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Courses

All Graduate Courses
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Course Schedules

Course listings can be found here. Visit SPIRE for dates, times, and locations of these courses.

 

Spring 2010

Undergraduate

German

German 110: Elementary German I
For those with no previous experience with German. The course introduces students to the language of everyday life and the culture of the German-speaking countries. Practice in reading, writing, speaking, and listening through the introduction of authentic German materials such as poems, music, literature, and film. Students who complete this course successfully should enter German 120.

German 120: Elementary German II
This course is a continuation of German 110. Dialogues, reading selections from print and electronic sources, and grammar exercises for basic communication, a good understanding of the fundamentals of German grammar, and an introduction to the traditions and institutions of the German-speaking countries. Students who complete this course successfully should enter German 230. Prerequisite: German 110 or equivalent.

German 230: Intermediate German I
Further develops the four language skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening). Short texts, articles, film, and a variety of authentic materials build the basis for discussion of German-speaking culture. Comprehensive grammar review included. Students who complete this course successfully should enter German 240. Prerequisite: German 120 or equivalent.

German 240: Intermediate German II
This course is a continuation of German 230. Literary texts, music, art, and film prepare students to read and discuss German fiction and non-fiction with understanding and enjoyment. Review of the chief aspects of German grammar. Stresses improvement of reading facility and vocabulary with continued practice in speaking and writing. Students who complete this course successfully fulfill the Colleges of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and Humanities and Fine Arts requirement and are prepared to enter German 310. Prerequisite: German 230 or equivalent.

German 270: From the Grimms to Disney: Germanic Fairy Tales and U.S. Popular Culture (Website) (Gen. Ed., AL)
Prof. Susan Cocalis
Selected fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Andersen in the 19th-century German or Danish context and how they became staples of U.S. popular culture through adaptations by Disney, Broadway or best-selling self-help books. Fairy-tale films of the former East Germany (GDR) from the UMass DEFA Film Library will be shown as a contrast.

German 285: Thatcher Language Suite (2 cr.)
Laurie Taylor
Conversation course for residents of the German Suite, Thatcher House.

German 320: Advanced German II
Writing assignments, extensive class discussion, and continuing grammar review will allow students to produce and react to works in German from short stories, essays, and film to novels. Students who successfully complete this course will be prepared to take courses at the 300- and 400-level offered in German. Prerequisite: German 310 or the equivalent.

German 372: Vienna 1890-1914 (Gen. Ed., AL)
Prof. Susan Cocalis
Course examines art, literature, music, dance, dress codes, and material culture in turn-of-the-century Vienna in a social-historical context with a focus on gender. Multi-media presentations.

German 376: The Holocaust
Prof. Andrew Donson
This course explores the causes and consequences of what was arguably the most horrific event in all of history. Topics include both the long-term origins of the Holocaust in European racism and anti-Semitism and the more immediate origins in the dynamics of the Nazi state and the war against the Soviet Union. Particular attention will be given to the debates and controversies, including the motivations of German and non-German perpetrators, bystanders, and collaborations, the place of the Jew and non-Jews in Holocaust historiography, the continuities of racism and genocide and their comparability, and the consequences of the Holocaust for memory and world politics. Conducted in English.

German 379: Germany Today (Gen. Ed., I) (Course Flyer, PDF)
Prof. Kyle Frackman
This course provides a broad overview of the cultural and social developments of Germany since the post-WWII era. The scope of issues ranges from the democratization of West Germany and the establishment of socialist rule in the East, representations of the Nazi past, the student movement, and the emergence of an “Americanized” youth culture to the history of migration, race and racism, gender and sexuality and the discourses surrounding the unified nation after the end of the Cold War. We will analyze how both intellectuals and popular culture have reflected upon these topics by looking at literature and historical studies, but also at film, music videos, graphic novels, and popular music from “Schlager” to German rap.

