Prerequisites & Distribution: All students with prior coursework in German must take the placement test. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 100 or 103. (4). (LR).
Credits: (4).
Course Homepage: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~hmr/101/Kursseite.html
German 101 is an introductory course for students who have not previously studied German. Few things are more fun and exciting than learning a new language for the first time, and we hope students will approach the course in this spirit. The course focuses systematically on the development of all four basic language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), and aims to do this by taking advantage of the cognitive advantages adult language learners have over children. This means focussing on material that will engage learners' interest, creativity, and sense of humor, as well as on the development of effective language learning strategies. The course will include in particular a series of videotaped lectures by distinguished University of Michigan German studies faculty on culture, history, economics, philosophy, music, linguistics, and literature, televised over UMTV, which will give students a taste of how they can eventually take advantage of the wide range of language opportunities at the University of Michigan, such as the specialty 232 courses (see below) and the subsequent sequences of courses in areas of study ranging from Business and Science, to Literature and Philosophy. By the end of the term, students will have a firm foundation in some of the fundamental elements of German grammar and will be able to understand and respond appropriately to a variety of texts and basic conversational situations.
Section 200 – Intended for Music Students Only.
This section is intended specifically for Music students and is open to others only by permission of the instructor. It will follow the same basic syllabus and philosophy described above for the “regular” 101 sections, but we will take advantage of every opportunity to set the course in a “musical” context and take advantage of students’ musical abilities.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 2 | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: Assignment by placement test or permission of department. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 100 or 102. (4). (LR).
Credits: (4).
Course Homepage: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~hmr/103/Kursseite.html
German 103 provides a review of the fundamental components of the German language for students who have had prior German language instruction before entering the University of Michigan. The course focuses systematically on all four basic language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), and aims to take advantage of the cognitive advantages adult language learners have over children. This means focussing on material that will engage learners' interest, creativity, and sense of humor, as well as on the development of effective language learning strategies. The course will include in particular a series of videotaped lectures by distinguished University of Michigan German studies faculty on culture, history, economics, philosophy, music, linguistics and literature, televised over UMTV, which will give students a taste of how they can eventually take advantage of the wide range of language opportunities at the University of Michigan, such as the specialty 232 courses (see above) and the subsequent sequences of courses in areas of study ranging from Business and Science to Literature and Philosophy. By the end of the term, students will have been exposed to all the essentials of German grammar, which will then be reviewed and extended in the third and fourth terms. Students will be able to cope with a variety of conversational situations and written texts. In particular, they will have the necessary "survival skills" for a visit to a German-speaking country, as well as a foundation for doing intellectual work in German.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 2 | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: Undergraduates must obtain permission of the department. (4). (Excl).
Credits: (4).
Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.
The objective of this course is to teach students to read simple German expository prose. Students are introduced to the essentials of German grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, both in class lectures and in texts. The class is taught in English, and students are required to read but not write and speak German. This is a fast-paced course with a substantial workload, intended for students with some experience in language learning, and is therefore recommended only to graduate students who wish to meet a German foreign language requirement and to advanced undergraduates who have already met the LS&A foreign language requirement. Course requirements include daily assignments, quizzes, a midterm on grammar and vocabulary, and a final examination requiring the translation of sight passages without the aid of a dictionary. The course does not satisfy the LS&A foreign language requirement.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 1 | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: (3). (HU). Laboratory fee ($50) required.
Credits: (3).
Lab Fee: Laboratory fee ($50) required.
Course Homepage: https://coursetools.ummu.umich.edu/1999/fall/lsa/germ/172/001.nsf
This course surveys the history of the German cinema from its beginnings through the 1990s. We will look at films from the Weimar period, such as The Cabinet of Dr. Calegari and Nosferatu. We will ask how the Nazi Cinema generated its political messages through a careful blend of ideology and entertainment, which in many respects persisted well into the 1950s, and we will look at landmark productions from the DEFA film studios in East Germany, as well as of the New German Cinema in the West, where directors such as Wim Wenders and Rainer Werner Fassbinder rose to fame in the 1960s and 1970s. Finally, we will examine the current state of German cinema by looking at some recent productions. In addition to the historical survey, the class also serves as a basic introduction to the study of film.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: No Data Given. | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: German 102 or 103. Students previously enrolled in a 300- or 400-level conversation course may not register for 205 or 206. (1). (Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no credit.
