German Courses at Lawrence University
Friday, February 27th, 2009GER 101
German 1
The first course of a two-term sequence that introduces students to the basics of German. The traditional four skills of speaking, writing, reading, and listening are practiced, yet the prime concern is adequate comprehension and response within a given situation. Units: 6.
GER 102
German 2
A continuation of German 101. Students improve their communicative skills with continued practice in the four skills of speaking, writing, reading, and listening while learning about the culture of German-speaking countries. Units: 6. Prerequisite: GER 101 or the equivalent
GER 177
Introduction to German Film (in English)
With its pivotal role in the inaugurationof the cinema, knowledge of German film is critical to an understanding of the history of film. Considered as one of the most accessible aesthetic forms, the moving image pervades our everyday lives, and yet we seldom think of what we do as “reading” films. Throughout this course, students will be introduced to the practice of reading German films using three structuring lenses: 1) film and cultural history, 2) formal and generic elements, and 3) film criticism. Units: 6. Also listed as: Film Studies 177.
GER 190
Tutorial Studies in German
Individual study arranged and carried out in close consultation with an instructor. Units: Variable. Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
GER 195
Internship in German
An opportunity for students to apply their German language skills in business, governement, and the non-profit sector on the regional, national, and international level. Arranged in collaboration with and supervised by a member of the department. Includes readings, discussion, report, and/or portfolio. Advance consultation and application required. Units: 2. Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
GER 199
Independent Study in German
Advanced research on a topic of the student’s choice, arranged in consultation with the department. Students considering an honors project should register for this course. Units: Variable. Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
GER 201
Intermediate German I
Further development of the four basic skills with an emphasis on increasing the student’s ability to understand literary as well as non-literary texts of increasing difficulty. Successful completion of German 201 satisfies Lawrence’s foreign language requirement. Units: 6. Prerequisite: GER 102 or the equivalent
GER 202
Intermediate German II
Special emphasis on building reading and writing skills and expanding vocabulary. Cultural units include “Die Schwarzwaldklinik,” a German TV series that develops listening comprehension and raises issues for student essays. Units: 6. Prerequisite: GER 201 or the equivalent
GER 275
The Culture of Music in Germany
After considering the role of music in the construction of “Germanness,” the course focuses on the evolution of the “Lied” from folk song to the artistic “Lieder” and on contemporary popular music. Songs from the 18th to the 20th century are treated primarily as texts and cultural artifacts. Course will count toward the humanities general education requirement for B.A. and B.A./B.Mus students. Units: 6. Also listed as: Music History 150. Prerequisite: GER 202 or consent of the instructor
GER 276
Grim(m) Stories? Comparative Fairy Tales in Translation
The course focuses on tales collected by the Brothers Grimm, but it will also include other “national” collections (Perrault, Basile, Afanas’ev). Students will be introduced to various interpretative approaches (formalistic, structural, psychological, Marxist) that will enable them to analyze types, themes, and motives across cultures. Taught in English, but with the opportunity for students proficient in German or French to read in those languages. Course will count toward the humanities general education requirement for B.A. and B.A./B.Mus students. Units: 6.
GER 277
Introduction to German Film Studies
With its pivotal role in the inauguration of the cinema, knowledge of German film is critical to any understanding of the history of film. This course is intended to be an introduction both to German cinema and to the discipline of film studies. Considered perhaps as one of the most accessible aesthetic forms, the moving image pervades our everyday lives and yet we seldom think of what we do in the movie theatre as “reading.” Throughout this course, students will be introduced to the practice of reading the filmic text using three structuring lenses: 1) history, 2) formal and generic elements, and 3) film criticism. Units: 6. Also listed as: Film Studies 277. Prerequisite: GER 202 or consent of instructor
GER 285
Advanced Composition and Conversation
Students improve and refine writing and speaking skills through study of a variety of written texts, discussion based on readings, grammar exercises, and systematic vocabulary building. The primary work in the course involves composing (in multiple drafts) texts that fall into diverse categories, including descriptive, argumentative, and persuasive essays. Units: 6. Prerequisite: GER 202 or consent of instructor
GER 288
German Theatre Workshop
Intensive study of German dramatic literature culiminating in a public workshop performance. Students will investigate the background of the author and period of the plays, as well as doing dramatic readings. Assignments will include short essays and oral presentations. Course will count toward the humanities general education requirement for B.A. and B.A./B.Mus students. Units: 6. Prerequisite: GER 202 or consent of instructor
GER 290
Berlin: Experiencing a Great City
