German

Intensive language course that explores topics such as self, family, and community in German-speaking contexts. The course addresses the questions “Who am I?” and “How does my immediate environment shape my identity?” By working alone and in small groups with level-appropriate texts in German such as short readings, music, images, and videos, students develop their interpretive, interpersonal and presentational competence at a survival level in meaningful everyday contexts.

Broadens the themes of Elementary German I from one’s immediate environment to aspects of everyday life related to work and leisure (e.g. food, shopping, living accommodations). Students develop their interpretive, interpersonal and presentational competence in meaningful contexts by working intensively with longer authentic texts in German such as websites, catalogs, short prose texts, music, images and videos. Through communicative tasks and presentations in small groups related to everyday life, students develop skills necessary to negotiate a variety of cultural settings in the German-speaking world.

Builds on the foundation of Elementary German by moving from the level of immediate everyday contexts towards broader cultural phenomena. Students investigate cultural practices, attitudes and products related to a variety of topics such as health and hygiene, environmental protection, travel and transportation, childhood, work, and education. Work with language supports interpretations of short texts (written, viewed, and heard), small-group interactions that navigate real-life situations, and presentations on key cultural products of the German-speaking world.

This course bridges the intermediate and advanced levels by preparing students to interpret longer texts (written, viewed, and heard) about the German-speaking world’s history, contemporary life, and visions for the future. In small groups, students navigate meaningful real-life situations in order to develop the advance-level skill of narration in all time frames (past, present and future), as well as the historical knowledge to contextualize the cultural products and practices of the German-speaking world.

The first course in the second-year sequence explores innovation in social, political, and scientific contexts in the German-speaking world. Students interpret increasingly sophisticated media (news segments, interviews, short literary texts, historic documents, songs, etc.), realize complex communicative tasks in meaningful contexts, and present on various cultural products and historical events. At the end of this course students will be able to use written and spoken German to narrate complex events in multiple time frames. Special emphasis on the development of written communication skills.

How are national identities communicated, contested, and settled? This course foregrounds the diversity of German culture as disseminated through various media. Students will interpret and present on longer texts (e.g. film, music, literature), and discuss these in the form of complex written and oral discourse. At the end of the course students will be able to communicate in German about topics and issues (e.g. history, citizenship, migration) central to cultural discourse in the German-speaking world. Special emphasis on the development of written communication. This course satisfies the Inquiry Practicum Requirement.

Conducted entirely in German, the course presents an overview of the development of modern Germany and its culture since the founding of the Second Empire. Background readings in German and English provide the basis for in-class discussion of selected authentic German texts of various kinds: literary works, official documents, political manifestos, letters, and diaries. At least one film will be shown. A number of recurring themes in German culture will inform the content of the course: authoritarianism versus liberalism, idealism versus practicality, private versus public life. This course satisfies the Inquiry Practicum requirement. This course will be offered in 2022-23, and in alternating years thereafter.

The content of the seminar will change from year to year. The course will focus either on a single author, a form (e.g., lyric poetry, fairy tales, graphic novels), a literary movement (e.g., Romanticism, New Objectivity, Pop), or a particular literary problem (e.g., translation, writing and genocide, exile). This course may be repeated for different topics. This course satisfies the Inquiry Practicum requirement. This course will be offered in 2025-26, and in alternating years thereafter.

Since its beginnings in the early 20th century, film has been a powerful medium for popular entertainment as well as a potent expression of society’s dreams, fears, and values. Films made in the German-speaking countries are no exceptions, from early expressionist films like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari through Nazi documentaries like Triumph of the Will to today’s feature films such as Grizzly Man and Run Lola Run! Many German directors have achieved international renown. This course, conducted in German, will examine representative German-language films from various perspectives: historical, socio-political, and thematic. Films will be shown in German with English subtitles. The course will include weekly screenings, discussion sessions, and substantial written assignments. This course satisfies the Inquiry Practicum requirement. This course will be offered in 2022-23, and in alternating years thereafter. Some sections of this course may be offered as Writing Intensive (WI).