GERMANIC LANGUAGES

GERMANIC LANGUAGES
(AS) {GRMN}

GERMAN (GRMN)

SM 002. Lords of the Ring. (M) Distribution Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only. Frei. Freshman Seminar. All readings and lectures in English. No knowledge of German is required.

"One Ring to rule them all; One Ring to find them; One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them; In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie." (J.R.R. Tolkien) So begins your journey into legends and traditional lore. You will read stories of unrequited love, betrayal, magical powers, and the deeds of dragon slayers. This course traces the power of the tales of the ring from J.R.R. Tolkien to Richard Wagner, from the Middle High German epic the Nibelungenlied to the Norse poetry of The Saga of the Volsungs, and back to the twentieth century with Thomas Mann's The Blood of the Walsungs.

SM 003. (COML003) Censored! A History of Book Censorship. (M) Distribution Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Wiggin. Freshman Seminar. All readings and lectures in English. No knowledge of German is required.

Although its pages may appear innocuous enough, bound innocently between non-descript covers, the book has frequently become the locus of intense suspicion, legal legislation, and various cultural struggles. But what causes a book to blow its cover? In this course we will consider a range of specific censorship cases in the west since the invention of the printed book to the present day. We will consider the role of various censorship authorities (both religious and secular) and grapple with the timely question about whether censorship is ever justified in building a better society. Case studies will focus on many well-known figures (such as Martin Luther, John Milton, Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, Goethe, Karl Marx, and Salman Rushdie) as well as lesser-known authors, particularly Anonymous (who may have chosen to conceal her identity to avoid pursuit by the Censor).

SM 004. Germany and the Holocaust. (M) Distribution Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Staff. Freshman Seminar. All readings and lectures in English. No knowledge of German is required.

We know much about the Holocaust. Countless document collections, memoirs, and testimonies have shed light on the worst chapter of 20th century history. Less is known about how Germans have dealt with this cataclysm since 1945. How have writers, politicians, and teachers, young and old people, perpetrators and bystanders, East and West Germans reacted to this event which is still haunting this country? This seminar will illuminate the developments since 1945 with special emphasis on literature, which has been a catalyst for inquiries into memory and guilt.

SM 006. Monsters and Marvels: "Tabloid" Broadsides of Early Modern Europe. (M) Distribution Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Staff. Freshman seminar. All readings and lectures in English. No knowledge of German is required.

"Monstrous" creatures - both human and non-human - have fascinated Europeans since the days of the Greek republic. In the late Middle Ages and early modern period, a new communications medium, the printed broadside, opened the door to a flood of "tabloids," small, cheap texts with lurid pictures and graphic descriptions of two-headed babies, deformed animals and exotic creatures from distant lands. We will read some of these texts firsthand and try to understand from them the ways that Westerners viewed the world around them and beyond the seas. We will discuss the war of words between Martin Luther and the pope, whom he called the anti-Christ, and we will consider the role of women and the increased misogyny that, by the seventeeth century, led to the madness of the witch craze. Most of all, we will discover how to use old texts, historical both in their form and content, as windows into a culture quite different from our own.

SM 007. Food for Thought; Cannibalism and Gastronomy in Literature and Film. (M) Distribution Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only. Richter. Freshman Seminar. All readings and lectures in English. No knowledge of German is required.

Focuses on works of literature and film that explore the philosophical, aesthetic and cultural meanings of hunger, cooking, and eating. Topics include history of gastronomy, culinary ethnic diversity, gender and eating, digestion as philosophical concept, cannibalism and the sublime, hunger and narrative, erotics of food.

SM 008. Superstition & Erudition: Daily Life in the Middle Ages. (M) Brevart. Freshman Seminar. All readings and lectures in English. No knowledge of German is required.

Individuals in medieval times lived basically the same way we do today: they ate, drank, needed shelter, worked in a variety of ways to earn a living, and planned their lives around religious holidays. They talked about the weather and had sex, they had to deal with cold, hunger, illness, epidemics and natural catastrophes. Those fortunate few who could afford the luxury, went to local monastic schools and learned how to read and write. And fewer still managed to obtain some form of higher education in cathedral schools and nascent universities and became teachers themselves. Those eager to learn about other people and foreign customs traveled to distant places and brought back with them much knowledge and new ideas. The similarities, we will all agree, are striking. But what is of interest to us are the differences, the "alterity" (keyword) of the ways in which they carried out these actions and fulfilled their goals. This course concentrates on two very broad aspects of daily life in the Middle Ages (12 th - 16 th centuries). The first part, Erudition, focuses on the world in and around the University. The second part, Superstition, revolves around astrology, medicine and pharmacy.

SM 010. (JWST101) Translating Cultures. (M) Distribution Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only. Hellerstein. Freshman seminar. All readings and lectures in English. No knowledge of German is required.

"Languages are not strangers to one another," writes the great critic and translator Walter Benjamin. Yet two people who speak different languages have a difficult time talking to one another, unless they both know a third, common language or can find someone who knows both their languages to translate what they want to say. Without translation, most of us would not be able to read the Bible or Homer, the foundations of Western culture. Americans wouldn't know much about the cultures of Europe, China, Africa, South America, and the Middle East. And people who live in or come from these places would not know much about American culture. Without translation, Americans would not know much about the diversity of cultures within America. The very fabric of our world depends upon translation between people, between cultures, between texts.

