101 & 102. Elementary German I & II 1 course unit each
An introduction to basic grammar and vocabulary of, as well as communication skills in German within its cultural contexts. Students will use a variety of authentic text and media resources to acquire and enhance linguistic skills. The first semester is designed for students with no knowledge of, or with a weak background in German, the second—for students with limited, but residual previous exposure to German. Assignment by placement test. Four class hours per week plus LC Commons assignments.
203 & 204. Intermediate German I & II 1 course unit each
An accelerated review of basic German grammar through speaking, reading, writing and other linguistically appropriate activities. The introduction of more advance grammatical structures and a variety of authentic text and multimedia resources will enhance the students’ linguistic skills and sociocultural awareness of the German speaking world. The development of functional skills and communicative ability is emphasized. Students also acquire the linguistic tools needed to continue learning German as it pertains to their fields of interest. Assignment by placement test. Three class hours per week plus LC Commons assignments.
301, 302. German Conversation & Composition
Exercises in spoken and written German designed to increase accuracy, and facility of expression. Topics of contemporary interest will be selected for presentation and discussion.
Prerequisite: GRM 204 Intermediate German II or permission of the instructor.
Meets general academic requirement W when offered as 302.
303, 304. Advanced German Conversation & Composition
Continuation of GRM 301, 302 German Conversation & Composition. Advanced exercises in spoken and written German, including the study of idiomatic expressions, review of persistent grammatical difficulties, and stylistic analysis.
Prerequisite: GRM 301, 302 German Conversation & Composition or permission of the instructor.
Meets general academic requirement W when offered as 304.
351, 352. German Literature in Translation I
Readings and discussion of selected masterpieces of German literature from the medieval period to the age of Naturalism. Concentration on major works of literature which have influenced the course of development of German literary history, thought and culture. Introduction to the terminology as well as the methods and techniques of literary analysis. Emphasis on the development of a sense of appreciation of literature as art. Taught in English.
Meets general academic requirement HU and W when offered as 352.
353, 354. German Literature in Translation II
Readings and discussion of selected masterpieces of German literature from the age of Naturalism to the present. Concentration on major works of literature which have influenced the course of development of German literary history, thought and culture. Emphasis on genres, themes, traditions, reading sensitivity and personal response. Taught in English.
Meets general academic requirement HU and W when offered as 354.
255/256 Berlin in Film
Taught in English. This course will examine the cinematic representation of the cosmopolitan metropolis Berlin from the 1920s to the present. Students will look at characteristic films from the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, the Allied occupation, the divided country, and post-unification Germany. Offering a chronological overview of German film art set in Berlin, the course will explore how the mass medium of cinema reflected, influenced, and commented on the historical, cultural, and political developments in Germany. Students will investigate major cinematic movements, styles, innovations, genres, and directors. They will also be introduced to some major film theories and criticism.
Meets general academic requirement HU and W when offered as 256.
313. German Drama in Translation
This course aims to give students a background in the literary history of German drama with an emphasis on significant plays written between the 1770s and the present. Major plays of the Enlightenment, Storm and Stress, Classicism, Naturalism, fin de siècle Vienna, Expressionism, the post-war period, and the present will be discussed in their literary and historical contexts.
Prerequisite: GRM 301, 302 German Conversation & Composition
Meets general academic requirement HU.
316, 317. German Cinema
A survey of German films from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari to contemporary works with special emphasis on the Golden Age of Weimar cinema and the so-called New German Cinema (Fassbinder, Herzog, Wenders, Sanders-Brahms and less well known directors). Through a close analysis of these films, the student will gain an understanding and appreciation of cinematic techniques as well as the cultural, social and political background which shaped these works. Taught in English.
Meets general academic requirement HU and W when offered as 317.