German 393T: 20th-Century German Thought
Prof. Jonathan Skolnik
An introduction in English to leading German thinkers of the 20th-Century and their European context, including Martin Heidegger, Hannah Arendt, Walter Benjamin, and Theodor Adorno. German 370 (19th-Century Thought: Marx, Nietzsche, Weber, Luxemburg) is NOT a prerequisite for this course.

German 425: Advanced Conversation and Composition
Prof. Robert G. Sullivan
This is a writing-intensive course designed to refine your knowledge of German language and culture. It expands on the foundation of oral and written expression acquired in German 310 and 320. We will explore the German-language short story or ‘Novelle” from Goethe to the present. Prerequisite: German 320 or instructor’s permission.

German 491C: Capstone Project
Dr. Skyler Arndt-Briggs

German 497P: Modern German Poetry/Moderne deutsche Lyrik: von der Romantik bis Hip-Hop
Prof. Barton Byg
A survey of poetry in German, beginning in the 19th and focusing on the 20th century. Emphasis on key figures and movements, beginning with Romanticism and its influence extending to the present. Designed to develop facility in interpreting and analyzing poetry, discussing the connections of poetics to philosophy and poetry as both underground and pop culture. Prerequisite German 310/311 or equivalent. Conducted in German.

Scandinavian

Scandin 276: Vikings and Their Stories: Saga Literature (Gen. Ed.) (Course Flyer, PDF)
Prof. Sherrill Harbison
Readings (in translation) of classic Old Icelandic sagas, whose content and energized style emerged during the first European expansion toward the west a millennium ago. These nonfiction narratives about families, battles, and politics in a blood-feud society, told in a succinct, vigorous prose, are often regarded as precursors of the modern historical novel. They will be discussed in terms of their literary, historical and cultural context.

Scandin 391P: Polar Explorations (Course Flyer, PDF)
Prof. Sherrill Harbison
A course inspired by International Polar Year (2007-09). The quest to reach the North & South Poles a century ago was inspired not only by scientific interest in the planet’s last unconquered frontier, but by a sense of adventure and nationalist competition, in which Scandinavians were prominent players. We will examine the way early polar expeditions were planned, executed and endured; the explorers’ interaction with indigenous populations, especially in Greenland; and the spectacular and dangerous landscapes which today are profoundly threatened by global warming, as different countries again compete for dominance in the Far North.

Scandin 391V: Vikings: Who, When, and Where?
Prof. James E. Cathey
The course will cover the basics of the history of the Vikings, who in the years of the 8th to 11th centuries made an indelible impression on large parts of Europe. They ranged out in their superior ships from Scandinavia sailing to the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Vikings established lasting societies in the Faroe Islands and Iceland. They also established a society in Greenland that was in place for 500 years. From Greenland the son of Erik the Red, Leif Eriksson, sailed to North America as related in Eiríks saga rauða (The Saga of Erik the Red) and in Groenlendinga saga (The Saga of the Greenlanders). For many years Vikings from Norway and Denmark harried the coasts of Ireland and France, plundering monasteries and churches. They eventually established settlements in many places and were opposed by the Irish and French, respectively, in many known and unrecorded battles for territory and political might. As we will see, the Vikings also established societies in England, France, and Russia that were absorbed by their neighbors. Their Norman (< north men) Dano-French descendants invaded across the English Channel from Normandy led by William the Conqueror in 1066. There is much to know about Vikings that is not represented in popular culture such as where they came from and where they went, what they worshipped, what their entertainment consisted of, what their art looked like, and why they have such a bad reputation now.

Swedish

Swedish 240: Intermediate Swedish II
Prof. James E. Cathey
Readings (short stories, poems, excerpts) speaking, and grammar. Cultural and historical background. Weekly essays in Swedish. Prerequisite: Swedish 230 or equivalent.