With a diverse group of readings, -- autobiography, fiction, poetry, anthropology, and literary theory -- this course will address some fundamental questions about translating language and culture. What does it mean to translate? How do we read a text in translation? What does it mean to live between two languages? Who is a translator? What are different kinds of literary and cultural translation? What are their principles and theories? Their assumptions and practices? Their effects on and implications for the individual and the society?

SM 011. Desert Islands: Shipwrecks, Pirates, and Exotic Places. (M) Weissberg. Freshman seminar. All readings and lectures in English. No knowledge of German is required.

The deserted island has become a popular topic for literature, painting, tv shows, and cartoons. But what is so fascinating about these far-away places where one could imagine a new life and different civilizations? This freshman seminar will explore this question by considering philosophical and literary texts, and by discussing examples from the visual arts and recent films and television shows. Reading will include texts by Sophocles, Shakespeare, Defoe, Campe, Schnabel, Rousseau, Poe, Tournier, Cortazar, and others.

101. (GRMN501) Elementary German I. (C)

Introduction to the basic elements of spoken and written German, with emphasis placed on the acquisition of communication skills. Readings and discussion focus on cultural differences.

102. (GRMN502) Elementary German II. (C) Prerequisite(s): GRMN 101 or equivalent.

A continuation of GRMN 101. The student's expression and comprehension are expanded through the study of literature and social themes.

103. (GRMN503) Intermediate German I. (C) Prerequisite(s): GRMN 102 or equivalent.

Modern German texts of moderate difficulty and an integrated grammar review advance the student's command of the language.

104. (GRMN504) Intermediate German II. (C) Prerequisite(s): GRMN 103 or equivalent.

A continuation of GRMN 103. Literary and non-literary texts of moderate difficulty. Continued practice in active communication.

106. (GRMN505) Accelerated Elementary German. (A)

An intensive two credit course in which two semesters of elementary German (GRMN 101 & 102) are completed in one. Introduction to the basic elements of spoken and written German, with emphasis placed on the acquisition of communication skills. Readings and discussions focus on cultural differences. Expression and comprehension are then expanded through the study of literature and social themes.

107. (GRMN514) Accelerated Intermediate German. (B)

An intensive two-credit course in which two semesters of intermediate German (GRMN 103 and 104) are completed in one. The course focuses on improving discourse competence (writing and speaking), increasing vocabulary, and developing effective reading and listening strategies. The review of grammar will not be the primary focus. Course includes reading an abridged and glossed version of an authentic literary text offering the opportunity to practice and deepen reading competence and to sensitize cultural and historical awareness of German-speaking countries.

180. German in Residence. (C) Staff.

The German House is a half-credit course with concentrations in German conversation, film, and culture. Though many students enroll for credit, others often come to select events. All interested parties are invited, and you do not have to actually live in the house to enroll for credit. Students from all different levels of language proficiency are welcome. Beginners learn from more advanced students, and all enjoy a relaxed environment for maintaining or improving their German language skills.

215. (GRMN506) Conversation and Composition. (C) Prerequisite(s): GRMN 104 or the equivalent. Required for the major, also carries credit for the minor in German.

Offers students the opportunity to improve significantly written and spoken discourse strategies and to raise language competence to an academic register. In addition, the course familiarizes students with several reading strategies. Students write several essays, weekly reaction pieces, lead discussions, and create short in-class presentations. During the second half of the semester, students create a common course web site in connection with their readings of an authentic literary text. In collaborative group work, students create the contents for different components: biography, text analyses, historical background, geography and didactizations emphasizing integrated skills and discourse competence. Their work is posted to a web site, which in turn, is incorporated in the 4th-semester syllabus, where students use the peer-generated information and comprehension checks for their understanding of an abridged version of the authentic literary text.

SM 216. (COLL225, COML216) Introduction to German Literature. (B) Arts & Letters Sector. All Classes. Staff. Prerequisite(s): GRMN 215 or the equivalent. Required for the major, also carries credit for the minor in German. All readings, lectures and discussions in German.

Develops students' basic skills of literary interpretation. Exposure to various reading techniques (e.g. close reading, reading for plot, etc.) and to literary terminology and its application. Readings will include selections from prose, drama and lyric poetry.

219. Business German: A Macro Perspective. (A) Distribution Course in Society. Class of 2009 & prior only. James. Prerequisite(s): GRMN 215 or equivalent. No previous knowledge of economics or business required. Course taught in German.

This course offers you insights into the dynamics of Business German, while taking a macro approach. Examples of various course topics include: economic geography and its diversity, the changing role of the Eruopean Union, and the economic importance of national transportation and tourism. In addition, the course emphasizes the development of students' discourse competencies, Business German vocabulary and grammar. Course assignments include oral presentations on current events, class discussions, role-play, and collaborative group work. Class time will be utilized to practice speaking, answering questions, reviewing exercises and holding group discussions on various topics. Class participation is a key component of this course.

