transnational identity. Although turn-of-the-century Jewish immigrants produced an unprecedented Yiddish cultural blossoming worthy of concentrated study, this course, which fulfills the Undergraduate Studies Ethnic Studies General Education Requirement, strives to employ this rich culture as a jumping-off point for achievement of greater understanding and appreciation of the experience of contemporary ethnic/racial minorities with origins abroad who have become a growing element of American society since the expansion of immigration to the United States in the 1960s.
German 325/625/LitTrans 326 – Travel and Dutch Literature
| 1 | TTh 1pm-2:15pm |
| 301 | W 1:20pm-2:10pm |
Professor Jolanda Vanderwal Taylor
3 credits, L breadth
Participants in this course will consider a variety of texts selected from the Dutch-‐language literary tradition that take travel as their topic. While the emphasis will be on contemporary texts, we will also look at select examples taken from earlier periods – a brief excerpt from the Early New period, and a few samples from the Age of Discovery and the period of the Dutch East India Company.
We will look at the techniques, devices, methods and structures that writers employ to entertain, amuse and educate the reader, to provide an aesthetic experience, to challenge the reader, and to consider the “big questions” such as:
*What is travel? Why do we travel?
*Is travel an analogy for life? -‐ an interruption of “normal” life? -‐ a learning experience? (If so – what do we learn?) -‐ an irritant? – a necessary evil?
*Is travel something we can do for pleasure, or for profit? (If so, what kinds of pleasures does it hold? What profits does it afford? And at what cost?)
*What do our mode of travel and/or our experience of travel tell us about ourselves and about our culture? Do we learn about the cultures and people we encounter? About ourselves?
*Can literary treatments of travel substitute for travel? Is the learning, the irritation, the pleasure meant to be transferable? If a writer is able to communicate the outcomes of travel to a given reader, then how is this done?
*What questions should readers ask themselves and each other? What should travelers do and are there practices they should not engage in? Should/How can we define (in)appropriate positions for readers to take?
This course invites its participants to read attentively, to think carefully, and to discuss thoughtfully and vigorously, based on a fascinating body of texts.
German 337: Advanced Conversation and Composition, 3 cr.
| 1 | MWF 1:20pm-2:10pm |
Prerequisites: Requisites: GERMAN 249, 258, and 262; or GER 249 and 274/284/285 or consent of instructor. May be repeated only once for credit.
Language of instruction: German
Please contact jclarson3@wisc.edu with any questions.
Course Description & Learning Outcomes: This course is designed to summarize, synthesize, and build upon the content and skills from previous German coursework with specific aims to enhance and improve students’ speaking, listening, reading, and writing of German. Course content will cover a range of topics related to contemporary German society and culture along with grammar review. Students will
- implement strategies for enhanced listening, speaking, reading and writing skills;
- identify and examine elements of grammar needed to improve accuracy in speaking and writing;
- differentiate and apply vocabulary for discussion of topics spanning across genres and registers;
- recognize and examine cultural perspectives and products of German-speaking areas.
Required Work and Grading: Coursework includes homework assignments, active preparation and participation for class discussions and group work, an individual oral presentation, writing assignments (short weekly assignments and two essays), a readers’ response journal, and two exams (mid-term and final). Texts cover a range of topics and genres to include short stories, poetry, news articles, cartoons, music, film, and a novel.
Required texts:
1. Rankin & Wells, Handbuch zur deutschen Grammatik (6th edition) ISBN-10:1-305-07884-5
2. Max Frisch, Homo faber: ein Bericht (novel) ISBN: 3-518-36854-0
3. A German/English dictionary (e.g., Langenscheidt, Oxford-Duden, Klett, or Webster)
German 352/960 Barbarian language and culture in the Germanic world
Katerina Somers
| 1 | MW 8am-9:15am |
The barbarians of Late Antiquity often exist in the popular imagination as braying, dirty hordes of warriors bent on the destruction of the civilized Roman Empire. In this narrative, the Germanic tribes are seen as a monolithic and abstract horror, representing Rome’s day of reckoning, rather than as a diverse set of peoples each with their own language and culture. This course concentrates on four of these barbarian groups: the East Germanic Goths, the West Germanic Franks, the Ingvaeonic Anglo-Saxons and the North Germanic Vikings. We will consider their shared prehistoric origins and diverging languages and histories as they move through the period of Late Antiquity and into the Early Middle Ages. We will glean what we can about barbarian language and culture primarily by focusing on the stories barbarians told, many of which had been composed and passed down orally from one generation to the next for centuries, and only after contact with Rome were committed to parchment. Contemporary Roman writings, archaeological remains and preserved material objects will be drawn on to complete the picture. The language of instruction is German. This course presupposes no particular disciplinary background.