This course introduces students to one of the world’s great cities. Classwork includes the history, culture, and literature of Berlin as well as preparations for a series of day-long walking tours of the city that students will conduct themselves for their classmates with the help of a guidebook. In addition, students will conduct comparative research on some aspect of life in the U.S. or Germany. Students must complete both the classroom portion of the course and the Berlin trip to receive credit. Course will count toward the humanities general education requirement for B.A. and B.A./B.Mus students. Units: 2. Prerequisite: GER 202 or higher
GER 312
Reading Texts and Contexts
This course serves as a transition from the language sequence to advanced courses in German literature and culture. Texts vary from novels to non-fiction, from drama to poetry, and from written forms to film. While familiarizing students with both literary and cultural analysis, the course stresses literature’s place in fostering an understanding of German society. Units: 6. Prerequisite: GER 275, 285 or consent of instructor
GER 355
The Holocaust in German Culture (in English)
This course focuses on literary responses to the Holocaust, but it also deals with film and the issue of commemoration. After a discussion of the difficulty of representing the Holocaust, the course examines the Holocaust’s role in the construction of German-Jewish identity and its impact on post-war German culture. Taught in English. German majors and minors may participate in a two-unit tutorial in which discussions and some course readings will be in German. Units: 6. Also listed as: History 311. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or consent of instructor
GER 357
Film in Germany (in English)
This course selects from 90 years of filmmaking in Germany. Films range from expressionism to Nazi propaganda and from escapist comedies to avant garde art. Learning to “read” German films critically also means finding out how to understand movies from Hollywood and beyond. Possible topics include “From Caligari to Hitler,” “German Literature as Film,” and “What Makes Lola Run.” Taught in English. German majors and minors may participate in a two-unit tutorial in which discussions and some course readings will be in German. Units: 6. Also listed as: Theatre Arts 351, Film Studies 357.
GER 359
Inventing Germany (in English)
Students use literary and non-fiction texts to examine German national identity as it developed from the French Revolution through Bismarck and two world wars to “reunification” in 1990. Topics include the role of Germany in Europe, the legacy of divided Germany, and diversity in German society today. Taught in English. German majors and minors may participate in a two-unit tutorial in which discussions and some course readings will be in German. (E) Units: 6. Also listed as: History 310.
GER 361
Vampires, Monsters, and Man-Eaters (In English)
This course seeks to reveal the ways in which the question of monstrous difference is articulated in a variety of German “texts.” Its main goal is to examine the ways that representations of monstrousness are employed to stage complex public and private anxieties as well as to provide an expression of rebellion against various systems of hierarchy. Featured in the works of canonized authors as well as within the realm of popular culture, the representational functions of the monster can provide valuable insight into numerous aspects of German history and psychosexual relations. Units: 6. Also listed as: Gender Studies 361, Film Studies 361.
GER 362
Vampires, Monsters, and Man-Eaters
This course seeks to reveal the ways in which the question of monstrous difference is articulated in a variety of German “texts.” Its main goal is to examine the ways that representations of monstrousness are employed to stage complex public and private anxieties as well as to provide an expression of rebellion against various systems of hierarchy. Featured in the works of canonized authors as well as within the realm of popular culture, the representational functions of the monster can provide valuable insight into numerous aspects of German history and psychosexual relations. Units: 6. Also listed as: Gender Studies 362, Film Studies 362. Prerequisite: GER 312
GER 390
Tutorial Studies in German
Individual study arranged and carried out in close consultation with an instructor. Units: Variable. Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
GER 395
Internship in German
An opportunity for students to apply their German language skills in business, governement, and the non-profit sector on the regional, national, and international level. Arranged in collaboration with and supervised by a member of the department. Includes readings, discussion, report, and/or portfolio. Advance consultation and application required. Units: 2. Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
GER 399
Independent Study in German
Advanced research on a topic of the student’s choice, arranged in consultation with the department. Students considering an honors project should register for this course. Units: Variable. Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
GER 410
Medieval German Literature
A study of representative works from the Old and Middle High German period. The thematic focus will vary, but topics include the concepts of loyalty and honor and how they changed with the influence of Christianity, the Arthurian legend in German literature as compared to other traditions, and representations of women in medieval German literature. Units: 6. Prerequisite: GER 312 or consent of the instructor
GER 411
Fascism and Film (in English)
This course lets students examine films that were ostensibly made as entertainment or explicitly crafted as propaganda in the historical context of Nazi Germany and occupied France. Aside from learning how governments and their cinematic agents used this relatively new medium to shape public opinion (in support of the war, against Jews, etc.) students will see where and how resistance was possible. Units: 6. Also listed as: Film Studies 412.
