1. Introductory German
11F: 9S, 10 12W: 9S 12S: 9S 12F: 9S, 10 13W: 10 13S: 9S
Introduction to written and spoken German. Intensive study of basic grammar and vocabulary through readings, oral and written drills, composition exercises, conversation, and practice in the virtual laboratory. Never serves in partial satisfaction of the Distributive or World Culture Requirement. The staff.
2. Introductory German
11F: 9S 12W: 9S, 10 12S: 10 12F: 9S 13W: 9S, 10 13S: 10
Continuation of German 1. Continued intensive work on the fundamentals of oral and written German. Never serves in partial satisfaction of the Distributive or World Culture Requirement. The staff.
3. Intermediate German
11F: 9S 12S: 10, D.L.S.A. 12X: D.L.S.A. 12F: 9S 13S: 10, D.L.S.A.
Continuation of German 2. A continued intensive study of basic grammar and vocabulary through readings, oral and written drills, composition exercises, conversation, and practice in the virtual laboratory. Completion of this course constitutes fulfillment of the language requirement. Never serves in partial satisfaction of the Distributive or World Culture Requirement. The staff.
5. Aspects of German Culture
12S, 12X: D.L.S.A. 13S: D.L.S.A.
Using the city of Berlin itself as a site and object of study, students will explore German culture in its widest sense. Visits to architectural, historical, religious, scientific, and industrial sites will acquaint them with multiple aspects of German society.
Prerequisite: acceptance into the Dartmouth Language Study Abroad Program. WCult: W.
6. Readings in German Literature
12S, 12X: D.L.S.A. 13S: D.L.S.A.
This course introduces students to the interpretation of stories, poems, and articles from various periods. Depending on availability, we will also read plays and view their performances in some of the many theaters in Berlin.
Prerequisite: acceptance into the Dartmouth Language Study Abroad Program. Dist: LIT; WCult: W.
7. First-Year Seminars in German Literature
13W: 10A
Consult special listings
8. Advanced Language Skills
12X: 9L
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. WCult: W. Miller.
9. Introduction to German Studies: From the Reformation to Reunification
11F: 11 12F: 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.
Dist: SOC; WCult: W Kenkel (2011), Fuechtner (2012).
10. German Culture and Society before 1900
12W: 12 13W: 9L
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 12W Enlightenment, Emotion, and Emancipation: German Life and Literature, 1750-1900. An introduction to the lives, times, and main works of major writers of German literature. Readings include plays, poems, and prose ranging from fairy tales and other short fiction to aesthetic, philosophical, and political treatises. Structured around a series of videos, this course focuses on important periods in German cultural and intellectual history. Essays, oral reports, and a final exam encourage students to hear, read, speak, and write educated German. Conducted in German.
Prerequisite: German 3, or equivalent. Open to all classes. Dist: LIT; WCult: W. Mladek.
In 13W, Germany and the East. While the Orient had already intrigued the earliest German authors known to us, during the Enlightenment, fascination with these exotic lands, traveled and imagined, finds its counterpart in Germany’s growing investment in Eastern Europe. Reading the works of Gellert, Lessing, Goethe, Herder, and Stifter, among others, we will explore eighteenth- and nineteenth-century facets of this cultural parallelism and consider their political ramifications. Conducted in German.
Prerequisite: German 3, or equivalent. Open to all classes. Dist: LIT; WCult: W. Komska.
11. German Culture and Society in the Twentieth Century
12S: 10 13S: 11
In the course of the twentieth century, Germany underwent 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 12S Pre-War, Inter-War, Post-War: German Literature, 1900-1950. An introduction to the lives, times, and works of major German-speaking authors active in the first half of the twentieth century, e.g., Rilke, Kafka, and Trakl; Tucholsky, Brecht, Thomas Mann, Döblin, Remarque, and Fallada; Böll, Borchert, Eich, Schnurre, Kästner, and Andersch. Readings are taken from these authors’ plays, poems, and prose and are complemented by audio-visual as well as vocabulary aids. Students study these literary works against the historical background of the First World War, the Weimar Republic, Hitler’s seizure of power, the Second World War, and the division of Germany in 1949. They also learn about concepts such as Expressionism and Trümmerliteratur. Essays and a take-home final exam help them improve their linguistic skills while they develop the ability to read literature ranging from early modernism to the Gruppe 47.
