Chair: Gerd Gemünden
Professors B. Duncan, G. Gemünden; Associate Professors I. Kacandes, K. O. Kenkel, U. Rainer, E. R. Shookman; Assistant Professors V. Fuechtner, K. Mladek; Visiting Professor J. A. Kruse; Lecturer C. S. Schnader.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR
Prerequisite: Two of the following: German 6 or 8; 9, 10, and 11; or permission of the Chair.
Students majoring in German Studies design an individual program in consultation with a departmental adviser. The Department of German Studies offers two routes to the major:
Major A focuses on literary and non-literary texts in their historical and intellectual contexts, comprising courses offered by the Department of German Studies. With permission of the Chair, one appropriate course in another department may be substituted.
Requirements: eight courses numbered above 29 (German 42 and 43, which are in translation, require additional work in German); normally, participation in the Foreign Study Program in Berlin with major credit for German 30 and 31. All majors must take German 86 in the winter term of their senior year. At the end of their senior spring term, all majors will give a presentation on the work done for German 86 or for their Honors thesis (German 87).
Major B combines resources of the Department of German Studies with a coherent selection of those of other departments and programs, such as Art History, Comparative Literature, Film Studies, Geography, Government, History, Music, Philosophy, and Religion. In principle, any relevant course in the Dartmouth curriculum that is approved by the Department of German Studies may qualify for this major.
Requirements: normally, participation in the Foreign Study Program in Berlin with major credit for German 30 and 31; four other advanced courses in the German Studies Department (German 42-43, which are in translation, require additional work in German); four advanced courses from among those offerings in other departments or programs that deal substantially with the culture of German-speaking countries. Regular courses that meet this requirement include:
Art History 41: Northern Renaissance
Government 41: European Politics
Government 64: Modern Political Thought
History 51: Modern European Intellectual History, Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
History 52: Modern Germany, 1848-1945
Music 33: Eighteenth and Nineteenth-Century Western Art Music
Music 35: Beethoven in Context
Philosophy 15: Modern Philosophy: Hume and Kant
Philosophy 17: Existentialism and Phenomenology
All majors must take German 86 in the winter term of their senior year. At the end of their senior spring term, all majors will give a presentation on the work done for German 86 or for their Honors thesis (German 87).
Modified Major. The modified major combines German Studies with another discipline in a coherent program of study. This major is designed individually by the student with a departmental adviser. It may include study at Dartmouth's Foreign Study center.
Major Courses: Six courses numbered above 29 (German 42-43, which are in translation, require additional work in German); four courses beyond the introductory level in another department or program of the College and approved by the Chair of the Department of German Studies. All majors must take German 86 in the winter term of their senior year. At the end of their senior spring term, all majors will give a presentation on the work done for German 86 or for their Honors thesis (German 87).
Senior Culminating Experience: In the winter term of their senior year, all German majors must take German 86. This course will count as one of the eight courses required for Major A and one of the 10 courses required for Major B. For students who are writing Honors theses, German 86 will be their first term of research. For students not writing an Honors thesis, German 86 will result in a one-term research paper written under the supervision of a member of the faculty. All students will participate in regular class meetings to be arranged; they will present the result of their research and receive a grade for German 86 at the end of the spring term.
Minor: The Department of German Studies offers a minor with the following requirements:
Prerequisite: German 1, 2, 3, or permission of the Chair.
Minor Courses: a total of six courses including
a) two of the following: German 6, 8, 9, 10, 11;
b) Four advanced courses above German 29 (German 42-43, which are in translation, require additional work in German).
One of these advanced courses may be replaced with an appropriate advanced course in another department or program such as History, Music, Film Studies, Government, Philosophy, and Jewish Studies.
Students wishing to declare a minor must sign up for it no later than the fall term of their senior year.
THE LANGUAGE RESOURCE CENTER AND THE COMPUTER
Independent use of the computer and the language laboratory augment classroom work. Both programs are designed to provide individualized exercises in the written and spoken language.
LANGUAGE STUDY IN GERMANY
Prerequisite: German 2 with a grade of B- or better, or equivalent preparation, and admission to the German Language Study Abroad Program. The programs are conducted in Berlin during the winter and spring terms. Students live with local families and take courses taught by local instructors and the Dartmouth faculty member in residence. Upon successful completion of the program, students receive credit for German 3, 5, and 6. German 3 can serve to complete the College language requirement.
DARTMOUTH FOREIGN STUDY PROGRAM IN GERMANY
Prerequisite: Any two courses above German 5 (excluding 7; German 42-43, which are in translation, require additional work in German) with an average grade of B or better.
