WCAS Department of German: Undergraduate: Courses & Prerequisites

The Department of German offers courses in three separate tracks, giving students a choice in satisfying their educational needs and interests. Courses are designed to

Offer students who wish to acquire basic knowledge of the German language (either to fulfill the college language requirement or to continue their German studies in the department or both) an opportunity to use a variety of audiovisual materials as well as cultural and literary readings;
Offer students an opportunity to be exposed to different styles of written and spoken language and to the culture and people of German-speaking countries;
Provide German majors and minors with a course of study in language, literature, and culture that forms the basis from which they may pursue their interests in specific areas of concentration; the program emphasizes the modern period (18th century to the present);
Provide a basis for the understanding of the intellectual and cultural life of Germany for students who are not proficient in German;

Please choose your courses carefully and always double-check your selection with the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Courses listed as a prerequisite for an advanced course may not be taken for credit after the advanced course has been completed. Majors returning from a study abroad program must enroll in at least one 300 level quarter course in the department.

COURSES TAUGHT IN GERMAN

German 101-1,2,3 Beginning German
The Beginning German sequence offers students a systematic introduction to German language and culture emphasizing the four modalities: speaking, listening comprehension, reading and writing. Prerequisite in German: None.

German 102-1,2,3 Intermediate German
The Intermediate German sequence offers students a systematic review of German language and culture. The pedagogy fosters learning in the four modalities: speaking, listening comprehension, reading and writing. Prerequisite in German: 101-3 or equivalent.

German 111-1,2,3 Beginning Yiddish
The Beginning Yiddish sequence offers students a systematic introduction to Yiddish language and culture emphasizing the four modalities: speaking, listening comprehension, reading and writing. Prerequisite in Yiddish: None.

German 197-0 Focus Reading: Perspectives in Yiddish Life and Culture
This course is for students in beginning Yiddish who would like to explore Yiddish texts in addition to taking a language course. Provides an overview of Jewish life in Eastern Europe. Prerequisite in Yiddish: Yiddish 112-2. Will not count for the language requirement.

German 199-0 Focus Reading: Perspectives on German Life and Culture; The Voice of the Outsider
This course is for students in intermediate German who would like to explore German texts in addition to taking a language course. Examines contemporary German culture. Prerequisite in German: German 102-1. Will not count for the language requirement. Not open for students beyond German 102-3.

German 203-1 Focus Speaking: Current German-American Images
Practical training in communication skills with sole emphasis on listening comprehension and speaking. Course focuses on descriptions and comparisons. Prerequisite in German: German 102-2. Will not count for the language requirement.

German 203-2 Focus Speaking: Documenting Past, Present and Future
Practical training in communication skills with sole emphasis on listening comprehension and speaking. Course focuses on retelling past, present and future events. Prerequisite in German: German 102-2. Will not count for the language requirement.

German 205-1 Focus Writing: Berlin - Faces of the Metropolis
This course is designed for students who wish to further written proficiency in German. The course will focus on the analysis and production of portraits, descriptions of places, narratives, newspaper reports. Prerequisite in German: German 102-3.

German 205-2 Focus Writing: East and West – Identities in Flux; German, European, and Transatlantic Perspectives
This course is designed for students who wish to further written proficiency in German. Students will work with reviews of films and cultural events, reports, argumentative essays, advertisements, and interpretations of literary works. Prerequisite in German: German 102-3.

German 207-0 Current Events in German Media
Exploration of current events in a variety of German media (newspapers, TV, Internet, etc.). Topics include politics, music, film, sports, and literature. Prerequisite in German: German 102-3.

GERMAN 209-0 German in the Business World
German language study oriented toward business. Emphasizes business-related communicative situations such as social interactions with customers, business travel, basic business letters. Prepares students for the Zertifikat Deutsch für den Beruf exam. Prerequisite in German: one 200 level course in German.