Credits: (1).
Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.
The objective of this course is to overcome the silence which you may experience when attempting to articulate everyday needs in German. In this course, you will hone your German conversation skills by learning basic idiomatic expressions and by building a fundamental vocabulary. In-class and out-of-class exercises will place you inside a bank where you may open an account or order checks (without financial allowances); you will find victuals on the food market or an apartment on the housing market; you will learn both to describe physical discomfort and to get your hair trimmed without physical discomfort.
In addition, newspaper or magazine articles along with films and music segments may illustrate the German cultural landscape at large. Active class participation, occasional vocabulary quizzes, and short oral presentations establish the course requirements.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 1 | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: Placement test. No credit granted to those who have completed 230 or 231. Four credits granted to those who have completed German 102 or 103. (5). (Excl).
Credits: (5).
Course Homepage: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~hmr/221/Kursseite.html
This course combines an intensive review of basic grammar with more advanced practice in the four basic language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). Substantial emphasis will be placed on providing a firm grammatical base, and on reading, discussing, and writing about authentic German texts from a variety of fields ranging from natural and social science to history, literature, and the arts. By the end of the course, students will be able to read and write about short texts from periodicals and textbooks, and from classic texts by Nietzsche, Kafka, etc., independently, so that they will be able to pursue their own specific interests in German 232 and beyond. Requirements include daily homework assignments (reading, writing, learning vocabulary, etc.), regular attendance, video assignments, tests, and quizzes. Instead of a final examination, students will work in groups to produce short videos, which will be screened on the last day of classes.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 2 | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: German 102 or 103, or the equivalent (placement test). No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 230 or 221. (4). (LR).
Credits: (4).
Course Homepage: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~hmr/231/Kursseite.html
In this course, grammar and vocabulary from the first year will be reviewed and extended. Greater emphasis will be placed on reading German texts and talking and writing about them in German. Reading texts include both short literary works and non-fictional texts from a variety of fields ranging from history to science and the arts. By the end of the course, students will be able to read and write about short texts from periodicals and textbooks, and from classic texts by Nietzsche, Kafka, etc., independently, so that they will be able to pursue their own specific interests in German 232 and beyond. Course requirements include daily homework assignments (reading, writing, learning vocabulary, etc.) regular attendance, video assignments, tests, and quizzes. Instead of a final examination, students will work in groups to produce short videos, which will be screened on the last day of classes. By the end of the course, students should be quite familiar with all the basics of German grammar, and be able to survive and converse fairly comfortably in a German-speaking country. In particular, they should be ready to embark on an introduction to the study in German of an academic discipline of their choice in one of the specialty 232 courses.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 2 | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: German 221 or 231 or the equivalent (placement test). No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 230 or 236. (4). (LR). All sections of German 232 address special topics, e.g., music, philosophy, science, current political issues, etc.
Credits: (4).
Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.
In this course, students complete the four-term introductory language sequence by selecting one of several "special topics" courses intended as an introduction to the study of an academic discipline, such as Music, Philosophy, History, or Science, in German. Students should emerge from the course prepared and motivated to do work (or read for pleasure) in German in this field throughout their academic career and beyond. Students are strongly encouraged to arrange their schedules so they can enroll in the section whose topic interests them the most, in order to get the maximum benefit from this course. Interest in the course content is the most effective motivation for language study, and students can emerge from 232 with the genuine pride in what they are able to do with their German. More generally, students should be ready by the end of the course to pursue an internship or study abroad in Germany, and are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the assistance offered by the German department and by the Office of International Programs in this regard.
The special topics and course requirements for this term's sections are given below.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: No Data Given. | Waitlist Code: No Data Given. |
Prerequisites & Distribution: German 221 or 231 or the equivalent (placement test). No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 230 or 236. (4). (LR). All sections of German 232 address special topics, e.g., music, philosophy, science, current political issues, etc.
