GERMAN (GERM)

Develops the four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing) in a cultural context. In addition to mastering basic vocabulary and grammar, students will communicate in German about everyday topics. Students may not receive credit for both GERM 105 and GERM 101 or 102. Honors version available.

This continuation of GERM 101 emphasizes speaking, listening, reading, writing in a cultural context. Students enhance their basic vocabulary and grammar and will regularly communicate in German about everyday topics. Students may not receive credit for both GERM 105 and GERM 101 or 102. Honors version available.

Students acquire necessary materials and opportunities to develop further their language skills in a cultural context. They review and expand upon the basic grammar covered in beginning German. Students may not receive credit for both GERM 206 and GERM 203 or GERM 204. Honors version available.

Emphasizes further development of the four language skills (speaking, reading, writing, listening) within a cultural context. Discussions focus on modern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in literature and film. Students may not receive credit for both GERM 206 and GERM 203 or GERM 204. Honors version available.

Offers a historical perspective on the portrayal of medieval culture in film from the 1920s to today. Specific topics include the ideal hero, the quest, etiquette, chivalry, rituals, and love. Readings and discussions in English.

This course examines concepts that medieval texts utilize in order to articulate an understanding of human beings, their relations to others, their social, political, and religious worlds. Readings and discussions in English.

Examination of representations of the warrior culture of the Germanic-language areas of the Atlantic North (Germany, Scandinavia, Anglo-Saxon England) from the Gallic Wars under Julius Caesar (58--50 BCE) through the Migration Age (ca. 300--600 CE). Readings and class discussions in English. Students may not receive credit for both GERM 215 and GSLL 53.

This interdisciplinary course examines representations of women, concepts of gender, and women's participation in the economic, political, religious, and cultural life of the Middle Ages. Discussion and texts in English.

The Reformation was seminal for the development of the modern world. This course will investigate Reformation literature written in the period from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 17th century, and will investigate how Reformation ideas resonate through today. Readings and discussions in English.

This course introduces students to the most important authors of the Enlightenment and Romanticism, with a focus on the German philosophical and literary tradition. The course will focus on how these authors negotiated tensions between overwhelming affects and the demands of rationality: a problem of ethical, political, and personal importance with which we are still grappling. Readings and discussions in English.

An introduction to the writings of three great German writers of the 19th century who have had enormous impact on the lives of people around the world. Readings and discussions in English.

This course surveys the themes of madness and genius and their relation to music in German literature of the 19th and 20th century. Readings and class discussions in English. Prior knowledge of music is recommended but not required.

The idea of world literature was a German invention, proposed by Goethe to describe literature of universal importance for all of humanity. German thought, and German literature, in particular, remains an important component in this canon. This English-language literature course introduces newcomers to some highlights of German literature.

This seminar explores how German authors and film makers have grappled to come to terms with ecological crises from early Romanticism to the present. We will examine philosophical, literary, and cinematic investigations of natural and nuclear catastrophes, pollution, waste, mass extinction, and climate change. Students may not receive credit for both GERM 255 and GSLL 52.

This course examines the work of one or several film directors who went into exile during the Third Reich to discuss: How does the experience of exile influence film style? What are theories and histories of exile and exile cinema, and how do they relate to other approaches to film, via national film histories, genre, style, etc.? How does a biography of exile relate to so-called auteur theory? Readings and Discussions in English.

An examination of selected cinematic representations (both American and German) of Nazi Germany in terms of their aesthetic properties and propagandistic value. Films with English subtitles; readings and discussions in English.

Explores important German films of 1919 to 1933, locating them in their artistic, cultural, and historical context. Treats the contested course of Weimar film history and culture and provides a theoretically informed introduction to the study of film and visual materials. Films with English subtitles; readings and discussions in English.

We will explore the works of one or more German director(s). By watching a sample of a director's oeuvre over a significant period of time, students come to understand the director's arch, identify common threads in their films, and consider how his or her work relates to larger developments in German film history. Films with English subtitles; readings and discussions in English.

