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Courses Fall 2016


Elementary & Intermediate German Language Courses

GERMN 101: Elementary German I (3 hours, 3 credits)
Section
Days Time Code Instructor Room
01
Mon & Thurs
8:10am-9:25am
11156
Schmitz
509B West
02
Tues & Fri 11:10am-12:25pm
11158
Koch
611 West
03
Tues & Fri
2:10pm-3:25pm
11157
Koch
509B West
04 Mon & Thurs 2:45pm-4:00pm 11159
Strohmeier
207 West
05 Mon & Thurs
4:10pm-5:25pm 11160
Strohmeier 509B West
06 Mon & Wed
7:00pm-8:15pm 11411
Fiedler 611 West
07 Cancelled
Tues & Thurs 7:00pm-8:15pm 12005 Beckett
509B West
08 Cancelled
Tues & Thurs 5:35-6:50pm 20757 Du Bey 611 West
09 Tues & Thurs 4:10-5:25pm 20758 Raninger 413 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
11161
Du Bey
611 West
02
Tues & Fri 11:10am-12:25pm
11162
Wicker 509B West
03 Tues & Fri 3:45pm-5:00pm 11163
Koch
509B West
04 Mon & Wed 5:35pm-6:50pm 11412
Fiedler 509B West
05 Cancelled
Tues & Thurs
7:00pm-8:15pm
12006
Raninger
611 West
06 Mon & Thurs 1:10pm-2:25pm 20759 Merolle 611 West

Click here for course description

GERMN 102 counts towards the Hunter Focus.

 

GERMN 103: Intensive Elementary German I & II (6 hours, 6 credits)
Section
Days Time Code Instructor Room
01 Cancelled
M, W, Th 11:10am-1:00pm 11164 Nicolai 509B West

Click here for course description.

GERMN 103 fulfills "World Cultures" of the Hunter Core and counts towards the Hunter Focus.

 

GERMN 201: Intermediate German I (3 hours, 3 credits)
Prereq: GERMN 102 or 103 or equivalent
Section
Days Time Code Instructor Room
01
Tues & Fri
9:45am-11:00am
11413
Wicker 611 West
02 Mon & Thurs 2:45pm-4:00pm 11165
Kuhn-Osius
611 West
03
Tues & Thurs 5:35pm-6:50pm 11166
Beckett
509B West

Click here for course description.

GERMN 201 counts towards the Hunter Focus.

 

GERMN 202: Intermediate German II (3 hours, 3 credits)
Prereq: GERMN 201 or equivalent
Section
Days Time Code Instructor Room
01
Mon & Thurs
9:45am-11:00am
11167 Kuhn-Osius
509B West
02 Tues & Fri
12:45pm-2:00pm 11414 Wicker 611 West

Click here for course description.

GERMN 202 counts towards the Hunter Focus.

 


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 11171 Zimmerman
509B West

Click here for course description.

GERMN 321: Individual and Society in Modern German Liturature (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 20760 Zimmerman 509B West

Click here for course description.

 

GERMN 324: Post-Feminist German Literature and Film (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
4:10pm-5:25pm
56999 Nicolai
509A West

Click here for course description.

 

Advanced German Language, Literature and Culture Courses: Level II

GERMN 346: German Literature of the 1930's and 1940's (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 & Wed 5:35pm-6:50pm
20761 Kuhn-Osius 611 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
11168 Merolle 1143 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
11169
Titze 611 West
02 Mon & Thurs 8:10am-9:25am 11170 Titze 611 West
03 Mon & Thurs 11:10am-12:25pm 10086 Strohmeier 611 West
(HC1) Mon & Thurs 9:45-11:00am 12007 Zimmerman 623 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.

No pre-req required.

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.

No pre-req required.

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: "German 301" written by Dr. Zimmerman, and it’s a free e-book. iPads will be on loan to the students for use during the semester to access the e-book.

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

 

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

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

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 such authors, and consider how they 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, and written proficiency in German. The course will be conducted in German.
Attendance and participation; regular written work including 3 short papers of 1-2 pages each; midterm; and final exam or final project.
Texts: TBA. Students will receive some texts via photocopy and purchase others from the instructor, not from the bookstore.

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

 

GERMN 324:  Post-Feminist German Literature and Film   3hrs, 3crs.