German 211-0 German Culture Through Film
Introduction to 20th-century German cinema. Discussion of German identity, culture, history, and politics. Course emphasizes cultural knowledge and German language skills. Prerequisite in German: One 200 level course in German. (Distro Area VI)

German 221-1 Introduction to Literature: 1800-1900
Introduces students to representative texts and writers of 19th century German literature and familiarizes them with literary analysis and literary genres. Prerequisite in German: One 200 level course in German.(Distro Area VI)

German 221-2 Introduction to Literature: 1900-1945
Introduces students to representative German texts and German writers of the first half of the 20th century marked by the demise of the German Empire in the course of the First World War, the Weimar Republic (1918-1933), and the Rise and Fall of the “Third Reich”. Prerequisite in German: One 200 level course in German.(Distro Area VI)

German 221-3 Introduction to Literature: 1945-today
Introduces students to representative short stories by major German-speaking authors’ writing from 1945 through the present. The stories selected are representative of a dynamic period in German literature and highlight important social, political, and intellectual issues. Prerequisite in German: German 102-3.(Distro Area VI)

German 223-0 Contemporary Austrian Literature
Overview and introduction to contemporary Austria: the land, its people, and cultural institutions through newer writers such as Hackl, Handke, Haslinger, Helfer, Jelinek, Nöstlinger, Reichart, Schlag, and Turrini. Prerequisite in German: One 200 level course in German.(Distro Area VI)

German 225-0 Contemporary Swiss Literature
Overview and introduction to Switzerland: the land, its people, and cultural institutions through various Swiss authors such as Frisch, Dürrenmatt, Muschg, Hohler, Lötscher, Bichsel. Prerequisite in German: One 200 level course in German.(Distro Area VI)

German 227-0 Popular Literature as Cultural History
Study of popular German texts of the last 100 years. Course provides insights into the cultural and historical fabric of 20th and 21st century Germany; discussion of popular culture’s role in society and introduction to theories of popular literature. Prerequisite in German: One 200 level course in German.(Distro Area VI)

German 245-0 Special Topics in German Literature and Culture
Studies of a major author, a prominent theme in German literature or culture, a movement, or a genre. May be repeated for credit with different topic. Prerequisite in German: One 200 level course in German.

German 303-0 Speaking as Discovery: Exploring Standpoints, Developing Arguments, Expressing Points of View
A course to improve listening comprehension and speaking skills to the advanced level of German. Content focuses on exploring standpoints, developing arguments, and expressing points of view through current cultural texts and news broadcasts. Prerequisite in German: High Intermediate skills in listening, reading, and speaking.

German 305-0 Writing as Discovery: Communicating Correctly, Clearly, and Persuasively
Practice of advanced and sophisticated structures of written German through a series of linguistic exercises. Students will work on a biographical piece of writing over the length of the quarter. Prerequisite in German: High intermediate skills in reading, writing, and speaking.

German 307-0 Current Events and Issues in German-Language Media
Current political, socioeconomic, and cultural events in Germany and Europe. Topics from German-language media, including newspapers, magazines, Internet sources, and news broadcasts. Discussion of journalistic differences among media sources. Prerequisite: high-intermediate skills in listening, reading, writing, and speaking.

German 309-1 Advanced Business German: Understanding the German Economy
Students will acquire a solid understanding of Germany’s economy, its current problems, German business practices, and differences to the US system. This course starts preparing students for the internationally recognized exam Prüfung Wirtschaftsdeutsch International. Prerequisite in German: High intermediate skills in reading, writing and speaking.

German 309-2 Advanced Business German: German for Marketing and Management
Students will gain skills to function in a multitude of German business contexts such as management or marketing. They will also increase their cross-cultural knowledge and intercultural competency. Course prepares students for the internationally recognized Prüfung Wirtschaftsdeutsch International. Prerequisite in German: High intermediate skills in reading, writing and speaking.

