Courses

Where do I feel at home? What causes me to feel not at home in certain spaces? In the face of transforming societies and environments, can a stable sense of home be preserved—and should it be? In this course, we will study texts from a wide range of geographic locations and cultural backgrounds that investigate the stakes of creating a sense of home within unfamiliar, unwelcoming, and seemingly ruined environments. Ultimately, we will seek ways to think both critically and creatively about human environments, both in cultural texts and in our own reflection on the places we call home.

This course introduces the basic structures of the German language and everyday vocabulary in the context of common cultural situations and authentic and fictional media. Students are exposed to all four skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking).

Building on the material covered in German 101, this course introduces more complex structures and exposes students to short literary and cultural texts as well as other media. The focus of the course is on all four skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking).

Continuation of the study of complex structural patterns of the German language, and the reading and discussion of longer texts, films, and other media from German-speaking cultures.

In this course, we survey significant developments in German-language culture, broadly defined, from the Enlightenment to the twentieth century. Students of all disciplines and majors are invited to receive an overview of the music and culture of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, starting in the 1750s and tracing its impact into the present time. The course includes literature, film, music, language, history, habits, news, etc., and surveys major figures, movements, and their influence on the world’s civilization. The course encourages critical engagement with the material at hand and provides the opportunity to compare it with the students’ own cultural background. Taught in English.

What is it to be human? What is the difference between human and animal? How do technology and AI alter our understanding of humanity? How does the rhetoric of personhood affect our judgment of others? What is an immigrant, a migrant, a refugee, a foreigner, an alien? In this English-language survey of German thought and literature, we will ask these questions with foundational philosophers from the Enlightenment to the present, engage with contemporary theorists on post-colonialism and nationalism, and rethink the concept of personhood by analyzing crucial new contributions from literature, theater, film, and art. Taught in English.

In this course, students build on their communication skills to engage in more in-depth spoken and written discussions of German-speaking literature, art, and culture. By analyzing longer and more challenging texts, films and other cultural media, continuing grammar review, and writing compositions, students acquire greater facility and confidence in all four language skills (writing, speaking, listening, and reading).

An excellent opportunity to brush up your German while learning about current issues in German-speaking countries. Relying on magazines, newspapers, podcasts, and streamings, students will discuss common topics and themes once a week to exchange their ideas over snacks with a small group of students. 

Over the past few years, Germany has been touted as the new leader of Europe, or even of the “free world,” and at the same time has seen a surge of bitter political division within its borders. The Berlin Wall fell thirty years ago, yet tensions between East and West remain stark. Chancellor Angela Merkel implemented an open-arms policy toward refugees, yet the extremist AfD party has orchestrated a troubling rise to power based on xenophobic sentiments. And while Germany has emerged as a global environmental leader, it has simultaneously faced passionate protest from its own youth regarding failure to meet the challenges of climate change. In this class, we examine the complexities behind these seeming contradictions in contemporary Germany by analyzing diverse texts ranging from political speeches to poetry slams. Taught in German; advanced grammar review supports analytical tasks.

What products in literature, film, and other media did German-speaking audiences consume in the recent past? What topics do artists address and media outlets discuss? In this course, we will read, watch, and examine various texts and films that were published or premiered in the last ten years or so in the German language. These works, written by a diverse range of artists, reflect on and respond to the turbulent recent history not only in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, but also more globally. They will help us determine how people express their most urgent challenges and how these texts participate in public debates. 

The course introduces students to the joys and challenges of reading short German fictional and non-fictional texts of various genres from three centuries, including fairy tales, aphorisms, short stories, novellas, tweets, essays, and newspaper articles. We will read slowly and with an eye to grammar and vocabulary building, while also concentrating on developing an understanding of German cultural history. Texts and class discussions will be in German.

In this course, we will explore literature and art of German-speaking countries around the topics of gender and sex(uality). We will focus on the years between 1880 and 1920, but also venture into more recent times. What was the image of men and women at the time and how did these images change or remain the same? How did science factor into these images? What was/is considered “normal” when it comes to sex(uality) and gender, and what German-speaking voices have been pushing against those norms? How did these voices use literature and art to reflect or criticize such norms? Texts and class discussions will be in English. 

Germany is a recognized worldwide leader in environmental movements thanks to the nuclear power phase-out, the renewable energy transition, and the rise of the Green Party. Similarly, there is a long aesthetic tradition depicting nature and the nonhuman world in German-language literature and poetry. In this course, conducted in English, we will trace the development of contemporary Germany’s environmental practices through its literary and cultural legacy by reading and analyzing texts from established writers and thinkers. We will connect these literary and historic roots to contemporary environmental issues, look at successful protest movements, and explore Germany as a model for environmental initiatives and engaged citizenship around the globe.

Many people are familiar with the fairy tales collected and published by the Brothers Grimm and have seen iterations of such stories in animated Disney films and live-action reboots. In this class, taught in English, we will critically examine folktales, consider their role in shaping societal standards and how they spread specific values across cultures. We will study the origins of Grimms’ fairy tales before discussing their larger role across media and cultures. Our study of traditional German fairy tales will be informed by contemporary theoretical approaches including feminist theory, ecocriticism, psychology, and animal studies.

