Catalog

German Studies

  • Chair: John Iverson, Foreign Languages and Literatures

German

  • Susan Babilon

Affiliated Faculty

  • Rachel Chacko, Music
  • Dennis Crockett, Art History and Visual Culture Studies
  • Patrick Frierson, Philosophy
  • Julia Ireland, Philosophy (on Sabbatical, Spring 2013)
  • Lynn Sharp, History (on Sabbatical, 2012-13)
  • Walter Wyman, Religion

German studies is an interdisciplinary major that allows students to gain a comprehensive understanding of German culture by examining it from a broad range of academic perspectives. In consultation with their adviser, students design a course of study that may include, in addition to advanced language study, selections from multiple disciplines such as: German language and literature, art history & visual culture studies, history, music history, philosophy, religion, or world literature. Coursework may include courses taught in German, courses taught in English, and courses taught in English but cross-listed with German studies (which require students to complete a portion of the work in German).

Placement in language courses: Students with previous foreign language experience should consult the statement on placement in language courses in the Foreign Languages and Literatures section of this catalog.

The major in German Studies will consist of 36 credits, including four credits in senior thesis, four credits in German 370 and another 12 credits (three courses) in German at the 300 level or above. Of the remaining 16 credits, up to (but no more than) eight may be in German at the 200 level and up to (but no more than) 12 may be in approved German studies courses at the 200 level or above. Additional coursework in German beyond the 300 level may also be applied to the remaining 16 credits. Regularly approved courses in German studies are available in history, music, philosophy, religion, art history and visual culture, and world literature (see below). Other courses, including those taken abroad, may be accepted as German studies with consent of the faculty in German studies.

Typically, the student entering Whitman with little or no German would include in his or her major: second-year German, third-year German, two German literature courses, two additional courses, either in German literature or in German studies, and a senior thesis.

The student who was able to take third-year German as a first-year student would have more flexibility and would typically take: third-year German, three additional German literature courses, three additional courses either in German literature or in German studies, plus a thesis.

The thesis is written in English, but students must work with texts in the original German. Because these theses are so interdisciplinary in nature, we require an outside reader whose area of academic specialization can enhance the development and assessment of the thesis. The outside reader is not necessarily from the affiliated faculty, but rather the person on the Whitman faculty who has the most expertise in the student’s subject matter and is willing to serve.

The Final Comprehensive Exercise consists of the oral defense of the thesis. Prior to the defense of the thesis, students will be asked to prepare presentations on a significant text in German literature and an important scholarly analysis of German culture, chosen by the faculty. During this oral examination, students also will be asked to discuss these texts as well as their own thesis. In the course of the examination, students will need to demonstrate a broad knowledge of German literature, history, and culture.

The minor in German Studies will consist of 20 credits: 12 credits in German at the 300 level or above; at least four of which must be from a course numbered higher than 306 and taken at Whitman College; eight additional credits in German at the 200 level or above or in an approved course in German studies at the 200 level or above; no independent studies count toward the minor. Courses that count for other majors may be used for the minor.

Note: Courses taken P-D-F prior to the declaration of a language major or minor will satisfy course and credit requirements for the major or minor. Courses taken P-D-F may not be used to satisfy course and credit requirements for the major or minor after the major or minor has been declared. Students who major in German studies may choose among the following courses for their required area courses and electives:

  • Art History 355 German Visual Culture: 1871-1933
  • History 278 Twentieth Century Europe
  • History 277 Nineteenth Century Europe, 1815-1914
  • History 339 Modern Germany: Imagining a Nation?
  • Music 298 Music History II: Classical and Romantic Periods
  • Philosophy 318 Hannah Arendt as Political Thinker
  • Philosophy 322 Kant’s Moral Philosophy
  • Philosophy 338B Introduction to German Philosophy
  • Philosophy 351 What is the Human Being?
  • Philosophy 422 Heidegger’s Being and Time
  • Religion 228 Modern Western Religious Thought I: Crisis and Renewal
  • Religion 229 Modern Western Religious Thought II: The Twentieth Century
  • Religion 240 Modern Jewish Thought

105, 106 Elementary German
4, 4 Staff

This beginning German course will provide students with the skills to communicate in basic German. Grammar is taught with an emphasis on its use in oral and written communication. Reading skills and cultural topics are introduced as well. Four periods per week. Prerequisite for 106: German 105.

