Fall 2004 Course Guide

• Advising
• Programs in German
• Freshman Seminars
• Language Courses
• Business German
• Literature and Culture
• Courses Taught in English
• Graduate Seminars
• CGS Courses
• Yiddish Courses
• Dutch Courses
• Swedish Courses
• Freshman Seminars
• Recommended Courses for German Studies Majors

 

German Programs

• Major in German: Choose from a wide variety of courses in language, applied language, culture, literature, and history. You can be confident that you will leave our program fluent in the language and at ease in the cultures and traditions of the German speaking countries
• Major in German Studies: This versatile program offers you fluency in the language, culture, and literature, in addition to enabling you to select five courses related to your German interests in other School of Arts and Science departments. An efficient way to double major and to prepare for graduate school or an international career.
• Double Major in German and Your Major of Choice: You are already in the Wharton School, International Relations, Computer Science, History, or Political Science. If you want to make yourself really competitive, then consider adding German as a double major. This could be just the edge you need.
• Minor in German: You have satisfied your language requirement, but elect to keep up your German with some advanced language courses. To obtain a minor only requires 6 credits beyond GRMN 104 and most of your courses satisfy other college requirements.
• Certificate in German Language Study: Students can receive a Certificate by completing 3 courses taught in German in addition to passing proficiency. Students must receive a minimum of a B+ average in the three courses, and may not take the courses on a pass/fail basis.
• Most of these options can readily be combined with Penn’s study abroad programs in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich. Do not forget these programs afford you Penn credit for the courses that you take. You will satisfy courses in your major, double major or minor as you become more fluent in the Germanic language via total immersion in two of Europe’s most exciting cities.
  

 

Freshman Seminars

GRMN 010 Translating Cultures: Literature on and in Translation
301 TR 10:30-12 Hellerstein

"Languages are not strangers to one another," writes the great critic and translator Walter Benjamin. Yet two people who speak different languages have a difficult time talking to one another, unless they both know a third, common language or can find someone who knows both their languages to translate what they want to say. Without translation, most of us would not be able to read the Bible or Homer, the foundations of Western culture. Americans wouldn't know much about the cultures of Europe, China, Africa, South America, and the Middle East. And people who live in or come from these places would not know much about American culture. Without translation, Americans would not know much about the diversity of cultures within America. The very fabric of our world
depends upon translation between people, between cultures, between texts.

With a diverse group of readings—autobiography, fiction, poetry, anthropology, and literary theory—this course will address some fundamental questions about translating language and culture. What does it mean to translate? How do we read a text in translation? What does it mean to live between two languages? Who is a translator? What are different kinds of literary and cultural translation? What are their principles and theories? Their assumptions and practices? Their
effects on and implications for the individual and the society?

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Language Courses

GRMN 101 (GRMN 501) Elementary German I
001 MTWRF 11-12 Belcher
002 MTWRF 12-1 Taylor
003 MTWRF 3-4 Lutz
Introduction to the basic elements of spoken and written German, with emphasis placed on the acquisition of communication skills. Readings and discussion focus on cultural differences.

GRMN 102 (GRMN 502) Elementary German II
001 MTWRF 11-12 Staff
002 MTWRF 12-1 Staff
A continuation of GRMN 101. The student's expression and comprehension are expanded through the study of literature and social themes.

GRMN 103 (GRMN 503) Intermediate German I
001 MTRF 11-12 Kiehne
002 MTRF 12-1 Swope
003 MWTF 3-4 Schlichting-Artur
Modern German texts of moderate difficulty, an integrated grammar view, targeted study of vocabulary, and wide-ranging activities and projects to advance the student’s command of the language with regard to reading, writing, and speaking skills.


GRMN 104 (GRMN 504) Intermediate German II
001 MTHF 11-12 Pichugin
002 MTHF 12-1 Pichugin
Literary and non-literary texts of moderate difficulty.  Continued practice in active communication.  This course is designed to further develop and refine integrative skills of reading, writing, and speaking in German, as well as to prepare students for the Proficiency Examination in German and for advanced-level German courses.

GRMN 106 Accelerated Elementary German
001 MWF 10-11, TR 10:30-12 McCandless
An intensive two credit course in which two semesters of elementary German (GRMN 101 & 102) are completed in one. Introduction to the basic elements of spoken and written German, with emphasis placed on the acquisition of communication skills. Readings and discussions focus on cultural differences. Expression and comprehension are then expanded through the study of literature and social themes.

GRMN 180 German in Residence
301 TBA Belcher

GRMN 215 Conversation and Composition
Prerequisite(s): GRMN 104 or the equivalent. Required for the major, also carries credit for the minor in German.
001 MWF 12-1 Frei
002 MWF 11-12 Byrd
Emphasizes conversational and writing skills in German. Contemporary topics of interest will be selected for discussions, debates, presentations, and role-playing situations.

