Undergraduate Courses

Topics Courses

GER 275HF (ENG) Marx, Nietzsche, Freud

This is an introductory course to the thought of K. Marx, F. Nietzsche, and S. Freud and their pioneering contributions to the understanding of the individual and society in modernity. Readings include selections from writings of the early Marx, the Communist Manifesto, and Capital, Nietzsche’s critique of culture, academe, and nationalism, and Freud’s theory of culture, his views on the psychopathology of everyday life, on the meaning of dreams, symptoms, the return of the repressed, and what it might mean to live in a free society. [Taught in English and open to students across disciplines.]

GER 305HF (GER) Introduction to German Literature II

This course provides an introduction to German literature and culture from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century. Within a chronological framework, we will read and analyze excerpts from representative works of major German writers. Some of the literary texts will be complemented with examples selected from the visual arts, music and film. Throughout the course, our focus will be on three sets of questions: 1. What is the leading question of the text? 2. What are the formal means that the authors employ in order to express their concerns and to conceptualize the topic under discussion? 3. What is the historical and cultural context of the text? By asking these questions, we will not only strive to come to a better understanding of individual works, but also of German literature, its developments and themes. However, although the structure of this course is governed by literary periods, it will also be our aim to question their validity and definition. We will approach the texts with a combination of close readings and broad historical and cultural perspectives. Among the authors we will discuss are Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Joseph von Eichendorff, Franz Kafka, Irmgard Keun and Ilse Aichinger. In addition, we will work on our reading techniques for primary and secondary literature and improve our research skills in the university library system. Sessions involve class discussions, group work, readings, and occasional lectures.

This course focuses on selected aspects central to contemporary German culture and society. Topics such as current political and societal debates, the production of art and culture, and the sentiment of the everyday life will be explored. Based on intriguing reading selections from various media, including news sources, literary works, columns, film and video, the course offers a diverse view of contemporary German life. Students will gain practice in all four language skills (reading and listening comprehension, writing, speaking) and have opportunities for creative work in addition to traditional assignments.

GER 323HF (GER) Weimar Culture & Beyond

The political instability of the Weimar Republic, fueled by the effects of the Global Economic Crisis, facilitated Hitler’s election in 1933. Yet at the same time it was a period of extraordinary political, social and artistic achievements. Expressionism, Dada, Neue Sachlichkeit, Bauhaus, and the Golden Age of German Film are some of the buzz words which belong to the legacy of Weimar. This course studies literary, historical, and artistic documents of this extremely significant period in German history.

GER 332HF (GER) Deviance, Madness, Outsiders in Literature

What does it mean to be sane? To be normal? To be human? Throughout modern history, writers have tested the limits of normal human experience by casting their protagonists into the depths of madness and following them through their trials, their elation, their despair. In a speech in 1970 Michel Foucault pointed out what he called “a curious affinity between literature and madness. Literary language is not constrained by the rules of everyday language. For example, it is not subject to the severe rule of constant truth-telling, any more than the teller is under the obligation to always remain sincere in what he thinks and feels. In short, unlike the words of politics or the sciences, those of literature occupy a marginal position with respect to everyday language.” Taking these ideas as our starting point, we will examine a number of texts written between 1800 and 1970. Our aim will be to analyze the literary descriptions of the limit experiences that separate sanity from madness. In the process, we will discuss topics such as truth and truth telling, exclusionary and assimilating practices for dealing with madness, discourses of containment, and how the outsider perspective of madness unsettles truth in literature.

GER 361HF (ENG) Yiddish Literature in Translation

An overview of the major figures and tendencies in modern Yiddish literature and culture from the beginning of the 19th century to the present, featuring readings of modern Yiddish prose, poetry, drama and cinema. Students with knowledge of Yiddish are encouraged to read some original texts. [Taught in English and open to students across disciplines.]

GER 370HF (GER) Business German I

This synchronous online course will provide students with an exciting opportunity to learn about and experience German business culture, all awhile helping them strengthen and develop their cross-cultural competencies, as well as intercultural communicative skills and sensitivity. Students will learn how to competently engage in business communications, as well as navigate phone and email etiquette. In addition, participants will work on compiling their own job application portfolio. The course will further help participants build and expand their German speaking, hearing, reading and writing skills relevant to various professional contexts and prepare them for the Goethe-Zertifikat B2. An authentic German textbook, as well as regular exploration of relevant media and top German financial and business magazines alongside exciting hands-on projects make this course a valuable learning experience for anyone who wishes to prepare themselves for successfully navigating the global business community. Prerequisites: GER272H OR GER300/301. 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 410HF (ENG) Introduction to German Intellectual History

German intellectual history has provided some of the most important statements in Western culture, from Kant to Hegel to Marx to Nietzsche to Heidegger to Freud to Adorno. The list could go on. In this course, we will examine key moments and themes from German intellectual history in its modern period—from the Enlightenment to the present. Taught in English and open to students across disciplines.

First Year Seminars

GER 194HF (ENG) The Age of Reason & The New World

Spring 2021

Language Courses

GER 100Y/*102Y (GER) Introduction to German

This synchronous online 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 200Y (GER) Intermediate German I

This synchronous online 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 300Y (GER) Intermediate German II

This synchronous online 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

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 260Y (YID) Elementary Yiddish

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.

GER 460HS (YID) Advanced Yiddish

Advanced reading, writing, vocabulary and conversation. Study of poetry, short fiction and memoir literature by Zeitlin, Bergelson, Gladshteyn, Sholem Aleichem and I.B. Singer. Selected advanced grammatical topics presented in conjunction with the study of texts. (Conducted entirely in Yiddish.)