Introduction to feminist aesthetics and film theory by the examination of the representation of women in German cinema from expressionism to the present. All materials and discussions in English. Previously offered as GERM/WGST 250.

This course explores the major developments of German cinema. All films with English subtitles. Readings and discussions in English. Previously offered as GERM 275.

This course will explore artistic mediations of the Holocaust in literature, film, and beyond. It focuses on questions of representation, authenticity, appropriateness and uniqueness, the role of memory, the problems and limits of language in articulating the Shoah, and issues of trauma and justice. Readings and class discussions in English. Previously offered as GSLL 274.

In this course we will read a selection of texts and watch movies that cast a vigilant eye on the role the ideas of freedom, democracy, civil rights, neutrality, the humanitarian tradition, justice, capitalism as well as the notion of authenticity, acceptance, morality, or the alpine idyll have played in Switzerland's self-understanding and in its relationship with Europe and the world.

German drama has been fundamental to shaping the country's identity. Thus, what better way to learn about a culture and history than to engage with its dramatic texts and performance? Nevertheless, there are always nuances that can potentially get lost in translation when adapting a text from one language to another. What does a reader of the translation need to know in order to properly understand the play? Readings and discussions in English.

Considers fairy tales from several different national traditions and historical periods against the backdrop of folklore, literature, psychoanalysis, and the socializing forces directed at children. Students may not receive credit for both GERM 279/CMPL 279 and GSLL 54.

This course brings into dialogue key ideas from seminal German philosophers who anticipated, experienced, or survived the Great War, with contemporary works of German literature, film, and painting. Of concern are the ways philosophy's concepts and art's themes shaped both one another and the idea of war. Readings and discussions in English.

This course investigates how philosophical thought motivates, inspires, and generates forms of agency and identity against cultural tendencies that limit or erode freedom. Readings, lecture, and discussion in English.

By reading a few longer novels over the course of the semester, students will learn how to hone their critical thinking and reading skills, become familiar with a foreign culture, and consider how American culture is reflected back at them in these post-1960 German texts. Readings and discussions in English.

This class will introduce students to the latest translations of recent novels by both established and up-and-coming authors of the post-1989 German literary world. Readings and class discussions in English.

This course introduces students to philosophical, literary, and film texts engaging with the ethics of migration. How might the writings by and depictions of refugees throughout German history resonate with the current crisis? The course includes a service learning component, so that students gain experience working with local refugees and are able to use their practical experience to reflect on the theoretical discussions in class. Readings and discussions in English.

Examines selected themes in the history, culture, society, art, and/or literature of German-speaking countries. Readings and discussions in English.

Introduction to present-day German-speaking societies with an emphasis on practical contexts of everyday life (business, media, culture). The course initiates a sustained reflection on class, gender, race, and political economy and prepares students for studying and interning in German-speaking Europe. Further goals include improvement of pronunciation and the mastery of grammar.

Emphasis is on advanced communication and writing based on shorter readings from contemporary life and culture in German-speaking societies. The readings provide subject matter for in-class discussion and regular written compositions that explore a variety of practical genres (report, article, essay).

Readings, discussions, and essays in German. An appropriate conclusion to GERM 101-204, it also provides the background for more advanced undergraduate literature and culture courses.

An introduction to the language and culture of German business, commerce, and industry. Special emphasis is given to the acquisition of advanced business-related language skills. Course conducted in German.

GERM 304 recommended but not required. As a continuation of GERM 304 the course offers a more advanced treatment of the current German economic and business debates and events while further strengthening relevant German language skills. Course conducted in German.

This course provides a practical and theoretical introduction to translation from and into German. Translation practices will be discussed not only from a linguistic perspective, but also from a cultural and historical perspective.