Credits: (4).
Course Homepage: https://coursetools.ummu.umich.edu/1999/fall/lsa/germ/232/001.nsf
In this course, we will examine the representation of crime in various texts and genres with a view to establishing some characteristic features of these genres. In particular, we will try to establish what sets "serious" crime "literature" apart from "popular" crime fiction and crime journalism, so that this course will constitute a serious and entertaining introduction to the question "What is literature?" Friedrich Dürrenmatt's novel Der Richter und sein Henker will constitute the main part of this course. We will read stories by other "serious" writers (Max von der Grün, Günter Kunert, Wolfdletrich Schnurre) and by "popular" writers from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. We will read newspaper articles and compare their approaches to crimes that caught people's attention. Towards the end, we will discuss Doris Dörrie's movie Happy Birthday, Türkel!! Be prepared to read, write, and talk a lot. One brief presentation, three short essays, one midterm, one final, some grammar, some fun.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 2 | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: German 221 or 231 or the equivalent (placement test). No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 230 or 236. (4). (LR). All sections of German 232 address special topics, e.g., music, philosophy, science, current political issues, etc.
Credits: (4).
Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.
The course relies heavily on singing to become acquainted with the opera: by the end of the term, we will sing the entire opera. In addition, there will be one week of vocal instruction. Guest lecturers and performers will include musicologists, stage technicians, musicians, and specialists in Viennese culture. Readings in German will include the opera libretto, highlights in Mozart's biography, and the cultural and historical background of the work's origin. The language of instruction is German. Student evaluation is based on performance in class participation, regular grammar exercises, essays, oral presentations, and final exam. There are no musical prerequisites for this section.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 1 | Waitlist Code: 1 |
No Description Provided
Check Times, Location, and Availability
Prerequisites & Distribution: German 232; concurrent enrollment in a 300-level course is encouraged but not necessary. Students who have previously participated in a 400-level conversation course may not register for 305 or 306. (1). (Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no credit. This course does not satisfy the language requirement. May be elected for credit twice.
Credits: (1).
Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.
The goal of this course is to increase students’ confidence in speaking on any topic and, therefore, the course will focus on a variety of topics ranging from practical language situations to current cultural events to areas of students’ academic interests. Students will work on expanding vocabulary, finding synonyms, and understanding/using varying spoken styles, which are necessary to appreciate life in German-speaking communities. The materials for the course will come from German websites as well as various materials from the instructor. This course is open to students who have completed and passed 232; concurrent enrollment in a 300-level course is encouraged but not necessary. Students who have previously participated in a 400-level conversation course may not register for 305 or 306. Course requirements are: energetic class participation, thorough preparation, e-mail in German with the instructor and fellow students, and oral presentations.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: No Data Given. | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: Residence in Max Kade German House; others by permission of instructor. (1). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of four credits.
Credits: (1).
Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.
This course is intended as a first introduction to German cultural history. Each week, students will learn about a major figure or movement in German cultural history. Music, philosophy, literature, and film will each be represented every term. Specific topics will vary each time the course is offered in order to take advantage of relevant performances, exhibitions, and lecturers, and in order to make it possible for students to retake the class. The course is conducted in English, but students have the option to do some reading and writing in German. Course requirements include active participation, weekly readings of 10-30 pages, a journal on these readings, and a 3-4 page final paper.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 1 | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: German 232. (3). (Excl).
Credits: (3).
Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.
This course addresses the needs of students who have a command of the essentials of grammar but would like to improve their active knowledge of what could be called "bread and butter" German, albeit as that which is necessary in the "Land der Dichter und Denker." Consequently, the emphasis will be on the students' participation through speaking and writing; culled from newspapers, factual prose and literature, the readings will be chosen less for their exclusively informational value than for the opportunity they also offer for discussion. Not quizzes and tests but papers will be stressed. German is the language in the classroom, and all papers will be rewritten to incorporate all changes suggested and all corrections made.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 1 | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: German 232. (3). (Excl).
