German (GERM)
German Undergraduate Courses
GERM 1010 WHY LANGUAGES MATTER: REPRESENTATIONS OF LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY IN THE US MEDIA (3 credits)
Delivered in English, this course introduces students to diversity in the US using language in context as points of departure. In this course, we analyze the intersection between language and ideological constructions (e.g., the objectification of Latino women, discrimination and stereotypes toward Asian peoples) and examine nodes of social meaning through visual and audio representations of language, as consumed in music, tv series, art (e.g., street art, installations) and social media. Departing from a US-centric and an assimilative approach, the course provides a historical and geographic lens through which these languages exist in the United States. (Cross-listed with WLL 1000, FREN 1010, JAPN 1020, SPAN 1010).
Distribution: Humanities and Fine Arts General Education course and U.S. Diversity General Education course
GERM 1110 ELEMENTARY GERMAN I (5 credits)
Elementary German I emphasizes the mastery of all four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) and introduces cultural issues from the German-speaking world.
Distribution: Global Diversity General Education course and Humanities and Fine Arts General Education course
GERM 1120 ELEMENTARY GERMAN II (5 credits)
German 1120 is the second course in the 16-hour Arts and Sciences Foreign Language requirement. It is communicative in approach and emphasizes the mastery of all language skills including speaking, listening, reading, and writing. It also includes a cultural component.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 1110 with a grade of C- or better, or placement by department diagnostic exam. Department permission is needed for transfer credit.
GERM 2110 INTERMEDIATE GERMAN I (3 credits)
German 2110 is the third course in the 16-hour Arts and Sciences Foreign Language requirement. It is communicative in approach and emphasizes the mastery of all language skills including speaking, listening, reading, and writing. It also includes a cultural component.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 1120 with a grade of C- or better, or placement by department diagnostic exam. Department permission is needed for transfer credit.
GERM 2120 INTERMEDIATE GERMAN II (3 credits)
German 2120 is the fourth course in the 16-hour Arts and Sciences Foreign Language requirement. It is communicative in approach and emphasizes the mastery of all language skills including speaking, listening, reading, and writing. It includes a culture component.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 2110 with a grade of C- or better, or placement by department diagnostic exam. Department permission is needed for transfer credit.
GERM 3030 GERMAN CONVERSATION (3 credits)
This course focuses on improving students' oral production of German including improvements to pronunciation, fluidity, and vocabulary.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 2120 or placement by Department of Foreign Languages diagnostic examination, or permission from instructor.
GERM 3040 GERMAN GRAMMAR & COMPOSITION (3 credits)
The course will review previously studied grammar topics in the German language, as well as cover more advanced grammar points that are essential for expressing complex ideas. It will focus on writing strategies for writing in a foreign language, for developing a descriptive essay and a narrative.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 2120, placement by Department of Foreign Languages diagnostic examination, or departmental permission.
GERM 3060 READINGS IN GERMAN (3 credits)
This course aims to increase students' fluency in reading and to develop comprehension skills that will help them in advanced language studies. The course will also enrich students' vocabulary through the use of a variety of primary sources; many genres will be sampled.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 2120; Not open to non-degree graduate students
GERM 3190 LISTENING COMPREHENSION (3 credits)
Students will strengthen their listening comprehension skills in a wide variety of genres.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 2120 or placement into the 3000-level in German or permission from the instructor
GERM 3250 CONTEMPORARY CULTURE IN GERMAN SPEAKING COUNTRIES (3 credits)
In this course students will learn about the political, social, economic, and aesthetic life in German-speaking countries.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 2120 with a grade of C- or better, placement by department diagnostic exam, or instructor permission. Department permission is needed for transfer credit.
GERM 3370 GERMAN HISTORY FROM THE BEGINNINGS UNTIL THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD (3 credits)
This course covers history, art, architecture, customs, and philosophy of central Europe and the German-speaking world from prehistory until the early 18th century.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 2120 or permission.
GERM 3380 GERMAN HISTORY FROM THE ENLIGHTENMENT TO THE PRESENT (3 credits)
This course will cover the history, art, architecture, customs, and philosophy of central Europe and the German-speaking world from the Enlightenment until the present.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 2120 or permission.
GERM 3580 GERMAN FOR PROFESSIONAL LIFE (3 credits)
This course focuses upon the development of German language skills and concomitant cultural awareness that can be utilized to conduct oneself appropriately in professional situations in German-speaking countries.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 2120 or the equivalent.
GERM 3650 INTRODUCTION TO GERMAN FILM (3 credits)
This course introduces students to seminal works in the history of German film.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 2120 or by permission.
GERM 4040 ADVANCED COMPOSITION AND STYLISTICS (3 credits)
In this capstone course, required for the completion of the major, learners will explore and practice advanced grammatical structures, write compositions in a variety of genres, and familiarize themselves with advanced stylistics.
Prerequisite(s): Last two semesters of the major or permission of the department. Not open to non-degree graduate students.
Distribution: Writing in the Discipline Single Course
GERM 4150 INTRODUCTION TO GERMAN LITERATURE (3 credits)
Introduction to the history of literature of Germany, Austria, and German-speaking Switzerland. Students will read selections from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 3060 or instructor permission.
GERM 4160 BLACK GERMANY: PEOPLE AND CULTURE (3 credits)
The course addresses fiction, film, photography, music and journalism to dive into Black people's contribution to German culture. From the formation of a Black community in imperial Germany, to the African American GI's role in postwar democratization process, the artistic output of so-called "occupation babies" born in the wake of WWII, to contemporary artists who continue to expand and refine German culture. The African Diaspora in Germany is a rich field to expand our notion of global connectedness and cultural identity, while taking a deep dive into contemporary German culture and social developments. (Cross-listed with GERM 8166).
GERM 4210 TRANSLATING GERMAN (3 credits)
Students learn basic translation theory and techniques from the German to the English language.
GERM 4220 THE STRUCTURE OF GERMAN (3 credits)
A survey of the linguistic structure of modern German, including phonology, morphology, and syntax. (Cross-listed with GERM 8226).
Prerequisite(s): GERM 3040 and GERM 4610, or permission of instructor.
GERM 4900 INDEPENDENT STUDY (1-3 credits)
This is a course in which an individual student or a small group of students complete specially planned readings in a well-defined field of study, carried out under the supervision of a member of the foreign language faculty. Designed primarily for the student who has need of work not currently available in the departmental offerings and who has demonstrated capability of working independently. May be repeated for credit once.
Prerequisite(s): GERM 2120 or placement by Department of Foreign Languages diagnostic examination, or permission from instructor.
GERM 4950 PRO-SEMINAR: LITERATURE AND/OR FILM (3 credits)
This course is dedicated to the study of a narrow field of the literature and/or cinema of the German-speaking world. (Cross-listed with GERM 8956).
GERM 4960 PRO-SEMINAR: SOCIETY AND CULTURE (3 credits)
This course will address a narrow field of study of the civilization, history, film, contemporary culture, art, politics, and/or cultural studies of the German-speaking world. (Cross-listed with GERM 8966).
GERM 4970 PRO-SEMINAR: LINGUISTICS AND LANGUAGE FOR THE PROFESSIONS (3 credits)
This course will address a narrow field of study of linguistics, translation/interpretation or the professional language of the German-speaking world. (Cross-listed with GERM 8976).