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Courses Fall 2013

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Elementary & Intermediate German Language Courses

 

GERMN 101: Elementary German I (3 hours, 3 credits)
Section
Days Time Code Instructor Room
01
Mon & Thurs
9:45am - 11:00am
89941
Kuhn-Osius 509B West
02
Tues & Fri 11:10am - 12:25pm
89963 Wicker 611 West
03
Mon & Thurs
4:10pm - 5:25pm
89952 Strohmeier 509B West
04 Tues & Thurs 4:10pm - 5:25pm 89977 Kasprzyk 611 West
05 Mons & Wed
5:35pm-6:50pm 89981 Strohmeier 611 West

Click here for course description. 

101 fulfills the World Cultures category of the Hunter core.

 

GERMN 102: Elementary German II (3 hours, 3 credits)
Prereq: GERMN 101 or equivalent
Section
Days Time Code Instructor Room
01
Mon & Thurs
9:45am - 11:00am
90400 Merolle 611 West
02
Tues & Fri 11:10pm - 12:25pm
90404 Kasprzyk 509B West
03 Tues & Thurs 4:10pm- 5:25pm 90407 Zimmerman 413 West

Click here for course description

 

GERMN 103: Intensive Elementary German I & II (6 hours, 6 credits)
Section
Days Time Code Instructor Room
01 Mon, W, Th 11:10am- 1:00pm 90415 Beckett 509B West
Click here for course description.

 

GERMN 201: Intermediate German I (3 hours, 3 credits)
Prereq: GERMN 102 or 103 or equivalent
Section
Days Time Code Instructor Room
01
Mon & Thurs
1:10pm- 2:25pm
90420 Merolle 611 West
02 Tues & Thurs 5:35pm - 6:50pm 90423 Zimmerman 509B West
Click here for course description.

 

GERMN 202: Intermediate German II (3 hours, 3 credits)
Prereq: GERMN 201 or equivalent
Section
Days Time Code Instructor Room
01
Mon & Thurs
2:45pm- 4:00pm
90427 Nicolai 509B West
Click here for course description.

 


Advanced German Language, Literature and Culture Courses: Level I

(What is the difference between Level I and Level II courses?)

GERMN 301: Advanced German Comprehension & Conversation (3 hours, 3 credits)
Prereq: GERMN 202 or 203 or equivalent. Fulfills requirement GER 3/A.
Section
Days Time Code Instructor Room
01 Mon & Thurs 1:10pm- 2:25pm 90465 Zimmerman 509B West
Click here for course description.

 

GERMN 321: Individual and Society in Modern German Literature (3 hours, 3 credits)
Prereq: GERMN 202 or 203 or equivalent. Fulfills requirements GER 3/A and PD/D.
Section Days Time Code Instructor Room
01 Mon & Thurs 2:45pm - 4:00pm 90468 Anderson 611 West
Click here for course description.

 

GERMN 328: German Children's and Adolescent Literature (3 hours, 3 credits)
Prereq: GERMN 202 or 203 or equivalent. Fulfills requirements GER 3/A and PD/D.
Section
Days Time Code Instructor Room
01 Mon & Wed 4:10pm- 5:25pm
90474 Kuhn-Osius 611 West
Click here for course description.

 

Advanced German Language, Literature and Culture Courses: Level II

GERMN 345: Literature of Weimar Republic (3 hours, 3 credits)
Prereq: One Course numbered from GERMN 320 to 359 or equivalent. Fulfills requirements GER 3/A  and PD/D.
Section
Days Time Code Instructor Room
01 Mon & Thurs 1:10pm- 2:25pm
90476 Nicolai 1441 West
Click here for course description.

 

GERMN 385.03 German Grammar for Upper-Level Discourse (3 hours, 3 credits)
Prereq: Three Courses above GERMN 300 or equivalent (excluding courses in English translation). Fulfills requirements GER 3/A.
Section
Days Time Code Instructor Room
01
Mon & Wed 5:35pm- 6:50pm
90483 Kuhn-Osius 509B West
Click here for course description.

 


Course in German Literature & Civilization (Conducted in English)

 

GERMN 240: German Thought & Culture (3 hours, 3 credits)
Pre-req- or Coreq: ENGL 120. Fulfills requirements GER 2/C and PD/D and Writing ("W").
Section
Day Time Code Instructor Room
01 Mon & Thurs 9:45am - 11:00am
90431 Anderson 413 West
Click here for course description.

