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Courses Fall 2020

Please Note All Fall Courses Will Be Fully Online

 

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
7178 Nicolai ONLINE
02
Tues & Fri 9:45am-11:00am
7180 Strohmeier ONLINE
03 
Tues & Fri
2:10pm-3:25pm
7179 Koch ONLINE
04 Mon & Weds 4:10pm-5:25pm 7181 Mekonen ONLINE
05 Mon, Weds, Thurs
3:10pm-4:00pm 7300 Nicolai ONLINE
06
Tues & Thurs 4:10pm-5:25pm
7997 Kuhnosius ONLINE

Course description below.

 

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
7182 Merolle ONLINE
02 
Tues & Fri 12:45pm-2:00pm
7183 Wicker ONLINE
03 Mon & Wed 5:35pm-6:50pm 7301 Mekonen ONLINE

Course description below.

 

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
11:10am-12:25pm
7302 Koch ONLINE
02 Mon & Thurs 2:45pm-4:00pm 7184 Kuhnosius ONLINE

Course description below.

 

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
7185 Nicolai ONLINE

Course description below.

 


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.
Section
Days Time Code Instructor Room
01 Mon & Thurs 1:10pm-2:25pm 7188 Zimmerman
ONLINE

Course description below.

 

GERMN 32057: Erich Kaestner (3 hours, 3 credits)
Prereq: GERMN 202 or 203 or equivalent. 
Section Days Time Code Instructor Room
01 Mon & Thurs 4:10pm-5:25pm 23863 Nicolai CANCELED

Course description below.

 

GERMN 32059: German-Jewish Liebesgeschichten in Literature and Film (3 hours, 3 credits) 
Prereq: GERMN 202 or 203 or equivalent. 
Section
Days Time Code Instructor Room
01 Mon & Thurs
2:45pm-4:00pm
23874 Zimmerman ONLINE

Course description below.

 

Advanced German Language, Literature and Culture Courses: Level II

GERMN 44462: Franz Kafka's Works (3 hours, 3 credits)
Prereq: One Course numbered from GERMN 320 to 359 or equivalent.
Section
Days Time Code Instructor Room
01 Mon & Thurs 11:10am-12:25pm
23864 Anderson ONLINE

Course description below.

 

Courses in German Literature & Civilization (Conducted in English) 

GERMN 241: German Fairy Tales (3 hours, 3 credits)
Pre- or Coreq: ENGL 120.
Section
Day Time Code Instructor Room
01 Saturday
8:10am-11:00am
7186 Titze ONLINE
02 Mon & Thurs 8:10am-9:25am 7187 Titze ONLINE
03 Tues & Fri 8:10am-9:25am 6423 Strohmeier ONLINE
04 Tues & Fri 9:45am-11:00am 8551 Wicker ONLINE
05 Mon & Thurs 1:10pm-2:25pm 9764 Mekonen ONLINE
06 Mon & Thurs 11:10am-12:25pm 42617 Merolle ONLINE 
07 TBA TBA 65752 Mekonen ONLINE
(HC1) Mon & Thurs 9:45am-11:00am 7659 Zimmerman ONLINE

241 Fulfills the "Creative Expression" category of the Hunter core.

Course description below.

 

Course Descriptions


Elementary & Intermediate German Language Courses


GERMN 101:  Elementary German I  3hrs3crs.

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. 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, 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.

 

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

Prereq: GERMN 202 or 203 or equivalent. 

This course is designed to develop conversational and compositional skills.  There will be intensive practice in contemporary spoken and written German with emphasis on vocabulary and idiom, and on active mastery of grammatical forms.  Audio-visual 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 (optional) B1 examination, the professional certificate of basic language competence administered by the Goethe Institute.

Course requirements: Active preparation and participation, written homework, oral presentations and written essays, group projects

Exam format: group project

Textbooks: This is a ZERO cost course. The e-textbook, authored by Dr. Zimmerman, is provided free of cost. 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 32057:  Erich Kästner  3hrs, 3crs.

