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Courses Spring 2022
Elementary & Intermediate German Language Courses
GERMN 101: Elementary German I (3 hours, 3 credits) |
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Section |
Days | Time | Instructor | Room |
01 | Mon & Thurs | 9:45am-11:00am | Nicolai | In-person, HW-W509B |
02 |
Mon & Thurs | 4:10pm-5:25pm |
Kuhn-Osius | In-person, HW-W611 |
03 |
Mon & Thurs | 1:10pm-2:25pm |
Merolle | In-person, HW-W509B |
04 | Tues & Fri | 9:45am-11:00am | Anderson | In-person, HW-W611 |
05 | Tues & Fri |
2:10-3:25pm | Koch | In-person, HW-W509B |
Course description below. |
GERMN 102: Elementary German II (3 hours, 3 credits) |
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Prereq: GERMN 101 or equivalent |
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Section |
Days | Time | Instructor | Room |
01 |
Mon & Thurs |
8:10am-9:25am |
Nicolai | In-person, HW-W509B |
02 |
Tues & Fri | 9:45am-11:00am |
Wicker | In-person, HW-W509B |
03 | Mon & Wed | 4:10pm-5:25pm | Mekonen | In-person, HW-W509B |
04 | Tues & Fri | 12:45pm-2:00pm | Koch | In-person, HW-W509B |
Course description below. |
GERMN 201: Intermediate German I (3 hours, 3 credits) |
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Prereq: GERMN 102 or 103 or equivalent |
Section |
Days | Time | Instructor | Room |
01 |
Mon & Thurs |
9:45-11:00am |
Kuhn-Osius | In-person, HW-W611 |
Course description below. |
GERMN 202: Intermediate German II (3 hours, 3 credits) |
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Prereq: GERMN 201 or equivalent |
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Section |
Days | Time | Instructor | Room |
01 | Tues & Fri | 12:45-2:00pm | Strohmeier | In-person, HW-W611 |
02 |
Mon & Thurs |
2:45pm-4:00pm | Zimmerman | In-person, HW-W611 |
Course description below. |
GERMN 203: Intensive Intermediate German (6 hours, 6 credits) |
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Prereq: GERMN 102 or 103 or equivalent |
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Section |
Days | Time | Instructor | Room |
01 | Mon, Wed, & Thurs | 11:10am-1:00pm | Mekonen | In-person, HN-C103 |
Course description below. |
Advanced German Language, Literature and Culture Courses: Level I"Level I Advanced Courses" in German have a prerequisite of GERMN 202 or 203 or equivalent.
GERMN 302: Advanced German Conversation & Composition (3 hours, 3 credits) |
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Section |
Days | Time | Instructor | Room |
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01 |
Mon & Thurs |
1:10-2:25pm |
2645 | Zimmerman | In-person, HW-W611 |
Fulfills GER 3/A. Course description below. |
GERMN 32058: German Comics & Graphic Literature (3 hours, 3 credits) | ||||
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Section |
Days | Time | Instructor | Room |
01 |
Mon & Thurs |
11:10am-12:25pm | Kuhn-Osius | In-person, HW-W611 |
Fulfills GER 3/A and Pluralism & Diversity Group D. Course description below. |
GERMN 336: German Lyric Poetry (3 hours, 3 credits) | ||||
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Section |
Days | Time | Instructor | Room |
01 |
Mon & Thurs |
2:45-4:00pm | Nicolai | In-person, HW-W509B |
Fulfills GER 3/A and Pluralism & Diversity Group D. Course description below. |
Advanced German Language, Literature and Culture Courses: Level II
GERMN 38504: Advanced German Through Translation (3 hours, 3 credits) prerequisite: three courses above GERMN 30000 or equivalent (excluding courses in English translation) |
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Section |
Days | Time | Instructor | Room |
01 |
Mon & Thurs |
1:10pm-2:25pm | Anderson | In-person, HW-W509 Canceled |
Fulfills GER 3/A. Course description below. |
Courses in German Literature & Culture (Conducted in English)
Course Descriptions
GERMN 101: Elementary German I 3hrs, 3crs.
No pre-req
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, Vol 1. ISBN 9781524996246
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, Vol 2. ISBN 9781524996253
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, Vol 3. ISBN 9780201814224
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. 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, Vol 3. ISBN 9780201814224
Note: If you have previous knowledge of German, please contact the department for advice and placement.
GERMN 203: Intensive Intermediate German 6hrs, 6crs.
This course covers in ONE semester the material normally covered in TWO semesters, in GERMN 201 and GERMN 202. Instruction in the four basic skills is continued. Advanced grammatical forms are introduced. Selected literary texts are read and discussed. This accelerated class involves a considerable investment of time.
Exam Format: written quizzes, midterm and final exams
Textbook: Access to German, Jägerbuch, Vol 3. ISBN 9780201814224
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.
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.
LEVEL I
GERMN 302: Advanced German Conversation & Composition 3hrs, 3crs.
Prereq: GERMN 202 or 203 or equivalent. Fulfills GER 3/A.
This course is designed to develop your conversational and writing skills. There will be intensive practice in spoken and written German with emphasis on vocabulary, idiom, and grammar. We will read recent news articles, comics, and other authentic texts. We will watch a telenovela and listen to audio materials to strengthen your comprehension skills. Regular preparation is required for group work and class dialogues. The course prepares students to take the examination Zertifikat Deutsch, the professional certificate of basic language competence administered by the Goethe-Institut. Fees charged by the Goethe-Institut will be announced in advance.
