German

CAS LG 111, 112 First- and Second Semester German

Introduction to grammar, vocabulary, structure of German, emphasizing the four basic skills: speaking, writing, listening, and reading. Conversational dialogues, reading of short texts, grammar sessions, compositions.

CAS LG 211, 212 Third- and Fourth-Semester German

Further development of communicative skills acquired in the first year, emphasizing both production (speaking, writing) and comprehension (listening, reading) along with communicative skills and strategies for functioning socially in German-language contexts. Grammar review. Reading and discussion of selected short stories, poetry, and plays as well as nonliterary texts. Conducted in German.

Prereq: CAS LG 112 or placement test results

CAS LG 280 - Topics in German Culture (in English translation)

Topic for Spring 2010: Art and Society in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. This course explores two distinct periods in German history: the years of the Weimar Republic (1919-1933), and the Nazi period (1933-1945). We begin with the innovations in literature, architecture, theater, film, painting and journalistic writing that define Weimar culture, while also examining the political and economic turbulence of those years that led, in part, to the rise of Nazism. We then study the controversial question of why and how Hitler became chancellor in 1933; the transformation of Germany into a fascist state; and the war against the Jews. The third part of the course examines the literary writings and testimonies of artists and writers who experienced Nazism, whether in exile, in Germany, or as victims of the Holocaust. Works by Bertolt Brecht, Thomas Mann, Walter Benjamin, Joseph Roth, Erich Maria Remarque, Walter Gropius, Kurt Tucholsky, Käthe Kollwitz, Gertrud Kolmar, Else Lasker-Schüler, Lion Feuchtwanger, Ernst Toller, Christa Wolf, and others.

Section	Instructor
A1	Gillman

CAS LG 283 - The Faust Tradition

Comparative study of the Faust theme, 1500 to present: Marlowe, Goethe, Mann, Gertrude Stein, Jan Svankmajer, others. Transmission and adaptation of literary themes within and between national traditions. Emphasis on close reading and research, use of theory and criticism. Meets with CAS XL 351.

Section	Instructor
A1	Schwartz

Prereq: one literature course or consent of instructor.

CAS LG 303 - Composition and Conversation I

Discussion of contemporary topics with reference to pop culture, late 20th century literature and material from the Internet. Systematic grammar review and practice of idiomatic expressions and rhetorical devices. Frequent compositions as well as simulations and panel discussions.

Section	Instructor
A1	TBA

Prereq: CAS LG 212 or placement test results

CAS LG 304 - Composition and Conversation II

A follow-up of LG 303. More advanced grammar and increased sophistication in reading, speaking and writing in German. Topics draw on newspaper articles, films and texts by major 20th century authors. Frequent compositions as well as simulations and panel discussions.

Section	Instructor
A1	TBA

Prereq: CAS LG 303 or placement test results

CAS LG 325 - Modern German History and Culture through Film

Feature films from 1946 to the present, showcasing the legacy of World War II, the different cultures in East and West Germany, reunification and some of its unexpected consequences as well as contemporary life in an increasingly multicultural society. Works by internationally acclaimed filmmakers including Fassbinder, Schlöndorf, Sanders-Brahms, Trotta, Link, Tykwer, Becker, Hirschbiegel, von Donnersmack, Akin and others. All discussions and writing assignments in German.

Section	Instructor
A1	Alhadeff

Prereq: CAS LG 303

CAS LG 453 - Romanticism

Poetry and prose of major authors (Tieck, Novalis, Schlegel, Brentano, Gunderode, Eichendorff, Hoffmann), their connection to music and art and to German Idealism. Emergence of the fairy-tale. Women and the literary salons.

Section	Instructor
A1	Schwartz

Prereq: CAS LG 350