German Department 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. But Elementary German is
more than just a language course. It also addresses questions such as "how
does the brain process language? how do we learn languages? how do languages
differ? how do languages vary and change?" Elementary German can teach
you a lot about language, and the more you know about language, the more
you know about what it means to be human
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 had more German, but it's been a while, or you don't
think you're ready for anything more advanced, go here,
and if you're still not sure, talk to us, or email us at
germanca@crab.rutgers.edu.
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.
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
and 262)
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 Literature in English Translation: Freshman
Seminar (50:470:261 and 262)
Descriptive title: Modes of Literary meaning
In this course, we will read and study important literary works from
several eras of German
literature, with a special focus on understanding different modes of
literary meaning, such as
allegory, symbol, irony, and “Kafkaism.”
The work will consist of readings, reading quizzes, discussions, one
or two short oral
presentations, and writing assignments of various lengths, culminating
in a term paper at the end
of the semester.
The course will, of course, be taught entirely in English; no prior
knowledge of German nor of
literary studies will be needed.
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.
ST: 1000 Years of German Art.
Cross-listed with 082:488; may be used to fulfill either the foreign language
or the fine arts requirement (but not both); register for 470:391 if you
want to use the course as a German course. Also counts towards German major
or minor requirements.
Introduction to the history of German architecture, sculpture, and painting
from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Analysis of major stylistic developments
and principal artists. Special focus on German art criticism and the aesthetic
theories of German Classicism, Romanticism, Realism, Jugendstil, and Expressionism.
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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