The goal of this course is to enrich students' knowledge of German by giving them the opportunity to teach elementary German classes to high school students at a local partner school. In preparation for teaching, students will learn about current best practices in foreign language pedagogy by engaging with foundational texts from the discipline as well as from invited guest speakers. Students will also gain first-hand experience designing teaching materials and learning about curricular design.

Fools are everywhere. Human folly is one of the most distinctive preoccupations of German literature of the early modern period. This course will explore the multiple meanings of the German term "fool" in works from the 15th to the 18th century. Readings and discussions in German.

German literature from the Enlightenment to Romanticism. Readings include works by Lessing, Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, and the Romantics. Readings and lectures in German.

Investigation of the interconnectedness of turn-of-the-century arts, philosophy, psychoanalysis with focus on Berlin and Vienna. Works by Hauptmann, Wedekind, Schnitzler, Freud, Schoenberg, Hofmannsthal, Rilke, T. Mann. Readings and lectures in German.

Examines exciting new directions in German and Austrian cinema from the past 20 years. By analyzing weekly films, students develop skills in film analysis and criticism; read reviews, interviews, and film-theoretical texts; write a film review; and produce a critical essay. Readings and discussions in German. Students may not receive credit for both GERM 367 and 467.

Introduction to German intellectual history from the Enlightenment to the rise of fascism. Close readings and discussions of texts by Kant, Schiller, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, and Benjamin. Readings and lectures in German.

Famous novellas by authors such as Kleist, Brentano, Meyer, Keller, and Kafka, from the early 19th century to the middle of the 20th century. Readings and discussions in German.

German drama from the late Enlightenment to the present. Texts include plays by dramatists such as Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, Hauptmann, Brecht, and Dürrenmatt. Readings and lectures in German.

Survey of German lyric poetry from 18th to 21st century; major poets, forms, literary movements discussed. Readings, class discussions, and public recitation in German.

Students study German plays, write original monodramas, and give two public dramatic performances. Readings, discussions, rehearsals in German aim to enable critique of dramas and theoretical texts.

This course offers an introduction to the German-language literature and culture of Switzerland. Possible authors include: Jeremias Gotthelf, Gottfried Keller, Robert Walser, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Max Frisch, Christian Kracht.

Presents Austria from the Biedermeier period to the end of the monarchy. Readings of works by authors such as Stifter, Schnitzler, Roth, Freud, Herzl, who articulate artistic, political, historical themes. Readings and lectures in German.

Exploration of the rich cultural and turbulent political history of 20th-century Germany by focusing on the literature, film, art, and architecture produced in and about the city of Berlin. All materials and discussions in German.

Investigates literary and cinematic response to rise in terrorism in Germany since 1970. Focus on cultural and political significance of the gangster, the freedom fighter, and the terrorist. Readings and discussions in German.

Explores the practice in East Germany of adapting earlier literatures and setting contemporary narratives in distant times. East German authors used cultural heritage as a screen for utopian sentiments and for pursuing the relationships between everyday life, historical conditions, and political circumstances. Readings and discussions in German.

German texts from 1945 to the present trace the depth of fascist violence and its aftermath in German historical writing and identity. How have Germans positioned themselves toward their history over time? Does one understand oneself as perpetrator, victim, or both? Readings and discussions in German.

Students will learn about Turkish migration to Germany following WWII. Students will read texts written about Turkish guest workers, as well as first-hand accounts from guest workers and literary texts by Turkish artists of the first, second, and third generation. Readings and discussions in German.

Since 1989, writers born in the former Eastern Bloc have taken German literature by storm. We investigate this contemporary prose, exploring themes like homeland and diaspora, communism and capitalism, German history and the European Union.

Students may enroll only in conjunction with a German Department course offered in English that features an accompanying discussion section. All materials and discussions in German. May count toward the major or minor in German.

A recitation section for selected courses that promote foreign language proficiency across the curriculum (LAC). Readings and discussions in German. May count toward the major and minor in German.