The Dartmouth Foreign Study Program is conducted in Berlin each fall term. Students live with local families and normally take German 29, 30, and 31. If their preparation warrants, they may replace German 29 with an independent project supervised by the program director. For more information, inquire in the Off-Campus Programs Office, 44 North College Street, or the Department of German Studies, 333 Dartmouth Hall.
GERMAN HONORS PROGRAM
Students of exceptional attainment who satisfy the minimum College requirement (pages XXX-XXX) are encouraged to participate in the Honors Program. Prospective honors students must submit their thesis proposal for approval by the Department and enroll in German 86 for the winter term. They are expected to provide sufficient written material by the end of winter term to warrant continuation of their project. Students not attaining the required minimum standards for honors work cannot enroll in German 87 in the spring term, but may have to take another German course to fulfill the major requirement. (See also Senior Culminating Experience, page XXX)
1. Introductory German
06F: 9, 10 07W, 07S: 9 07F: 9, 10 08W, 08S: 9
Introduction to written and spoken German. Intensive study of basic grammar and vocabulary through readings, drills, composition exercises, conversation, and practice in the lab oratory. Never serves in partial satisfaction of the Distributive or World Culture Requirement. The staff.
2. Introductory German
06F: 10 07W: 9, 10 07S, 07F: 10 08W: 9, 10 08S: 10
Continuation of German 1. Continued intensive work on the fundamentals of oral and written German in classroom and laboratory. Never serves in partial satisfaction of the Distributive or World Culture Requirement. The staff.
3. Intermediate German
06F: 11 07W: D.L.S.A. 07S: 11, D.L.S.A.
07F: 11 08W: D.L.S.A. 08S: 11, D.L.S.A.
Designed primarily to develop reading and speaking skills; emphasis on expansion of vocabulary and reinforcement of grammatical structures. Reading and discussion of texts of literary and cultural interest. Oral and written assignments. Never serves in partial satisfaction of the Distributive or World Culture Requirement. The staff.
5. Aspects of Contemporary German Culture
07W, 07S, 08W, 08S: D.L.S.A.
Using the city of Berlin itself as a site and object of study, students will explore contemporary German culture in its widest sense. Visits to religious, architectural, scientific, and industrial sites will acquaint them with multiple aspects of life in Berlin today.
Prerequisite: acceptance into the Dartmouth Language Study Abroad Program. Class of 2007 and earlier: Dist: PHR; WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W.
6. Readings in German Literature
07W, 07S, 08W, 08S: D.L.S.A.
This course introduces students to the interpretation of stories, poems, and articles from various periods of German history. Depending on availability, we will also read a play and view its performance in one of the many theaters in Berlin.
Prerequisite: acceptance into the Dartmouth Language Study Abroad Program. Dist: LIT. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W.
7. First-Year Seminars in German Literature
Consult special listings
8. Advanced Language Skills
07X: 9
Designed to develop facility in oral expression and writing; emphasis on vocabulary expansion and reinforcement of grammatical structures. The course will draw much of its material from the web, as well as from television films and more traditional print media. These works will serve as a basis for discussion and frequent writing assignments about contemporary linguistic, cultural, social, and political issues. Not open to returning FSP participants. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Mladek.
9. Introduction to German Studies: From the Reformation to Reunification
07S: 10A 08S: 11
This introduction to German cultural history examines social and historical developments as they are reflected in literature, art, music, and philosophy from the age of Martin Luther to the unification of Germany in 1990. Emphasis is placed on Germans' growing awareness of nationhood and on analysis of aesthetic and intellectual accomplishments representative of major periods in their history. May be elected as a prerequisite for the Foreign Study Program. Conducted in German.
Class of 2007 and earlier: Dist: PHR; WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: Dist: SOC; WCult: W. Duncan.
10. German Culture and Society before 1900
07W: 11 08W: 10A
Before Germany became a nation state in 1871, language and culture defined its identity. Courses under this rubric will explore various ways in which writers, philosophers, politicians, and artists created and criticized different aspects of this identity. Figures treated will range from Goethe to Freud and from Beethoven to Nietzsche.
In 07W, Enlightenment, Emotion, and Emancipation: German Life and Literature, 1750-1850. The lives, times, and main works of major writers from Germany's Golden Age, e.g., Lessing, Goethe, Schiller, Novalis, Hölderlin, Hoffmann, Eichendorff, Heine, Kleist, Büchner, and the Brothers Grimm. Structured around a series of videos, this course addresses important periods in German cultural and intellectual history, i.e., the Enlightenment, Storm-and-Stress, Weimar Classicism, Romanticism, and Young Germany. Essays, oral reports, and a final exam help students to develop their German skills. Conducted in German.