German 311-0 Business Dynasties in Germany
Examination of representative entrepreneurial families in Germany since 1800 and the means by which they built their firms’ and nation’s still disproportionately significant place in the world economy. Prerequisite in German: High Intermediate skills in writing and speaking, advanced skills in reading. (Distro Area IV)

German 321-1 Reason, Revolution, and Despair: Lessing to Büchner
Discussion of key texts in German intellectual history from the Enlightenment to the pre-revolutionary period in the 1830s. Prerequisite in German: High Intermediate skills in speaking, advanced skills in reading and writing. (Distro Area IV and VI)

German 321-2 Myth and Disenchantment: Nietzsche to Brecht
Discussion of key texts to acquaint students with the literature and thought as well as the events and ideologies that helped shape the cultural, political and social life in Germany during a period that saw the rise and final collapse of the imperial tradition, a short-lived experiment with democracy during the Weimar Republic (1918-1933), and the rise of the Nazi state. Prerequisite in German: High Intermediate skills in speaking, advanced skills in reading and writing. (Distro Area IV and VI)

German 321-3 Recoveries and Transitions: Böll to Now
Examination of relationship of literature (and film) with socio-political sphere post 1945. Prerequisite in German: High Intermediate skills in speaking, advanced skills in reading and writing. (Distro Area IV and VI)

German 323-0 Rhyme and Reason: German Poetry since 1700
Introduces students to German poetry from the early 18th century to the present. Concentrates on main formal categories of poetry (meter, rhyme, verse, and poetic genres) as well as main topics and themes of German poetry. Prerequisite in German: High Intermediate skills in speaking, advanced skills in reading and writing. (Distro Area VI)

German 325-0 The Greeks in German Culture
Analysis of the extraordinary importance of ancient Greek art and philosophy for German culture from 1750 to the present. Prerequisite in German: High Intermediate skills in speaking, advanced skills in reading and writing.(Distro Area IV, V, and VI)

German 327-0 Expressionism: Modernity, Madness; Eros and Revolution
Focuses on German Expressionism in its most extreme literary and artistic reactions to the impact of modernity, war, and revolution and on the individual and collective experience in Berlin from 1910-1920. Prerequisite in German: High Intermediate skills in speaking, advanced skills in reading and writing. (Distro Area VI)

German 329-0 Brecht: Theater, Film, and Media in the 20s
Introduction to Bertolt Brecht’s theatre in the 1920s and early 1930s during the Weimar Republic. Historical critical review of the still evolving media of film and radio. Prerequisite in German: High Intermediate skills in speaking, advanced skills in reading and writing. (Distro Area VI)

German 331-0 Memory and Representation in Postwar Literature
Examination of the role of German literature and art in creation of historical consciousness in postwar period. Prerequisite in German: High Intermediate skills in speaking, advanced skills in reading and writing. (Distro Area VI)

German 333-0 Post-War to Post-Wall GDR Literature
Study of literature and culture of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) within the social, political, and historical context. Prerequisite in German: High Intermediate skills in speaking, advanced skills in reading and writing. (Distro Area VI)

German 335-0 Minority Voices in Germany
Study of minority literatures in Germany (including Turkish, Italian, Afro German, and Jewish discourses) within social, political and historical context. Prerequisite in German: High Intermediate skills in speaking, advanced skills in reading and writing. (Distro Area VI)

German 337-0 Science and Culture in Germany 1780 - 1880
Exploration of key texts popularizing major scientific innovations, such as rational mechanics, analytical chemistry, thermodynamics, and evolutionary biology, in their cultural context. Prerequisite in German: High Intermediate skills in speaking, advanced skills in reading and writing. (Distro Area IV and V)

German 345-0 Topics in German Literature and Culture
In-depth study of topics in German literature and/or pivotal periods in German culture. May be repeated for credit with different topics. Prerequisite in German: Advanced skills in speaking, reading and writing.

German 398-0 Undergraduate Seminar (1–3 units)
Advanced work through supervised reading, research, and discussion. Prerequisite in German: Advanced skills in speaking, reading and writing.

German 399-0 Independent Study
Open to outstanding German majors with senior standing. Prerequisite in German: Advanced skills in speaking, reading and writing.