220. Business German: A Micro Perspective. (B) James. Prerequisite(s): GRMN 215 or equivalent.

This course is designed to enhance your speaking, reading and writing skills, in addition to helping you build a strong foundation in business vocabulary. Course objectives include acquiring skills in cross cultural communication, teamwork, business management, and creating a business plan. German grammar will be covered on a need be basis. This course will prepare you to perform and contribute while in a German-speaking business environment.

221. Advanced Grammar and Composition. (B) Brevart. This course is required for the German major.

This course is designed to help the student develop a more sophisticated writing style in German. This is achieved by means of the study and discussion of the fine points of German syntax (e.g. correct usage of tenses, punctuation, experimentation with word order, etc.), by a variety of exercises in finding synonyms, similes, analogies, and rhetorical strategies, and by exposure to numerous idioms. Emphasis is also placed on determining the appropriate usage of language in a specific situation. The ultimate objective of this course is therefore to encourage an active and imaginative use of the German language. Students should be prepared to undertake an active role in critiquing one another's writing.

229. German Business Culture. (C) All readings and discussions in English.

This course is designed to broaden perspectives on cross-cultural issues related to international business and international relations. In addition, the course will enhance analytical decision-making skills in resolving cross-cultural issues. The course will focus on global issues such as leadership, communication, negotiations and strategic alliances, cultural impacts on international business, effective performance in a global marketplace, and doing business with various nationalities.

242. (COML126) The Fantastic and Uncanny in Literature. (M) Arts & Letters Sector. All Classes. Weissberg. All readings and lectures in English.

What is the "Fantastic"? And how can we describe the "Uncanny"? This course will examine these questions, and investigate the historical background of our understanding of "phantasy" as well as our concepts of the "fantastic" and "uncanny" in literature. Our discussions will be based on a reading of Sigmund Freud's essay on the uncanny, a choice of Friedrich Schlegel's and Novalis' aphorisms , and Romantic narratives by Ludwig Tieck, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and others. All of the texts will be available in English and no knowledge of a foreign language is required.

244. (COML254, URBS244) Metropolis: Culture of the City. (M) Arts & Letters Sector. All Classes. MacLeod. All lectures and readings in English.

An exploration of modern discourses on and of the city. Topics include: the city as site of avant-garde experimentation; technology and culture; the city as embodiment of social order and disorder; traffic and speed; ways of seeing the city; the crowd; city figures such as the detective, the criminal, the flaneur, the dandy; film as the new medium of the city. Special emphasis on Berlin. Readings by, among others, Dickens, Poe, Baudelaire, Rilke, Doeblin, Marx, Engels, Benjamin, Kracauer. Films include Fritz Lang's Metropolis and Tom Tykwer's Run Lola Run.

245. (COML231) Literature and Culture of Central Europe. (M) Staff.

It is difficult to imagine the current century without the remarkable contributions of Central European culture. Central Europe is the birthplace of Freud and psychoanalysis, Schoenberg and twelve-tone composition, Kafka, Kraus, and Musil. It is also a combustible world theater for raging conflicts among political ideologies, nationalisms, and world views. This course examines the many legacies of Central Europe to the present. Through literature, cinema, and other arts, it explores a unique history that extends from the Habsburg and Ottoman empires, through two world wars, to communism and beyond. Readings are in English and include representative works from Albanian, Austrian, Bosnian, Czech, Hungarian, and Polish fiction.

246. Heroes Minstrels Knights: Epics and Lyrics of the Middle Ages. (C) May be counted as a General Requirement Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only. Brevart. All readings and lectures in English.

In this course we will read medieval works of international literary importance, such as the Arthurian novels of Hartman von Aue Erec and Iwein, the German Song of the Nibelungs and the Old French Song of Roland as examples of heroic literature, and the tragic love story of Tristan and Isolde by Gottfried von Strasburg. We will also read two Spielmannsepen which have as their central theme the international motif of the bridal quest, namely Sankt Oswald and Koenig Rother, and compare these works with the Nibelungenlied and Tristan, which themselves also involve the bridal quest as one of their principal structural elements.

There is, however, a major and critical distinction between the traditional happy ending of the bridal quest epics and that of The Nibelungs and of Tristan and Isolde, for those two German works culminate in the total destruction and disintegration of entire peoples and values, or with the utter misery of the ideal couple. With our readings of the love poems of the French Troubadours and those of their German counterparts, the Minnesaenger, our final genre of medieval literature, we will not only discuss the ubiquitous and timeless love theme in all its variations, but also the socio-political implications of such poetry.

247. Tracing the Carnivalesque in German Literature: Carnival, Community, Chaos. (M) Distribution Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only.

This course surveys German literature and cultural history from the Middle Ages to the present through the prism of the carnivalesque. The defining aspects of this concept - festival, madness, community, laughter, and ambivalence - organize the sweep of German cultural history in a fascinating and illuminating way. Whether it be in the golden age of the carnivalesque, the Middle Ages through the Renaissance, or in the modern bourgeois period, where the carnivalization of life becomes increasingly more sublimated and individualized, the idea of the carnivalesque proves to be a fruitful analytical structure. Along with selected works by Grimmelshausen, Goethe, Nietzsche and Hesse (among others) the historical aspects of the social carnival will also be investigated.