Examines selected themes in the history, culture, society, art, and/or literature of German-speaking countries. Readings and discussions in German.

Special readings and research in a selected field or topic under the direction of a faculty member.

Review of basic and advanced grammatical structures. Course strengthens application of grammar in context for undergraduate and graduate students. Graduate students also work with grammar issues encountered in the foreign language classroom.

In GERM 410 we will strive to understand what the adjective 'medieval' entails and juxtapose it with notions of what it means to be modern. We will examine mostly German medieval works of art and literature and put them in dialogue with modern adaptations of the Middle Ages.

Lecture/discussion course on Viking culture, mythology, exploration, and extension of power in northern Europe (approx. 750-1050 CE) as represented in sagas, the Eddas, runic inscriptions, and chronicles. Readings and discussions in English. Previously offered as GERM 216.

This course explores the vibrant world of medieval and early modern performance and theater. Students will discover how religious and secular plays were a formative component of marking time and creating community through their integration into liturgical practice, with Jews performing Purim plays and Christians staging plays at Christmas, during Carnival and Lent, and Easter. They will encounter entire cities transformed into public spaces of performance, often political and for days at a time.

This course examines the historical conditions governing the emergence of radical thought in the nineteenth century with an emphasis on the German context. It will analyze some of the boldest thought experiments of the period--whether conservative or revolutionary, ideologically right or left--by following an intellectual itinerary from Hegel to Marx. We will then interrogate the consequences of this trajectory for contemporary theory and culture.

Investigation of the interconnectedness of turn-of-the-century arts, philosophy, and psychoanalysis with focus on Berlin and Vienna. Works by Hauptmann, Wedekind, Schnitzler, Freud, Schoenberg, Hofmannsthal, Hofmannsthal/Strauss, Rilke, and T. Mann. Class discussions and lectures in English Reading in English (German optional).

Explores Nietzsche on literature, and Hesse's and Mann's literary thematization of Nietzsche's philosophy. Emphasis on conceptions of character, myth, music, and language, and Nietzsche's cultural and moral critique and its reevaluation in light of the 20th century political crises. Taught in English; some readings in German for qualified students.

This course explores canonical German literary texts written between 1945 and 2000 that wrestle with the historical transformation of German guilt for world war and genocide into suffering and trauma.

Examines exciting new directions in German and Austrian cinema from the past 20 years. By analyzing weekly films, students develop skills in film analysis and criticism; read reviews, interviews, and film-theoretical texts; write a film review; and produce a critical essay. Films with English subtitles; readings and discussions in English. Students may not receive credit for both GERM 367 and 467. Previously offered as CMPL 267/GERM 267.

This English-language seminar introduces students to over 150 years of LGBTQ+ repression and liberation in German-speaking Europe, from the prohibition of same-sex acts in 1871 to the present, through the lens of German literature and film. Readings and class discussions in English. Previously offered as GERM 282.

This course aims to capture the spirit of the city as students engage in multiple texts from the 19th and 20th centuries representative of the city's literary, cultural, and visual history. The texts range from Theodor Fontane's bourgeoisie in Mitte to the Turkish-German minority in Kreuzberg. In addition to reading literary texts, students will also watch films and music videos, and discuss art and architecture.

Explores the practice in East Germany of adapting earlier literatures and setting contemporary narratives in distant times. East German authors used cultural heritage as a screen for utopian sentiments and for pursuing the relationships between everyday life, historical conditions, and political circumstances. Readings and discussions in English.

This course enables a student to earn a maximum of three credit hours for a faculty-supervised internship directly related to the study of German literature or culture, or that uses the German language in day-to-day conduct of business in a German-speaking environment.

Development of phonology and morphosyntax from ancient times to present. Political, social, and literary forces influencing the language.

LING 101 recommended for undergraduates. Introduction to formal analysis of German grammar (phonology, morphophonemics, prosodics, morphology, syntax) within the framework of generative grammar.