Credits: (3).
Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.
This course will be based on 4 or 5 pieces of German literature which have been made into films. After reading the selected literature, we will view the film. Class discussions and written assignments will be based on analysis, comparison and contrast of the written and filmed versions. Grammar and questions of written style will be reviewed according to needs of the class. The language of instruction is German.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 2 | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: German 232. (3). (Excl).
Credits: (3).
Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.
The goal of this section of German 325 is to acquaint students with the discourse and methods of German dialectology and language history. We shall survey the historical development of German and its dialects from the beginnings to the present day, in the context of changing sociological, political, economic, and cultural environments. As we study the changes in vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar of German, we shall also examine illustrative texts from a variety of genres, translate the older ones into modern German, and compare their features with those of modern German. Then, toward the end of the course, we shall turn our attention to the divisions between East and West, between political Left and Right, between native and immigrant, between generations, and between genders, and how those divisions are reflected in language behavior. Our studies will fall into three areas: (1) readings from the textbook; (2) discussions of the illustrative texts; and (3) discussions of weekly homework problems. There will be weekly quizzes on the previous week’s readings, frequent short papers on those readings, and frequent oral presentations in class. Review of grammar will be conducted as needed.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 2 | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: German 349 or 350, and internship in a German-speaking country. (3). (Excl). (EXPERIENTIAL).
Credits: (3).
Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.
This course allows students to receive credit for an Internship in a German speaking country completed previous to registering for the course. During the term the student will complete and turn in a three part report written in German. Part 1 will be a research paper on the city, area, and country where the student completed the internship. Part 2 will be a research paper on the company or business which provided the internship. Part 3 will be a longer Journal concerning the daily conduct of the internship and the living situation. Finally, the student will make an oral presentation concerning the internship to either the 350 or the 430 Business German Class.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 1 | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: German 232. (3). (HU).
Credits: (3; 2 in the half-term).
Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.
This course provides an introduction to German literature of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries through several of the great dramas of the period. In conjunction with German 382, 383, 384, or 385 this course can be elected in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a German concentration or for a German teaching major or minor. The course will include the following texts by Lessing, Goethe, Kleist, Grabbe, and Büchner. The emphasis of the course is on the analysis of the works, mainly in class discussions. The instructor will also provide background information on the playwrights, their times, and the artistic theories they represent. There will be one longer interpretive paper, a midterm exam, and a final exam. These may be written in German or English. The language of instruction is German.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 1 | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: German 305 or 306. (1). (Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no credit.
Credits: (1).
Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.
This course will emulate a German-speaking environment that practices everyday, professional, and academic situations. Practicing the effective presentation of reports or the negotiation of disputes will offer ample space for integrating advanced clusters of cultural topics in German-speaking communities. The discussion of articles and shorter texts about current events in Germany will complement the creative reenactment of particular conversational situations. Discussions include verbal synopses of text plots and arguments. Short oral presentations and a final group project establish the formal course requirements.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 1 | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: German 325/326. (3). (Excl).
Credits: (3; 2 in the half-term).
Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.
Various approaches will be used to improve the students' written and spoken German. Weekly compositions and subsequent rewrites form an important part of the course work. Most of the topics are assigned by the instructor, but occasionally students may select their own topics. This course also involves readings in nineteenth and twentieth century history and literature in preparation for class discussions, as well as viewings of films and other visual materials. Several presentations are required of each student. German is used exclusively in this course. The final grade is based on the compositions as well as participation in the discussions. German 426 may be taken independently of German 425.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: No Data Given. | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: One year beyond German 232. (3). (Excl).
Credits: (3; 2 in the half-term).
Course Homepage: https://coursetools.ummu.umich.edu/1999/fall/lsa/germ/457/001.nsf
The Berlin Wall (1961-1989) became a key site for political and cultural struggle in Germany as well as in global terms. Now that the wall is being musealized, exhibited, destroyed, and overcome, we can look back at its history with some distance. This specific border was not just made of cement: fantasies and ideologies were an integral part of its spectacular existence. How has the wall influenced the culture of its time in both Germanys? While we will look primarily at literature, exhibitions, and films on the topic will be also part of our explorations.
