German at Rutgers-Camden: Course Descriptions

Elementary German (50:470:101 and 102).

Requires two lab sections: chose one from each of 50:470:103 and 104.

This is the basic introduction to the German language. It provides crucial communicative skills and a solid foundation for further study in German, as well as an introduction to German culture.

Elementary German assumes no prior knowledge of German, no prior experience with another foreign language, and no knowledge of grammar terminology. It is for beginners, or students who had no more than two years of German in high school.

If you have had some German before, and are not sure which course you should take, see http://www.camden.rutgers.edu/dept-pages/german/whichcourse.html#highschool, or get in touch with us.
 

Intermediate German (50:470:131 and 132).

Requires one lab section (50:470:134).

The course provides a complete review of German grammar. In addition, reading texts are discussed in German. Fifteen to twenty minutes in each meeting are reserved for conversation about any topic that comes up. This prepares students for the next higher course, Conversation and Composition. Students who have had two or more years of high school German should normally enroll in this course.

German Conversation and Composition (50:470:203 and 204)

Conducted completely in German, this course covers material about everyday life. In addition, political events, literature, and a wide variety of topics are discussed.
 

Advanced Grammar and Stylistics (50:470:301)

All things you didn’t learn in Elementary and Intermediate German, plus a review of all the things you were supposed to learn but didn’t, this course includes an introduction to phonetics, and brief introductions to the history and the dialects of German, as well as a comprehensive review of German grammar. It is an essential course for German majors, and anyone interested in developing an advanced proficiency in the language.

Survival German (50:470:392)

Partially satisfies the Rutgers Camden foreign language requirement. Intense conversation course. Assumes no prior knowledge of German, but may be usefully taken by students who know some German as well as by raw beginners. Sample topics to be covered include: pronunciation tips, menus and ordering food, numbers, telling time, money, asking directions to a particular site such as a hotel or railroad station, arranging for a room or buying a railroad ticket, and situational exchanges for the more advanced student. For more information or registration materials, contact the Winterim Office at (856) 225-6098 or visit the website: http://winterim.camden.rutgers.edu.

German Literature in English Translation (50:470:261): Fall 2002

Stories of knights and ladies, magic rings, mighty warriors, and heroic quests: no, this course does not study modern fantasy literature or Hollywood blockbusters, but German literature of the Middle Ages. Taught entirely in English, the course traces developments in literary history, and introduces students to some of the greatest works of German, indeed of European literature.

German Literature in English Translation (50:470:261 and 262)

General description:
Taught entirely in English, these courses provide a survey of German literature from the Middle Ages through the present. Balanced reading selections trace developments in literary history, and introduce students to the works of acclaimed German authors. In the fall semester, the course (261) generally focusses on earlier literature from the Middle Ages up into the early 19th century. In the spring, the course (262) generally focusses on more modern literature of the 19th and 20th centuries.
 

German Cinema in English Translation I: Beginnings through 1945

Course taught in English. Surveys the history and development of German cinema from the beginnings through the end of World War II. The course consists mainly of the viewing and discussion of selected films, including classics such as Nosferatu (the best Dracula movie) and M (the psycho-thriller starring Peter Lorre). Partially fulfills Rutgers Camden language requirement. Also counts towards the Film Studies minor.

German Cinema in English Translation II: 1945 to present

Course taught in English. Surveys the history and development of German cinema from the end of World War II to the present through the viewing and discussion of selected films. Includes a vareity of cinematic repsonses to the war and the Nazi past (The Tin Drum, The Boat), as well as the films of the "New German Cinema" and others. Partially fulfills Rutgers Camden language requirement. Also counts towards the Film Studies minor.

German 447: German Literature from 1850 to the present

This course will serve as an introduction to the study of German literature in German. Students will develop their reading, writing, speaking, and listening abilities in German, as well as learning something about the German literature of the later 19th and 20th centuries. The course is intended for students who have completed 470:132, Intermediate German, or the equivalent. It may be taken at the same time as 470:305, German Conversation and Composition. All German majors and minors who have completed Intermediate should take this course.

German 447 will begin with short, relatively simple readings, and proceed to longer and more difficult texts. The work of the course will consist of the readings, class discussions (in German, although English will be allowed when absolutely necessary), and a variety of written and oral assignments.

German 448: German Literature from 1850 to the present

Conducted entirely in German, this course will survey important writers of 20th-century German literature and the cultural and philosophical movements they represent.
 

ST: Expressionism

This course is a joint project of the programs in Art History and German. Expressionism, the Storm and Stress period of the twentieth century, will be discussed as a revolt against the art and literary establishment as well as against modern society and its values. The instructors will illuminate how the emotive character of the subject in the visual arts, especially color, is
stressed at the expense of its representational, photographic function. A similar approach will be used for literature. Students will discuss Expressionist poetry and plays and their interplay with representative examples from the visual arts, i.e. paintings, sculptures, archictecture. Furthermore, their will be a brief look at Expressionist film. Field trips to the Philadelphia Rodin Museum and the Guggenheim Museum in New York will be scheduled.

Individual Studies in German (50:470:353 and 493)

Advanced individual study of predetermined topic. Normally limited to German majors with junior or senior standing. By permission only.

Readings in Special Fields (50:470:458)

Advanced independent study of predetermined topic. Normally limited to German majors with junior or senior standing. By permission only.

Honors in German (50:470:495)

For senior German majors writing honors theses. By permission only.
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