205, 206 Intermediate German
4, 4 Staff

Intermediate German provides a comprehensive review of German, focusing on all four language skills — speaking, aural comprehension, reading, and writing. While grammar will be reviewed and expanded upon, emphasis is on communication and German cultural knowledge. German is used extensively in classroom. Four periods per week. Students who have not taken German at Whitman previously are required to take a departmental placement exam for entrance. Prerequisite for 205: German 106. Prerequisite for 206: German 205.

228 Modern Western Religious Thought I: Crisis and Renewal
4; not offered 2012-13

This is a course in Christian theology which begins with the Reformation of the 16th century. What were the religious ideas of the Protestant Reformers that lead to the break with Roman Catholicism? Next the course will turn to the rise of religious skepticism in the Enlightenment: How did modern science in the 17th century, and modern philosophy in the 18th, lead to a crisis in religious belief? The course will conclude with 19th century attempts to respond to atheism and skepticism, and to reconstruct theology on a modern basis: “What is it reasonable to believe in the modern world?” Not open to first-year students. Students enrolled in German 228 must meet the German prerequisites and will be expected to complete some reading and writing assignments in German. May be elected as Religion 228. Prerequisite: any 300-level German course, placement exam, or consent of instructor. Offered in alternate years.

229 Modern Western Religious Thought II: The Twentieth Century
4, x Wyman

This course is a continuation of Religion 228, focusing on how 20th century religious thinkers have answered the question, “What is it reasonable to believe in the modern world?” How have 20th century religious thinkers, both conservative and liberal, Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish, responded to the challenges to the religious traditions of the West presented by the modern world? Topics vary, but may include: responses to skepticism and atheism; the pluralism of religions and the problem of religious truth; God and the problem of evil; liberation and feminist theologies; contemporary interpretations of Jesus of Nazareth; Jewish responses to the Holocaust. Students enrolled in German 229 must meet the German prerequisites and will be expected to complete some reading and writing assignments in German. May be taken independently of Religion 228. Not open to first-year students. May be elected as Religion 229.Prerequisite: any 300-level German course, placement exam, or consent of instructor. Offered in alternate years.

277 Nineteenth Century Europe, 1815-1914
4; not offered 2012-13

The 19th century saw massive political, social, and technological change: from monarchies to democracies, from horse to rail to automobile; from a world of much illiteracy to one of daily newspapers and even telephones. Over the course of the century much of what is familiar in the world today was constructed. This course explores events and developments in Europe from the French Revolution to the end of the century, including industrialization, democracy and socialism, religious change and the rise of feminism, the expansion of Europe through imperialism, and the rise of racism and rightist nationalism at the end of the century that helped push nations into World War I. We’ll explore these developments in terms of their impact at the time and move toward an understanding of what legacy they left for the world today. Students enrolled in German 277 must meet the German prerequisites and will be expected to complete some reading and writing assignments in German. May be elected as History 277. Prerequisite: any 300-level German course, placement exam, or consent of instructor.

303 German Film and the Frankfurt School
4; not offered 2012-13

In this course, we will review the masterpieces of German-language cinema, beginning with such expressionist works of art as Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Murnau’s Nosferatu, Lang’s Metropolis, and Sagan’s Mädchen in Uniform. We also will study Nazi film, particularly Leni Riefenstahl’s work. Among the postwar directors that we study will be Fassbinder, Herzog, and Wenders. Queer German filmmakers such as Praunheim and Treut will receive special attention. The course will conclude with recent critical and popular successes such as Run Lola Run and The Lives of Others. As a critical lens, we will rely heavily on psychoanalytic and Frankfurt School criticism, focusing on writings by Sigmund Freud, Walter Benjamin, Siegfried Kracauer, and Theodor Adorno. In addition to class meetings, a weekly video screening of approximately two hours is required. All discussion in English. Students taking the course for German credit will be expected to watch the films without subtitles and complete written assignments in German; students taking the course for credit in world literature will generally watch films with subtitles and write in English. Prerequisites: any of the following: German 206, or any 300-level German course, placement exam, or consent of instructor. May be elected as World Literature 303.

