Faculty: Eren.
(Department of Modern Languages)
In its full range of courses, the German program of the Modern Languages Department seeks to develop student proficiency in four areas:
- listening,
- speaking,
- reading, and
- writing.
Courses at all levels are designed to provide continued opportunities for use of the language in a variety of modes and settings, on campus and abroad. In addition to imparting linguistic skills, the German section of the Modern Languages Department nurtures critical thinking and synthesis in a program balancing language, civilization, and literature. The German faculty believes that a multifaceted study of another culture sensitizes students to realities other than their own, and encourages them to become more understanding of cultural differences at the same time that they are developing an appreciation for the literature which evolves from another culture.
The department offers a number of study abroad opportunities. The college has established a fall and spring semester program in Marburg. In addition, through its affiliation with ISEP, the college has exchange programs with several universities in Germany and Austria.
We also encourage students of junior and senior status to participate in field studies and projects that will enable them to enter the fields of business, industry, government, health, or social services. Internships provide several weeks of practical application of knowledge related to German culture and language. Prerequisite: GERM 245 Conversation and Film:The Context of the Two Wars or similar. See also Internship Program.
Note: As of February 17, 2025, major declarations for the German Studies program have been suspended; however, the German Studies minor will remain and continue to accept declarations.
GERM 111 - Elementary German (3 Hours)
Essentials of German structure and syntax; emphasis on comprehension of written and spoken German, with course conducted largely in German. Required additional scheduled sessions of language practice. Within two semesters, students are expected to master the fundamentals of German grammar and to acquire an A vocabulary of at least 1,000 German words. C21:FL.
Curriculum: FL
GERM 112 - Elementary German (3 Hours)
Essentials of German structure and syntax; emphasis on comprehension of written and spoken German, with course conducted largely in German. Required additional scheduled sessions of language practice. Within two semesters, students are expected to master the fundamentals of German grammar and to acquire an A vocabulary of at least 1,000 German words. C21:FL.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 111 or placement
Curriculum: FL
GERM 215 - Intensive Intermediate German (4 Hours)
This course builds on German grammar, vocabulary, linguistic skills(reading, writing, speaking, and listening), and knowledge of German culture introduced at in the elementary level. By the end of 215, students should reach the minimum ACTFL standards for the intermediate level. Offered fall term. C21:FL.
Curriculum: FL
GERM 245 - Conversation and Film:The Context of the Two Wars (3 Hours)
Conversation and Film: Perspectives on Lives in the Context of the Two Wars focuses on the period of Weimar Germany and discusses how World War I and II affected German society and culture. Students will be able to apply their critical thinking skills to a range of films, texts, and examples of visual art and music to reflect upon the nature of the political and social changes that influenced and shaped individual lives. Students will learn for example of the spirit of the German sextet Comedian Harmonists that rose to worldwide fame in the 1920s and 1930s before being forced to disband by the rise of anti-Semitism. As a companion to the films, students will also read Stefanie Zweig’s autobiographical account of her family’s risky self-exile to escape Nazi persecution. A close reading of Bernhard Schlink’s novel The Reader allows for an exploration of post-war German society and how it comes to terms with the Holocaust and the War in Germany. A review of selected grammar topics will also be an important aspect of this class. In German. Offered alternative years. C21:AE,HU,WA.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 215 or GERM Proficiency
Curriculum: AE,HU,WA
GERM 251 - Topics in German Literature (3 Hours)
An introduction to literary interpretation designed to enable students to engage in effective analysis of a variety of literary genres. Given in German. Offered alternate years.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 215 or GERM Proficiency
GERM 261 - Culture and Civilization (3 Hours)
This course explores the cultural and historical developments in Germany from the 1800s to the present day. Students will gain an overview of the main forces that have shaped Germany's culture and history by studying in depth major events, literary and political movements, and individuals of particular interest. A wide range of audio-visual aids, as well as lectures, will be used to illustrate the interrelationship of geography, tradition, education, politics, art, literature, philosophy, economy, and everyday life. Given in German. Offered alternate years.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 215 or GERM Proficiency
GERM 262 - Concepts of Identity in German Poetry (1650-Present) (3 Hours)
This course examines the quest for identity in German-language poetry starting with the period of the Baroque, Weimar Classicism and continuing with Romanticism, Realism, Modernism, poetry after the Holocaust and WW II, and contemporary poetry. Students will learn how German poetry has shaped the quest for gender, social, religious, ethnic and sexual identity in German-language poetry throughout changing historical contexts. This study of German poetic writing will be supplemented by critical texts with a strong emphasis on poetic theory. Course will focus on close textural analysis, interpretive problems, and historical perspective.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 215 or GERM Proficiency
GERM 273 - Intro to German Business Culture (3 Hours)
Companies of the German-speaking world enjoy worldwide a brilliant reputation for innovation, quality, and pioneering technology. In today's global economy, German companies attract business partners from around the world. This course presents an introduction to the German business world and the language used in business settings. It provides students with a jump-start on how to use German in specific business-related contexts and develop a better understanding of the German corporate culture. Throughout the semester students will practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking subject matters relevant to the German-language business context.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 215 or GERM Proficiency
GERM 305 - Conversation in German:Diversity in German Culture (3 Hours)
Conversation in German: Diversity in German Culture offers a comprehensive analysis of recent German history through the lens of migration and transculturation. This interdisciplinary study aims to foster a discussion of literary and visual representations of migrants, social outcasts, and others in German literature, film, music, and art. Students will examine the work of multiethnic writers and artists (Afro-Germans, Germans of Turkish descent, Jews, and Asians, among others) to explore concepts of otherness and belonging. Students will contextualize various texts in relation to specific controversies and to questions of economic globalization, the recruitment of guest workers, xenophobia and racism, citizenship legislation, German unification, and multiculturalism. Themes and concepts to be analyzed include concepts of borders, boundaries, power, identity, belonging, poverty, religion, sex, gender, and other markers of outsider status as they relate to questions of belonging and identity as well as domination and exclusion In German. Offered alternative years.