German 372-001 – Deutsch als soziale Sprache
| 1 | TTh 11am-12:15pm |
3 credits
Pre-requisites, German 249, 258, and 262
Monika Chavez
Please contact mmchavez@wisc.edu with questions.
Virtually all college students of German are familiar with the concepts of grammatical, lexical, and phonological accuracy – and, relatedly, the consequences of inaccuracy. For example, your grade may suffer if you choose the wrong case or word or somebody might not understand you if you mispronounce a word.
However, beyond accuracy, there is the notion of appropriateness. What if you use the correct verb endings but choose an inappropriate form of address and are too formal or too informal? What can you put in an email to a professor versus to a friend? What are you supposed to do and talk about at a work-related dinner? When you listen as somebody is talking to you, are you supposed to make sounds or say things, like ‘interessant’? What words are ‘bad’ and in what contexts? Just how bad is it to swear? Why do even the most staid of staid German-speaking TV presenters casually report on Shitstorms? What subtle social messages does your ‘accent’ when you speak German signal to those who listen? What does the lack of a regional accent or dialect – a lack that is common among non-native speakers – mean for you when you try to fit in?
As children grow into adults, they encounter implicit and explicit ‘regulations’ of how to behave appropriately in their native language. When people learn a foreign language, such as German, much of the language training focuses on grammatical, lexical, and phonological accuracy – even as in a German-speaking environment, it’s in/appropriate behaviors, not only the in/correct choice of case, that can influence a speaker’s social standing. To complicate matters, different from rules that govern grammatical case, it is rare to find absolute consensus on what is and is not appropriate. 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 appropriateness that may affect your participation in German as a social language. We will use research articles, newspaper and magazine articles, published behavior codes (such as the famous ‘Knigge’), videos, advice manuals, and public discourse (such as blogs and comments) to investigate what social ‘rules’ outline appropriateness for native speakers of German and what specific expectations may be held of you, as a non-native speaker. We will also delve into the disagreements and uncertainties that emerge. Most readings will be in German; a minority of (especially research-related) readings will be in English.
We will combine a meta-approach (exploring and talking about social conventions) with a practice & hands-on approach (practicing and discussing situational behaviors) and also engage in reflection on how social aspects of language use figure into our regular interactions.
Assignments will include regular homework (preparing readings for discussion & for practice in class); small projects (research, interviews, videos, preparing manuals); reflection (journaling, analytic comparisons, descriptions of diverging and contradictory views); and student-made small exams (which may not have a ‘correct answer’).
There will be no sit-down final exam. Attendance is mandatory, with two absences (the equivalent of one week of classes) allowed without penalty (religious holidays exempted from the attendance requirement, if arranged at the beginning of the semester).
German 372-002 – China from the German Point of View. (3 credits)
| 2 | MWF 11am-11:50am |
Instructor: Weijia Li
Prerequisites: GERMAN 249, 258, and 262; or GERMAN 249 and 274; or GERMAN 249 and 284; or GERMAN 249 and 285; or consent of instructor; open to all undergraduates
Language of Instruction: German
Please contact Prof. Weijia Li at wli255@wisc.edu with any questions.