Graduate

German

German 697J: Jews and German Culture
Prof. Jonathan Skolnik

German 697K: Modern German History
Prof. Andrew Donson

German 716: Courtly Lyric Poetry
Prof. Robert G. Sullivan

Fall 2009

Undergraduate

German

German 110: Elementary German I
For those with no previous experience with German. The course introduces students to the language of everyday life and the culture of German-speaking countries. Practice in reading, writing, speaking, and listening through the introduction of authentic German materials such as poems, music, literature, and film. Students who complete this course successfully should enter German 120.
April Huffines
Jamele Watkins
Sarah Fetterhoff
Sonja Heitgress
Ashley Lackovich
Diane Liu

German 126: Intensive Elementary German (6 credits)
For those with no previous experience with German. This course introduces students to the language of everyday life and the culture of German-speaking countries. Designed for highly-motivated students, the pace and level of this class require daily homework and practice outside of class. In-class activities include learning grammar and vocabulary, as well as practice in reading, writing, speaking and listening skills through the introduction of authentic German materials, such as poems, music, literature and film. German 126 satisfies the requirement of both German 110 and German 120 and prepares students for German 230 or 246.
Maureen Gallagher
Victoria Lenshyn

German 230: Intermediate German I
Further develops the four language skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) through a topic-oriented syllabus. Short texts, journal articles, film, and a variety of authentic materials build the basis for discussion of German-speaking culture. Comprehensive grammar review included. Students who complete this course successfully should enter German 240. Prerequisite: German 120 or equivalent.
Rachael Salyer
Melissa Gazo
Marzanna Büchel

German 285: Thatcher Language Suite (course site: http://blogs.umass.edu/lktaylor)
Laurie Taylor
Conversation course for residents of the German Suite, Thatcher House.

German 297J: Germans and Jews
Prof. Jonathan Skolnik
This seminar will investigate German-Jewish writers, artists, and filmmakers from the late 18th century to the post-Holocaust present. Readings from figures such as Heine, Kafka, Lasker-Schüler, Celan. Taught in English.

German 304: From Berlin to Hollywood (Gen. Ed.)
Prof. Jonathan Skolnik
Lecture. The horror and science fiction classics of German Expressionism (Caligari, Metropolis) have had a tremendous international influence. This survey begins with the German silent cinema and Weimar Republic-era films such as The Golem. We will examine the Nazification of the German film industry after 1933 and consider the works of German refugee directors in Hollywood (Fritz Lang, Ernst Lubitsch, Billy Wilder, Edgar Ulmer), particularly their emphasis on the role of film in addressing social and political issues in American life (anti-fascist aesthetics, race relations in America, the critique of modern society in film noir). We will also look at post-war film in a divided Germany, the New German Cinema of the 60s and 70s, and explore issues for German film since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Midterm, final, short writing assignments. Readings in film history and analysis. In addition to the Tuesday/Thursday lectures, there are screenings scheduled for Monday evenings.

German 310: Advanced German I
Prof. Susan Cocalis
In this course, students will continue to become acquainted with German-speaking cultures, while deepening their ability to analyze cultural material critically. Work on critical analysis will include numerous writing assignments and class discussion of films, articles, short stories, essays, and more. Review of complex grammar issues will be provided as well. After successful completion of this course, students should enter German 320. Prerequisite: German 240 or equivalent.

German 311: Reading German Culture
Prof. Robert Sullivan
This class provides an opportunity to explore the culture and society of the German-speaking lands through selected readings. We will explore a wide variety of genres and materials, including short stories or novels, drama, poetry, song texts, Web material, and pop culture. The course and all writings (summaries and shorter essays) will be in German. Pre-requisite German 240.

German 331: Survey of German Literature, 800-1700 (Gen. Ed.)
Prof. Robert Sullivan
An introduction and survey of medieval German literature, including the story of Siegfried and Kriemhild (Nibelungenlied), the visionary Hildegard of Bingen and the mystic Mechthild of Magdeburg, and the stories of the Grail (Wolfram’s Parzival) and Tristan and Isolde (Gottfried). While the primary focus of the course will be on literature itself, we will try to see it in its cultural, historical, and social context. Language of instruction and all texts in English.