GER 416
Kinder- und Jugenliteratur
This course examines the development of the distinct genre of literature for children and adolescents since the 18th century. It combines the analysis of classic texts, e.g., Heidi or Karl May, with close readings of modern cult classics. Units: 6. Prerequisite: GER 312 or consent of instructor
GER 441
The Fantastic and Grotesque in German Art and Literature (in English)
The course examines expressions of the fantastic and grotesque in literature from the 18th to the 20th centuries; it will also incorporate film and other visual versions of several texts. Works range from the fairy tales collected by the brothers Grimm to the fanciful and ominous creations of E.T.A. Hoffmann and others working in that tradition. Taught in English. German majors and minors may participate in a two-unit tutorial in which discussions and some course readings will be in German. Units: 6.
GER 442
The Fantastic and Grotesque in German Art and Literature
The course examines expressions of the fantastic and grotesque in literature from the 18th to the 20th centuries; it will also incorporate film and other visual versions of several texts. Works range from the fairy tales collected by the brothers Grimm to the fanciful and ominous creations of E.T.A. Hoffmann and others working in that tradition. Taught in German. Units: 6. Prerequisite: GER 312 or consent of the instructor
GER 443
German Expressionism in Art and Literature (in English)
The course focuses on the two faces of expressionism: its ecstatic missionary aspect and its darker pessimistic side, as both are manifested in poetry, drama, and art. It will show how the missionary aspect was perversely appropriated by the Nazis, who distorted Nietzsche’s “Übermensch” and declared expressionist art “degenerate.” Lawrence’s LaVera Pohl Collection of German Expressionists serves as a resource. Taught in English. German majors and minors may participate in a two-unit tutorial in which discussions and some course readings will be in German. Units: 6.
GER 444
German Expressionism in Art and Literature
The course focuses on the two faces of expressionism: its ecstatic missionary aspect and its darker pessimistic side, as both are manifested in poetry, drama, and art. It will show how the missionary aspect was perversely appropriated by the Nazis, who distorted Nietzsche’s “Übermensch” and declared expressionist art “degenerate.” Lawrence’s LaVera Pohl Collection of German Expressionists serves as a resource. Taught in German. Units: 6. Prerequisite: GER 312 or consent of the instructor
GER 445
“Ideal Immigrants”? The German Experience in America (in English)
This course explores what it used to mean to be German in the United States and what it means today: bratwurst, beer, and Oktoberfest. Students will consider issues raised by 19th-century immigration that still reverberate in Germany and America: cultural pluralism vs. assimilation, linguistic diversity vs. single national languages, citizenship vs. “guest” workers. Taught in English. German majors and minors may participate in a two-unit tutorial in which discussions and some course readings will be in German. Units: 6. Also listed as: Ethnic Studies 380.
GER 446
“Ideal Immigrants”? The German Experience in America
This course explores what it used to mean to be German in the United States and what it means today: bratwurst, beer, and Oktoberfest. Students will consider issues raised by 19th-century immigration that still reverberate in Germany and America: cultural pluralism vs. assimilation, linguistic diversity vs. single national languages, citizenship vs. “guest” workers. Taught in German. Units: 6. Also listed as: Ethnic Studies 381. Prerequisite: GER 312 or consent of instructor
GER 447
The Literature and Culture of Ethnic Minorities in Germany
Despite a long-term refusal to open itself to immigration, Germany has become a nation of immigrants and asylum-seekers. The course focuses on how both literature and films, including works by and about minorities in Germany, have dealt with key cultural phenomena: multiculturalism, diversity, acculturation, assimilation, “majority culture,” and parallel societies. Units: 6. Also listed as: Ethnic Studies 382, Film Studies 447. Prerequisite: GER 312 or consent of the instructor
GER 449
Nature and the Environment in German Literature (in English)
This course examines the literary, philosophical, and sociological history of ecological issues in Germany. Students investigate the formulation of the specifically German concept of nature and study the roles of Romanticism and of the early 20th-century youth movement in shaping contemporary environmental debates. Taught in English. German majors and minors may participate in a two-unit tutorial in which discussions and some course readings will be in German. Units: 6. Also listed as: Environmental Studies 449.