Prerequisite(s): one course above GERM 215
GERM 306 - Conversational German (3 Hours)
Intensive individualized practice in conversational German to develop the student's ability to communicate orally. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition of a broad vocabulary. Topics of discussion and reading center upon contemporary German culture as well as current events. Offered alternate years.
Prerequisite(s): one course above GERM 215
GERM 314 - Modern Drama of the German-Speaking World (3 Hours)
Study of a select number of plays from Frank Wedekind to Peter Weiss. The material will be read in the original German. This study of the primary texts will be supplemented by critical writings with a strong emphasis on Brecht's dramatic theory. Emphasis on close textural analysis, interpretive problems, and historical perspective. Offered every three years.
Prerequisite(s): one course above GERM 215
GERM 315 - The German Novelle (3 Hours)
A brief history of the European Novelle and a close reading of selected works by 19th and 20th century German writers. A prior familiarity with other genres in German literature is recommended for a more complete appreciation and understanding of the unique character of the German Novelle. There will be close textual analysis of the Novellen, which will be read in German, supplemented by critical writings in both English and German. By the end of the semester, students will be expected to have read representative works by the major authors of German Novellen of this period and to be able to explain their unique characters in proper historical and literary critical perspectives. The ability to read and understand contemporary German is essential. Offered every three years. C21:AE,HU,WA.
Prerequisite(s): one course above GERM 215
Curriculum: AE,HU,WA
GERM 317 - Enchanted: German Fairytales (3 Hours)
In this course you will investigate the function of fantasy, the fantastic, science fiction, and the supernatural in 19th century German society. Specifically, we will discuss fairy tales and how these narratives function as a site of cultural critique within the socio-political context of German Romanticism. We encounter instances of the grotesque and the macabre, of the mysterious and the uncanny, all the way to the outright monstrous and the sublime. Questions that guide us through the course are: In what ways do the works discussed mirror modern life experience? How do monsters and other (evil) creatures of the imagination interrelate to German culture and society? As fairy tales thrive because of their universal nature, our investigation will be interdisciplinary, with approaches such as literary, historical, sociological, feminist, and psychoanalytic. Offered every three years.
Prerequisite(s): one course above GERM 215
GERM 328 - The Artificial Body in German Literature and Film (4 Hours)
This course offers a comprehensive analysis of historical and visual representations of the artificial body in German literature and film. This interdisciplinary study of western culture aims to foster a discussion of the fear and fascination inspired by technological and scientific advancements and focuses on the homunculus, android, cyborg, and other (non-)humans as they relate to concepts of technology, sexuality, and identity from the Enlightenment to the modern era. Themes and concepts to be analyzed include: definitions of the body, gender roles and creating humanoids, and contemporary discourses of technology and identity. From the literature of E.T.A. Hoffmann, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Friedrich Dürrenmatt, to Fritz Lang's film Metropolis (1927), this course will explore the role of technology and what it means to be human. Additionally, students will develop critical skills in reading, analyzing, and writing about literature and film. The brief lectures and course discussion will be supplemented by visual material (movie clips, slides) drawn from art history and documentary sources. Readings and class discussions will be in English. For German majors, most readings and the additional weekly discussion session will be in German, thus providing a fourth credit hour. Cross-list with FLET 228. May not receive credit for both FLET 228 and GERM 328.
Prerequisite(s): one course above GERM 215
GERM 373 - Advanced Business German (3 Hours)
This advanced business course will help students to communicate in German professionally. It provides students with an overview of how to use German in specific business-related contexts and function in various business settings. With a focus on the larger context within which it is situated (political/economical system), students will discuss economic and political issues (a subscription to a free German news service is mandatory) and practice "hands-on" experience with everyday situations. Students will work on topics such as current economic and political events related to the EU, environmental issues, recent historical events, cultural issues that inform business practices, job search and job interviews, office organization and equipment, social meetings with business partners and small talk. Given in German with English used on discussions related to intercultural communication and differences between German and American business culture.
Prerequisite(s): one course above GERM 215
GERM 381 - Special Topics (3 Hours)
Prerequisite(s): one course above GERM 215
GERM 382 - Special Topics (3 Hours)
Prerequisite(s): one course above GERM 215
GERM 495 - Capstone Experience (3 Hours)
In consultation with their capstone professor, students will complete a twenty-page research project in German. Students are expected to present this project at the campus-wide research symposium and will present the project in German to the professor as part of a culminating interview experience that assesses students' capacity to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned. Performance in GERM 495 will be evaluated based on the students' work on the capstone project, and their during the assessment interview. Students taking the German Studies track are exempt from completing the Capstone requirement in German. Offered in spring, offered in fall when necessary. C21:CS, EL.
Prerequisite(s): Any 300-level GERM course and instructor permission
Curriculum: CS, EL
GERM 496 - Senior Project (3 Hours)
Student earns a total of six hours for the full senior project experience (496, 497, and 498).
Prerequisite(s): Any 300-level GERM course and instructor permission
GERM 497 - Senior Project (3 Hours)
Student earns a total of six hours for the full senior project experience (496, 497, and 498).
Prerequisite(s): Any 300-level GERM course and instructor permission
GERM 498 - Senior Project (3 Hours)
Student earns a total of six hours for the full senior project experience (496, 497, and 498).
Prerequisite(s): Any 300-level GERM course and instructor permission