Department of Germanic Languages & Literatures University of Toronto
Spring 2022
Language Courses
GER 100Y1/*102Y1/101HS (GER) Introduction to German
| Section | Time | Room | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| *L9901 | MW 9-11 | online synchronous | L. Lackner |
| L9902 | WF 8-10 | online synchronous | L. Côté-Pitre |
| L0101 | MW 11-1 | M: EM 108, W: VC 206 | V. Curran |
| L0201 | MW 1-3 | M: EM 108, W: NF 113 | V. Shewfelt |
| L0301 | TR 10-12 | TF 202 | S. Jordan |
| L0401 | TR 1-3 | TF 102 | S. Mostafa |
| L5101 | MW 6-8 | CR 406 | V. Curran |
| L5201 | TR 6-8 | TF 201 | J. Evjen |
This introductory German course is for students with no prior knowledge of the language. It is a year course divided into two sections. Based on a communicative and task-based approach, it is designed to develop proficiency in oral and written communication skills while providing students with knowledge and understanding of the societies and cultures of German-speaking countries. Students will develop their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills through a variety of stimulating off- and on-line activities, both during live meetings and on the reliable online platform accompanying the textbook. Topics cover areas such as introducing and talking about oneself, shopping, telling time and recounting a day, family life, describing and renting an apartment, travel, health and fitness or studying abroad. Vocabulary will be presented in the context of culturally significant issues. Additionally, the course will provide students with a foundation in a number of basic grammatical structures and concepts. Live online sessions will be devoted mostly to communicative and interactive exercises. In addition to preparation at home, regularly participating in and attending the online sessions is paramount in order to successfully complete the course.
GER 200Y1/*201HS (GER) Intermediate German I
| Section | Time | Room | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| L0101 | MW 2-4 | TF 101 | M. Harutyunyan |
| L0201 | TR 2-4 | CR 404 | R. Laszlo |
| L0301 | WF 8-10 | AH 107 | F. Mueller |
| L519901 | MW 6-8 | online synchronous | S. Gargova |
This intermediate German language course builds on skills acquired in beginner’s German. It is a year course divided into two sections and is designed to provide students with genuine communication experiences while reviewing and further developing participants’ linguistic and cultural competencies. Students will have a chance to practice and enhance their German speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills by engaging with a variety of texts and media during live classes, as well as on the reliable online platform accompanying the textbook. The themes in the textbook provide a springboard for various online activities, assignments, and vocabulary building tasks. All class readings, videos, projects, and presentations will explore historical, social, political, and popular topics while aspects of Germanic and North American cultures are being compared. Learning strategies and self-assessment are part of every chapter, allowing for differentiation among various types of learners. Students will further practice grammatical structures and acquire vocabulary that will allow them to express opinions, agreements, and disagreements in communicative situations encountered in work, school, and travel. By learning about German, Austrian, and Swiss cities featured in the textbook and supporting materials, students will get to explore regional differences in German-speaking countries. Regular online meetings will be devoted mostly to communicative and interactive exercises and group work. In order to successfully participate in these activities, independent work and preparation are paramount.
GER 300Y1/*301HS (GER) Intermediate German II
| Section | Time | Room | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| L9901 | MW 8-10 | online synchronous | E. Lange |
| L0101 | TR 9-11 | CR 406 | A. Flicker |
| L5101 | MW 6-8 | TF 201 | T. Wilczek |
This intermediate German language course builds on GER200Y. It is a year course divided into two sections and focuses on effective oral and written expression, hearing and reading comprehension, in-depth review of grammar as well as the study of more complex structures. Through engagement with a variety of readings, videos, and films on important historical, cultural, social, and political topics in German-speaking countries, students will have the opportunity to practice grammar and vocabulary in embedded and culturally relevant contexts. The aim of this course is to equip students with the skills to understand extended speech, to read articles on contemporary problems, to describe personal experiences and to explain viewpoints on topical issues in speech and in writing. The textbook offers engaging culture topics, authentic readings, contextualized grammar and a reliable online platform. Regular online meetings will be devoted to communicative and interactive exercises and group work. In order to successfully participate in these activities, independent work and preparation are paramount.
GER 401HS (GER) Advanced German 2
| Section | Time | Room | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| L0101 | MW 10-12 | TF 200 | T. Wilczek |
This course is aimed at students with a high level of competence in German. Building on material covered in GER 100/200/300, it offers advanced studies of German language, including text-based analysis and with a focus on improving communication skills. It includes a systematic review and expansion of grammar and stylistics, and additional emphasis lies on vocabulary building. The course is partly based on newspaper articles, literary texts, films and websites.
GER 260Y1 (YID) Elementary Yiddish
| Section | Time | Room | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| L0101 | MWF 2-3 | AH 103 | S. Edelhart |
This course is an introduction to the Yiddish language and culture of Ashkenazic Jews. It will begin to prepare you to be able to express yourself in Yiddish, acquire strategies to learn Yiddish independently by developing your ability to understand the structure of the language and to cue in on the features of spoken and written Yiddish.
Topic Courses
GER150HS (ENG) German Culture & Civilization
| Section | Time | Room | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| L0101 | T 1-3 Tut: R 1-2 |
NF 004 Tut: VC 215 |
J. Zilcosky |
This is an introduction to the interdisciplinary study of the contemporary cultural, social, economic, and political life of the German-speaking peoples in their historical and international context. Intended for students who are relatively unfamiliar with German culture, the course demonstrates the diverse ways students may understand and interpret “things German” [Taught in English and open to students across disciplines.]