GER 450
Nature and the Environment in German Literature
This course examines the literary, philosophical, and sociological history of ecological issues in Germany. Students investigate the formulation of the specifically German concept of nature and study the roles of Romanticism and of the early 20th-century youth movement in shaping contemporary environmental debates. Taught in German. Units: 6. Also listed as: Environmental Studies 450. Prerequisite: GER 312 or consent of instructor
GER 540
Romantic Love in German Literature
Drawing from exemplary texts of the 18th to the 20th century, this course engages the student in a discussion of the concept of intimacy and how it changed over time because of socio-economic and cultural transformations. The way love is experienced depends in large part on the semantics of love — i.e., on the way meaning is structured to express emotional immediacy and authenticity. Units: 6. Prerequisite: GER 312 or consent of instructor
GER 541
Studies in 18th-Century Literature and Culture
This course examines the gradual secularization of German society that culiminated in the Enlightenment. As church and court patronage diminished, middle-class Germans became both the heroes and consumers of artistic productions. Issues of artistic taste that arose in the 18th century remain vital today. Units: 6. Prerequisite: GER 312 or consent of instructor
GER 542
Studies in 19th-Century Literature and Culture
This course selects from important developments in 19th-century German culture. Topics include the Romantic revolt against rationalism, the rise of the novel, the development of politically engaged literature, the modernist attack on an increasingly smug national culture, and the problems of mass and middlebrow culture. Units: 6. Prerequisite: GER 312 or consent of instructor
GER 543
Studies in 20th-Century Literature and Culture
This course explores various themes in 20th-century culture, most importantly the impact of modernity on the German imagination. Possible topics include the rise of Expressionism and Dada, art and culture of the Weimar Republic, the development of popular and middlebrow culture, Nazi aesthetics, the art and culture of the 1950s and 1960s, and literature in divided Germany. Units: 6. Prerequisite: GER 312 or consent of instructor
GER 544
Studies in Contemporary Literature and Culture
This course deals with current cultural, economic, political, and social issues in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Topics include the ongoing process of German unification, the situation of women and minorities, reckoning with the Nazi past, and new developments in German literature. Units: 6. Prerequisite: GER 312 or consent of instructor
GER 548
Realism and its Discontents
Most popular literature, narrative non-fiction, and visual representation seems realistic, but despite its ubiquity, few of us understand the development of the realist paradigm. This course helps students examine what is at stake in the transformation of reality into words on the page; it looks at the assumptions behind “realistic” language and the shift in subject matter that characterized realist literature. Units: 6. Prerequisite: GER 312 or consent of instructor
GER 551
The Devil’s Pact (in English)
Goethe’s Faust remains the centerpiece in this examination of the Faust legend, but its context includes both Goethe’s predecessors and more recent versions of the Faust story in literature, music, and film. This course pays particular attention to the decades-long development of Goethe’s text and the place Faust occupies in German culture. Taught in English. German majors and minors may participate in a two-unit tutorial in which discussions and some course readings will be in German. Units: 6.
GER 552
The Devil’s Pact
Goethe’s Faust remains the centerpiece in this examination of the Faust legend, but its context includes both Goethe’s predecessors and more recent versions of the Faust story in literature, music, and film. This course pays particular attention to the decades-long development of Goethe’s text and the place Faust occupies in German culture. Taught in German. Units: 6. Prerequisite: GER 312 or consent of instructor
GER 590
Tutorial Studies in German
Individual study arranged and carried out in close consultation with an instructor. Units: Variable. Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
GER 595
Internship in German
An opportunity for students to apply their German language skills in business, governement, and the non-profit sector on the regional, national, and international level. Arranged in collaboration with and supervised by a member of the department. Includes readings, discussion, report, and/or portfolio. Advance consultation and application required. Units: 2. Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
GER 599
Independent Study in German
Advanced research on a topic of the student’s choice, arranged in consultation with the department. Students considering an honors project should register for this course. Units: Variable. Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
GER 600
Senior Seminar
Students and the instructor decide in advance on a specific topic or common theme. They read and discuss texts at the beginning of the term. Students then formulate their own projects, which may take them in a direction of their own choosing (literature, history, music, art, etc.). Units: 6. Prerequisite: Declared major in German
GER 690
Tutorial Studies in German
Individual study arranged and carried out in close consultation with an instructor. Units: Variable. Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
GER 695
Internship in German
An opportunity for students to apply their German language skills in business, governement, and the non-profit sector on the regional, national, and international level. Arranged in collaboration with and supervised by a member of the department. Includes readings, discussion, report, and/or portfolio. Advance consultation and application required. Units: 2. Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.
GER 699
Independent Study in German
Advanced research on a topic of the student’s choice, arranged in consultation with the department. Students considering an honors project should register for this course. Units: Variable. Prerequisite: Counter Registration Required.