COURSE SCHEDULE

Spring 2008

Elementary & Intermediate Language Courses

Advanced German Language, Literature and Culture Courses

Level 1

Level 2

Courses in German Literature & Civilization
Conducted in English

Elementary and Intermediate German

GERMN 101 Elementary German I 3hrs, 3crs.
NOT CREDITED WITHOUT GERMN 102.

This course is intended for students with no prior knowledge of German.  Basic skills of speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension are taught with a strong emphasis on active student participation.

GERMN 102 Elementary German II 3hrs, 3crs.
Prereq: GERMN 101 or equivalent.

This course continues the work of GERMN 101, practicing the four basic language skills.

GERMN 103 Intensive Elementary German I & II 6hrs, 6crs.

This course is intended for students with no prior knowledge of German.  It covers in ONE semester the material normally covered in two semesters, in GERMN 101 and GERMN 102.  Basic skills of speaking, reading, writing and comprehension are taught with a strong emphasis on active student participation.  The class meets FOUR evenings a week and involves a considerable investment of time.  If you have questions, please consult the Chair of the Department about this accelerated course.

GERMN 201 Intermediate German I 3hrs, 3crs.
Prereq: GERMN 102 or 103 or equivalent.

Continued instruction in the four basic language skills. Introduction of advanced grammatical forms and review of elementary grammar. Reading and discussion of selected German writings. Continued practice in conversation and composition.

GERMN 202 Intermediate German II 3hrs, 3crs.
Prereq: GERMN 201 or equivalent.

Students at this level will normally be tested by both written and oral examination. Continued instruction in the four basic language skills.  Reading and discussion of selected literary texts.  Completion of this course fulfills the Hunter College foreign language requirement. 

GERMN 203 Intensive Intermediate German I & II 6hrs, 6crs.
Prereq:  GERMN 102 or 103 or equivalent.

This course covers in ONE semester the material normally covered in TWO semesters, in GERMN 201 and GERMN 202.  Instruction in the four basic skills is continued.  Advanced grammatical forms are introduced.  Selected literary texts are read and discussed.  The class involves a considerable investment of time.  If you have any questions, please consult the Chair of the Department about this accelerated course.

ADVANCED GERMAN COURSES

The advanced German courses are divided into two levels.  We expect students to take several courses at Level One before proceeding to Level Two.  If you are in any doubt which course you should take, please consult the chairperson of the Department or a departmental advisor.  All courses are conducted in German.

Language, Literature and Culture

Level I

These courses are intended for students who have recently completed GERMN 202 or 203 and/or GERMN 301.  They are not intended for native speakers of German.

GERMN 302 Advanced German Conversation & Composition 3hrs, 3crs.
Prereq:  GERMN 202 or 203 or equivalent.  GER 3/A 

The course is designed to develop the conversational and compositional skills.  There will be intensive practice to contemporary spoken and written German with emphasis on vocabulary and idiom, and on active mastery of grammatical forms.  Taped material will be used to strengthen comprehension skills.  Regular preparation in writing is required for group work and class dialogues.  The course prepares the students to take the examination Zertifikat Deutsch **, the professional certificate of basic language competence administered by the Goethe Institute.  ** Fees charged by outside examining agencies will be announced to students at the beginning of the term.

GERMN 320.28 Post-Feminism since the 90s in German Literature & Film 3hrs, 3crs.
Prereq:  GERMN 202 or 203 or equivalent. GER 3/A , P&D/C
The course will fulfill the P&D requirement Category C, gender or sexual orientation.

In this course, we will read women’s literature that was published since the mid-eighties after the heyday of feminism in Germany.  We will examine to what extent the female aesthetic has changed since its beginnings in the highly political early seventies.  Today’s female bestseller literature written by authors such as Eva Heller and Claudia Schreiber has lost much of its radical feminist vigor by setting a new humorous and ironic tone.  We will also view some literary film adaptations of women’s novels. 