German 363: Witches: Myth and Reality (Gen. Ed.)
Prof. Susan Cocalis
The image of the witch and the historical situation of women tried as witches in early modern Europe and colonial New England with reference to contemporary pagan practice. Mythological texts, documentation of witch trials, theories about witchcraft, as well as literary and graphic representation of witches and witch trials. No prerequisites.

German 370: 19th-Century German Thought
Prof. Andrew Donson
Lecture, discussion. Exploration of central ideas and writings of Kant, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Weber, Freud and other nineteenth-century European theorists at an introductory level (texts in English translation). Emphasis on the thinkers’ rootedness in their historical context. Weekly ungraded writing assignments, two short papers, midterm and final examination. No prerequisites.

German 391G: Junior Seminar in German & Scandinavian Studies
Prof. Skyler Arndt-Briggs
This course is designed to introduce majors to a range of issues and approaches central to contemporary German and Scandinavian Studies, while focusing on upper-level writing and analytic skills. We will explore how this interdisciplinary field of study approaches events and artifacts of modern history and art. At the same time, we will develop the writing and analytic skills required to handle advanced study of complex social, historical and creative subject matter. Fulfills Junior Year Writing Requirement with one credit add-on. Conducted in English.

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Scandinavian

Scandinavian 365: Scandinavian Mythology (Gen. Ed.)
Prof. Sherrill Harbison
The myths and religion of the Scandinavians during the first millennium AD. Nordic myths and legends examined using written sources, archaeological evidence, and visual arts. No prerequisites.

Scandinavian 397V: Viking Revival: National Romanticism and the Creation of a Nordic Ideal
Prof. Sherrill Harbison
An interdisciplinary course exploring the impact of 19th century romantic imagination and historical consciousness on the development of a “Nordic ideal”, which would have disastrous political consequences in the 20th century. The course focuses on the Scandinavian countries, using literature, art, philosophy, and music to trace the development of a modern national ideal. Nostalgic elements include the idealization of the Vikings, historic preservation movements, and native folklore, evolving by the early 20th century into nature-worship, Vitalism, and reactions against Decadence such as polar expeditions, the cult of masculinity, and Modernism. Source material includes readings by Ibsen, Strindberg, Hamsun; promotion of Kierkegaard and Nietzsche by Danish critic Georg Brandes, visual art by Munch and Gallen-Kallela; music by Grieg and Sibelius.

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Swedish

Swedish 230: Intermediate Swedish I
Prof. Kyle Frackman
Vocabulary, grammar, discussions, readings, and speaking practice. Some cultural and historical background. Short weekly essays in Swedish. Prerequisite: Swedish 120 or equivalent. Prepares students for Swedish 240.

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Graduate

German

German 691F: Graduate Intro. to German Film Studies
Prof. Barton Byg
This course provides an overview of the principal critical and historical issues treated by German film studies as the field has developed since the 1970s. The "canon" of film movements and critical/historical texts will be introduced, as well as challenges to the idea of a "canon" or of a national cinema as a principal focus of study. The field of film studies itself will also be discussed as a phenomenon of cultural history. By studying a variety of film genres, students will gain practice in key methodological approaches (historical, psychoanalytic, feminist, formalist, queer, semiotic, etc.), and will become familiar with the resources and methods available to create their own undergrad film course syllabi. In fall 2009 a number of special events will provide valuable contemporary material for study, such as expected visits to the region by filmmakers Ulrike Ottinger, Harun Farocki, and Andreas Dresen, as well as the Wende Flicks film series and other commemorations of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Taught in English. Undergraduates admitted by permission of the instructor.