GER194HF (ENG) Our Vampires, Ourselves
*FYF (First-Year-Foundation) seminars exclusively for first-year students*
| Section | Time | Room | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| L0101 | F 10-12 | IN 312 | E. Boran |
Vampires are among the most fascinating figures of popular culture. Since Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) – and, in fact, well before that – they have been haunting the human imagination in various shapes and forms. But, of course, vampires have existed much longer than that – first in folktales and later, well before Stoker’s ominous Count, in German poetry. This course examines the figure of the vampire as a potent cultural metaphor showing how every age embraces the vampires it needs and gets the vampires it deserves. The goal is to teach students to reflect critically and independently on issues of self and society and to develop a structured approach to critical thinking in general. While focusing on what may be called the “Stoker paradigm”, we will go far beyond the portrayal of vampires as the absolute other. Students will have the opportunity to research individual topics to be presented in class.
GER 205HS (GER) German Literature I
| Section | Time | Room | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| L0101 | M 1-3/W12-1 | AH 302 | W. Goetschel |
This prerequisite course offers an introduction to work methods and skills pertaining to the study of German literature. As such, the course is meant to provide a transition from language to topic courses. Students will receive training in how to give a successful presentation, how to read and analyze texts, how to find secondary literature and how to write short papers. The course is required for majors and specialists and a pre-requisite course for most of the other topic courses. It should be taken as early as possible.
GER 220HS (ENG) German Literature in Translation: The Nobel Laureates
| Section | Time | Room | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| L0101 | T 3-5 | LA 211 | J. Noyes |
What do Peter Handke, Elfriede Jelinek, Hermann Hesse, and Günter Grass all have in common? Who was Paul Heyse? Nelly Sachs? They are the German Nobel laureates. Did their fame last to match their laurels? Should they have ever received the prize in the first place? What?! Kafka never got the prize? Brecht didn’t? Seems unfair, doesn’t it. Well, you can judge for yourself. In this course, we will come to know the German poets who were once held in such esteem that they received what is arguably the highest literary award, to rub shoulders with Kasuo Ishigugo, Bob Dylan, and J. M. Coetzee. Each week, we will read a sample of the writings of one of these German authors, in English translation. We will talk about the context that gave rise to their writing, and we will puzzle over what it might have been that spoke to the moment in such a way as to reap them this high reward.
GER 270HS (ENG) Money and Economy
| Section | Time | Room | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| T0101 | M 1-3 | VC 211 | C. Lehleiter |
In this course, we examine key literary, philosophical, and cultural texts, in order to understand how modern culture approaches problems such as property, debt, and exchange value.
GER 272HS (GER) Introduction to Business German
| Section | Time | Room | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| L0101 | T 10-12/R 10-11 | CR 404 | S. Gargova |
This course introduces students to basic concepts and vocabulary necessary for the German business context. All the language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) will be practiced in appropriate business contexts.
GER 326HS (GER) Writing Memory: Post 1945
| Section | Time | Room | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| L0101 | W 12-2 | TF 200 | A. Sharifi |
German literature in the aftermath of World War II started from a new beginning, with many authors attempting to find a way of describing the shocking, nihilistic experience of war and devastation – often taking their cue from foreign models or existentialist and traditional Christian trains of thought. This course offers an examination of this post-War literature and culture from ‘Zero Hour’ through to contemporary debates about the Holocaust and its memorization. Texts by authors such as Günter Grass, Herinrich Böll, Ulrich Plenzdorf, Christa Wolf, Peter Schneider, Bernhard Schlink, Peter Weiss, Zafer Senocak and others.
GER 340HS (GER) German Theatre Production
| Section | Time | Room | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| L0101 | TR 10-12 | TF 101 | E. Boran |
Prerequisite: GER200Y
This course focuses on reading, interpreting, contextualizing, rehearsing & staging a German play. In the process of the course, students become familiar with the different steps of a theater production – from read-through to tech- run & dress rehearsal. They take on various responsibilities that go along with any theater production, such as playbills, programs, costumes, set, sound & lights, dramaturgy, etc. Students will be introduced to basic acting & staging techniques and get acquainted to leading 20th century theories of theater.
[Plays staged to date: Die Physiker by F. Dürrenmatt (2010), Drakul(j)a by E. Boran (2012), Hochwasser by G. Grass (2015), Woyzeck by G. Büchner (2016). Coming up in 2019: Struwwelpeter]GER 430HS (ENG) Envisioning postmigrant Germany through cultural productions
| Section | Time | Room | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| L0101 | F 1-3 | NF 235 | A. Sharifi |
German society has changed dramatically in the past decades. And it has led to a shift and transformation of how it can be socially and culturally defined, especially in regards to the discourses on identity and belonging. Artists of color and those whose families once immigrated to Germany are pushing boundaries and claiming (public, political, artistic and aesthetic) space! This course offers a conversation on how contemporary ‘postmigrant’ German society is envisioned through theatre, film and writing. Cultural productions by artists like Fatma Ayedemir & Hengameh Yaghoobifarah, Max Czollek, Olga Grjasnowa, Arkadij Khaet, Olivia Wenzel, Necati Öziri and others will be discussed and examined.