 Business German

GRMN 219 German Business World
Distribution I: Society
Foreign Languages Across Curriculum (FLAC)
Prerequisite(s): GRMN 215 or equivalent. No previous knowledge of economics or business required. Course taught in German.
001 MWF 12-1 Schlichting-Artur
This course offers you insights into the dynamics of Business German, while taking a macro approach. Examples of various course topics include: economic geography and its diversity, the changing role of the European Union, and the economic importance of national transportation and tourism. In addition, the course emphasizes the development of students' discourse competencies, Business German vocabulary and grammar. Course assignments include oral presentations on current events, class discussions, role-play, and collaborative group work. Class time will be utilized to practice speaking, answering questions, reviewing exercises and holding group discussions on various topics. Class participation is a key component of this course.

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Courses Taught in English

Adopting a broad but focused historical perspective, this course will examine the ways in which the individual has been theorized, represented, and understood across various countries and disciplines. Two professors--one from German, and one from French--will provide lectures and lead discussions on the position of the individual in specific historical and cultural contexts, beginning with the French revolution and ending with Freud and the psychoanalytic revolution.

GRMN 258 (FILM 258) German Cinema
401 MW 3-4:30 MacLeod
An introduction to the momentous history of German film, from its beginnings before World War One to developments following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and German reunification in 1990. With an eye to film's place in its historical and political context, the course will explore the "Golden Age" of German cinema in the Weimar Republic, when Berlin vied with Hollywood; the complex relationship between Nazi ideology and entertainment during the Third Reich; the fate of German film-makers in exile during the Hitler years; post-war film production in both West and East Germany; the call for an alternative to "Papa's Kino" and the rise of New German Cinema in the 1960s.


GRMN 262 Women in Jewish Literature
(JWST 162, WSTD 162)
Distribution III: Arts & Letters.
401 TR 3-4:30 Hellerstein
This course will introduce Penn students of literature, women's studies, and Jewish studies -- both undergraduates and graduates -- to the long tradition of women as readers, writers, and subjects in Jewish literature (in translation from Yiddish, Hebrew, and in English). By examining the interaction of culture, gender, and religion in a variety of literary works by Jewish authors, from the seventeenth century to the present, the course will argue for the importance of Jewish women's writing. Authors include Glikl of Hameln, Cynthia Ozick, Anzia Yezierska, Kadya Molodowsky, Esther Raab, Anne Frank, and others.

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Literature and Culture

GRMN 269 Intro to German Culture
Distribution III: Arts & Letters.
Foreign Languages Across Curriculum (FLAC)
Prerequisite(s): GRMN 104 or equivalent.
001 TR 12-1:30 Trommler
In this course, we examine and explore over a thousand years of cultural history of the German-speaking lands with an eye toward clarifying the key cultural knowledge shared by German speakers. From the Germanic tribes to the Holy Roman Empire and into the twentieth century, we examine what makes the German nations -- and peoples -- what they are today. We will pay attention both to mainstream tendencies as well as oppositional political and cultural movements. A special emphasis will be placed on cultural achievements such as literature, music, and architecture as well as on a basic understanding of the politics, economics and cultural formations of Switzerland, Austria and Germany in the 20th and 21st centuries. Speaking knowledge of German is required, but the course will include exercises for improving language skills and learning to discuss difficult cultural concepts in the target

GRMN 356 Crime and Detection
Distribution III: Arts & Letters
001 MW 3:00-4:30 Grozdanic
The detective story and the crime drama are time-honored genres of literature and popular culture. We are drawn to morbid scenes of violence and crime, and satisfied by the apprehension of criminals and their punishment. At the same time, the process of detection, of deciphering clues, is much like the process of reading and interpretation. In this course we will read a variety of detective and crime stories, some by famous authors (e.g., Droste-Hülshoff, Fontane, Handke), others by contemporary authors that address interesting aspects of German culture (e.g., Turkish-Germans, gay and lesbian subcultures, DDR and Wende). We will also look at episodes from popular West, East, and post-reunification German TV crime shows (e.g., Tatort).

GRMN 377 Germany and the European Union
Distribution I: Society.
Prerequisite(s): GRMN 215 or equivalent.
001 TR 10:30-12 Shields
As of January 1999, a single monetary system unites Germany, a core nation, with 10 other European states, thus making their union stronger than ever before. This course provides an overview of the political and economic developments as they relate to the integration of postwar Europe, focusing on Germany's role in these developments. Studying content-rich reading materials, the course explores historical-political, social, economic, and cultural issues that are imperative to Germany's success in these developments as well as the European Community. Accompanying exercises will help students improve the level of complexity of their language skills.

GRMN 399 Independent Study
000 See department for section numbers Staff

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Graduate Seminars

GRMN 516 Teaching Methods
301 TR 9-10:30 Frei
This course examines major foreign language methodologies, introduces resources available to foreign language teachers, and addresses current issues and concerns of foreign language teaching and learning, such as second language acquisition theory and application of technology.

