Associate Professors James McIntyre and Ursula Reidel-Schrewe¹; Faculty Fellows John Lyon and Stephen Watt; Language Assistant Michael Bierkandt

¹On leave full year.

The German program focuses on the establishment of a firm foundation in the language as the basis for further study in the literature and culture of the German-speaking countries. While the emphasis may vary after the intermediate level, continued practice and improvement in the four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) are inherent goals of instruction in courses taught in the target language. Upper-level courses also seek to develop ability in literary and cultural analysis and understanding. The German studies major gives students the flexibility to include approved courses taught in English toward the major.

Students are urged from the outset to enhance their language skills and cultural awareness through study abroad, attendance at the German table, and participation in extracurricular activities. The January Program in Konstanz, offered intermittently, gives students who have completed three semesters of German (127) at least a brief exposure to life in Germany while living with a German family and attending classes at a local Gymnasium. Majors are expected, and minors are strongly encouraged, to spend at least one semester on an approved program abroad. The German faculty welcomes inquiries from all students regarding the choice and timing of foreign study options in the German-speaking countries.

Achievement Test: If a student offers a foreign language for entrance credit and wishes to continue it in college, that student must either have taken the College Board SAT-II test in the language or take the placement test during orientation.

Requirements for the Major in German Language and Literature
Nine semester courses in German numbered above German 127, including German 128, 131, 135, 231, 232 or 234, at least two courses numbered 300 or above, and German 494. See note (4) below with regard to transfer of courses toward the major.

Requirements for the Major in German Studies
Ten semester courses, including German 128, 131, 231, 232, 234, 494, one literature course numbered 135 or above, and three additional courses chosen either from the German curriculum or from courses with a substantial German component in other disciplines. The latter courses must be approved in advance by the major advisor in German. Examples of such courses in the current catalogue include, but are not limited to, Government 257, 262, History 215, 221, 222, 223, 224, 421, and Philosophy 359. See note (4) below with regard to transfer of courses toward the major.

Requirements for the Minor in German
Five semester courses numbered above German 127, including German 128, 131, 135, 232 or 234, and one literature course at the 300 level.

German majors are expected, and minors strongly encouraged, to spend at least one semester in a German-speaking country on a program approved by the Off-Campus Study Office and the department.

The following statements also apply:

(1) A student may not major in both German and German studies.

(2) The point scale for retention of both majors and the minor is based on all required and approved courses numbered beyond German 127.

(3) No major or minor requirement may be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory.

(4) Requests for transfer of courses from other institutions, including study abroad, will be evaluated by the major advisor in German on an individual basis.

(5) All majors in the department must take at least one course in the major approved by the major advisor each semester until graduation.

Teacher Certification: Students desiring certification for teaching German should consult the Department of German and Russian and the Department of Education and Human Development.

Course Offerings

125fj, 126s Elementary German I, II Basic comprehensive course for students with little or no previous knowledge of German. Development of all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Introduction to contemporary life in the German-speaking countries. Audio and video material accompanies textbook instruction; exercises in the Language Resource Center may be part of daily preparation. Prerequisite: German 125 is prerequisite for 126. Four credit hours (German 125 is three credit hours in January). FACULTY

127f Intermediate German I Continued practice in speaking and listening skills; grammar review; readings and conversation based on topics from German literature; emphasis on the practical use of the language. Prerequisite: German 126 or appropriate score on the College Board German SAT-II test. Four credit hours. MR. LYON

128s Intermediate German II Written and oral exercises will focus on the formation of correct, idiomatic structures. Increased emphasis on listening as a corollary of speaking. Readings of increasing length will be used as the basis for discussion and writing assignments. Prerequisite: German 127. Four credit hours. MR. LYON

130s Conversation Group Intended for students who would like merely to retain and reinforce their skills in the language, the course will use a variety of written and visual materials to stimulate conversation and review practical vocabulary. Does not count toward the language requirement or the majors/minor in German. Prerequisite: German 127. Nongraded. One credit hour. MR. BIERKANDT

[131] Conversation and Composition Emphasis on oral expression and facility in writing. Vocabulary building through reading and discussion of short texts. Prerequisite: German 128. Four credit hours.