Prereq: GERMN 202 or 203 or equivalent. 

Erich Kästner is one of Germany's major 20th-century authors.  Born in 1899, he grew up under the Kaiser, served in World War I (1914-1918), and became a literary 'shooting star' of the Weimar Republic. Although he was not allowed to publish under the Nazis (who burned his books in 1933), he stayed in Germany during the Third Reich. When he died in 1974, he had been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature four times. Kästner is known for his classic children's books, his biting satires, his humorously funny adult novels, and his political commentary.  His writings have a light touch and accessible language which work well for students beginning their study of German literature.  

Reading listEmil und die Detektive (the only book of his not burnt by the Nazis in 1933). Das doppelte Lottchen. Drei Männer im Schnee. A collection of Kästner poems. We will also watch some film versions of his books.  

Requirements: Class attendance and participation with individualized speaking assignments, weekly or bi-weekly papers of a length of 1 or 2 pages (with language corrections), mid-term and final examinations.

Required to buyEmil und die Detektive (ISBN 978-3-85535-603-4), 14  Euro; Das doppelte Lottchen  (ISBN 978-3-85535-605-8) 14 Euro, Drei Männer im Schnee (ISBN 978-3-03882-016-1) 12 Euro.  The possible choice of a fourth book will be made after the instructor has assessed the proficiency levels of the students in class. All Kästner books have been published in the Atrium Verlag

The instructor will organize the book orders to guarantee that we all work with the same edition (and page numbers) to facilitate class discussion. If you want to buy your own copy, make sure you buy a copy with an unabridged text (there are many used copies around). 

 


 

GERMN 32059: German-Jewish Liebesgeschichten in Literature & Film  3hrs, 3crs.

Prereq: GERMN 202 or 203 or equivalent.

In what ways does the Holocaust still negatively affect relations between Germans and Jews? Can love "conquer all", even the Holocaust past, to unite members of formerly opposed groups? In this class, we will read contemporary German literature and watch German films that exploded the taboo on German-Jewish love and in doing so, explore and (re)imagine German-Jewish relationships during and after the Holocaust. All readings, discussions and written work will be conducted in·German.

Exam format: written papers, project(s

Textbooks: Barbara Honigmann, Eine Liebe aus nichts; ISBN-13: 978-0300123210. Additional materials/course packet provided by the instructor.

 

 

 

GERMN 444.62 Franz Kafka  3hrs, 3crs.

Prereq: One course numbered from GERMN 320 to 359 or 444 or equivalent or permission of instructor. 

This course gives students the rare opportunity to spend a full semester studying one author in-depth, specifically one of the most famous and influential authors ever to write in German: we will read and discuss a number of texts by Franz Kafka (1883-1924). Most of them will be relatively short, such as selected parables (Kafka wrote many of them), the story "Das Urteil" (Kafka called it his favorite of his stories), and the controversial "Brief an den Vater" (he never sent it). But we will also work with one of Kafka's unfinished novels. Throughout, we will consider the biographical, historical, and cultural background of Kafka's work, with special attention to his Jewish heritage, his experiences as part of a linguistic minority group in Prague, and the fact that he did not make his living as a writer and did not seem to want his work published after his death. Finally, we will examine the impact that Kafka has had on world literature and his place in popular culture, from various adaptations of and responses to his work, to the now nearly ubiquitous term "Kafkaesque."

This course is conducted entirely in German. 

Course requirements: attendance and participation; regular preparation of readings; significant writing including short essays.

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


Courses Conducted in English


GERMN 241:  German Fairy Tales  "W"

Pre- or Coreq: ENGL 120 Fulfills the Creative Expression category of the Hunter Core.

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, tell one that they know, and there will be regular written assignments, a midterm and final examination. All readings, discussions and written work will be in English. This course has a "W" designation.  

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

 

 

 

 

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