Catalogue 2020-2021 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
German Studies Department
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Chair: Jeffrey Schneider;
Associate Professors: Jeffrey Schneider, Elliott Schreiber, Silke von der Emdeb;
Visiting Assistant Professor: Lioba Gerhardi.
b On leave 2020/21, second semester
Advisers: The department.
All courses are conducted in German except for GERM 235 , and GERM 265 .
Major
Correlate Sequence in German
Students majoring in other programs may complement their study by electing a correlate sequence in German. Course selection should be made in consultation with the department. German: I. Introductory
German: II. Intermediate
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GERM 210 - Intermediate German I: Identity in Contemporary Germany Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
Low-intermediate language study through short texts and research topics on questions of national identity in contemporary Germany. Strong emphasis is placed on developing vocabulary and reviewing grammar as well as developing oral and written expression. The course uses an online educational environment and may involve an exchange with learners at another college. Elliott Schreiber.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 106 , GERM 109 or the equivalent.
Course Format: CLS -
GERM 211 - Intermediate German II: Space in Weimar Germany Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
Intermediate language study through texts and research topics on questions of space in Weimar Germany at the time of the “Roaring Twenties.” Strong emphasis is placed on developing vocabulary and reviewing grammar as well as developing oral and written expression. The course uses an online educational environment and may involve an exchange with learners at another college. Jeffrey Schneider.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 210 or the equivalent.
Course Format: CLS -
GERM 220 - Turning a Phrase: Writing with Style in German
0.5 unit(s)
Achieving eloquent style in German requires more than knowledge of vocabulary and grammatical correctness. In this course students learn how to take their written German to the next level by focusing on stylistic conventions at the level of the sentence, paragraph and essay while developing their own voice in the language. In addition to studying examples of published writing on a range of contemporary issues, the course combines an individualized review of German grammar with short writing assignments. The course offers strong preparation for writing assignments at German universities or upper-level German classes at Vassar.
One 2-hour period.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS -
GERM 221 - Compelling Speech: German Conversational Skills
0.5 unit(s)
In this course, students deepen their oral proficiency in the language by studying various forms of spoken German on t.v. series, talk shows and other media and then honing their speaking skills in a variety of different contexts, such as classroom oral reports (Referate), debates, and interviews. In addition to improving pronunciation, instruction emphasizes conversational conventions for expressing opinions, persuading, and leading discussions. The course offers strong preparation for studying abroad or upper-level courses at Vassar.
One 2-hour period.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS -
GERM 230 - Contemporary German Culture and Media
1 unit(s)
Advanced intermediate language study through an examination of contemporary German culture and the role played by different media such as newspapers, television, radio, film, and the Internet. Strong emphasis is placed on developing vocabulary, reviewing grammar, as well as oral and written expression. The course may involve an exchange with native speakers of German.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 211 or the equivalent.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS -
GERM 235 - Introduction to German Cultural Studies
1 unit(s)
Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud are three of the most influential thinkers of the modern era. We associate their names with different, even antagonistic agendas ranging from political systems (socialism and communism), entire disciplines (psychoanalysis), and even the death of God. Yet all three were pivotal in developing a “hermeneutics of suspicion,” in which “reality” turned out to be hiding darker and more powerful forces: economic motives, unconscious desires, or the will to power. In conjunction with their radical critiques of religion and morality, we concentrate primarily on the strong aesthetic dimension of their thought: Marx’s vision of a socialist future in which our sensual or aesthetic powers come to full fruition; Nietzsche’s theory of the primacy of music, and his aesthetic justification of reality; Freud’s use of art as a cognitive model of psychic processes, and his psychoanalytic interpretation of the function of art. We explore the cultural milieus in which their ideas originated, and we examine the influences their theories have had in modern culture and thought. We also investigate the ways in which twentieth-century writers, thinkers, and film-makers continued to develop, but also at times to question, their theories. All readings and discussions are in English. Elliott Schreiber.