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

In this course we will primarily take a look at women’s writings at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. We will read women’s literature that was published since the mid-eighties after the heyday of feminism in Germany. We will examine to what extent the female aesthetic has changed since its beginnings in the early seventies. We will also look at some literary film adaptations of women’s novels.                                                               
In the seventies, in the aftermath of the student revolution, feminist discourse was established when women realized that the discussion of their roles in society had been excluded from the liberating process that encompassed almost all other areas in social life. Looking for a redefinition of gender roles, they discussed questions of sexual orientation. In their desire for visibility in all aspects of public life, they explored and established venues for political expression. Their literature bore witness to their struggles and desires. Today, more than forty years later, when women seem to have achieved their goals of the feminist movement, women’s literature has changed and lost much of its radical feminist vigor by setting a new humorous and ironic tone.  We will look at the topics and narrative style of German female writers who write bestseller literature today. We will read authors such as Verena Stefan, Claudia Schreiber, Charlotte Roche and others. 
This course is entirely taught in German, the focus will be on close reading of the texts. We shall try to build up the vocabulary and modes of expression needed for this kind of discourse. There will be three longer writing assignments or the equivalent of a number of shorter papers depending on students’ linguistic proficiency. There will be a midterm and a final exam.
We will read short stories that I will provide and the novel Emmas Glück by Claudia Schreiber. The book will be available to purchase from me.  The second novel will be decided on once I have a clearer sense of the linguistic levels of the students in class.
Course requirements: Participation and attendance. Three longer papers (3-4pages) or the equivalent number of shorter essays. Midterm and Final exams
Texts: Claudia Schreiber: Emmas Glück. ISBN-13: 978-3442458677; 7.95 Euro ( appr. $9.10). Book will be ordered by the instructor, not through the bookstore. Short stories will be provided by the instructor as well as other materials.

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


GERMN 346: German Literature of the 1930's and 1940's   3hrs, 3crs.

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

This course is conducted in German. This course deals with literature and films created in German in the 1930s and 1940s in the context of social and political developments of the times. We shall read the work of writers who emigrated from Nazi Germany, writers who stayed, and some of the immediate reactions to the devastation of World War II. Readings will be two plays and a novel: Franz Werfel’s Jacobowsky und der Oberst, Hans Fallada’s Jeder stirbt für sich allein and Wolfgang Borchert’s, Draußen vor der Tür. In addition, we will read a number of shorter texts from the times and watch one or two films.
Course requirements: Class attendance and oral participation; three four-page papers or weekly short essays, depending on students’ proficiency in German; each student will participate in in-class discussions on pre-assigned individualized topics. There will be a mid-term and a final examination.
Many materials will be provided. The ultimate selection of books will depend on the results of the placement examination on the first day of classes. If the general level of ability is not strong enough, we will replace Fallada’s novel with a different book.
Books will be ordered by the instructor directly, not through the bookstore. Franz Werfel, Jacobowsky und der Oberst: Komödie einer Tragödie in drei Akten; Fischer Taschenbuch; ISBN: 978-3-596-27025-5; € 7.95 (appr. $12) Hans Fallada, Jeder stirbt für sich allein; ISBN-13:  9783746653211; €10.00 (appr. $15-16)Wolfgang Borchert, Draußen vor der Tür und ausgewählte Erzählungen. ISBN: 978-3-499-10170-0; €5.95 (appr. $10).Recommended:Max von der Grün, Wie war das eigentlich? Kindheit und Jugend im Dritten Reich. ISBN-13: 978-3423613453; € 10.00 (appr. $15-16)

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. Throughout, we will consider these works in their historical context, and will possibly also explore the German cultural offerings in New York City today. Because this is a writing-intensive course, students will do significant writing and revising.
Assigned texts and excerpts can be accessed free of charge on the Internet or will be distributed by the instructor. These may include:
·    Immanuel Kant: “What is Enlightenment?”
·    Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: The Sorrows of Young Werther (Excerpts)
·    Hegel: Master/Slave Dialectic in Phenomenology of Mind
·    Arthur Schopenhauer: “On the Suffering of the World”
·    Marx & Engels: The Communist Manifesto
·    Friedrich Nietzsche: The Gay Science (excerpt)
·    Friedrich Nietzsche: Beyond Good and Evil (excerpt)
·    Sigmund Freud: Ego, Id, Superego (excerpt)
·    Sigmund Freud: “On Transcience”
·    Sigmund Freud: “On Narcissism”
·    Franz Kafka: “A Hunger Artist”
·    Thomas Mann: Death in Venice
·    Paul Celan: “Death Fugue”
Films:
·    M (99 min)
·    The Life of Others (137 min)
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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