Prerequisite: German 3, or equivalent. Open to all classes. Dist: LIT. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Shookman
In 08W, What is Romanticism? Melancholia, Madness and Love in German Literature and Art (1790-1830). Structured around a series of texts, images and videos, this course addresses a crucial period in German and European intellectual history. This course also helps students to develop their German skills. Conducted in German.
Prerequisite: German 3, or equivalent. Open to all classes. Dist: LIT. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Mladek
11. German Culture and Society in the Twentieth Century
06F, 07F: 11
In the course of the twentieth century, Germany has undergone changes with global implications. Courses under this rubric will explore important moments in the cultural history of German-speaking countries in the twentieth century, from the Weimar Republic to the Holocaust, and from the Cold War to the fall of the Berlin Wall and beyond.
In 06F, Urban Landscape: Literary Views of Berlin Between 1871 and the Present. This course will focus on literary as well as pictorial representations of Berlin from the Wilhelminian period, the turn of the century, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, and from the postwar period to the present. The readings will include authors like Theodor Fontane, Alfred Döblin, Robert Walser, Kurt Tucholsky, Irmgard Keun, Gottfried Benn, and Monika Maron. Also included for discussion will be painters such as Adolph von Menzel and George Grosz. Conducted in German
Prerequisite: German 3, or equivalent. Open to all classes. Dist: LIT. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Kenkel.
In 07F, Passion for Justice. This course examines the significance and impact of justice and violence on German culture from Kafka and Weimar cinema, through literary and film accounts of the Holocaust trials after World War II, and to contemporary explorations of justice. Covering a range of 20th century German literature, film and critical thought including Kafka, Arendt, Weiss, Dürrenmatt, and Sebald, including contemporary German film (Das Experiment, Black Box Germany). Documentary films will accompany the readings. Conducted in German.
Prerequisite: German 3, or equivalent. Open to all classes. Dist: LIT. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Mladek
29. Advanced Language Training
06F, 07F: D.F.S.P.
Intensive work in spoken and written German. Systematic grammar review and vocabulary building, with special emphasis on idiomatic expression. Weekly written assignments and oral reports on Berlin-related topics. Does not carry major credit.
Prerequisite: acceptance into the Dartmouth Foreign Study Program. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W.
30. Studies in German History
06F, 07F: D.F.S.P.
More than any other German city, Berlin encapsulates Germany's complex recent past. From the Brandenburg Gate to the Olympic Stadium and from the Wannsee to Alexanderplatz, every corner of the capital evokes memories of Nazi rule, World War II, Cold War divisions, or Unification. This course addresses significant aspects of postwar German history and cultural memory. In-depth studies of important developments will be complemented by visits to museums and historical sites.
Prerequisite: acceptance into the Dartmouth Foreign Study Program. Class of 2007 and earlier: Dist: PHR; WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W.
31. Studies in German Theater
06F, 07F: D.F.S.P.
Berlin is one of the culturally most vibrant cities in Europe. There are over a hundred theaters and several opera houses with performances that range from classical drama to vaudeville and from musicals to serious opera. For the FSP literature course, students will view stage productions and read, discuss, and write weekly essays about the plays. The repertory varies from year to year.
Prerequisite: acceptance into the Dartmouth Foreign Study Program. Dist: LIT. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W.
42. Topics in German Civilization (in English Translation)
07X: 10
In 07X, Selected German Prose from the Enlightenment to the Present. The course will explore the highlights of German-speaking prose. Beginning with Goethe and Romanticism, continuing with modernism and reaching into the present, our discussions will focus on the impact of the best of German prose on politics, culture and literature. The course will explore the profound ruptures that the European tradition suffered, particularly the crisis of its deeply held convictions and ethics. Readings will include Goethe, Kleist, Mann, Kafka, Grass, Schlink. Conducted in English.
German majors can take this course for major credit if they do additional work in German and participate in a German discussion section.
Open to all classes. Dist: LIT. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Mladek.
43. German Literature and Thought (in English Translation)
07S: 3A 07F: 10A 08W: 10
In 07S, Continental Strangers: European Exiles and Émigrés in Hollywood, 1933-1950 (Identical to Film Studies 42). During the 1930s and 1940s, hundreds of German-speaking film professionals lived and worked in Hollywood, among them Billy Wilder, Fritz Lang, Peter Lorre, and Marlene Dietrich. In this course, we study how the exiles' sense of identity in the United States was shaped by the experience of displacement and the fight against fascism. We will also investigate how exile cinema intervenes in public debates, and how it reframes political issues in terms of narrative and images.
Open to all classes. Dist: ART. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Gemünden.
In 07F, The Faust Tradition. An investigation of the many tellings of Faust's famous story of selling his soul, from its first literary treatment (The Damnable Life and Deserved Death of Dr. John Faust) to classic drama (Marlowe's The Tragicall History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus and Goethe's Faust) to the twentieth-century novel (Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita and Mann's Doctor Faustus) to visual art, music, and film. Conducted in English.