In addition to cultivating students’ German language skills at the advanced level, this course will improve and expand students’ knowledge of German culture and German intellectual history from a unique point of view. Specifically, we will be dealing with the German imagination and perception of China and the Chinese culture that are reflected in German literary texts, mass media, and art history. We will engage in seeking answers to inquiries like: Why did German philosopher Leibniz (1646-1716) believe that Chinese emperor Kangxi should be a role model for the European monarchy? Why did the stereotype of the Chinese culture as “submissiveness to authority” begin in the 19th century? How and why were German writers in the 20th century like Hermann Hesse, Bertolt Brecht, and Anna Seghers fascinated by Chinese Taoism? Last but not least, how and why did the theme of “Gelbe Gefahr” (Yellow Peril) often appear in German contemporary mass media?
By successfully completing this course, students will be able to comprehend and discuss in depth texts concerned with German and East Asian cultural encounters. Students will also be able to participate in conversations on complex topics involving transcultural and transnational aspects. This course also aims to help students act with a heightened awareness of the long-standing and contemporary cultural issues in German-speaking countries.
The final grade is determined as follows: Class Participation 15%; Homework 15%; Group Presentation 10%; 2 exams 30%; Independent Research Project 30%
Required texts: Course material will be available online via Learn@UW.
German 392 – German for Graduate Reading Knowledge II (3 creds)
| 1 | TTh 9:30am-10:45am |
S. Calomino
Prerequisites: Some previous acquaintance with German grammar or reading
Open to graduate students and advanced undergraduates
Taught in English
Contacts: SCalomino@aol.com and calomino@wisc.edu
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.
German 411 KULTUR DES 20. UND 21. JAHRHUNDERTS
Prof. Venkat Mani
| 1 | TTh 9:30am-10:45am |
Level – Advanced
Breadth – Humanities
L&S Credit Type – Counts as Liberal Arts and Science Credit
Is there something specific about the “German” experience of the 20th and 21st centuries? What distinguishes “German” cultural production—literature, cinema, music, print- and digital cultures—from other European and non-European countries during the course of the 20th and 21st centuries? How do political realities and historical events—the two World Wars, the Holocaust, the division of Germany into GDR and FRG, and German Reunification—leave their marks on the intellectual and cultural production in the German language? How does decolonization around the world, and the steady flow of migrants and refugees from Asia and Africa into German speaking countries after World War II transform our socio-cultural understanding of what is Germany today?
These and other questions will be central to the course German 411. The course aims to offer a deeper understanding of Germany in the 20th and 21st centuries. Together we will read literary, philosophical, sociological, and political texts, watch films, and also look at transformations in the print and digital cultures in Germany. We will discuss these texts through conceptual frameworks of nationalism and cosmopolitanism, exile and diaspora, history and memory, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, and self and the other.
German/Medieval 651 – Intro to Middle High German (3 cred).
| 1 | TTh 11am-12:15pm |
S. Calomino
Prerequisites: Advanced reading knowledge of German
Taught in English with some translation (optional) into German
Contacts: SCalomino@aol.com and calomino@wisc.edu
This course will introduce students to Middle High German grammar and vocabulary with the goals of fluency and accuracy in reading medieval texts. Lectures and discussions will cover topics in phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexicon. During the course of the semester students will read Das Nibelungenlied and a representative selection from various genres of Middle High German literature. Class time will be devoted to translation and to discussion of grammatical/lexical topics. Participants will write mid-semester and final examinations.
Prerequisite: Reading knowledge of German. Open to graduate and advanced undergraduate students.
Required Texts
Paul, Mittelhochdeutsche Grammatik
Lexer, Mittelhochdeutsches Taschenwörterbuch (hardcover ed. if possible)
Weddige, Mittelhochdeutsch. Eine Einführung.
Bartsch/De Boor, ed. Das Nibelungenlied.
Recommended
Weinhold/Ehrismann/Moser, Kleine mittelhochdeutsche Grammatik.
Hennig, Kleines Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch (last ed. available)
Saran/Nagel, Das Übersetzen aus dem Mittelhochdeutschen.