 

GERMN 241: German Fairy Tales (3 hours, 3 credits)
Pre- or Coreq: ENGL 120. Fulfills requirements GER 2/C and PD/D and Writing ("W").
Section
Day Time Code Instructor Room
01 Saturday 8:10am - 11:00am
90439 Titze 611 West
02 Mon & Thurs 8:10am-9:25am 90460 Titze 611 West
03 Mon & Thurs 11:10am-12:25pm 20690 Zimmerman 611 West

241 Fulfills the Creative Expression category of the Hunter core.

Click here for course description.

 

 


Course Descriptions


Elementary & Intermediate German Language Courses


GERMN 101:  Elementary German I   3hrs, 3crs.

This course is for students without prior knowledge of German. It focuses on the basic linguistic and cultural abilities needed to function in German-speaking countries. The instructor will emphasize active student participation (speaking, listening, reading, writing). Regular attendance and daily homework are necessary to succeed in this course.
Exam format: written quizzes, midterm and final exams
Textbook: Access to German: Jägerbuch I, ISBN 0-07-285376-x

Note: If you have previous knowledge of German, please contact the department for advice and placement.

 

GERMN 102:  Elementary German II   3hrs, 3crs.

Prereq: GERMN 101 or equivalent.

This course continues the work of GERMN 101. It broadens linguistic and cultural abilities for basic communication in a German-speaking environment. The instructor will emphasize active student participation (speaking, listening, reading, writing). Regular attendance and daily homework are necessary to succeed in this course.
Exam format: written quizzes, midterm and final exams
Textbook: Access to German: Jägerbuch II, ISBN 0-07-3019364

Note: If you have previous knowledge of German, please contact the department for advice and placement.

 

GERMN 103:  Intensive Elementary German I & II   3hrs, 3crs.

This course is intended for students with no prior knowledge of German.  It covers in ONE semester the material normally covered in two semesters, in GERMN 101-102.  It focuses on the basic linguistic and cultural abilities needed to function in German-speaking countries. The instructor will emphasize active student participation (speaking, listening, reading, writing). Regular attendance and daily homework are necessary to succeed in this course.
Exam format: written quizzes, midterm and final exams
Textbook: Access to German: Jägerbuch I and II, ISBN 0-07-285376-x; ISBN 0-07-3019364

Note: If you have previous knowledge of German, please contact the department for advice and placement.

 

GERMN 201:  Intermediate German I    3hrs, 3crs.

Prereq: GERMN 102 or 103 or equivalent.

This course is the third in a four-semester sequence and continues the linguistic and cultural introduction to German. Review and practice of elementary grammar; introduction of advanced forms. Reading and discussion of selected texts. The instructor will emphasize active student participation (speaking, listening, reading, writing). Regular attendance and daily homework are necessary to succeed in this course.
Exam format: written quizzes, midterm and final exams
Textbook: Access to German: Jägerbuch III, ISBN 0-07-24397-8

Note: If you have previous knowledge of German, please contact the department for advice and placement.

 

GERMN 202:  Intermediate German II    3hrs, 3crs.

Prereq: GERMN 201 or equivalent.

Continued broadening of abilities in speaking, listening, reading, writing. Reading and discussion of selected literary texts. Strong emphasis on active student participation. Regular attendance and daily homework are important elements in this course. Completion of this course fulfills the Hunter College foreign language requirement. Students at this level will normally be tested by both written and oral examination.
Exam format: written quizzes, midterm and final exams
Textbook: Access to German: Jägerbuch III, ISBN 0-07-24397-8; additional handouts

Note: If you have previous knowledge of German, please contact the department for advice and placement.

 

Advanced German Language, Literature & Culture Courses

 

 

What is the difference between Level I and Level II advanced courses?

The advanced German courses are divided into two levels.  We expect students to take at least two literature courses at Level I before proceeding to Level II.  If you are in any doubt as to which course you should take, or if you have previous knowledge of German, please consult the chair of the department. All of these courses are conducted in German. All 300-level courses in German plus 444 count as Focused Exposure Stage 3, Group A.

Level I courses are intended for students who have recently completed GERMN 202 or 203 and who have only limited experience discussing German literature in German, orally and in writing. They are not intended for native speakers.