252. (COLL004) The Emergence of the Individual. (M) Humanities & Social Science Sector. Class of 2010 & beyond. Weissberg/Samuels.

The concept of the modern "individual" was, as many would argue, an eighteenth century invention. This course will discuss the period of Enlightenment that gave rise to it, and follow its development until the twentieth century. Why would it be suddenly important to think of separate human beings with particular desires and needs, rather than a more uniform group of subjects? And what ar the consequences of such a move?

Adopting a broad but focused historical perspective, this course will examine the ways in which the individual has been theorized, represented, and understood across various countries and disciplines. Two professors--one from German, and one from French--will provide lectures and lead discussions on the position of the individual in specific historical and cultural contexts, beginning with the French Revolution and ending with Freud and the psychoanalytic revolution.

L/R 253. (COML253, ENGL261, GSOC252, HSOC253, STSC253) Freud: The Invention of Psychoanalysis. (M) Humanities & Social Science Sector. Class of 2010 & beyond. Weissberg. All readings and lectures in English General Requirement VII: Science Studies.

No other person of the twentieth century has probably influenced scientific thought, humanistic scholarship, medical therapy, and popular culture as much as Sigmund Freud. This seminar will study his work, its cultural background, and its impact on us today.

In the first part of the course, we will learn about Freud's life and the Viennese culture of his time. We will then move to a discussion of seminal texts, such as excerpts from his Interpretation of Dreams, case studies, as well as essays on psychoanalytic practice, human development, definitions of gender and sex, neuroses, and culture in general. In the final part of the course, we will discuss the impact of Freud's work. Guest lectureres from the medical field, history of science, psychology, and the humnities will offer insights into the reception of Freud's work, and its consequences for various fields of study and therapy.

254. The Self-Portrait. (M) Arts & Letters Sector. All Classes. MacLeod & Coates (The class will be taught by two professors). All readings in English.

Who am I? What makes the creative act of representing the self different from representing another? Can the essential self be depicted authentically? Or is what is essential precisely that which can never be represented? Does the act of self-representation change the subject? Is a picture worth a thousand words, or can words provide more scope for self-representation? These are the questions at the heart of humanistic studies and questions that every university student wrestles with in some form. "The Self-Portrait" will consider these questions from literary and visual perspectives, and will track these issues from the Renaissance to the twentieth century.

The class will be taught by two professors, and will include both lectures and discussion sections. Students will be exposed to a wide range of self-portraits in literature, the fine arts, and film. Within this framework, we will emphasize the literary and visual examples of Cellini, Goethe, and the Surrealists. In addition to analytical assignments and a final exam, students will prepare their own self-portraits during the semester in the medium of their choice, and our course will culminate in an exhibition of their work.

255. (COML255) Mann-Hesse-Kafka. (M) Arts & Letters Sector. All Classes. Jarosinski. All readings and discussions in English.

Based on considerations of the cultural tradition and the intellectual currents of the twentieth century, the course presents a survey of the achievements of Mann, Hesse, and Kafka. The extensive study of representative works focuses on the problems of the artist in the modern age.

L/R 256. (CINE352, COML241, RELS236) The Devil's Pact in Literature, Music and Film. (C) Arts & Letters Sector. All Classes. Richter. All readings and discussions in English General Requirement III: May be counted towards the General Requirement in Arts & Letters.

For centuries the pact with the devil has signified humankind's desire to surpass the limits of human knowledge and power. From the reformation chap book to the rock lyrics of Randy Newman's Faust, from Marlowe and Goethe to key Hollywood films, the legend of the devil's pact continues to be useful for exploring our fascination with forbidden powers.

257. (COML269, CINE250) Nazi Cinema. (C) Distribution Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only. Richter, MacLeod.

Cinema played a crucial role in the cultural life of Nazi Germany. As cinema enthusiasts, Goebbels and Hitler were among the first to realize the important ideological potential of film as a mass medium and saw to it that Germany remained a cinema powerhouse producing more than 1000 films during the Nazi era. This course explores the world of Nazi cinema ranging from infamous propaganda pieces such as The Triumph of the Will and The Eternal Jew to entertainments by important directors such as Pabst and Douglas Sirk. More than sixty years later, Nazi Cinema challenges us to grapple with issues of more subtle ideological insinuation than we might think. The course also includes film responses to developments in Germany by exiled German directors (Lubitsch, Wilder). All lectures and readings in English. Weekly screenings with subtitles.

258. (COML270, CINE250) German Cinema. (M) Arts & Letters Sector. All Classes. MacLeod. General Requirement III: May be counted towards the General Requirement in Arts & Letters.

An introduction to the momentous history of German film, from its beginnings before World War One to developments following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and German reunification in 1990. With an eye to film's place in its historical and political context, the course will explore the "Golden Age" of German cinema in the Weimar Republic, when Berlin vied with Hollywood; the complex relationship between Nazi ideology and entertainment during the Third Reich; the fate of German film-makers in exile during the Hitler years; post-war film production in both West and East Germany; the call for an alternative to "Papa's Kino" and the rise of New German Cinema in the 1960s.