Open to all classes.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS -
GERM 239 - Introduction to German Cultural Studies for Majors
1 unit(s)
Students in this course attend the same seminar meetings as in GERM 235 but do the readings in the original, attend a separate discussion class, and take separate exams.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 230 or the equivalent or permission of the instructor.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS -
GERM 240 - A Culture of Play: An Introduction to German Theater Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
Since the eighteenth century, drama and theater have held a vaunted place within Germany’s language literary and cultural production. This course offers an introduction to that tradition through the study of specific authors, texts, and theories. Students have the opportunity to hone their speaking skills through performance activities, such as mounting scenes or an entire production. Strong emphasis is placed on developing vocabulary and reviewing grammar as well as developing written expression. Authors may include Brecht, Büchner, Dürrenmatt, Handke, Hauptmann, Jelinek, Loher, and Weiss. Silke von der Emde.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 211 or the equivalent.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
GERM 260 - Developments in German Literature Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
Topic for 2020/21b: Kafka: 20th-Century Mensch. Franz Kafka (1883-1924) might be the most famous writer of the 20th century, yet very little of his work was published during his lifetime. In fact, Kafka stipulated that his writings be destroyed upon his death, and it is only because Max Brod became his literary executor that his works survive for us today. Kafka’s short stories and novels have now been translated into every modern language that currently prints literature, and his name is so famous that it’s inspired its own adjective: Kafkaesque. Though Kafka’s prose is often less dense and convoluted than many of his contemporaries, his works have the near-magical ability to become more complex and enigmatic the more you read them. Nevertheless, by examining some of his most famous stories as well as his least well-known pieces, along with a sampling of the work that influenced him, it is possible to get inside his world and develop a deep understanding of the unique intricacies of the Kafkaesque. Rebecca Schuman.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 230 or 240 , or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
GERM 265 - German Film in English Translation
1 unit(s)
(Same as FILM 265 )
Readings and discussions are in English, and all films have English subtitles.
Open to all classes.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS -
GERM 269 - German Film for Majors
1 unit(s)
Students in this course attend the same seminar meetings as in GERM 265 but do readings in German, attend a separate discussions class, and take separate exams.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 230 , GERM 239 or the equivalent.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS -
GERM 270 - Aesthetic Forms, Texts, and Genres
1 unit(s)
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS -
GERM 275 - Spiel: Exploring the Wonderful World of German Board Games
1 unit(s)
Particularly with the international blockbuster Settlers of Catan, contemporary German board games have revitalized the analog gaming industry. Since the Second World War, they have set themselves apart from counterparts in the U.S. by emphasizing strategy and social skills while de-emphasizing war games and the early elimination of players. Through this Intensive, students study the history of German parlor games and board games, including such milestones as Reisewitz’s Kriegsspiel (1812), which was used to train Prussian officers in military strategy. This game set the stage for wargames in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries (including the popular board game Risk), a tradition with which contemporary German board games intentionally break. Our exploration of the history of the development of board games over approximately the last two centuries is guided by a variety of questions: What function do they play in society for both children and adults? How do they reflect or undermine societal values? What accounts for the popularity of particular games, whether nationally or internationally? What constitutes a well-designed game? What relationship do analog games today have with the digital environment? To help investigate these questions, we travel to Germany over October Break to conduct research at one of the largest analog game archives in the world, the Deutsches Spielearchiv in Nuremberg, and then at the largest convention of analog games in the world, the Internationale Spieltage in Essen. This study trip forms the basis for several projects in the second half of the semester, including an analysis of a game, the creation and testing of a game, and the compilation of a collection of games for use by the Vassar community.
Prerequisite(s): Student is expected to have completed the equivalent of one year of Beginning German, and to be at least a Sophomore in Fall 2019.