Permission of the instructor for undergraduates. Reading and linguistic analysis of Early New High German texts, with study of phonology, morphology, and syntax. On demand.

Permission of the instructor for undergraduates. Reading and linguistic analysis of Old High German texts, with study of phonology, morphology, and syntax; comparison of the various dialects with other older dialects of Germanic. On demand.

Permission of the instructor for undergraduates. Reading and linguistic study of biblical texts (Heliand, Genesis) in Old Saxon, with study of phonology, morphology, and syntax; comparison with Old English, Old High German, and other Germanic dialects. On demand.

Permission of the instructor for undergraduates. Reading and linguistic analysis of Old Norse (Old Icelandic) texts, with study of phonology, morphology, and syntax; comparison with other older dialects of Germanic. On demand.

Permission of the instructor for undergraduates. Continuation of GERM 514. On demand.

Permission of the instructor for undergraduates. Reading and linguistic analysis of Gothic biblical texts, with study of phonology, morphology, and syntax; comparison with other older dialects of Germanic. On demand.

LING 101 recommended for undergraduates. Study of stylistic theories and practices in literature and linguistics, analysis of a large variety of texts, written exercises, training in the use of stylistic devices.

LING 101 recommended for undergraduates. Major topics in sociolinguistics: development of the German language, traditional dialects, variation in contemporary speech, German as a minority language (Alsace, Belgium), German outside of Germany (Austria, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Liechtenstein).

LING 101 recommended for undergraduates. Special problems will be selected for intensive investigation. Subject matter of the course will be adapted to the particular interests of the students and instructor.

This course offers a survey of structuralist, poststructuralist, and posthumanist thought. It examines in particular how these forms of thought address the ethical, political, ecological, aesthetic and existential challenges of the present.

This research-intensive seminar for advanced undergraduates covers the history of the Frankfurt School and the scope of its theory for contemporary social, political, and cultural analysis. Taught in English; some readings in German for qualified students. Students must have junior or senior standing or have permission of the instructor. This 500-level course has no prerequisites. Because of the complexity of the texts, students should have at least sophomore and prior classroom experience with philosophical texts.

This course explores German-Jewish writing before and after the Holocaust, focusing on the social and political position of Jews as a minority in German-speaking countries and how those are manifest in their writing and relation to the German language. Previously offered as GERM 466/JWST 466.

This philosophical Approaches course investigates the rich European intellectual foundations on which 20th-century youth culture erected its triumvirate of sex, drugs, and rock music. Previously offered as GERM 280.

Intellectual history is the examination of ideas and thinkers as they emerge and become significant in particular cultural and historical contexts. This course will focus on German intellectuals and explore their ideas and concepts as a springboard for us to challenge our own frameworks of understanding. Taught in English.

In this course we will follow the narrative of one of the most recent cinematic explorations of the topic of time - the German Netflix series "Dark" (2017-2020) - into the great depths of theories and imaginations of time. The discussion of the series will be accompanied and supported by an introduction to the philosophy of time.

This seminar provides students across the humanities with an overview of the historical and cultural relevance of German media theories. We will discuss the distinction between "art" and "medium", the role of technology and techniques, as well as the interaction of media theory and practice with politics. Films with English subtitles; readings and discussions in English. Previously offered as CMPL 479/GERM 479.

In this course we will engage with different theories around how migration affects societies by taking the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) as a case study. Since its founding in 1945, the FRG has seen several waves of migration. In this class we will read several theoretical texts and two novels to consider how Germany has been shaped by migration.

LING 101 recommended for undergraduates.

Permission of the instructor for undergraduates. With GERM 602, a two-semester sequence designed as preparation for the reading knowledge examination for higher degrees in the humanities, social sciences, physical sciences, etc.

Permission of the instructor for undergraduates. Continuation of GERM 601.

