Courses ofInstruction
German Area Studies
Program Faculty
Eric Klaus, German Area Studies, Chair
Jodi Dean, Political Science
Michael Dobkowski, Religious Studies
Matt Kadane, History
The demands of the 21st century require future leaders to cultivate an awareness and appreciation of cultural differences and the ability to negotiate those differences in successful and productive ways. Thus, instruction in the German program at all levels, for courses taught both in German and in English, fosters the following skill sets: functional language abilities, critical language awareness, interpretation and translation, historical and political consciousness, social sensibility, and aesthetic perception. The program's curriculum fosters literacy of skepticism; central here is translinguistic and transcultural competence. While translinguistic and transcultural competence still contribute to the core philosophy of German instruction and programming, literacy of skepticism develops skills to probe social and cultural structures in which we are enmeshed, especially those which seem set in stone or create hierarchies of power. This Socratic posture yields information that needs to be processed, then integrated into leading meaningful and constructive activity both locally and globally.
Mission Statement
The German Area Studies Program prepares students to navigate cultural differences in academic, professional, and social settings by providing comprehensive and rigorous instruction in linguistic and cultural competence. Students develop linguistic competence by gaining proficiency in four skill areas, writing, reading, listening, and speaking, and by studying abroad. Cultural competence resides in becoming acquainted with values and behaviors of German-speaking Europe so that they can anticipate cultural differences and build cross-cultural understanding.
Offerings
German Area Studies Minor – Disciplinary
disciplinary, 6 courses
Requirements:
The disciplinary minor in German Area Studies is comprised of six courses originating from the German curriculum. Students wishing to complete a disciplinary minor in German area studies must take two semesters of German language beyond GER 102 or its equivalent; GER 301; and three further courses in German literature and culture. One of these culture courses may be a GERE course (German culture taught in English), while the other culture course must be an upper-level German course. All courses must be passed with a grade of C- or higher. No more than one course with a CR grade may be counted toward the minor.
German Area Studies Minor – Interdisciplinary
interdisciplinary, 6 courses
Requirements:
The interdisciplinary minor in German Area Studies is made up of six courses: three required courses and three electives. The required courses would originate from the German curriculum. Students choosing an interdisciplinary minor in German area studies must take at least two semesters of German language beyond GER 102, GER 201 and 202, or their equivalent. Moreover, students are required to take GER 301 Introduction to German Area Studies I. Beyond these courses, students are expected to take GLS 201, plus two electives. The two electives must come from any one or a combination of the three topic areas (cultural legacies, historical heritages, and intellectual traditions). All courses must be passed with a grade of C- or higher. No more than one course with a CR grade may be counted toward the minor.
Cross-Listed Courses
Cultural Legacies
ARTH 250 Modern Art 1900-1960
MDSC 209 German Cinema
MDSC 313 Global Cinema
MUS 202 History of Western Art: Medieval and Renaissance (600-1600)
MUS 204 History of Western Art: Romantic and Modern (1800-1950)
REL 371 Literary and Theological Responses to the Holocaust
Historical Heritages
HIST 103 Early Modern Europe
HIST 108 The Making of Modern Europe
HIST 237 Europe Since the War
HIST 238 The World Wars in Global Perspective
HIST 269 Modern Germany 1764-1996
HIST 272 Nazi Germany
HIST 276 The Age of Dictators
HIST 325 Medicine and Public Health in Modern Europe
POL 243 Europe after Communism
POL 245 Politics of New Europe
REL 270 Modern Jewish History
REL 271 The Holocaust
Intellectual Traditions
HIST 253 Renaissance and Reformation
HIST 256 Technology and Society in Europe
HIST 301 The Enlightenment
PHIL 373 Kant
POL 140 Comparative World Politics
POL 244 Diverse Europe
POL 265 Modern Political Philosophy
POL 267 20th Century Political Theory
Courses Taught in German (GER)
GER 101 Beginning German I German instruction endeavors to foster inter-cultural competence by infusing historical knowledge, cultural artifacts, and social structures into the very first lesson. Auf geht’s!, the instructional materials for German 101 through 201, is a communicative-based text that offers many opportunities for intercultural investigation. Instruction is designed to improve all skill areas of language acquisition through level-appropriate reading, writing, listening, and oral assignments. (Offered every semester)
GER 102 Beginning German II This course is a continuation of GER 101 and continues to pursue the goals established above. Prerequisite: GER 101 or the equivalent. (Offered every semester)
GER 201 Intermediate German I Instruction at the 200-level continues along the same lines as that on the 100-level in that functional linguistic and cultural abilities are the goals of the course. GER 201 will conclude the final chapters of Auf geht’s! and will take students on a tour of key locations in German-speaking Europe to introduce them to the broad cultural offerings of these diverse regions. (Offered annually)
GER 202 Intermediate German II Fourth-semester German is designed to develop further the skills acquired in previous semesters. Students will work with authentic materials including texts, film, social media, and music to achieve these goals. (Offered annually)
GER 301 Introduction: German Area Studies I This course represents students' first exposure to the field of German Area Studies. In addition to improving the students' ability to express their thoughts clearly, concisely, and correctly in spoken and written German, the class will introduce students to core issues of the field, i.e. the culture of German-speaking Europe in various forms and expressions. Besides learning about canonical texts and figures, students will also explore film, music, politics, and pop-culture as contributors to the culture of central Europe. In addition, the skills that constitute intercultural competence are also developed and honed via projects, for example the role of geography in the construction of German culture. Prerequisite: GER 202 or its equivalent, or permission of instructor. (Offered annually)
GER 302 Introduction: German Area Studies II This class continues the work begun in GER 301, in that it investigates the seminal issues of German Area Studies. Topics covered will vary from instructor to instructor, but the goal will remain the same: to acquaint students with central questions of the field, yet will do so with more depth and rigor than in GER 301. Prerequisite: GER 301 or its equivalent, or permission of instructor. (Offered annually)
GER 495/496 Honors
Courses Taught in English (GERE)
GERE 206 Madness in Modernity The first decades of the 20th century constituted a period of great uncertainty that was felt across Europe. At this time, artists experimented with novel ways of articulating the uneasiness and angst that they themselves experienced and that they witnessed in their surroundings. The course focuses on the German-speaking countries of Europe and investigates the ways in which the art of that period registers potentially devastating shifts in the social, cultural, and epistemological tenets that define modern life. Students also integrate texts, paintings, and film into their inquiry. (Klaus, Spring, offered every three years)
GERE 214 Berlin: A Cultural Biography Berlin has been many things, has witnessed many things and has meant many things to many people. The capital of Germany has been built, expanded, razed, divided, and rebuilt again; the space has collected and stored the past in its streets and alleys, in its buildings and monuments, in its core and environs. By reading these spaces as texts, one can learn the story of Berlin, and, by extension, an important chapter of the story of the German nation. This will be our task – examining locations throughout the city to trace the process of how the city came to signify German identity at different points in history. Driving questions for the course will include how does space inform identity, both collective and individual; how sites of memory function to provide cultural continuity and how that continuity factors into the idea of the nation; to what extent can Berlin stand for a German identity? (Klaus, Spring, offered every three years)