305, 306 Composition and Conversation
4, x Staff

For students who aim to attain a high level of proficiency in writing and speaking skills for the discussion and study of more advanced topics in German culture. Extensive daily conversation, along with weekly readings, advanced grammar review and student-led discussions on current events. Students also prepare weekly essays. Instruction entirely in German. Three classroom meetings per week, plus required conversation practice with the Native Speaker. Prerequisite: any of the following: German 206 or any 300-level German course, placement exam, or consent of instructor.

313 East German Literature and Film
4; not offered 2012-13

When the film The Lives of Others won the Oscar for best foreign language film in 2007, its attention to the conflicts between artistic expression and state repression in East Germany’s one-party socialist dictatorship contrasted with recent films and books that emphasized nostalgia for life in the East German state (“Ostalgie”). In this course, we will examine literature, film, and other artistic and cultural production in the German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik, or DDR) in the context of political movements and governmental control, from the state’s establishment in 1949 until its reunification with West Germany in 1990. We also will study the post-Berlin Wall phenomenon of Ostalgie as we consider the relevance and resonance of DDR culture in a unified Germany. Authors may include Bertolt Brecht, Anna Seghers, Christa Wolf, Brigitte Reimann, Stefan Heym, Wolf Biermann, and Heiner Müller. Filmmakers may include Wolfgang Staudte, Konrad Wolf, Kurt Maetzig, and Frank Beyer. May be elected as World Literature 313. Prerequisites: German 206, any 300-level German course, or consent of the instructor. Students enrolled in German 313 must meet the German prerequisites and will be expected to complete reading and writing assignments in German.

318 Hannah Arendt as Political Thinker
4, x Ireland

Hannah Arendt disavowed the title of philosopher, instead describing herself as a “political thinker.” This seminar will investigate what Arendt means by this description, focusing in particular on the notions of “world,” “natality,” and what she calls the vita active. Texts will include Between Past and Future, The Human Condition, and Eichmann in Jerusalem as well as selections from Arendt’s work on Kant and aesthetics and cultural theory. Biweekly seminar papers and a final research paper will be required. Students enrolled in German 318 must meet the German prerequisites and will be expected to complete some reading and writing assignments in German. May be elected as Philosophy 318. Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy 300-level or higher and any 300-level German course or placement exam. Open only to senior Philosophy majors, German Studies majors, or by consent of instructor.

319 Environmentalism and Nature in German Culture
4; not offered 2012-13

Nature has played an essential role in German culture and the German imagination, from the fairy tale to the modern environmental movement. In this course we’ll explore various manifestations of these interests from Romantic literature to contemporary performance art and installations. We’ll examine the works of poets, novelists, dramatists, philosophers, musicians, and artists, as well as the effects of these works on movements such as Heimatkunde from the 19th century to the present, Schleiermacher’s religion of the soil, the artist colony at Monte Verità, land reform of the 1920s, nationalism, the restoration versus reconstruction debate, the growth of the Green Party, environmentalism in East and West Germany and modern sustainability programs. Requirements: Preparation of readings for class discussion, one or two class presentations, and two papers. May be elected as World Literature 319. Prerequisite: any 300-level German course or consent of instructor.

350 The Holocaust: Documentations and Representations
4; not offered 2012-13

What can we say now about the Holocaust? What has it meant to bear witness, to document, to remember, from the time of the Second World War until today? In this course we will explore answers to these questions in texts from a variety of genres, including history, diary, memoir, poetry, fiction, and film. These texts will treat Jewish life in Germany and Austria from Hitler’s rise to power until the war’s end, Jewish experiences in Eastern European ghettos and camps, and post-Holocaust writing on coming to terms (or not) with the past, and ways in which that past is represented. Readings may include works by Victor Klemperer, Ilse Aichinger, Ruth Klüger, Nelly Sachs, Paul Celan, Peter Weiss, and Bernhard Schlink, as well as historical and theoretical analyses. May be elected as World Literature 350. Prerequisite: any 300-level German course or consent of instructor.