SM 259. (CINE201, ENGL291) Topics in Film History. (M) Katz, Corrigan, Decherney, Beckman.

This topic course explores aspects of Film History intensively. Specific course topics vary from year to year. See the Cinema Studies website at http://cinemastudies.sas.upenn.edu for a description of the current offerings.

261. (CINE330, ENGL279, JWST261) Jewish Films and Literature. (M) Arts & Letters Sector. All Classes. Hellerstein.

From the 1922 silent film "Hungry Hearts" through the first "talkie," "The Jazz Singer," produced in 1927, and beyond "Schindler's List," Jewish characters have confronted the problems of their Jewishness on the silver screen for a general American audience. Alongside this Hollywood tradition of Jewish film, Yiddish film blossomed from independent producers between 1911 and 1939, and interpreted literary masterpieces, from Shakespeare's "King Lear" to Sholom Aleichem's "Teyve the Dairyman," primarily for an immigrant, urban Jewish audience. In this course, we will study a number of films and their literary sources (in fiction and drama), focusing on English language and Yiddish films within the framework of three dilemmas of interpretation: a) the different ways we "read" literature and film, b) the various ways that the media of fiction, drama, and film "translate" Jewish culture, and c) how these translations of Jewish culture affect and are affected by their implied audience.

262. (GSOC162, JWST102, NELC154) Women in Jewish Literature. (M) Arts & Letters Sector. All Classes. Hellerstein.

This course will introduce students of literature, women's studies, and Jewish studies to the long tradition of women as readers, writers, and subjects in Jewish literature. All texts will be in translation from Yiddish and Hebrew, or in English. Through a variety of genres--devotional literature, memoir, fiction, and poetry -- we will study women's roles and selves, the relation of women and men, and the interaction between Jewish texts and women's lives. The legacy of women in Yiddish devotional literature will serve as background for our reading of modern Jwish fiction and poetry from the past century. The course is devided into five segments. The first presents a case study of the Matriarchs Rachel and Leah, as they are portrayed in the Hebrew Bible, in rabbinic commentary, in pre-modern prayers, and in modern poems. We then examine a modern novel that recasts the story of Dinah, Leah's daughter. Next we turn to the seventeenth century Glikl of Hamel, the first Jewish woman memoirist. The third segment focuses on devotional literature for and by women. In the fourth segment, we read modern women poets in Yiddish, Hebrew, and English. The course concludes with a fifth segment on fiction and a memoir written by women in Yiddish, Hebrew, and English.

"Jewish woman, who knows your life? In darkness you have come, in darkness do you go." J. L. Gordon (1890)

263. (ENGL079, JWST261) Jewish American Literature. (M) Arts & Letters Sector. All Classes. Hellerstein.

This course introduces novels, short fiction and poetry written in America by Jews. Issues of Jewish identity and ethnicity in an American context inform our discussions. We will consider how literary form and language develop as Jewish writers "immigrated" from Yiddish, Hebrew, and other languages to American English. Using the new Jewish American Literature: A Norton Anthology and other texts, we will read authors who wrote between 1800 and 2000. These writers include: Isaac Mayer Wise, Emma Lazarus, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Celia Dropkin, Abraham Cahan, Anzia Yezierska, Saul Bellow, Philip Roth, Cynthia Ozick, Allegra Goodman.

265. (GRMN565, HIST265, JWST265, JWST465) Yiddish in Eastern Europe. (M) May be counted as a General Requirement Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only. Hellerstein. All readings and lectures in English.

This course presents the major trends in Yiddish literature and culture in Eastern Europe from the mid-19th century through World War II. Divided into four sections - "The Shtetl," "Religious vs. Secular Jews," "Language and Culture," and "Confronting Destruction" - this course will examine how Jews expressed the central aspects of their experience in Eastern Europe through history, literature (fiction, poetry, drama, memoir), film, and song.

269. Introduction to German Culture. (A) Distribution Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only. Jarosinski. Prerequisite(s): GRMN 104 or equivalent. Readings and lectures in German.

In this course, we examine and explore over a thousand years of cultural history of the German-speaking lands with an eye toward clarifying the key cultural knowledge shared by German speakers. From the Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages to the twentieth century, we examine what makes the German nations -- and peoples -- what they are today. We will pay attention both to mainstream tendencies as well as oppositional political and cultural movements. Special emphasis will be placed on cultural achievements such as literature, music, and architecture as well as on a basic understanding of the politics, economics and cultural formations of Germany, Austria and Switzerlandin the 20th century. The language of instruction, readings, and discussion is --with few exceptions -- German.

318. Foreign Exchanges: German Travel Literature and the East. (M) Wiggin. Prerequisite(s): GRMN 216 or equivalent. This course is taught in German.