Level II courses are intended for advanced students who have taken a number of 300-level German language and literature courses and who may be interested in going on to use the German language professionally. They are thus meant to help students move to the highest levels of the undergraduate program and beyond. Students enrolled in Level II courses have the opportunity to take the B2 and C1 exams, the professional certificates of advanced language competence administered by the Goethe Institute. The exams are given each spring. Fees charged by the Goethe Institute will be announced in advance.

 

GERMN 301:  Advanced German Comprehension & Conversation    3hrs, 3crs.

Prereq: GERMN 202 or 203 or equivalent. GER 3/A

The course is designed to develop the conversational and compositional skills. There will be intensive practice of contemporary spoken and written German with emphasis on vocabulary and idiom, and on active mastery of grammatical forms. Audio material will be used to strengthen comprehension skills. Regular preparation in writing is required for group work and class dialogues. The course prepares students to take the examination for the Zertifikat Deutsch, the professional certificate of basic language competence administered by the Goethe Institute. Fees charged by the Goethe Institute will be announced in advance.
Exam Format: written quizzes, midterm and final exams
Textbook: To be announced

Note: If you have previous knowledge of German, please contact the department for advice and placement.

 

GERMN 321:  Individual and Society in Modern German Literature    3hrs, 3crs.

Prereq:  Germn 202 or 203 or equivalent. GER 3/A, PD/D

Many of the most important and celebrated German writers of the twentieth century were intensely concerned with the relationship between an individual and his/her society. In this class, we will engage in close reading of stories and plays by Franz Kafka, Bertolt Brecht, Max Frisch, and others. We will consider how these authors define and understand the “individual” and “society” during this period in German history. We will examine how their characters try to negotiate conflicts between individual liberty and societal responsibility or constraint. We will study how one’s particular identity (as a German, as a man or woman, as a Christian or Jew) affects interactions within the family and the broader community. This course is for students who have little or no experience studying literature in German. While it is designed to increase students’ familiarity with literary history and German culture, it is also designed to improve students' reading comprehension oral proficiency, in German. The course will be conducted in German.
Course requirements: Attendance and participation; regular written work including short papers; exams or final project.
Texts: Students will receive some texts via photocopy and purchase others from the instructor, not from the bookstore.
Max Frisch, Andorra ISBN 3-518-36777-3
Franz Kafka, Die Verwandlung ISBN 978-3-15-009900-1

Note: If you have previous knowledge of German, please contact the department for advice and placement.

 

GERMN 328:  German Children's and Adolescent Literature    3hrs, 3crs.

Prereq: GERMN 202 or 203 or equivalent. GER 3/A; PD/D This course is conducted in German.

Children's literature and juvenile literature are among the genres that every native speaker knows but that are mysteries for most foreigners. Reading them provides unusually clear insights into values and belief-systems that members of a culture acquire in their youth and often maintain throughout their adult lives. These texts also have the advantage that they are quite accessible to students who are still building up their language ability. In the course of the semester we will read some famous Fairy Tales from the collection of the Brothers Grimm and selections from such classics of German young people's literature as Max und Moritz and Struwwelpeter. We will also look at more contemporary children’s books such as Neben mir ist noch Platz and Oh, wie schön ist Panama. Longer works will be Amelie Fried and Dieter Probst’s detective story Taco und Kaninchen, the humorous book Das Austauschkind by Christine Nöstlinger and perhaps the serious novel Die Wolke by Gudrun Pausewang (this one is tentative).
Course requirements: Class attendance and oral participation; two five-page papers or weekly short essays, depending on students’ proficiency in German; each student will give two in-class presentations retelling 1. a children’s book of his/her own choosing and 2. a German radio play for children (pair presentation by two students). There will be a mid-term and a final examination.
Many texts will be provided. Books will be ordered by the instructor directly, not through the bookstore
Amelie Fried, Dieter Probst, Taco und Kaninchen ISBN: 978-3-570-21592-0; € 6,90 (the US price will be about $11 or 12).
Christine Nöstlinger, Das Austauschkind ISBN-13: 978-3-407-74100-4; € 6,50 (the US price will be about $11 or $12).
Gudrun Pausewang, Die Wolke ISBN 3473580147; € 6,95 (the US price will be about $11 or $12).

Note: If you have previous knowledge of German, please contact the department for advice and placement.


GERMN 345:  Literature of Weimar Republic    3hrs, 3crs.