German 697E: Enlightenment 2.0
Prof. Kyle Frackman
This course will feature an examination of literature of the 18th and early 19th centuries as well as cultural products from the latter part of the twentieth century. The primary focus will be the evolution of intellectual and philosophical notions—e.g., authorship, identity, education, society, the body, (G/)god—between the Enlightenment and our recent entry into the/a digital age. Some of these ideas have been dramatically restructured and/or adapted in our increasingly web-oriented, Western society. Some guiding questions will include: What are the differences between an “individual” of the Enlightenment and one in 2009? How do these individuals express themselves? How much relevance do Enlightenment texts have for people and their increasingly web- and digitally dependent lives today?

German 793C: German Studies/Cultural Studies
Prof. Sara Lennox

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Spring 2009

Undergraduate

German

LLC 296: Black Europeans: Race and the New Europe (1 cr.) (PDF Flyer)
A course to accompany the W.E.B. Du Bois Lecture Series, 2008-09.

German 120: Elementary German II
Sarah Fetterhoff
April Huffines
Monika Schrauder
Jamele Watkins

German 240: Intermediate German II
Kirsten Helmer

German 246H: Intensive Intermediate German
Prof. Robert Sullivan
Victoria Lenshyn

German 270: From Grimms to Disney: Germanic Fairy Tales and U.S. Popular Culture (Website)
Prof. Susan Cocalis

German 285: Thatcher Language Suite Conversation (PDF Flyer) (Live in Thatcher House!)
Laurie Taylor

German 297A: Crusades and the Image of Islam
Prof. Robert Sullivan

German 310: Advanced German I
Jason Doerre

German 311: Reading German Culture
Delene White

German 320: Advanced German II
Rachael Salyer

German 372: Vienna, 1890-1914 (Website)
Prof. Susan Cocalis

German 374: The First World War
Prof. Andrew Donson

German 376: The Holocaust
Prof. Andrew Donson

German 393T: 20th-Century German Thought (PDF Flyer)
Prof. Jonathan Skolnik

German 425: Advanced Conversation and Composition: Mysteries and Crime Stories (PDF Flyer)
Prof. Kyle Frackman

German 433: 20th-Century Prose
Babette Faehmel

German 491C: Capstone Project
Prof. Skyler Arndt-Briggs

German 585: Structure of German
Prof. James E. Cathey

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Scandinavian

Scandin 276: Vikings and Their Stories: Saga Literature (PDF Flyer)
Prof. Sherrill Harbison

Scandin 391P: Polar Explorations (PDF Flyer)
Prof. Sherrill Harbison

Scandin 391S: Early Swedish & Scandinavian Cinema, 1910s–1930s (PDF Flyer)
Prof. Barton Byg
Dr. Louise Wallenberg
The course will consider the major contributions to European and world cinema by directors and stars of the Swedish cinema from the silent era into the 1930s. Examples include Victor Sjöström, Mauritz Stiller, Gösta Ekman, Zarah Leander and Greta Garbo and such films as Thomas Graal’s Best Child (Stiller, 1918), The Phantom Carriage (Sjöström, 1921), Erotikon (Stiller, 1920), Walpurgis Night (Gustaf Edgren, 1935), and Intermezzo (Gustav Molander, 1936). Other Scandinavian figures will also be considered (Urban Gad, Asta Nielsen, Carl Theodor Dreyer, Detlev Sierk/Douglas Sirk), especially in the context of the fruitful interactions with the German film industry and later with Hollywood. Film screenings and critical readings; lecture and discussion. No prerequisites; conducted in English.

Scandin 392A: Race and Racism in Scandinavia (PDF Flyer)
Prof. Michael McEachrane

Swedish

Swedish 120: Elementary Swedish II
Prof. Kyle Frackman

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Related Courses

History 393N Germany Since 1945 (Tuesday-Thursday 11:15-12:30)
Prof. Jon Berndt Olsen
This course is a comparative study of East and West German history. We will examine Germany from both an international and domestic perspective – as part of the Cold War and as unique individual societies. Topics covered will include post-war reconstruction; the creation of two separate states; economic developments in each state; cultural life in East and West Germany; attempts to come to terms with the past; youth rebellion; reconciliation; and unification. We will look at a variety of primary and secondary sources, including several novels and films. Student evaluation will be based upon a midterm exam, a final exam, quizzes, and a research paper.