Permission of the instructor for undergraduates. LING 101 recommended for undergraduates. Analysis of phonological, morphological, and syntactic development from Indo-European to the older stages of Germanic dialects.

For prospective teachers of German. Required of all teaching assistants.

This seminar provides experienced teaching assistants the opportunity to revisit the fundamentals in foreign language pedagogy while exploring in greater depth advanced issues like content-based instruction, technology, and supervising.

This seminar introduces students to methods of academic work in German Studies. As a discipline with deep historical and interdisciplinary roots, German Studies shares a wide array of theoretical approaches to its subject matter with other fields in the Humanities. We will examine a variety of these approaches including rhetoric, genre theory, hermeneutics, aesthetics, deconstruction, linguistics and speech act theory, psychoanalysis, structuralism and semiotics, critical theory, new historicism, gender theory, and media theory.

First part of a three-semester sequence offering students a comprehensive, text-based survey of German literary history from the High Middle Ages to the present. The course introduces students to medieval German language, literature, and culture. Readings in English, German and Middle High German. Discussions in German. Previously offered as GERM 614. Permission of the instructor for undergraduates.

Second part of a three-semester sequence offering students a comprehensive, text-based survey of German literary history from the High Middle Ages to the present. Previously offered as GERM 615. Permission of the instructor for undergraduates.

Third part of a three-semester sequence offering students a comprehensive, text-based survey of German literary history from the High Middle Ages to the present. Previously offered as GERM 616. Permission of the instructor for undergraduates.

German literature of the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. Close readings, lectures, and discussions of representative texts. Previously offered as GERM 625. Permission of the instructor for undergraduates.

Literature in the Age of Enlightenment. Close readings, lectures, and discussions of representative texts. Previously offered as GERM 630. Permission of the instructor for undergraduates.

Literature of the Romantic period. Close readings, lectures, and discussions of representative texts. Previously offered as GERM 640. Permission of the instructor for undergraduates.

Literature of Realism, Naturalism, and related movements. Close readings, lectures, and discussions of representative texts. Previously offered as GERM 645. Permission of the instructor for undergraduates.

Major figures of the period from the turn of the century to World War II. Close readings, lectures, and discussions of representative texts. Previously offered as GERM 650. Permission of the instructor for undergraduates.

Literature since World War II in both the Federal Republic and the former GDR. Close readings, lectures, and discussions of representative texts. Previously offered as GERM 655. Permission of the instructor for undergraduates.

Literature since German unification in 1989. Close readings, lectures, and discussions of representative texts. Previously offered as GERM 685. Permission of the instructor for undergraduates.

Selected topics in medieval literature. Topics will vary by offering.

Selected topics in early modern literature. Topics will vary by offering.

Selected topics in 18th-century literature. Topics will vary by offering.

Selected topics in early 19th-century literature. Topics will vary by offering.

Selected topics in later 19th-century literature. Topics will vary by offering.

Selected topics in early 20th-century literature. Topics will vary by offering.

Selected topics in later 20th-century literature. Topics will vary by offering.

Selected topics in aesthetics and criticism. Topics will vary by offering.

Explores issues associated with various literary genres across various literary periods.

Selected topics in German cultural studies. Topics will vary by offering.

Selected topics in gender studies. Topics will vary by offering.

Selected topics in German Jewish studies. Topics will vary by offering.

Selected topics in German cinema. Topics will vary by offering.

Selected topics in 21st-century literature. Topics will vary by offering.

An intensive seven-week seminar to be offered exclusively during fall semesters, this graduate-level course is taught by a distinguished short-term scholar with expertise in German literature, film or culture who is visiting from a German-speaking country.

Permission of the instructor and the director of graduate studies. Special readings and research in a selected field or topic outside the scope of current course offerings.

Registration course credit for students who are registered abroad as part of a graduate foreign exchange program.

Students enrolled in the Carolina-Duke Graduate Program in German Studies will enroll in this course during the semester in which they undergo the Writing Proficiency Review.