[132] Introduction to German History and Culture Taught only in conjunction with a study-abroad program in Konstanz, Germany. Readings and discussions in German. Field trips to museums and architectural monuments. Prerequisite: German 127. Three credit hours.

135f Introduction to German Literature Readings in all three genres: drama, prose, and poetry. Designed to develop skills in literary analysis and close reading of texts and to introduce writings of major authors representative of their periods. Continued practice in conversation. Prerequisite: German 128 or equivalent. Four credit hours. L. MR. MCINTYRE

[155] The Crisis of Modernity The course examines philosophical and literary texts, film, and art from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and relates them to the threatened concept of the subject or the self. How developments in philosophy, psychology, and technology, as well as the increased prominence of the metropolis in modern life, disrupted the notion of a coherent, consistent, and autonomous self. Conducted in English; no knowledge of German required. Does not fulfill the language requirement or count toward the majors/minor in German. Formerly offered as German 197. Four credit hours. L.

[231] Advanced German Comprehensive review of all aspects of German grammar with attention to specific grammatical problems and usage of a more specific vocabulary. Close reading of short texts; practice in free composition and writing on directed themes. Prerequisite: German 131 or 135. Four credit hours.

232s Survey of German Culture From the Middle Ages to the Weimar Republic, the course deals chronologically with the major trends in German history and culture as reflected in literature, art, music, and philosophy. Reading of German expository prose, accompanied by documentary texts and short films. Students contribute through reports and improvised dialogues. Prerequisite: German 135. Four credit hours. MR. WATT

[234] Introduction to Contemporary German Culture The film Heimat (1984) by Edgar Reitz will serve as the takeoff point for the discussion. A critical analysis of the film will be accompanied by background readings and research on assigned topics. Continued practice in conversation; transition to more formal writing. Prerequisite: German 135. Four credit hours.

330s Current Topics Practice in reading and discussion for students at the advanced level. Source materials include newspaper and magazine articles, recent German films, television broadcasts, and the Internet. Does not count toward the language requirement or the majors/minor in German. Prerequisite: German 131. Nongraded. One credit hour. MR. BIERKANDT

[331] Business German Introduction to the terminology necessary to understand the socioeconomic structure of German society. Information about the banking system, the structure of corporations, social protection, the media, and the code of behavior in the German business world. Discussion of the contrasts between German and American business policies as factors of cultural difference. Prerequisite: German 231. Four credit hours.

[353] 18th-Century German Literature From the Enlightenment to the Classical period. Close reading and interpretation of works by Lessing, Kant, Herder, Goethe, and Schiller. Four credit hours. L.

[355] 19th-Century German Literature From Romanticism to Realism. Comparative reading of works by Novalis, Eichendorff, Kleist, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Stifter, Keller, and Büchner. Analysis will focus on the changing conception of nature and the individual. Four credit hours. L.

358f 20th-Century German Literature The topic for 1999: German Drama from Hauptmann to Frisch. Other authors will include Frank Wedekind, Arthur Schnitzler, Georg Kaiser, Bertolt Brecht, and Friedrich Dürrenmatt. Four credit hours. L. MR. MCINTYRE

491f, 492s Independent Study Individual projects in areas where the student has demonstrated the interest and competence necessary for independent work. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Two to four credit hours. FACULTY

[493] Seminar in German Literature Topics may cover an author, a genre, a literary theme or movement. Four credit hours. L.

494s Senior Seminar Conclusion of the study in the field of German with a research paper on a literary work or a study of a specific cultural phenomenon. In the seminar session students explain their topics, discuss the different aspects of their project, report on the progress of their research, and receive suggestions from the instructor and students on sorting, organizing, introducing, and discussing material and on articulating and defending an argument. Four credit hours. MR. LYON