Prerequisite: German 3, or equivalent. Open to all classes. Dist: LIT WCult: W. Conducted in German. Rainer.
In 13S, Twentieth Century Generations. While class and gender have long organized Western perceptions of society, recently generation has circulated as a category that can concern conflict between parents and children as well as politics and aesthetics. Writers such as Mann, Kafka, Mannheim, Jünger, Plessner, Borchert, Andersch, Enzensberger, Böll, Grass, and Senocak frame recent German generations in the context of war and social upheaval. We will also consider generational ruptures and continuities in films such as Abschied von gestern and Die Blechtrommel. Conducted in German.
Prerequisite: German 3, or equivalent. Open to all classes. Dist: LIT; WCult: W. Komska.
13. Beyond Good and Evil
12S: 12 13S: 10
Borrowing its title from Nietzsche, this course examines some of the most famous and infamous figures—mythological, fictional and historical—that have profoundly shaped German identity. As we explore the actual lives, works, and influence of the likes of Luther, Faust, and Leni Riefenstahl, students will develop a greater understanding of Wagner’s question “What is German?” and learn how the answer to that question has come to epitomize notions of good and evil in general. Conducted in English.
Open to all classes. Dist: LIT WCult: CI. Shookman (2012), Gemünden (2013).
29. A Cultural Studies Approach to Contemporary Germany and Berlin
11F, 12F: D.F.S.P.
Introduction to contemporary German culture, identity and everyday life through close analysis of literary, visual (including filmic), architectural, political and other texts. Assignments to gain skills in analyzing visual material, construction of identity, and expressing sophisticated ideas in written and spoken German. Carries major or minor credit.
Prerequisite: acceptance into the Dartmouth Foreign Study Program. Dist: ART; WCult: CI or W. The staff.
30. Studies in German History
11F, 12F: 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 industrialization, Nazi rule, World War II, Cold War divisions, or Unification. This course addresses significant aspects of 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. Dist: SOC; WCult: W. The staff.
31. Studies in German Theater
11F, 12F: 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. Students will read plays and libretti, 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; WCult: W. The staff.
42. Modern Sex: Weimar Republic Germany 1918-1933 (in English translation)
11F: 2
This course explores Weimar Republic Germany -- considered the “laboratory of modernity” -- through its conceptions of gender and sexuality. We will analyze pioneering theoretical texts from the fields of psychoanalysis and sexology, as well as literary texts, films, and artwork. Throughout this course we will investigate different perceptions and representations of sexuality, homosexuality, transvestism, sexual reproduction, prostitution, marriage and love. All readings and discussions are in English. By special arrangement, this course can also be used to count toward a German Studies major or minor.
Open to all classes. Dist: LIT. WCult: W. Fuechtner.
43. History and Theory of German Film (in English translation) (identical to Comparative Literature 62)
12F: 3A
In 12F, Arrival City: The Case of Berlin-Kreuzberg. In this seminar we will investigate patterns of immigration from Turkey to Berlin from the 1960s to the present. Focusing on the legal, economic, and social determinants of labor migration, we will study German-Turkish literature, films, and political writings to understand how the cultural identity and self-representations of Turks in Germany has shifted over the last three generations. This will also include a comparative study of the “arrival cities” Los Angeles and Istanbul. Conducted in English. By special arrangement, this course can also be used to count toward a German Studies major or minor.
Open to all Classes. Dist:. ART; WCult: CI. Gemünden.