351 What is the Human Being?
4; not offered 2012-13

In a set of lectures to his students, Kant claimed that all of philosophy could be reduced to the question, “What is the Human Being?” This course focuses on that question. Almost half of the course will be spent exploring Kant’s answer to the question, which also will provide an opportunity to explore Kant’s philosophy as a whole. The rest of the course will look at several contemporary approaches to the problem (including, for example, scientific —especially evolutionary — accounts of human beings and existentialism). Students enrolled in German 351 must meet the German prerequisites and will be expected to complete some reading and writing assignments in German. May be elected as Philosophy 351. Prerequisite: any 300-level German course or consent of instructor.

355 German Visual Culture: 1871-1933
x, 4 Crockett

A seminar focused on visual production during the Wilhelmine Empire and the Weimar Republic. Extensive reading of primary sources and recent scholarship that address the ideological factors (e.g., prussianization, socialism, nationalism, cultural pessimism) behind such material issues as the creation of monuments, the transformation of interior design, the craft revival, and the origins of large-scale, suburban public housing. The course is based on student presentations and discussion, with various written assignments. Students enrolled in German 355 must meet the German prerequisites and will be expected to complete some reading and writing assignments in German. May be elected as Art History 355. Prerequisite: any 300-level German course or consent of instructor. Offered in alternate years.

370 Advanced Topics in German Studies
4

Intensive study of a particular topic, theme, or author in German. Any current offerings follow.

370 ST: Advanced Topics in German Studies: The Fairy Tale
x, 4 Babilon

Fairy Tales allow us to study literature as it transforms itself over the course of history. In this class we’ll examine the German tradition of the folk tale in the collections of the Brothers Grimm as well as in the early art tales, and later variations thereof. We’ll approach the tales from a variety of perspectives, including structuralist, historical, sociological, and feminist. While gaining an understanding of the tales’ place in German literature, history, and society, students will continue to expand their German language skills through reading, writing, and participating in class discussions. Short weekly papers, and a final research paper. Prerequisite: German 305, 306, or consent of instructor. Distribution area: humanities or cultural pluralism.

387, 388 Special Studies
4

Designed to permit close study of one or more authors, a movement, or a genre in German literature. Conducted in German or English, at the discretion of the instructor. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Any current offerings follow. Distribution: humanities or cultural pluralism.

391, 392 Independent Study
1-3, 1-3 Staff

Directed reading and preparation of a critical paper or papers on a topic suggested by the student. The project must be approved by the staff. The number of students accepted for the course will depend on the availability of the staff. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

422 Heidegger’s Being and Time
4; not offered 2012-13

Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time (1927) is arguably one of the most groundbreaking works of philosophy published in the 20th century. This seminar is an intensive exploration of Heidegger’s most important conceptual innovations in that work. These innovations include the relationship between Dasein, care, and world; the analysis of being-toward-death, anxiety, and the call of conscience; and the “destructuring” of the Western philosophical tradition. The seminar will be focused on the close reading of Being and Time supplemented by other primary and secondary sources intended to facilitate the understanding of basic terms and concepts. The course is writing intensive, and will include biweekly papers and responses, a final seminar presentation, and a final paper. Students enrolled in German 422 must meet the German prerequisites and will be expected to complete some reading and writing assignments in German. May be elected as Philosophy 422. Prerequisite: any 300-level German course or consent of instructor.

492 Senior Thesis
4, 4 Staff

In-depth research concluding in the preparation of an undergraduate senior thesis on a specific topic in German literature or German studies. Required of German studies and German literature majors.

498 Honors Thesis
4, 4 Staff

Designed to further independent research or project leading to the preparation of an undergraduate thesis or a project report. Required of and limited to senior honors candidates in German. Prerequisite: admission to honors candidacy.

The program in German Studies also includes courses in world literature. These classes are listed in the World Literature section of the catalog.