First-year Courses
German 110 and 120: Elementary German
Language learning goals: the acquisition of the vocabulary and grammatical structures necessary to
- ask and answer a wide variety of questions in German
- express simple thoughts and ideas in short conversations
- converse on a variety of everyday topics such as hobbies, personal interests, and college life
- read a variety of short German texts for basic content
Cultural learning goals: Familiarity with basic information about contemporary Germany, including the educational system, leisure activities, family life, food, tourism, social questions, etc.
Second-year Courses
German 210: Intermediate Composition and Conversation
The learning goals of this content-based language skills course include
- build student mastery of German grammar through systematic review of important forms and concepts in the language
- increase significantly students' active and passive German vocabulary
- promote acquisition of more in-depth and specific geographical, historical, social, and political insights concerning the German people and their culture
German 230: Masterpieces of German Cultural History
This hybrid (culture and language-skills) course seeks to
- introduce students to a broad sampling of the rich German cultural tradition in art, architecture, music, film and literature
- furnish students with historical, social, political, and philosophical insights which will enrich their appreciation and enjoyment of German culture
- continue student progress in mastering the four basic skills, with a special focus on vocabulary growth and writing skills
- address random grammatical difficulties normally encountered at the fourth-semester level
Third- and Fourth-year Courses
German 310: Advanced Composition and Conversation
Learning goals:
- promote mastery of German idioms and turns of speech
- increase understanding of fine semantic distinctions in the language
- raise students' confidence in their ability to present content orally in the target language
- improve writing skills and grammatical and semantic accuracy
German 320 and 330: Survey of German Literature and Civilization, Parts I and II
Learning goals:
- foster understanding and appreciation of a broad sampling of German Literature
- provide students with specific historical, social, political, and aesthetic insights and background information which will enrich their understanding of German culture in general
- help students gain an overview of the major periods of German cultural history
- furnish students with new analytical and research tools for the study of German literature
German 365: German Poetry and Short Prose
Learning goals:
- to increase the student's understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of German literature, and hopefully of literature in general
- to introduce the student to a broad range of historical and contemporary German authors
- to add to and hone the student's analytical and research tools for the study of German literature
- to examine and discuss the thought-provoking philosophical, ethical and political questions raised by the works read
- to improve the student's ability to express himself or herself, in oral and written form, on complicated issues
- to enlarge the student's German vocabulary, with a specific focus on passive recognition of words used in a poetic context
German 395: Contemporary German Civilization
Learning goals:
- acquisition of an overview of historical events in Germany from WWI to the present
- rudimentary understanding of key societal institutions in Germany (from the fields of education, economics, the media, politics,religion, the environment, and daily life)
- mastery of the German vocabulary needed to deal with these concepts
German 420: Senior Seminar in German Literary History (open only to senior German majors)
The learning goals of this senior-level course include
- acquiring a thorough overview of German political and cultural history up to reunification
- reviewing key concepts used in literary analysis
- formulating an overview of key literary epochs, with a special focus on those which have hitherto received little attention in the students' other coursework
German 490: German Culture through Film
Learning goals:
- acquire an increased understanding of 20th century German history and culture through a focused, structured examination of German cinema
- become more critical and aware viewers of German film
- improve our ability to speak and write about film in German