Lower Division Courses
German 1. Elementary German (5 units)
Chris Tong (sec. 1, M-F 08:00 - 08:50, 105 Olson) CRN 76281
This is an introduction to German grammar and development of all language skills in a cultural context with special emphasis on communication.
Course Placement: Students who have successfully completed, with a C- or better, German 2 or 3 in the 10th or higher grade in high school may receive unit credit for this course on a P/NP grading basis only. Although a passing grade will be charged to the student's P/NP option, no petition is required. All other students will receive a letter grade unless a P/NP petition is filed. For more information, please contact the instructor or the German staff adviser directly.
Texts:
- Thomas A. Lovik, Vorsprung, 2nd edition (Textbook)
- Thomas A. Lovik, Student Activities Manual - Used with Vorsprung (Workbook)
German 3. Elementary German (5 units)
Jesse Goplen (sec. 1, M-F 08:00 - 08:50, 101 Olson) CRN 76283
Erin Grimm (sec. 2, M-F 09:00 - 09:50, 141 Olson) CRN 76284
Cameron Mortimer (sec. 3, M-F 10:00 - 10:50, 141 Olson) CRN 76285
This is the continuation of German 2 in areas of grammar and the basic language skills, and the last course in the Elementary German series.
Prerequisite: German 1.
Course Format: Discussion - 5 hours; Laboratory - 1 hour.
Texts:
- Thomas A. Lovik, Vorsprung, 2nd edition (Textbook)
- Thomas A. Lovik, Student Activities Manual - Used with Vorsprung (Workbook)
German 20. Intermediate German (4 units)
Brandon Winter (MWF 10:00 - 10:50, 251 Olson) CRN 76287
This is the first course of 2nd year German. Students will review grammar, and begin to read and discuss short, literary texts of cultural and historical interest. Class is conducted in German.
Prerequisite: German 3.
Texts:
- T. Barske, M. McKinistry, K. Schestokat, J. Sokolovsky, Denk Mal (Vista Higher Learning)
German 22. Intermediate German (4 units)
Marcella Livi (MWF 11:00 - 11:50, 251 Olson) CRN 76287
This is the continuation of German 21. This course is a review of grammatical principles by means of written exercises; expanding of vocabulary through readings of modern texts.
Prerequisite: German 21.
Course Format: Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours; Extensive Writing.
Texts:
- (TBA)
Upper Division Courses
German 112. The Individual and the Law in German Literature, 1770-1930 (4 Units) (taught in German)
Prof. Dieter Thomae (TR 12:10-1:30, 159 Olson) CRN 93343
In modern times, individuals question rules and regulations, break the law - and also act as art of a law-giving body. The excitement of disobedience is paired and contrasted with the quest for legitimate power. This new setting has attracted the scrutiny of political theorists - and the curiosity of literary writers. In plays and novels they explore the drama of colliding interests, the demise of authorities, the fight for justice and the explosive mix of righteousness, rightfulness and willfulness. In this course we will read works by major German writers who have addressed the conflict between the individual and the law - a conflict that may well be said to be a focal point of modern society and culture. The course presents a stage where politics and aesthetics meet. We will discuss texts by Friedrich Schiller (Die Räuber, Wilhelm Tell), Heinrich von Kleist (Prinz von Homburg), Hegel, Nietzsche, Theodor Fontane (Effi Briest), Franz Kafka (In der Strafkolonie), Hermann Hesse, and others.
German 119. From German Fiction to German Film: "Vampires and Horrors" (4 Units) (in English)
Prof. Jaimey Fisher (TR 2:10-3:30, 3:40-4:00, 206 Olson) CRN 93664
Film Viewing: M 6:10 - 9:00 26 Wellman
History of representations of vampires and horror generally from the 19th through 21st centuries. Emphasis on transnational history of the horror genre; psychologies of horror effects; issues of race, gender, and class; intersections with prejudice, medicine, modernity.
Prerequisite: None.
Text:
- A Course Reader
German 121. The Medieval Period in German Literature (4 Units)
Prof. Winder McConnell (TR 10:30-11:50, 290 Hickey Gym) CRN 93409
German 121 focuses on the first "classical" period of German literature: ca. 1180-1250. We survey the colorful panorama of the "Blütezeit" of the German Middle Ages, with special attention to romantic love and the rise of Western individualism, marriage, adultery, sex, war, power, kings and heroes, and the concept of the Otherworld, with its dragons, giants, dwarves, and fabulous treasures. Literature to be read and discussed will include selections from Minnesang, Arthurian romance, minstrel epics, a didactic treatise, and the heroic epic, Das Nibelungenlied. Lectures and discussions will be augmented by video material and parallels will be drawn between archetypal motifs, characters, and rituals in the Middle Ages and their counterparts in the modern world.
The class is given in German; readings are partly in Middle High German with English or New High German translations made available.
Prerequisite: German 22.
Text:
- M. Walshe, A Middle High German Reader
- G. vonn Strassburg, Tristan: With the Surviving Fragments of the 'Tristran of Thomas'
- S. Gosse, Das Nibelungenlied
German 142. The New German Cinema (4 Units)
Prof. Harriett Jernigan (TR 09:00-10:20, 1342 Storer) CRN 93340
German filmmakers of the 1960's - 1980's such as Fassbinder, Herzog, Syberberg, Brückner, Schlöndorf, Kluge, Wenders.
Prerequisite: Upper division standing or consent of instructor. Knowledge of German is not required.
Text:
- A Course Reader
Graduate Courses
German 202. Middle High German (4 Units)
Winder McConnell (M 1:10-3:30, 412B Sproul) CRN 93344
Outline of grammar; selections from Middle High German epic, romance, and lyric poetry.
Text:
- A Course Reader
German 297. Topic: "Masochism and the Imaginary" (4 Units)
Prof. Harriett Jernigan (T 12:10-03:00, 412B Sproul) CRN 93369
Graduate seminar.
Text:
- K. Mann, Mephisto
- E. Jelinek, Klavierspielerin
German 297. America in German literature 1800 - 1930s(4 Units) IN English
Prof. Dieter Thomae (R 03:10-06:00, 412B Sproul) CRN 93345
This graduate seminar offers a critical account of perspectives on America in German Literature and culture from around 1800 to the 1930s. It combines sources from literature, philosophy, political theory, visual art, and film. Particular attention is paid to the notions of Americanism and Anti-americanism. We will carefully analyze the intersections between politics and aesthetics. All the mandatory reading will be in English. We will discuss short selections from major texts by Hegel, Goethe, Heine, Nietzsche, Max Weber, Kafka, Spengler, Heidegger, Kracauer, Adorno, Arendt, and others, as well as films and film treatments by Luis Trenker and Sergej Eisenstein.
Text:
- A Course Reader
Other Courses Taught by German Faculty
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