German 676 Asyl, Exil, Migration: Texte und Kontexte
Prof. Venkat Mani
| 2 | T 3:30pm-5:25pm |
Level – Advanced
Breadth – Humanities
L&S Credit Type – Counts as Liberal Arts and Science Credit
In the aftermath of the violent political crisis in Syria, hundreds of thousands of Syrian citizens arrived in Germany. The summer and early Fall of 2015 brought countless images and stories of a “foreigner-friendly” Germany. International media was replete with pictures of Germans standing at train-stations with placards saying “Foreigners Welcome” in German, English, and Arabic. Chancellor Angela Merkel—who in Fall 2010 declared that the idea of a “Multikulti” German society “had utterly failed”—transformed her political stance with an open door policy on immigrants. This led to her recognition as Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year 2015.” A closer look at recent events reveals the differences of opinion that are slowly emerging in German national, and European regional politics. The cost of absorbing Germany’s newest migrants has become a major issue for protests and public debates. Nationalist groups such as PEGIDA are once again expressing concerns about the “rapid decline” of an (ethnic-)German culture. Conservatives frequently reference the fact that already by 2014, the number of German residents born outside of Germany had reached a record high of 16.4 Million, a drastic change since 1974, when the number of foreign-born residents of Germany reached 400,000 because of the presence of guest-workers from Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey and the former Yugoslavia. In current discussions, the figure of the refugee—stereotyped as the young Muslim asylum seeker—has acquired special relief, creating a greater need to understand the differences between “willful” and “forced” migrations.
With the current political and cultural debates serving as our point of departure, in this seminar we will explore the complex history of asylum seekers, exiles, and migrants in Germany within the larger migratory contexts of Europe, especially after the Second World War. The aim of the seminar is threefold: first, we will investigate how the transformation of labor migrants to cultural and (since 2000) political citizens of Germany has been one marked with accomplishments and positive developments, but also fraught with anxiety, tensions, and discrimination. Second, we will evaluate state-sponsored German models of multiculturalism (Multikulti), integration, and assimilation in the larger framework of the cultural politics of the European Union. Third, and most importantly, we will examine the artistic, cultural, historical, linguistic, political, and religious “contexts” of migrants’ lives through a variety of “texts”: film, media (print and electronic), literary works, and academic scholarship. We will also read and discuss some books for children that focus on recent movement of refugees, and a web-based poetry project that archives poetry of refugee minors.
The seminar includes works by literary authors such as Wladimir Kaminer, Navid Kermani, Nicol Ljubic, Emine Sevgi Özdamar, Jenny Erpenbeck, Massum Faryar; films by directors such as Xavier Koller, Yasemin Semdereli, Simon Verhoeven; essays by controversial public figures such as the politician Thilo Sarazzin, , among others. We will also have a visit from lawyer from Germany who works with refugees.
By focusing on literature and cinema, we will explore the ever-changing form and function of aesthetic expressions of migration. One of the central tasks of the seminar is to fortify an interdisciplinary examination of concepts such as home, belonging, borderlands, citizenship, cosmopolitanism, diaspora, hospitality, and migration through theoretical frameworks developed in scholarship on multiculturalism, bi- and multilingualism, queer and gender studies, postcolonial studies, and transnational studies. Our discussions will therefore draw on works by literary and cultural scholars such as Daniela Berghahn, Leslie Adelson, and Azade Seyhan; historians such as Rita Chin among others.
German 727 – Social justice in the language classroom
3 credits
| 1 | MWF 11am-11:50am |
Jeanne Schueller
Van Hise 583
Course taught in English
Prerequisites: Graduate student status
The world we inhabit is ever-changing. Language teaching methods have undergone major transformations over the decades as a result of research findings in disciplines such as SLA, psychology and education, in reaction to the political landscape, and in an attempt to accommodate new generations of students and teachers. In recent years, critical and social justice approaches to language instruction have gained traction in the profession, but to what extent have educators heeded this call and revised their language curriculum? Do L2 instructors integrate pedagogical practices that promote social justice in their face-to-face or virtual classrooms? In her foreword to Words and Actions: Teaching Languages Through the Lens of Social Justice (2014:8) by Cassandra Glynn, Pamela Wesely, and Beth Wassell, Sonia Nieto writes “… I suspect that for some educators, teaching a world language is still primarily about the mechanics of grammar, correct pronunciation, and something about the geography where a particular language is spoken. […] A social justice perspective makes it clear that teaching world languages is about more than the textbook, more than curriculum, and more than pedagogy. It is also more than a set of skills or specific approaches. Social justice in language teaching is, in effect, a stance, a way of looking at what happens through and beyond the curriculum, the pedagogy, and the instructional materials.”