Textbook: E-book provided by instructor. Zero Textbook Cost
Course requirements: essays, oral presentations, group project
Note: If you have previous knowledge of German, please contact the department for advice and placement before registering for classes.
GERMN 32058: German Comics and Graphic Literature 3 hrs, 3 crs.
Prereq: GERMN 202 or 203 or equivalent. Fulfills GER 3/A, PD/D
Located somewhere between high culture and pop culture, comics and graphic literature have gained considerable respectability in the last century. Germany was a leading force in the early development of graphic literature because of the work of artist-poet Wilhelm Busch, whose comic genius created stories and images that have been embedded in German cultural memory for over 100 years. This class will take a brief look at the history and theory of comics, and then mostly concentrate on works by three comics giants: Wilhlem Busch and the contemporary artists Gerhard Seyfried, Ralf König (a leading gay graphic literature artist), and Flix. Other graphic-literary artists we may look at include Frranziska Becker, Rotraut Susanne Berner, Chlodwig Poth, Walter Moers, and Brösel. These usually humorous and ironic works will lead us to a better knowledge and appreciation of German culture and humor (a character trait for which Germans are not internationally famous).
Students are expected to attend class regularly and contribute to class discussion in German. Each student is expected to write a number of short essays. Topics and length of individual essays will depend on student proficiency and will be set individually, but the total word count for the semester is expected to be 1500 words or more. One paper may also be an oral presentation in the classroom. The reading load will not be excessive, but reading needs to be detailed and you should learn to narrate in words what happens in the partly visual comics. Some research may be needed to identify images and allusions in the pictures.
Class readings will consist of paper hand-outs and weblinks. I will order one book from Germany (probably by Ralf König, whose works arre most easily available). The title will be determined after class discussion. Total price is expected to be under $20.
Note: If you have previous knowledge of German, please contact the department for advice and placement before registering for classes.
GERMN 336: German Lyric Poetry 3hrs, 3crs.
Prereq: GERMN 202 or 203 or equivalent. Fulfills GER 3/A, PD/D
Reading poetry is one of the best ways to learn a foreign language: it forces you to focus on the sound and rhythm of the language, as well as your comprehension of the content. As relatively short readings, poems allow you to engage with them deeply, often in exacting detail. Of course, German poetry has a long and distinguished history from the Middle Ages to the present. In this course, we will read and discuss German poetry mainly from the classical period to the present, studying such authors as Goethe, Schiller, Hölderlin, Heine, Eichendorff, Droste-Hülshoff, Nietzsche, Rilke, Lasker-Schüler, Trakl, Brecht, Celan, Bachmann, Fried, Enzensberger and others. We will also talk about songs. The works chosen will provide examples of various styles, types and individual expression in the lyric form.
This course is for students who have little or no experience studying literature in German. Although some of you might have already taken a level I literature course, the prerequisite is German 202 or 203. While it is designed to increase students’ familiarity with literary history and form, as well as German culture, it is also designed to improve students’ reading comprehension, oral proficiency, and written proficiency in German. The course will be conducted in German. Since the class is an interactive class, student participation in this course is very important. We shall work on each student's ability to read, write and speak about the poems in German. The speaking and writing assignments will be given according to individual needs and capabilities as far as possible. Your linguistic starting point will be taken into account for your final grade.
Textbook: Echtermeyer/von Wiese, Deutsche Gedichte, ISBN 9783060619320
Students will purchase this text from the instructor, not the bookstore.
Course requirements: Active participation, regular short writing assignments, midterm and final exam
Note: If you have previous knowledge of German, please contact the department for advice and placement before registering for classes.
LEVEL II
GERMN 385.04: Advanced German Through Translation 3hrs, 3crs
Prereq: Two courses above GERMN 300 or equivalent (excluding courses in English translation).
Students will build their upper-level language proficiency by translating from German into English. We will discuss what it means to translate, as well as some theoretical issues of translation. On the whole, however, the course will be structured as a workshop: our discussion of vocabulary and grammar, the intricacies of German and English, and the art and science of translation will be based on the regular translation work students do with a variety of literary and non-literary texts.
Textbooks: None – This is a zero textbook cost course.
Course requirements: Active participation, regular written translations, translation portfolio
Note: If you have previous knowledge of German, please contact the department for advice and placement before registering for classes.
Courses Conducted in English
GERMN 241: German Fairy Tales
Pre- or Coreq: ENGL 120. Fulfills "Creative Expression" or GER 2/C. Fulfills Pluralism & Diversity Group D and Writing Requirement. Writing Intensive (sections 01-04 only)
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 at explaining 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 scenes from Walt Disney movies and "politically correct fairy tales." Students will read fairy tales and tell one that they know; there will be regular written assignments, a midterm, and a final examination. All readings, discussions and written work will be in English.
Course requirements: attendance and participation; regular preparation of readings; regular writing assignments.
Exam Format: written midterm and final exams
Textbooks: Jack Zipes, The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, ISBN 978-0553382167
Joanna Cole, Best-Loved Folktales of the World, ISBN 978-0318796482 or ISBN 9780385189491