German majors can take this course for major credit if they do additional work in German and participate in a German discussion section.
Open to all classes. Dist: LIT. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Shookman.
In 08W, The Burden of the Nazi Past: World War, Genocide, Population Transfer, and Firebombing (Identical to Jewish Studies 37.2 and Comparative Literature 64). This course studies the main events of World War Two and the different stages of processing that past post-1945. In an interdisciplinary and comparative fashion we take up selective controversies in order to understand the formation of postwar German identity, e.g., the Nuremberg, Frankfurt, and Eichmann trials, the Berlin Jewish Museum and Holocaust memorial, Neonazism, and the current campaign to remember German civilian casualties. Taught in English.
Dist: LIT. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: CI. Kacandes.
61. The Age of Goethe
Not offered in the period from 06F through 08S
62. Literature of the Romantic Period
Not offered in the period from 06F through 08S
64. Literature of the Modern Period
07W: 10A
In 07W, German Expressionism. An examination of the thematic and aesthetic interaction of literature and painting between 1905 and 1925. In investigating Expressionism's emerging concepts within the period's social and political context, we will consider authors such as Heym, Kaiser, Trakl, Stadler, and Sternheim, and painters such as Kandinsky, Kirchner, Marc, Macke, Grosz, Dix. We will then address the question of why these concepts were viewed as "degenerate" during the Third Reich. Conducted in German.
Open to all classes. Dist: LIT. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Kenkel
65. Prose Fiction
08W: 2A
In 08W, Crime and Literature: Crime Fiction and the Figure of the Great Criminal. Conducted in German.
Open to all classes. Dist: LIT. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Mladek
67. German Drama
Not offered in the period from 06F through 08S
81. Seminar
07F: 10
In 07F, German Lyrik Poetry: From Impressionism to the Present. This course offers a study of the major poetic movements from around 1900 to the present. Emphasis will be given to close analysis of lyrical texts and their relationship to the historical, political, and social background of the period. Readings will include poems by Hofmannsthal, Rilke, poets of the Expressionist movement, Brecht, Celan, Sachs, and others, as well as works by poets of the post-war generations up to the present. Conducted in German.
Open to all classes. Dist: LIT. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Rainer
82. Seminar
07S, 08S: 10A
In 07S, Die deutsche Novelle. The Novelle, a classical form of short narrative, figures prominently in the last two centuries of German literature. We will study this genre through specific masterworks against the background of their literary movements and poetic styles. Readings will include Schiller's "Verbrecher aus verlorener Ehre," Goethe's "Novelle," Kleist's "Erdbeben in Chili," E.T.A. Hoffmann's "Fräulein von Scuderi," Eichendorff's "Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts," Grillparzer's "Der arme Spielmann," Droste's "Judenbuche," and Thomas Mann's "Tonio Kröger." Conducted in German.
Dist: LIT. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Kruse.
84. Seminar
06F: 10A
In 06F, Kafka's Stories. An examination of Kafka's narratives, their adaptation into film, and the critical approaches they have inspired. Conducted in German.
Open to all classes. Dist: LIT. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Mladek
85. Independent Study
All terms: Arrange
86. Senior Independent Reading and Research
07W, 08W: 3A
A program of individual study, directed by a member of the staff, for all graduating majors. For students planning to write an Honors Thesis (German 87), this course will constitute the first term of research. A research project, signed by the adviser, must be approved by the Department by the beginning of the term and will culminate in a Senior Presentation at the end of the spring term. Conducted in German. Dist: LIT. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: EU. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Duncan.
87. Honors Thesis
07S, 08S: Arrange
See German Honors Program, page XXX.
The Department encourages students to consider the following courses in related disciplines:
History 48: Modern European Social History
History 51: Modern European Intellectual History, 18th and 19th Centuries
History 52: Modern Germany, 1848-1945
History 53: Europe in the Twentieth Century
Philosophy 15: Modern Philosophy: Hume and Kant
Philosophy 16: Modern Philosophy: Nineteenth Century Continental
Philosophy 17: Phenomenology and Existentialism
Art History 41: Northern Renaissance Art
Art History 51: Art of the Nineteenth Century
Art History 53: Classic Modernism
Government 41: European Politics
Government 64: Modern Political Thought
Music 32: Seventeenth and Eighteenth-Century Western Art Music
Music 33: Eighteenth and Nineteenth-Century Western Art Music
Music 35: Beethoven in Context
GERMANIA
The Germania is open to all students interested in German language, literature and culture. Members meet for informal discussions and special events.