This course addresses critical and social justices approaches to language instruction. Whose voices and perspectives do we privilege and whose are we biased against, whether explicitly or implicitly, consciously or unconsciously? How can we cultivate classroom environments that are welcoming to all kinds of learners and traditionally marginalized groups and are grounded in inclusivity, equity, and empathy? How can the classroom become, as Glynn describes it, a “transformative place” that can “change students’ lives and their perspectives about the world outside of their own school or community”?
We will begin by looking at the current collegiate pedagogical landscape – how, what, to whom, and by whom are second and foreign languages taught? – before moving on to explore a range of topics. Questions we will explore include: How do our own experiences shape us as instructors? What does a pedagogy that promotes critical and social justice look like, and how does it differ from mainstream approaches? How can language curricula be diversified? What role do authentic materials play in integrating real-world themes, personalizing learning and making instruction relevant for today’s (and tomorrow’s) learners, promoting reflection, fostering intercultural competency, and raising global awareness? How do we accommodate and include learners with diverse needs and backgrounds? How can methods courses prepare educators to teach 21st century learners?
Invited guest speakers will share their expertise on a wide variety of topics through video-conferences and in person. Course requirements include the preparation of scholarly articles and readings; leading class discussion; personal reflections in a composition notebook project; creating a pedagogical unit or designing a course syllabus; and a presentation to the class toward the end of the semester. This course promotes collaborative learning in order to foster a robust sense of community and inclusivity.
German 758-001/Jewish 630 Yiddish for Reading and Research
| 1 | TTh 9:30am-10:45am |
Prof. Sunny Yudkoff
Yiddish is a critical language of research in a variety of fields, including Jewish American culture, Germanic linguistics, Holocaust studies, eastern European and Russian history, and Hebrew literature. This course provides an introduction to the reading skills needed to access to a range of historical, literary, and linguistics texts in Yiddish. At the end of this course, students will be able to pursue scholarly research in original Yiddish-language material, to parse complex Yiddish grammatical forms using relevant research aids, and to navigate Yiddish dictionaries. Students will also be introduced to various Yiddish orthographies (standardized, Soviet, and others) and to major questions in the study of Yiddish language and literature. In addition to scholarly texts, students will read work by major Yiddish authors and poets. The class assumes no previous Yiddish knowledge and begins by introducing students to the Yiddish alphabet.
German 758-002 – Structure of German
| 2 | MW 1pm-2:15pm |
Mark L. Louden
This course will provide graduate students with a foundation in the basic structures of the contemporary German language from a descriptive linguistic perspective. We will begin with an overview of the major phonetic and phonological features of spoken German, then proceed to explore derivational morphological, syntactic, and semantic structures. Although we will not focus on data from German dialects, we will consider regiolectal patterns of variation that are found in contemporary German-speaking Central Europe. This will be a linguistics course, however students working in all subfields in German studies are welcome. No background in German linguistics is presumed, but the course will be organized to complement any prior coursework students may have from other synchronic, historical, and applied linguistic courses.
The bulk of the required work for the course will be in the form of regular problem sets. We will also have two take-home examinations. There will be one required textbook, Die Grammatik (Duden, Bd. 4, 9th edition, 2016). This book will serve students as an excellent reference work after the course and will be used as the required text for future specialized courses in German syntax. The course will be taught in German.