COURSES WITH READING AND DISCUSSION IN ENGLISH
No prerequisite in German required

German 222-0 German History 1789-1989
Survey of German political, economic, social, intellectual, and diplomatic history from the consolidation of the nation in the aftermath of the French Revolution to reunification at the end of the Cold War. Prerequisite: None. (Distro Area IV)

German 224-0 Contemporary Germany
German political, social, and cultural scene after 1945. May be repeated for credit with different readings. Prerequisite: None.

German 226-0 New Voices in German Literature
An introduction to contemporary German literature in English translation. Topics may vary and may include the contemporary historical novel, short story, novel, and/or memoir. Prerequisite: None. (Distro Area VI)

German 228-0 The German Film
In-depth study of German films and cultural background. Topics may vary: for example, the pioneer film, “new” German cinema. May be repeated for credit with different topic. Prerequisite: None. (Distro Area VI)

German 230-0 Existentialist Thought and Fiction
Traces the development of the Existentialist movement in the 19th and 20th centuries. Readings may include selections from Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Mann, Kafka, and Rilke. Prerequisite: None. (Distro Area VI)

German 232-0 The Theme of Faust through the Ages
Faust theme in literature and music through shifting intellectual and social climates from the 16th century to the present. Prerequisite: None. (Distro Area VI, V, and VI)

German 234-1 Jews and Germans: An Intercultural History I
Exploration of Jewish encounter with German culture. German Jewry from the 18th century to the end of the 19th century, when Jews were granted legal standing as German citizens. Prerequisite: None. (Distro Area VI, V, and VI)

German 234-2 Jews and Germans: An Intercultural History II
Exploration of Jewish culture–German culture. German-speaking Jewry from the late-19th century to 1935. Prerequisite: None. (Distro Area VI, V, and VI)

German 236-0 Kafka and Nietzsche
Exploration of two key figures in German modernity. Analysis of the relation between philosophy and literature, inquiry into the idea of the “ascetic ideal.” Prerequisite: None. (Distro Area V and VI)

German 238-0 Turn-of-the-Century Vienna: In Search of New Values
Literature and thought of fin de siècle Vienna and their impact on modern consciousness. Fiction, poetry, essays, and plays by Freud, Schnitzler, Wittgenstein, Hofmannsthal, Musil, Karl Kraus, and Schoenberg. Prerequisite: None. (Distro Area VI)

German 240-0 Berlin: Weimar Culture
Literature, philosophy, fine arts, and architecture of the Weimar Republic (1918–33) as expressions of its intellectual debates and social upheavals. Remarque, Piscator, Mann, Spengler, the Bauhaus. Prerequisite: None. (Distro Area VI)

German 246-0 Special Topics in German Literature and Culture
Topics vary: for example, the fairy tale, Germanic mythology. May be repeated for credit with different topic. Prerequisite: None.

German 322-0 German Contributions to World Literature
Topics vary: for example, Rilke’s poetry; Nietzsche’s influence on literature; Thomas Mann; Hesse, the German novel, and the mystic tradition; German intellectual history. May be repeated for credit with different topic. Prerequisite: None. (Distro Area VI)

German 324-0 Modern German Drama
From the perspective of the stage as a “moral institution,” plays by authors ranging from Heinrich von Kleist to Peter Weiss. Prerequisite: None. (Distro Area VI)

German 326-0 German Cultural Studies
Exploration of key concepts, major figures, and cultural and literary themes in German studies and interdisciplinary fields such as music, art, political science, media studies, and popular culture. Prerequisite: None.

German 328-0 German Cultural Criticism from Kant to Kluge
Exploration of major texts in German cultural criticism form the late18th to early 21st century, including philosophical, philological, scientific, and essayistic texts. Prerequisite: None. (Distro Area IV and V)

German 330-0 Intro to Yiddish Literature in Translation
Traces the history of Yiddish literature from the seventeenth to the late twentieth century focusing on three Yiddish “classic” writers: Sh. Y. Abramovish (“Mendele the Bookseller”), Y.L. Peretz and Sholem Aleichem. The course provides insight into Jewish life in Eastern Europe. Prerequisite: None. (Distro Area VI)