45. The Burden of the Nazi Past: World War, Genocide, Population Transfer, and Firebombing (in English translation) (Identical to Jewish Studies 37.2 and Comparative Literature 64)
13W: 2
This course studies the main events of World War II and the different stages of processing that past in the post-1945 period. 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, Eichmann, and Frankfurt trials, the Berlin Jewish Museum and Holocaust memorial, Neonazism, and current efforts to remember German civilian casualties. Taught in English. By special arrangement, this course can also be used to count toward a German Studies major or minor.
Open to all classe s. Dist: LIT. WCult: CI. Kacandes.
46. The German Novel (in English translation)
12X: 10
In 12X, Alienation and Exile: Kafka and Brecht Address the Fate of Modern Humanity. Franz Kafka (1883-1924) and Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956), the most influential prose writer and the most influential dramatist of the 20th century in the German language, examine the alienated and un-heroic modern human individual in her/his unhappy relationship to hostile social environments: dysfunctional families, impenetrable bureaucracies, heartless capitalist economies. Both use experimental techniques in form and content to shake their audiences out of their complacent worldviews and lazy habits of thought and feeling; both are darkly, mordantly, hilariously funny. Conducted in English. By special arrangement, this course can also be used to count toward a German Studies major or minor.
Open to all classes. Dist: LIT; WCult: W. Miller.
47. German Drama (in English translation)
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
61. The Age of Goethe: (1749-1832)
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
62. Literature of the Romantic Period
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
64. Literature of the Modern Period
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
65. Topics in German Cultural Studies
12W: 10A 13W:10A
In 12W, Masterpieces of German Drama. This course treats eight of the greatest plays ever written in German, paired to highlight historical links, thematic continuities, and formal innovations persisting throughout the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. Lessing’s Nathan der Weise and Frisch’s Andorra address issues of religious and racial tolerance; Goethe’s Iphigenie and Kleist’s Penthesilea analyze attitudes toward women; Schiller’s Wallenstein and Brecht’s Mutter Courage examine the causes of history; Büchner’s Dantons Tod and Weiss’s Marat/Sade debate the reasons for revolution. Aided by audio and visual means, students also read theoretical texts concerning theater as practiced in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Conducted in German. German majors may take this course for Senior Seminar credit by doing additional work.
Open to all classes. Dist: LIT; WCult: W. Shookman (2012).
In 13W, German Humor--Not an Oxymoron! This seminar analyzes texts, artwork, films, and songs ranging from the early 20th-Century literary tradition to contemporary visual humor. The topics for discussion will include political satire on war, nationalism, and reunification, Hitler comedies, immigrant comedies, humor on gender, and satires on what it means to be German. This seminar also provides an introduction to German Studies research methods. Conducted in German. German majors may take this course for Senior Seminar credit by doing additional work.
Open to all classes. Dist: LIT; WCult: W. Fuechtner (2013).
67. German Drama
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
81. Seminar
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
82. Seminar in German Media
12S, 13S: Arrange
Seminar conducted in German by the Max Kade Distinguished Visiting Professor. Thalheim (2012), Dückers (2013)
84. Seminar in Advanced German Studies
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
85. Independent Study
All terms: Arrange
87. Honors Thesis
12S, 13S: Arrange
See German Honors Program.
The Department encourages students to consider the following courses in related disciplines:
Art History 43: Northern Renaissance Art
Art History 51: Realism, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism
Art History 53: Classic Modernism: Painting and Sculpture, 1900-1914
Government 41: European Politics
Government 64: Modern Political Thought
History 48: European Society in the Industrial Age
History 51: Modern European Intellectual History, 18th and 19th Centuries
History 52: Modern Germany, 1800-1945
History 65: Modern Europe: The Twentieth Century
Music 10: Beethoven in Context
Music 11: Opera
Music 41: Mozart, the Man and His Music
Philosophy 15: Modern Philosophy: Hume and Kant
Philosophy 16: Modern Philosophy: Nineteenth Century Continental
Philosophy 17: Phenomenology and Existentialism
GERMANIA
Germania, the German club, is open to all students interested in German language, literature and culture. Members meet for informal discussions and special events.