German 947: Emblem Studies: From Alciato to Tattoos
| 1 | M 4:30pm-7pm |
Sabine Mödersheim
In this course we will explore the genre of emblems and emblem books from the early 16th century to today. Emblems and emblem books emerged as a bi-medial genre with a combination of text and image consisting of three elements: an image, a pithy motto, and a short explanatory verse, designed to convey a moral meaning. The genre drew upon a representational mode in which the visual world is conceived as a referential system where each feature contains an allusion to the invisible reality of the macrocosm. Indicating this referentiality, the emblematic or allegorical mode mediated knowledge of meaningful relations established through analogical references within the order of the world. Exploring emblems provides a key to understanding the early modern period and early modern knowledge, ethics, natural philosophy, politics, science, religion. The study of emblem books and related materials in literature and the visual arts, their origins and influence on other cultural forms, in many languages, including Latin, Dutch, German, French, Italian, Spanish, is a highly interdisciplinary field that encompasses literary studies, art history and iconography, religious practice and theology, political discourses, the history of mentalities, material culture, and social manners and mores.
We will work with original emblem books at Special Collections as well as digital editions and examples from the material culture. Students from different fields will select an author or emblem book for a case study matching their interests, e.g. German, Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish literature and cultural history, natural history, history of science, architecture, religious studies, etc. For a list of emblem books in Special Collections please contact smoedersheim@wisc.edu
German 948 Graduate Seminar: Rhythmus
Prof. Sabine Gross
| 1 | T 3:30pm-6pm |
Seminar taught in German
Rhythmus ist ein Grundelement des menschlichen Lebens, der Sprache, der visuellen Kunst und Literatur. In diesem Seminar werden wir grundlegende Texte zum Rhythmus sowie eine mehrere Jahrhunderte umspannende Auswahl von überwiegend literarischen Texten lesen und diskutieren. Die drei Gattungen Drama, Lyrik und Prosa sind vertreten mit Texten von Klassikern wie Klopstock, Hölderlin, Goethe und Kleist, großen Autor*innen der Moderne wie Kafka, Tucholsky, Brecht und Celan sowie Autor*innen der jüngeren Gegenwart wie Christa Wolf, Günter Grass, Herta Müller, Kerstin Hensel und Durs Grünbein, ergänzt durch komische Lyrik (Wilhelm Busch, Christian Morgenstern, Limericks) und konkrete Poesie. Neben Schwerpunkten in der Poetik, Stilistik, Linguistik und Rhetorik werden wir Ausblicke in Musik und Theater tun, wir werden Theatertexte duch lautes Lesen erschließen und Schwitters‘ berühmte „Ursonate“ hören. In mindestens einer Sitzung werden wir praktische Übungen machen, die Ihnen auch Anregungen für den Sprach- und Literaturunterricht geben.
Unsere Arbeitsergebnisse dienen nicht nur als Vorbereitung für die aktive Diskussionsteilnahme am 51. Wisconsin Workshop „Rhythms“ im September 2019, sondern sollen auch Ihre gegenwärtigen oder zukünftigen Projekte in unterschiedlichen Arbeitsgebieten bereichern und Ihnen helfen, ihre Aufmerksamkeit für die rhythmische Dimension von Texten und anderen kulturellen Erzeugnissen zu entwickeln. Entsprechend ist die Themenwahl Ihrer Seminararbeit flexibel und erfolgt in individueller Absprache mit mir. (Nehmen Sie gerne schon vor dem Semester Kontakt mit mir auf, um Ihre Interessen zu besprechen!)
Sie brauchen drei Texte:
Sten Nadolny: Die Entdeckung der Langsamkeit. Piper Verlag. ISBN 9783492207003.
Friedrich Dürrenmatt: Der Auftrag oder Vom Beobachten des Beobachters der Beobachter. Diogenes Verlag. ISBN 9783257216622
Heinrich von Kleist: Der zerbrochne Krug. Ausgabe flexibel, ich empfehle die „Textausgabe mit Kommentar und Materialien“ bei Reclam (XL – Text und Kontext), ISBN 9783150191637.
Auf Wunsch kann ich eine Sammelbestellung für das Seminar organisieren.
Alle anderen Texte für das Seminar bekommen Sie von mir.