History 693J Comparative Memory (Thursday 2:30-5:00)
Prof. Jon Berndt Olsen
The phenomenon of cultures of memory has emerged over the past decade as a subject of serious historical scholarship. The aim of this seminar is to discuss the problem of national memory cultures since the Second World War. We will begin the semester by looking at theories of memory and national identity since 1945. Although the primary thrust of our readings will deal with remembering the Second World War, we will also delve into other areas of remembering. The German concept of Vergangenheitsbewähltigung, or coming to terms with the past, and its relationship to national identity will serve as our guiding analytical tool for our investigation into this topic. We will look at a variety of nation-states in Europe as well as the United States and Japan in order to compare and contrast national forms of memory culture and ponder questions of universality versus distinct historical experience. We will also concentrate on the political and cultural aspects that different national forms of remembering have had on the historical development of these nations. Student evaluation will involve book reviews, class presentations, and a research paper.

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Graduate

German

German 585: Structure of German
Prof. James E. Cathey

German 620: Graduate Stylistics
Prof. Kyle Frackman

German 697SV: Schrift und Volk: Literature and the Naton in 19th-Century Germany
Prof. Jonathan Skolnik
This course explores German literature in the age of modern nationalism, investigating intersections of culture and ideology while we read key works by Berthold Auerbach, Theodor Fontane, Georg Foster, Goethe, Heine, Hölderlin, Kleist and others.

German 795T: Transnational Theories and Methodologies
Prof. Sara Lennox

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Fall 2008

Undergraduate

German

German 110: Elementary German I
Jason Doerre
Sarah Fetterhoff
April Huffines
Rachael Salyer
Monika Schrauder

German 126H: Intensive Elementary German
Prof. Kyle Frackman
Victoria Lenshyn

German 230: Intermediate German I
Rachael Salyer
Delene Case White

German 240: Intermediate German II
Simon Anselm

German 285: Thatcher Language Suite Conversation
Laurie Taylor

German 304: From Berlin to Hollywood
Prof. Barton Byg

German 310: Advanced German I
Prof. Robert G. Sullivan

German 320: Advanced German II
Prof. Robert G. Sullivan

German 323: Modern German History
Prof. Andrew Donson

German 363: Witches: Myth and Reality
Prof. Susan Cocalis

German 370: 19th-Century German Thought
Prof. Andrew Donson

German 391G: German Studies Junior Seminar
Prof. Sky Arndt-Briggs

German 391K: Kafka
Prof. Jonathan Skolnik

German 497G: Reading Old Saxon
Prof. Stephen Harris

German 597J: Jews and German Culture
Prof. Jonathan Skolnik

Scandinavian

Scandinavian 365: Scandinavian Mythology
Prof. Sherrill Harbison

Scandinavian 391V: Vikings: Who, When, and Where?
Prof. James E. Cathey

Scandinavian 397V: Viking Revival: National Romanticism and the Creation of a Nordic Ideal
Prof. Sherrill Harbison

Swedish

Swedish 110: Elementary Swedish I
Prof. Kyle Frackman

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Graduate

German

German 597J: Jews and German Culture
Prof. Jonathan Skolnik

German 601: Middle High German
Prof. Robert G. Sullivan

German 697K: Modern German History
Prof. Andrew Donson

German 697L: 1968 and Film
Prof. Barton Byg

German 698: Teaching Practicum
Prof. Kyle Frackman

German 797V: Viennese Modernism
Prof. Susan Cocalis

Scandinavian

Scandinavian 697V: Viking Revival
Prof. Sherrill Harbison

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