For centuries the "Orient" has functioned as an important concept in formulating a European as well as a specifically German identity. In the context of today's debates about the expansion of Europe and the so-called war on terrorism, it is a concept which demands further historical investigation. On the basis of travel narratives and other texts, we will explore this key term, noting how it has been insistently (re)formulated since the beginnings of modernity. We will also investigate several theoretical models which can help us to think through the cultural encounters documented in the primary works. A series of fundamental questions will accompany us through the semester: Where is the East? Is the East a homogenous place eliciting either fear or wonder? Who lives in the East and how are the "customs and manners" of its inhabitants comprehended? What happens to a German in the East? And, vice versa, what happens to an "Oriental" in Germany? Is the East only in the East? Can one also find the East in Germany?

325. Politics of the Past: Telling Early Modern Tales to Modern Readers. (M) Wiggin. Prerequisite(s): GRMN 215 or equivalent. Taught in German.

In this class we will focus on how literary hi/stories are (re)written, and to what ends. Over the course of the semester, texts from the seventeenth century will be paired alongside a rewrite from the twentieth. Paired readings may include: Martin Opitz (Buch von der deutschen Poeterey) and G_nther Grass (Das Treffen in Telgt), Grimmelshausen (Coursache) and Bertold Brecht (Mutter Courage) and Abraham _ Sancta Clara (Predigten) and Barbara Frischmuth (Die Klosterschule). In our discussions, we will explore a series of related questions: How does the older text resonate within the new? How does the newer text comment on the old? What are the politics of such dialogues with the distant past?

349. Maerchen. (M) Distribution Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only. MacLeod. Prerequisite(s): GRMN 215 or equivalent. All readings and lectures in German.

Many of us grew up with Disney's commercialized and formulaic versions of classic fairy-tales. This course will trace tales such as Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood back to nineteenth-century German culture and the famous collections of the Brothers Grimm. The rich cultural legacy of the Grimms and other German Romantics will be considered, including feminist and postmodern revisions of the fairy tale. We will also look at the fairy tale as a mechanism for enchanting, improving, or disciplining chidren.

355. Jugendliteratur: From the Third Reich to the Present. (M) Distribution Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only. Staff.

This course takes a critical look at Jugendliteratur ranging from the Nazi award-winning TECUMSEH by Steuben to the internationally acclaimed Austrian Kaethe Recheis and her radical account of fascism in Austria. The discussion includes West and East German authors such as Plenzdorf and deals with post-unification reality, including the latest Wunderkind author of age 16. The course will investigate the power and function of Jugendliteratur in various German-speaking settings.

356. Crime and Detection - Dark Deeds. (M) Distribution Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only. Frei. Distribution III: May be counted as a Distributional course in Arts & Letters All readings and lectures in German.

The detective story and the crime drama are time-honored genres of literature and popular culture. We are drawn to morbid scenes of violence and crime, and satisfied by the apprehension of criminals and their punishment. At the same time, the process of detection, of deciphering clues, is much like the process of reading and interpretion.

In this course we will read a variety of detective and crime stories, some by famous authors (e.g., Droste-Huelshoff, Fontane, Handke), others by contemporary authors that address interesting aspects of German culture (e.g., Turkish-Germans, gay and lesbian subcultures, DDR and Wende). We will also look at episodes from popular West, East, and post-reunification German TV crime shows (e.g., Tatort).

373. Dancing on the Volcano: Modern German Writers Confront Evil. (M) Distribution Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only. Jarosinski. Prerequisite(s): GRMN 215 or equivalent. Taught in German.

This course will discuss some of the most fascinating texts of German literature that reflect Germany's precarious history in the 20th century with two world wars and Nazi totalitarianism. Central is the individual's reaction to a situation of danger or threat and the ability to preserve dignity and identity. Readings will include shorter pieces and plays by Kafka, Brecht, Boell, Stefan Zweig, Wolf, Weiss, Jurek Becker and others.

Through this course, students will be able to improve their reading and speaking abilities in German on an advanced level.

375. German Literature after 1945. (M) Distribution Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only. Staff.

Focus on the continuity of the literary tradition, innovation, and prominent themes related to coming-of-age in today's society, and specific stylistic experiments. Topics include: the changing literary perspective on German history and World War II; the representation of such prominent issues as individual reponsibility, German reunification, and human relations in modern society.

377. Germany and the European Union. (M) Distribution Course in Society. Class of 2009 & prior only. Shields. Prerequisite(s): GRMN 215 or equivalent. Taught in German.

In January 1999, a single monetary system united Germany, a core nation, with 10 other European states. Since January 2002 Euro bank notes and coins have gone into circulation in 12 European countries. The European Union is now stronger than ever before, and on May 1, 2004 ten more countries joined the EU - the largest-ever expansion. Is the EU benefiting from this enlargement or does the arrival of so many new members drain money from the EU budget and slow down the EU decision-making? This course will provide an overview of the political and economic developments towards integration in post-war Europe, focusing on Germany's key role. Studying content-rich reading materials, it explores historic-political, social, economic and cultural issues that are urgent for Germany as well as the European community. Accompanying activities will help students to improve the level of complexity of their language skills.

378. Foreign in Germany. (M) Distribution Course in Society. Class of 2009 & prior only. Shields. Prerequisite(s): GRMN 215 or equivalent. Taught in German.

