German 298. Experimental Courses
These courses are taught in English. German majors have the option to get 300-level credit with extra reading and work assignments in German.
Advanced Conversation
The course is designed for those who seek to practice and develop conversational skills in German. By discussing authentic German texts, film clips and audio tapes on a variety of topics we will practice strategies for conversations, debates and argumentations. Class will include hands-on grammar exercises to foster and bolster grammatical knowledge necessary for conversation.
Introduction to German Literature
This course, taught in English, introduces students to the literary and cultural world of German-speaking countries. Through an eclectic selection of text and other visual materials, we will study literary works of different periods (18th-century to 21st-century) and genres (novel, short story, drama, poetry) in their cultural and sociopolitical contexts.
Repression and Rebellion: German Literature and Culture of Resistance from Gutenberg to the Internet
This English- taught course traces ideas of German identity as reflected in literature. Beginning with the explosion of print media made possible by Gutenberg’s press, we will read widely through significant periods of cultural change including the Enlightenment, Romanticism, Modernism, Nazi Germany, the split state, and today’s reunited Germany of immigration. Special emphasis will be given to literatures of resistance, which challenged, and often changed, dominant cultural paradigms. Authors writing against artistic, political, sexual, and racial repression will be read alongside other creative production – film, art, and music – for a comprehensive introduction to German cultural history.
Authors include: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Heinrich von Kleist, Friedrich Nietzsche, Franz Kafka, Thomas Mann, Christa Wolf, Herta Müller.
Readings and discussions in English for 298 some readings and discussions in German for 398.
Laura Bohn