Course Offerings in German Studies

German language sequence

• Ger 101 Beginning German I: For the Workplace
  Develops basic skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing using basic vocabulary and cultural concepts that are specific to everyday life, the university and the working world. An emphasis is placed on intercultural communication skills. The course is designed for those interested in studying, living and/or working in German-speaking countries or those who wish to conduct business with companies that speak German. This course is the first in the language series designed to complete the foreign language requirement. Offered each fall.
• Ger 102 Elementary German II
  Further develops basic skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing. By the end of the semester, students will have read a variety of texts, and be able to express their likes, dislikes, and interests in German. The class also further increases cultural literacy with primary emphasis on everyday life skills and intercultural communication skills, with some workplace knowledge. Prerequisite: German 101 or equivalent. Offered each spring.
• Ger 201 Intermediate German I (LA) Emphasis on intermediate speaking, listening, reading and writing skills, with a continued focus on intercultural communication skills.  Students will read a variety of texts, including literature, fairy tale, art, poetry, advertising, popular song lyrics, newspaper articles. Topics include Goethe, the Grimm brothers, the green movement, immigration/migrant literature. Continued focus on intercultural communication skills.  Prerequisite: German 102 or equivalent. Offered each fall.
• Ger 202 Intermediate German II (G)
  Emphasis on intermediate speaking, listening, reading and writing skills, with a continued focus on intercultural communication skills.  Students will read a variety of texts, including literature, fairy tale, poetry, popular song lyrics, oration, film. Topics include the politics of music in the twenties/thirties, the modern history of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, Paul Celan, the Holocaust. Prerequisite: German 201 or equivalent. Offered each spring.

Upper division courses

• Ger 301 Advanced German (G)
  The bridge between lower and upper level German courses. Emphasis on advanced speaking/presentation, listening, and critical writing skills with a particular focus on reading longer authentic texts, including a novella or play. Course material focuses on contemporary culture and identity in German-speaking countries.  Topics also often include opera, contemporary art, and/or film. Prerequisite: German 202 or equivalent. Offered each fall.

• Ger 310 German Business Culture   This course provides the student with an overview of the kinds of language usually encountered in the German workplace.  Students will build vocabulary by practicing reading, writing, listening, and speaking on topics that pertain to working in a German-speaking country.  The course will also review grammatical points that are pertinent to the topics covered.  Throughout the course, students will also learn about the types of German companies, telephone and meeting etiquette, business travel, trade fairs, import/export with German companies, business letter structure, resumés, and interviewing.  All coursework is done in German. Prerequisite: Ger 202. Offered in alternating years in the spring.

To be taken abroad

• Ger 330 Studies in Literature and Humanities
  Upper level courses in an approved study abroad program in the literature or the humanities category, including art history, theater, gender studies, music history, philosophy, religion. Readings and lectures are in German. Credit should be discussed with a member of the German faculty before departure.
• Ger 350 Studies in Social Science
  Upper level courses in an approved study abroad program in the social science category, including business, economics, history, political science, sociology, geography, anthropology. Readings and lectures are in German. Credit should be discussed with a member of the German faculty before departure.
• Ger 360 Advanced German Language Studies
  An upper level German language course taken in an approved study abroad program. This course will contain a strong writing component in addition to practice in reading and conversation. Credit should be discussed with a member of the German faculty before departure.
• Ger 397 Internship
  An opportunity where language and cultural skills in German can be applied in a professional context. Placement in local, national and international sites. Prerequisites: career education 300Y and language proficiency at the 301 level. Does not count towards the German major or minor. Offered as needed.

To be taken on-campus. Students may proceed directly from Ger 301 to a 400-level course.

• Ger 340 Deutsche Romantik (IT)
  Readings, assignments in German; lectures in English with LC112. The course explores German Romanticism in literature, philosophy, and music. One Wagner opera; and the influence of Romanticism on German nationalism, Nietzsche, and Thomas Mann will be discussed. Readings include Schlegel, Fichte, Heine, Kleist, Romantic women, E.T.A. Hoffmann, and Robert Schumann. Prerequisite: German 301. Offered in alternating years in the Fall.
• Ger 387 Revolutionäres Drama (LT)
  Readings and assignments in German; lectures and discussion in English with LC 110. Plays focusing on political rebellion or a revolution in ideas will be explored with the help of historical background, film versions, and drama theory (classical drama, epic drama, documentary drama). Includes plays by Goethe, Schiller, Büchner, and Brecht. Prerequisite: German 301. Offered in alternate years in the Spring.
• Ger 418 Deutsche Kultur seit 1945 (CHC, W)
  The course introduces students to important cultural debates since World War II, instructs them in an advanced level of German language skills, and teaches information literacy via the process of researching and writing a college-level research paper in literary and cultural studies. The course includes a variety of literary genres and forms and film. Prerequisite: German 301. Offered in alternate years.
• Ger 488 Von Demokratie zur Diktatur (LT)
  This course addresses the influential works, theories, and debates in the literature and film of the Weimar Republic and National Socialist Germany (1918-1945). Special emphasis will be placed on the interaction between literature/film and politics. Topics typically include Expressionism, New Objectivity, Epic Theater, the New Woman, Censorship, Exile Literature, Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, Popular Literature/Film, and Rubble Literature. All lectures, materials, and discussions are in German. Prerequisite: German 301. Offered in alternating years in the Spring.
• Ger 499 Independent Study
  Students will write a major research paper under the close supervision of a faculty member. This course counts as one of the required literature courses for the major, but cannot replace German 487 or 488. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Offered as needed.