Foreign minority groups are integral elements of German society. This course will provide an overview of the history of foreigners in Germany and their political, social and economic significance. Content-rich reading materials will show Germany as a country that is rapidly developing into a multinational, multiracial and multicultural society. Focusing on the various attitudes of Germans held towards foreigners and the foreigners' attitudes towards life in Germany, the text selection will provide the basis for in-depth study of the subject, including the development of German policy regarding foreigners.

379. Decadence. (M) Distribution Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only. Weissberg. Prerequisite(s): GRMN 215 or equivalent. Lectures and discussions in German.

The period of the late nineteenth and turn to the twentieth century has often been described as a time of decadence--a decline in the "standards" of morals and virtue. While Freud explored the nature of sexual desire, writers like Schnitzler or Wedekind made this exploration central for their stories or plays. The course will focus on the literature and culture of fin-de-siecle Vienna and Berlin, and consider a variety of texts as well as their later reception and translation into film. Lectures and discussion in German.

380. Heimat. (M) Distribution Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only. MacLeod. Prerequisite(s): GRMN 215 or equivalent. Taught in German.

The concept of Heimat (homeland, home, roots) has been a focal point of German culture for at least the past two hundred years; but it has no precise translation into English. Heimat is deeply connected with German notions of modernity, nature, community, and gender; but the question of where one belongs has also been associated with escapism, exclusion and marginality. Beginning with a reading of Freud's essay "Das Unheimliche," we will explore literary representations of Heimat (including works by authors such as Eichendorff, Storm, Stifter, Raabe, and Sebald); nineteenth-century paintings by artists such as Leibl; and Edgar Reitz's epic film Heimat (1984).

382. The German Media Landscape. (M) Distribution Course in Society. Class of 2009 & prior only. Richter. Prerequisite(s): GRMN 215 or equivalent. Taught in German.

An interactive course that introduces students to the world of German media (journalism, television, and radio). Analysis of major newspapers and magazines, editorial policy, history of media in the postwar period, types of television programming. Content-specific language instruction stressing complex language usage.

383. German Political Landscape. (M) Distribution Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Distribution II: May be counted as a Distributional course in History & Tradition.

This course will provide an overview of the emergence and development of political parties in Germany since the 19th century. We will start with Robert Michels' classical study "Die Soziologie des Parteiwesens," first published in 1910. The course will cover the Weimar Republic, National Socialism, the founding of political parties in West and East Germany after 1945, the emergence of the Green party and the Republikaner in the 1980s, and developments after unification.

SM 395. Thesis Writers' Colloquium. (B) Wiggin / MacLeod. Prerequisite(s): Limited to seniors writing thesis.

In the true spirit of a colloquium (= an informal meeting for the exchange of views), this course provides you with the opportunity to engage in a series of conversations about your thesis project.

Our discussions will focus on research tools and methods and on the writing process. It is tailored as much as possible to meet individual needs. Most importantly, the colloquium should not add to the burden of writing a thesis but should facilitate its completion. Thus, its primary goal is a successfully completed senior thesis. To assist you in obtaining this goal, several short written assignments will be required.

399. Independent Study. (C) All German thesis writers must enroll in this Independent Study in addition to the Thesis Writing Colloquium.

499. Independent Study. (C)

SM 507. Elementary Middle High German. (M)

Designed to familiarize the student with the principal elements of Middle High German grammar and to develop skills in reading and translating a major work of the twelfth century. Limited text interpretation.

SM 516. Teaching Methods. (C) Frei.

This course examines major foreign language methodologies, introduces resources available to foreign language teachers, and addresses current issues and concerns of foreign language teaching and learning, such as second language acquisition theory and application of technology.

SM 517. (EDUC673, ROML691) Technology and Foreign Language Teaching. (B) Frei/McMahon.

This course focuses on the evaluation, design, and development of multimedia in foreign language teaching and seeks to spotlight intersections of pedagogy and technology. Emphases are on the evaluation and production of effective multimedia-based materials and the pedagogical concerns raised by their implementation.

In workshops, you will learn to use video-, image-, and sound-editing software applications. In weekly lectures, you will examine current trends and issues in pedagogically sound applications of technology. We will focus our discussions mainly on the efficacy of Web-based design and development.

You will design and produce an instructional project including different media such as text, image/graphics, sound, and video and create an on-line teaching portfolio as your final project.

SM 531. German Literature to 18th Century. (A) Wiggin.

Historical overview of authors, their works, genres, and epochs. Special attention to social, historical, cultural and religious backgrounds. Reading of selected works or passages.

SM 532. German Literature 18th Century to Present. (B)

A continuation of GRMN 531, this course examines literary developments from the Enlightenment to the present.

SM 534. (CLST511, COML501, ENGL571, ROML512, SLAV500) History of Literary Theory. (M)

Is there a future to theory? And what is its past? The course will consider a selection of texts from Aristotle to Derrida to explore questions posed in regard to literature and the arts, its genres and its language. At the same time, it will test the relevance of these ideas for our work today. All readings and discussions will be in English.

SM 535. (COML536) Goethe's Novels. (M) MacLeod. Prerequisite(s): Upper-level course, assumes some familiarity with German literature and culture.