GRMN 531 German Literature to the 18th Century
301 MWF 10-11 Wiggin
Historical overview of authors, their works, genres, and epochs. Special attention to social, historical, cultural and religious backgrounds. Reading of selected works or passages.

GRMN 534 History of Literary Theory
401 T 2-5 Rabate
Is there a future to theory? And what is its past? The course will consider a selection of texts from Aristotle to Derrida to explore questions posed in regard to literature and the arts, its genres and its language. At the same time, it will test the relevance of these ideas for our work today. All readings and discussions will be in English.


GRMN 551 Kant's First Critique
(PHIL 465)
401 TR 1:30-3 Guyer


GRMN 580 Walter Benjamin: Art, Philosophy, Literature
401 T 2-4 Weissberg
Taught in English


GRMN 582 Weimar Germany: Politics and Ideas
(PSCI 584)
401 M 2-5 Kennedy

GRMN 632 Romanticism
301 M 1-3 MacLeod
The course focuses both on the timely impact and the lasting contribution of Romanticism. Lectures cover the philosophical, intellectual, social, and political currents of the age. Authors: Schlegel, Wackenroder, Tieck, Brentano, Arnim, Novalis, Hoffmann, Kleist, Eichendorff.

GRMN 650 German Writers Confront the Nazi Past
301 R 2-4PM Braese
This course will explore the ways in which German writers ­ in West and East ­ have addressed the Nazi past in their works. It will lay out the moral, aesthetic, and generational parameters of writing about the Holocaust, its perpetrators and victims. It will also discuss the ambivalence between a determined confrontation with individual guilt and the tendencies of self-victimization that have received new impulses in recent years. The first part will feature works of the “first” generation of postwar writers such as Böll, Koeppen, Hochhuth, Weiss, Christa Wolf, and the testimonies of Ruth Klueger and Grete Weil. The
second part will include more recent debates about memory politics that have emerged with works by Bernhard Schlink, W.G. Sebald, and Günter Grass. A concluding discussion will attempt to ascertain the actual impact of literary works with this topic on public discourse in contemporary Germany. Conducted in German.

GRMN 990 Masters Thesis
000 see department for section numbers Staff

GRMN 995 Dissertation
000 see department for section numbers Staff

GRMN 999 Independent Study
000 see department for section numbers Staff

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CGS Courses

GRMN 101 (GRMN 501) Elementary German I
601 MW 6:30-8:45  Dixon
Introduction to the basic elements of spoken and written German, with emphasis placed on the acquisition of communication skills. Readings and discussion focus on cultural differences.

GRMN 103 (GRMN 503) Intermediate German I
601 MW 6:30-8:15 Ryan
Modern German texts of moderate difficulty and an integrated grammar review advance the student's command of the language.

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Yiddish Courses

GRMN 401(JWST 031) Beginning Yiddish I
Two Years Fulfills the Language Requirement.
401 TR 10:30-12 Botwinik
Yiddish, a 1000-year-old language, with a rich heritage. Learn the basic skills of reading, writing, and speaking Yiddish. Discover the treasures of Yiddish culture: songs, literature, folklore, and films.

GRMN 403 (JWST 033) Intermediate Yiddish I
Prerequisite(s): GRMN 402 or permission of the instructor.
401 TR 12-1:30 Hellerstein
The course will continue the first year's survey of Yiddish grammar with an additional emphasis on reading Yiddish texts. The course will also develop conversational skills in Yiddish.

GRMN 262 Women in Jewish Literature
(JWST 162, WSTD 162)
Distribution III: Arts & Letters.
401 TR 3-4:30 Hellerstein
This course will introduce Penn students of literature, women's studies, and Jewish studies -- both undergraduates and graduates -- to the long tradition of women as readers, writers, and subjects in Jewish literature (in translation from Yiddish, Hebrew, and in English). By examining the interaction of culture, gender, and religion in a variety of literary works by Jewish authors, from the seventeenth century to the present, the course will argue for the importance of Jewish women's writing. Authors include Glikl of Hameln, Cynthia Ozick, Anzia Yezierska, Kadya Molodowsky, Esther Raab, Anne Frank, and others.

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Dutch Courses/Studies

DTCH 101 Elementary Dutch I
4 01 MWF 12-1 Staff
A first semester language course covering the core Dutch grammar and vocabulary with the goal of providing the corner stone for developing overall linguistic proficiency in Dutch.

DTCH 230 (ARTH 261) Netherlandish Art
401 TR 10:30-12 Silver
Dutch and Flemish painting in the 15th century with special emphasis on the contributions of Robert Campin, Jan van Eyck and Roger van der Weyden.

DTCH 399 Independent Study
000 see department for section numbers Staff

DTCH 501 Elementary Dutch I
401 MWF 12-1 Staff
cross listed with DTCH 101

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Swedish Courses

SCND 103 (503) Intermediate Swedish I
401 MWF 11-12 Williams


SCND 399 Independent Study
000 TBA Staff

SCND 503 Intermediate Swedish I
401 MWF 11-12 Williams