In this course, offered in conjunction with the Christopher Light Lectureship, we will familiarize ourselves with the work of contemporary German author Fatma Aydemir, focussing particularly on her publications that deal with questions of migration and Heimat. We will read and discuss several fictional and nonfictional texts, participate in a creative nonfiction workshop and other events with Aydemir herself, and exhibit final projects at a public event.

Vergangenheitsbewältigung is the German word for reconciling the past; it is a process that has shaped collective memory in Germany and other European countries since the end of the Holocaust and World War II. Berlin in particular has been formed by its difficult history and memories, the traces of which are visible in the city today. In this class, we will examine the relationship between history, memory, and collective identity in Germany. How are narratives of the past preserved in the present? Which stories are told, which are left out, and who makes these decisions? How does the geography of a city interact with its history? How do memorials impact public space? In addition to analyzing fiction, essays, and visual culture, we will also confront this topic through several field trips and walks in Berlin.

How is your identity connected to a certain place? And what happens when you leave that place, either voluntarily or out of necessity? In this course, we will learn about migration in German-speaking countries by reading historical and contemporary texts and researching policies on asylum and migration. We will critically examine concepts of the nation and nationality in historical contexts, learn about artists in exile, and encounter contemporary perspectives on migration in Europe. Course activities will include several site visits in Berlin. By reading and analyzing texts by Hannah Arendt, Bertolt Brecht, Anna Seghers, Ilse Aichinger, Paul Celan, May Ayim, Emine Sevgi Özdamar, Yoko Tawada, and Fatma Aydemir among many others, we will become mindful readers of different literary genres and craft thoughtful analyses on topics connected to migration.

Are natural disasters ever really natural? In this course, taught in German, we will read works of literature and poetry that portray disaster. Focusing on disaster as the site of interaction between humans and the environment, we will explore and discuss the impact of modern technology, contemporary environmental issues, and the concept of disaster in the shadow of war. Thinking in terms of environmental justice, we will also consider who is impacted by such disasters and in what ways. We will read various genres of literature including works by Hoffmann, Frisch, Wolf, Haushofer and Maron among many others.

“…many will say: even 1920 is not so horrible. This is how it is: the human being is a machine, culture is in shreds, education is arrogance, spirit is brutality, stupidity is the norm, and the military is sovereign” (Adolf Behne, reporting on a Dada art exhibit). In this class, taught in German, students examine cultural products and visual media of and about the Weimar Republic to understand a critical time in German history and explore how art has been used to cope with societal turbulence. Offered at both the 200 and 300 levels; coursework will be adjusted accordingly.

This course is designed for students with advanced proficiency in German, who wish to extend their knowledge of German language and culture through reading, discussions, and writing. Students will work on developing the ability to articulate opinions, exchange substantive information and to argue points of view; honing analytic and interpretive writing skills; and expanding their linguistic toolkit. The class format features discussions with grammar exercises interspersed as needed.

What was life like under “actually existing socialism?” What films, books, music, and other media did people in the German Democratic Republic (or East Germany) consume and how did they cope with their country’s dictatorship? How can the experiences of people—particularly women—living in the GDR provide useful context for contemporary socio-political issues in the United States and beyond? We will discuss topics such as gender equality, education, health care, and queer life in the GDR. Taught in German.

In this course, taught in German, students explore nonhuman figures in literature and film. How do authors and filmmakers depict monsters, robots, cyborgs, and other nonhumans? And what do these figures reveal about what makes us human? By tracing the boundaries of the human through notable texts, we consider the cultural, psychological, and technological implications of these almost-human figures. Selected works include texts by E. T. A. Hoffmann, Franz Kafka, Sharon Dodua Otoo and films by Fritz Lang and F. W. Murnau.

We all know the story: Faust sells his soul to the devil. It does change over time though: once for 24 years of magic, then for knowledge, also for bliss. From the first Faust book via Christopher Marlowe’s play, to Goethe’s masterpiece and Thomas Mann’s novel, all the way to contemporary film and even Homer Simpson selling his soul for a donut, what is at stake in the Faust legend? Just what is the soul? Via the figure of Faust, how can we understand key periods and works in German-language literature, film, and thought throughout the ages? Taught in German.

How is your identity connected to a certain place? And what happens when you leave that place, either voluntarily or out of necessity? In this course, we will learn about migration in German-speaking countries by reading historical and contemporary texts and researching policies on asylum and migration. We will critically examine concepts of the nation and nationality in historical contexts, learn about artists in exile, and encounter contemporary perspectives on migration in Europe. Course activities will include several site visits in Berlin. By reading and analyzing texts by Hannah Arendt, Bertolt Brecht, Anna Seghers, Ilse Aichinger, Paul Celan, May Ayim, Emine Sevgi Özdamar, Yoko Tawada, and Fatma Aydemir among many others, we will become mindful readers of different literary genres and craft thoughtful analyses on topics connected to migration.

“…many will say: even 1920 is not so horrible. This is how it is: the human being is a machine, culture is in shreds, education is arrogance, spirit is brutality, stupidity is the norm, and the military is sovereign” (Adolf Behne, reporting on a Dada art exhibit). In this class, taught in German, students examine cultural products and visual media of and about the Weimar Republic to understand a critical time in German history and explore how art has been used to cope with societal turbulence. Offered at both the 200 and 300 levels; coursework will be adjusted accordingly.