This Level I literature course is designed for students who have just fulfilled their foreign language requirement and decided to go on with German.  Since the course is entirely taught in German, the focus will on close reading of the texts.  We shall try to build up the vocabulary and modes of expression needed for this kind of discourse.  There will be three short writing assignments, a midterm and a final examination.

GERMN 335 German Radio Plays ( Hörspiel) 3hrs, 3crs.
Prereq:  GERMN 202 or 203 or equivalent.  GER 3/A, PD/D

German Radio Plays (Hörspiele) are often of a high literary quality.  Well-known authors such as Heinrich Boll, Max Frisch and Siegfried Lenz have written them.  We will study Hörspiele by a large number of German authors.

The primary aim of the course is to develop students’ listening  comprehension.  Secondary stress will be placed on speaking ability.  In class, we will all listen to a German radio play and afterwards, we will discuss it together.  Students will have access to the audio files of the assigned Hörspiele in the Chanin Center, on BlackBoard or as podcasts.  After having listened to a radio play, students will be given a copy of the written text.  There will be writing assignments as well as exams.

Level II

LEVEL II  LITERATURE & LANGUAGE

The following courses are intended for advanced students who have taken a number of 300 level German language and literature courses and who may be interested in going on to graduate school or to use the German language in other ways professionally.   They are thus regarded as “bridge course” helping students to move to the highest levels of the undergraduate program and beyond.

GERMN 313 Advanced Business German 3hrs, 3crs.
Prereq:  GERMN 312 or permission of instructor GER 3/A
 
This course is not intended for native speakers of German.

This course is a continuation of the introductory course GERMN 312, Beginning Business German  (see comment below).  We will work simultaneously on increasing the language needed in a business context and learning about business administration in Germany.  We will also look at Germany, as an important player in today’s world economy.  Topics to be covered will include, among others, the relationship of business to the overall economy, structures of companies and corporations, employer/employee relationship, (unions), international management, international marketing, international trade shows and fairs.   We will work with the different skills, speaking, listening, reading, and writing, as well as building up cross-cultural awareness.   A CD ROM accompanies the textbook.  It contains “Hörtexte” as well as different types of exercises.   It is designed for students to work with the materials independently.

The prerequisite for the course is GERMN 312 or the permission of the instructor.  Students interested in taking the course who do not meet this prerequisite should contact Professor  Lisa Anderson to arrange for, if necessary, a placement interview.  Please call the German Department at 212 772-4980 or send a Email to
lisa.anderson@hunter.cuny.edu    There will be a midterm and final exam in addition to written assignments.  This class will be conducted in German.

GERMN  347 German Literature 1945-1995 3hrs, 3crs.
Prereq:  One course numbered from GERMN 320 to 359 or 444 or equivalent. GER 3/A, PD/D.

This class is meant to give an introduction to German Literature between 1945 and the 1990’s.  We will read five medium length works that are representative for their time and/or genre and are accessible in their linguistic and cultural presuppositions.

List of works will be:  Borchert, Draussen vor der Tür (Drama, 1947), Andersch, Sansibar oder der letzte Grund (Roman, 1957), Böll, Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum (Novelle, 1973), Walser, Ein fliehendes Pferd (Novelle, 1978), Schlink, Der Vorleser (Roman, 1996).

We will alternate the reading of the longer works with short stories and/or poems.  This should give students more time to read the longer works and also alternate reading extensively and intensively.  You are asked to present a book report (in German) to the class in which you inform the class about one other work in German literature from this period.  The book report must be discussed with your instructor before you can present it in class.

Writing assignments will be geared to students’ writing ability.  Some of you may be asked to hand in ten short compositions (1-2) pages, other will be asked for two longer papers (5-10 pages in addition to one book report).

GERMAN LITERATURE IN ENGLISH TRANSLATION

ALL READINGS, DISCUSSION, AND WRITTEN WORK WILL BE IN ENGLISH 

GERMN 241 German Fairy Tales  “W” 3hrs, 3crs.
Prereq or co-req:  Engl 120, GER 2/C   PD/D