105, 106 Elementary German
4, 4 Babilon
Designed to acquaint the student with the sound and the structure of
the German idiom, to enable thestudent to read simple literary
materials and to carry on a simple conversation. Four periods per week.
Students who have previous work in German are required to take a
departmental placement examination for entrance.
205, 206 Reading and Speaking
4, 4 Blau
Designed for students who wish to improve their reading and speaking
knowledge of German. Of prime importance is acquisition of an extensive
vocabulary and familiarity with idiomatic usage. German is used
extensively in classroom instruction. Four periods per week.
Prerequisite: German 106. Students who have not taken German at Whitman
previously are required to take a departmental placement examination
for entrance.
212 Geistesgeschichte
4; not offered 2006-07
A survey of German intellectual and culturalhistory. Authors might
include Kant, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Einstein, Heidegger, and
Benjamin. Although readings will be in German, the class will not
emphasize grammar. Prerequisite: German 205 or equivalent.
305, 306 Composition and Conversation
4, 4 Babilon
Emphasizes speaking and writing. Short oral reports, written
compositions and review of grammar as necessary. Three periods per
week. Prerequisite: German 206. Students who have not taken German at
Whitman previously are required to take a departmental placement
examination for entrance.
341 Faust: Technologie und Teufel
4; not offered 2006-07
In the German tradition, technology has been linked with the devil ever
since Faust made an appearance in the sixteenth century. To what extent
is our technological and intellectual progress the result of a "pact
with the devil"? What are the implications of this understanding of the
Faustian for gender and cultural studies? Can other aspects of German
culture (for instance, Nazism) be seen as a pact with the devil? We
will study the few accounts left of the historical Faust, the
sixteenth-century Faust chapbook, Goethe's Faust, and operatic and
cinematic renditions of the Faust story. Readings in German,
discussions in English and German. Prerequisites: German 206 or consent
of instructor. Offered every third year.
343 Liebestod
4; not offered 2006-07
The literary representations of, on the one hand, love, desire, and
sexuality, and, on the other hand, death, disease, and sickness, as
well as the interrelation of these two complexes. Works include the
medieval epic Tristan und Isolde, Wagner's version of the same story,
Goethe's Werther, and Thomas Mann's "Tod in Venedig." Readings in
German, discussions in English and German. Prerequisites: German 206 or
consent of instructor. Offered every third year.
345 Deutsche, Türken, Juden
4: not offered 2006-07
Beginning with excerpts from medieval texts such as the Nibelungenlied
and Parzival, in which Germanic peoples interact with representatives
of other cultures, this course will study the concepts of national,
linguistic, and cultural identity. We will read the Enlightenment plea
for tolerance in Lessing's Nathan der Weise, Romantic defenses of
nationalism, Droste-Hülshoff's socially realistic depiction of the life
of Jews in her Judenbuche, and conclude with German-language literature
of the Holocaust (particularly Paul Celan), non-Jewish German responses
to the Holocaust, and German-language literature by Turkish-Germans.
Readings in German, discussions in English and German. Prerequisites:
German 206 or consent of instructor. Offered every third year.
367 The German Novelle
4; not offered 2006-07
Analysis and discussion of the theory and practice of the German
Novelle from Goethe to Thomas Mann. Three periods per week.
Prerequisites: German 206 or consent of instructor. Offered every third
year.
377 Twentieth-Century German Literature, Jahrhundertwende
4, x Blau
A survey of authors, movements, and trends in German literature
presented in the context of the important cultural and social events of
the period 1890-1925. Poetry by Hofmannsthal, George, Rilke, Heym, and
Trakl and Benn. Plays by Hauptmann, Hofmannsthal, Schnitzler and
Kaiser. Oral and written reports. Three periods per week.
Prerequisites: German 206 or consent of instructor. Offered every third
year.
378 Early Twentieth-Century Literature
4; not offered 2006-07
Readings may include short prose works of the first quarter of the
twentieth century by writers such as Schnitzler, Mann, Kafka, and
Hesse. Experimental fickton of the Expressionist generation is also
read. One or two short papers. A final paper or examination.
Prerequisites: German 206 or consent of instructor. Offered every third
year.
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. The
current offerings follow.
388A The Fairytale
X, 4 Tobin
This course will examine the fairytales of the Brothers Grimm in their
historical and social context, as well as a variety of literary
critical approaches to the fairytale, including structuralist and
psychoanalytic interpretations. In the course we will also study art
fairytales (Kunstmärchen), the fairytales of Hans Christian Andersen,
and more modern versions of the fairytale. If elected as German 388,
primary texts will be read in German and all written work will be in
German. The course may also be elected as World Literature 389B, in
which case all work will be in English. Prerequisite: German 206.
World Literature 389B: The Fairytale
X, 4 Tobin
This course will examine the fairytales of the Brothers Grimm in their
historical and social context, as well as a variety of literary
critical approaches to the fairytale, including structuralist and
psychoanalytic interpretations. In the course we will also study art
fairytales (Kunstmärchen), the fairytales of Hans Christian Andersen,
and more modern versions of the fairytale. If elected as German 388,
primary texts will be read in German and all written work will be in
German.
Students who major in German Studies may choose among the following courses for their required area courses and electives:
ArtH 355, German Visual Culture: 1871-1937
Hist 278, Twentieth-Century Europe
Hist 339, Modern Germany
Mus 398, Music History: Eighteenth Century
Mus 399, Music History: Nineteenth Century
Mus 400, Music History and Literature of the Twentieth Century
Phil 304, Kant and the Nineteenth Century
Phil 309, Heidegger
Phil 322, Kant's Moral Philosophy
Rel 228, Modern Western Religious Thought I: Crisis and Renewal
Rel 229, Modern Western Religious Thought II: The 20th Century
WLit 188, Vienna to Berlin
WLit 279, German Film
There are also frequently offered special topics courses in German Studies. This year, for instance, the following courses count toward the German Studies major:
WLit 201, Introduction to Jewish Cultural Studies
WLit 387A, Introduction to Contemporary Literary Theory
WLit 389, Dada
IDSC 400: Over There! The Transatlantic Divide: How to Understand
1, x Goff
Taught by Berlin-based journalist Brent Goff, this one-week seminar
will focus on European and German culture, specifically in the realms
of politics, journalism, business, and social issues. The course will
meet in the evenings from Monday through Thursday, from October 23-26.
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