One 2-hour period.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: INT -
GERM 287 - Toy Stories: Histories, Narratives, and Theories of Toys and Play Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as MEDS 287 ) This course explores the development of the modern toy industry, beginning with the rise of mass-produced toys in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. We examine the history of a range of iconic toys and games—for instance, Lego blocks, Barbie dolls, and Monopoly—within the wider discursive context that helps give them meaning. This includes not only advertisements, but also literary and cinematic texts ranging from the fairy tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann, Nutcracker and the King of Mice, to the Toy Story series and recent Lego films. We ask how toys and games propagate norms such as those of gender and ethnicity, and how narratives about toys and play promote but also subvert such values. Of special concern is the discovery and development in both literary and psychological texts of the concept of imaginative or make-believe play, and the ways in which toy makers lay claim to promoting this kind of play. In addition to analytic essays, assignments include drafting a concept for a new toy or board game. Elliott Schreiber.
Two 75-minute periods.
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GERM 290 - Community-Engaged Learning
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: INT -
GERM 297 - Readings In German
0.5 unit(s)
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: OTH -
GERM 298 - Independent Work Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
Permission required.
Course Format: OTH
German: III. Advanced
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GERM 300 - Senior Thesis Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
1 to 2 unit(s)
The department.
Open only to majors.Permission required.
Course Format: INT -
GERM 301 - Senior Seminar Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
Topic for 2020/21a: Migration and Exile - Stories of Displacement and New Homelands. The recent wave of refugees to Europe is part of a long history of mass migrations in this part of the world. While Germany has been an attractive destination for many refugees lately, it has also been the cause of large-scale war, terror, and mass displacements in recent history. This course examines a variety of narratives dealing with the notions of place, exile and refuge both from the perspective of immigrants in Germany and German expatriates. In comparing accounts of refugees in contemporary Germany with the literature of guest workers and their descendants, we examine the causes and impacts of displacement on immigrants and how these in turn shape their sense of place, belonging, and home. We also analyze how Germans in exile related to their new surroundings and viewed the country they left behind. In addition to literature, poetry, and film, students work with non-fictional accounts and scholarship on interculturalism. Authors and filmmakers include Arendt, Akin, Brecht, Kaminer, Mann, Seghers, Senocak, Zaimoglu. Lioba Gerhardi.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 260 or the equivalent.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
GERM 302 - Senior Thesis Semester Offered: Fall
0.5 unit(s)
The department.
Open only to majors.
Permission required.
Yearlong course 302-GERM 303 .
Course Format: INT -
GERM 303 - Senior Thesis Semester Offered: Spring
0.5 unit(s)
The department.
Open only to majors.
Permission required.
Yearlong course GERM 302 -303.
Course Format: INT -
GERM 355 - Advanced Seminar
1 unit(s)
Prerequisite(s): GERM 260 or GERM 270 , or the equivalent.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS -
GERM 374 - Senior Colloquium Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
Until this point in their education, seniors and other advanced students of German language, literature, and culture have taken courses and seminars carefully designed by faculty with specialized knowledge of the topics. For this intensive, students collaborate to develop a semester-long course of study that reflects and deepens their own knowledge and scholarly interest in a particular author, movement, period, or issue. Following pre-registration, students meet with the instructor to identify a list of common readings that form the basis for weekly discussions the first half of the semester. During the second half of the semester, students work individually with the instructor to pursue an extended research paper related to the topic. While papers develop an original argument vis-à-vis the scholarly literature on their topic, they also offer students an opportunity to refine their academic writing style in German through a couple of workshops developed in collaboration with the instructor. Toward the end of the semester all students present their papers colloquium-style. The final version of the papers may then be published in an online departmental journal as part of a special issue devoted to this topic and edited by the participating students.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 301 or the equivalent.
One 2-hour period.
Course Format: INT -
GERM 375 - Advanced Topics in German Cultural Studies
1 unit(s)
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS -
GERM 399 - Senior Independent Work
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
Course Format: OTH
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