With each of his major novels, Goethe intervened decisively and provocatively in the genre and wider culture. This seminar will analyze three of Goethe's novels spanning his career: the sensationial epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774, rev. 1787); the novel of adultery Elective Affinities (1809), and the Bildungsroman Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship (1795/96). (We will also look ahead to his "archival" novel Wilhelm Meister's Journeyman Years [1829]). Particular attention will be paid to the ways in which these novels address questions of modernization - technology and secularization, to name only two - through the lens of individuals who understand themselves in relation to artistic media. We will also consider seminal scholarship on the novels (e.g. Benjamin, Lukacs) in addition to recent critical approaches.

SM 550. (CINE550, COML552) German Film History and Analysis. (M) Richter.

From the early 20th century, German cinema has played a key role in the history of film. Seminar topics may include: Weimar cinema, film in the Nazi period, East German film, the New German cinema, and feminist film.

SM 551. (PHIL465) Kant's First Critique. (M) Guyer.

A study of Kant's epistemology, criticism of metaphysics, and theory of science. A close reading of the Critique of Pure Reason and associated texts.

SM 552. (PHIL466) Kant II. (M) Guyer.

A study of Kant's moral philosophy, political philosophy, and aesthetics, focusing on his Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, Critique of Practical Reason, Metaphysics of Morals, and Critique of Judgement.

SM 553. (COML581, RELS508) Hermeneutics. (M) Dunning.

Theory of interpretation and the construction of meaning. Focus is usually on a text by Hegel or Gadamer. May be repeated for credit.

565. (GRMN265, HIST265, JWST265, JWST465) Yiddish in Eastern Europe. (M) Hellerstein. All readings and lectures in English.

SM 579. (ARTH584, COML579) Winckelmann. (M) MacLeod. Prerequisite(s): Upper-level course, assumes some familiarity with German literature and culture.

Celebrity-scholar, literary stylist, cultural monument, pagan hero, self-made man, homosexual codeword, murder victim: despite his humble origins in Prussia, Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717-68) enjoyed a meteoric career as an archaeologist and art historian in Rome and came to define a century. His developmental view of culture and his celebration of Greek art challenged prevailing ideas and established new paradigms. The seminar will pay careful attention to Winckelmann's most important writings, including "Reflections on the Imitation of the Painting and Sculpture of the Greeks" (1755), the "History of Ancient Art" (1764), and his famous descriptions of statues such as the Belvedere Apollo and Laocoon group, while keeping in mind the context of mid eighteenth century Rome. The lasting impact of Winckelmann's Greek subject matter, his aestetic theory, and his literary style will be traced, with readings ranging from Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Walter Peter, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Thomas Mann, to the troubling reincarnation of Winckelmann's statues in Leni Riefenstahl's Fascist Olympic films. Finally, Winckelmann's central role in the field of queer studies will be explored, via a consideration of his representation of the male body beautiful and of his own status as a codeword for homosexual desire.

SM 580. (COML582, ENGL778, PHIL480, PHIL580, PHIL581) Topics In Aesthetics. (M) Staff. Topics vary.

SM 581. (COML584, HIST490, JWST490, RELS429) Topics in Jewish-German Culture. (M) Distribution Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Staff.

Topics vary

SM 582. (PSCI582, PSCI584) Topics in Political Science. (M)

Topics vary.

SM 602. (LING610) Seminar in German Philology. (M)

Topics vary annually.

SM 604. Seminar in German-Jewish Studies. (M) Weissberg.

The course will focus on a specific topic, such as German-Jewish autobiography, writings related to the Jewish emancipation, German-Jewish philosophy and literature, the notion of exile, the Shoah, or contemporary German-Jewish literature. Topics will be announced.

SM 631. The Age of Storm and Stress. (M) Richter.

An in-depth investigation of the major thinkers and writers of the Sturm and Drang period (1767-1785). Concepts to be considered include: genius, nature, language, violence, irrationality, "Germanness." Works by Herder, the young Goethe and Schiller, Hamann, Gerstenberg, Lenz, Klinger, and Wagner. Emphasis on drama and drama theory.

SM 632. Romanticism. (M) MacLeod, Weissberg.

The course focuses both on the timely impact and the lasting contribution of Romanticism. Lectures cover the philosophical, intellectual, social, and political currents of the age. Authors: Schlegel, Wackenroder, Tieck, Brentano, Arnim, Novalis, Hoffmann, Kleist, Eichendorff.

SM 633. Classicism. (M) MacLeod, Richter.

An investigation of Weimar Classicism. Drawing on literary and theoretical works by Goethe, Schiller, and others, the seminar will explore concepts such as: aesthetic education; the nature of a "classic;" "autonomous" art; imitation; German responses to Greek antiquity.

SM 635. Goethe's Wilhelm Meister. (M) MacLeod.

Goethe's Wilhelm Meister project spanned several decades and three novels. This seminar will analyze Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre (1795), the foundational work in the development of the German Bildungsroman, and Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre (1829), an anomalous and eccentric narrative that stretches the boundaries of the novel genre. We will also consider recent critical approaches to the novels, and will discuss in particular Foucauldian and psychoanalytic readings tha