Prereq: One course numbered from GERMN 320 to 359 or 444 or equivalent or permission of instructor. GER 3/A, PD/D

In this course, we shall read and discuss literature written in Germany between the end of the First World War (1918) and the beginning of the "Third Reich" (1933). We will deal with writings by such authors as Hans Fallada, Irmgard Keun and others. Music of the twenties will be included. We shall be concerned with the complicated interaction of literature, art and politics in this period and we shall work at building the vocabulary and linguistic skills to deal with this kind of topic. Emphasis in this course will be placed on student participation. Individualized speaking and writing assignments taking each student's proficiency level into consideration will be given. There will be three papers, as well as midterm and final examinations. The course is open to native speakers of German. All reading, writing, and discussion will be in German.
Exam format:
written midterm and final exams
Textbooks:
Hans Fallada, Kleiner Mann - was nun?!, ISBN 3-499-10001-0, price currently $11.00
Irmgard Keun, Das kunstseidene Mädchen, ISBN 3-548-60085-9 price currently $9.52

Note: If you have previous knowledge of German, please contact the department for advice and placement.

 

GERMN 385.03:  German Grammar for Upper-level Discourse    3hrs, 3crs.

Prereq: Three courses above GERMN 300 or equivalent. GER 3/A

During the first half of this course, we shall aim at functional control of all items of basic grammar, working intensively with the tasks of narration and describing. Building on this, we shall proceed in the second half of the semester to work with the complex grammatical structures which the student must master in order to state and defend opinions, to hypothesize, to argue abstractly, in short, to speak and write at a high level of literacy. We shall work throughout the semester not only on the active skills of speaking and writing, but also on the ability to comprehend spoken and written German. Expect regular homework. There will be two or three brief in-class presentations in German per student concentrating on narration, hypothesizing, and supporting an opinion.Discussion of grammar and syntax will take place in the English language and comparisons with English grammar will be made.
While English will be the language of explanations, all functional practice and· assignments will be in German.
Exam format:
written midterm and final exams
Textbook: Brigitte Turneaure, Der treffende Ausdruck: Texte, Themen, Übungen. Paperback, W. W. Norton & Company; 2 edition (September 1998); ISBN-13: 978-0393968231
Recommended: Elke Gschossmann-Hendershot and Lois Feuerle, Schaum's Outline of German Grammar, 4ed (Schaum's Outline Series); (Sep 1, 2009); ISBN-13: 978-0071615679

Note: If you have previous knowledge of German, please contact the department for advice and placement.

 

 

 

Courses Conducted in English

 

GERMN 240:  German Thought and Culture    3hrs, 3crs

Pre-or Coreq: Engl 120. GER 2/C, PD/D, “W”

This course is an introduction to some of the most famous texts and ideas that have come to us from the German-speaking world. We will read (in English translation) and discuss the work of major writers in literary, philosophical, political and other fields, and will also consider developments in the fine arts. Throughout, we will consider these works in their historical context, from medieval Europe to Germany’s role in the world today. We will also explore the German cultural offerings in New York City today – at museums, theaters, musical performance venues, etc. Because this is a writing-intensive course, students will do significant writing and revising. 
Required textbook:
Hagen Schulze, Germany: A New History (Harvard, 1998). ISBN·0-67400545-7 or 0-674-80688-3.

Other assigned texts
and excerpts can be accessed free of charge on the Internet or will be distributed by the instructor:
•• Martin Luther, 95 Theses
•• Immanuel Kant, “What is Enlightenment?”
•• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust (excerpts)
•• Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto (excerpts)
•• Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis (excerpts)
Course Requirements: Regular attendance and participation; regular reading and writing assignments, including papers; exams or final project.

 

 

GERMN 241:  German Fairy Tales    3hrs, 3crs.

Pre-or Coreq: Engl 120. GER 2/C, PD/D, "W"

Fairy tales are known all over the world. The most famous European book of fairy tales is the one collected by the Brothers Grimm. These stories have entered our collective unconscious but are not easily explained. We shall look at various attempts to explain what fairy tales are all about, look at older stories that served as models for the Brothers Grimm, and study modern versions of the tales, including a Walt Disney movie and “politically correct fairy tales.” Students will read fairy tales, tell one that they know, and write three short papers, a midterm and final examination. All readings, discussions and written work will be in English. This course has a “W” designation.
Exam format:
written midterm and final exams
Textbooks: Jack Zipes, The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, ISBN 978-0553382167
Joanna Cole, The Best-Loved Fairy Tales of the World, ISBN 978-0318796482

 

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