The readings will focus on changing representations of the wall to map its multiple meanings in the national settings of the two German states. Class participants will make their own discoveries about Berlin's past and present culture to become informed Berlin visitors of the future. Class discussions, presentations, lectures, and essays aim to improve your knowledge of German culture and its language. Grammar reviews will be included if needed or desired.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 1 | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: One year beyond German 232. (3). (Excl).
Credits: (3; 2 in the half-term).
Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.
This course will explore the cultural and political landscape of contemporary Germany. More specifically, we will focus on key debates and central cultural events in 1998/99, for instanace, the so-called Walser debate on the German past, and the 1999 Berlinale. The following topics will be addressed: The “Berlin Republic” – a “new” Germany? The state of unification ten years after. Citizenship and new German identities? The “Americanization” of German culture? Some readings will be in English. However, class discussions and writing assignments will be exclusively in German. There will be an in-class midterm. In addition, students will be asked to give a 20-minute presentation in German on a topic of their choice.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 2 | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: Senior Honors standing. (3). (Excl). May not be repeated for credit.
Credits: (3; 2 in the half-term).
Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.
Completion of the sequence of German 491 and 492 is required for an Honors concentration in German Studies. Interested students are encouraged to contact the Honors Concentration Advisor for admission into the program (minimum 3.0 GPA with at least 3.5 in German) for Fall term of their senior year, preferably but not necessarily – as early as Winter term of their sophomore year. German 491 is regarded as a preparatory term in anticipation of 492 (Winter), in which each student writes an Honors thesis. The kinds of work to be read will be determined in part by the perceived needs of the students, geared possibly toward already-identified thesis topics and/or toward intensified focus on reading literary texts, acquiring and honing interdisciplinary research skills, and developing a persuasive and sustained argument. Every effort will be made to accommodate students with a broad range of interests from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds. Regardless of ultimate subject matter, the intent of the seminar will be to increase students’ critical reading abilities in their chosen field of interest and their familiarity with secondary literature, source material, and contemporary scholarship. Requirements for the course include at least one oral presentation (depending on the number of participants) and two papers (to total about 25 pages, in German or English). Students are urged to contact the Honors Concentration Advisor in advance of the Fall term to arrange an interview in which particular individual needs and interests will be discussed, so that the course may be tailored to fit each group.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 2 | Waitlist Code: 3 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: One year beyond 232. (3). (Excl). May be repeated for credit.
Credits: (3; 2 in the half-term).
Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.
This two-term course is designed to introduce graduate and advanced undergraduate students to a variety of different theoretical and methodological approaches to the human body; it is specifically set up to create a dialogue between the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. “The Body and Its Disciplines” will bring together scientists and scholars who work on issues related to the body, arguably the most important shared concern of natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Since “the body” is too vast a field to cover with any pretense to exhaustiveness, the course is subdivided into thematically coherent lecture and seminar clusters on memory, trauma/pain, sexuality, and reproduction/genetics – topics, in short, that are of great interest to (amongst others) scholars in history, cultural studies, gender studies, biology, human genetics, law, psychology, literature, bioethics, and philosophy. Participating faculty from the U of M and other universities will deliver one-hour lectures and co-teach the relevant seminar sessions. The course is open to graduate students of all fields; advanced undergraduates can participate with permission. Course requirements: lecture and seminar attendance, active participation, one research paper that speaks to the interdisciplinary concerns of the course. While the course runs over two terms, one-term participants are of course welcome.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 2 | Waitlist Code: 3 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: German 415. (3). (Excl).
Credits: (3; 2 in the half-term).
Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.
We shall begin our study of the structure of German with an overview of German phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexicon. While we shall consider various theoretical frameworks, it is not our goal to single out any one of those frameworks for special attention or elaboration; our primary focus will be on the data themselves. We shall then proceed to important current issues, such as the relative status of standard and non-standard varieties of German, the social and political ramifications of standard ideology, variation vs. constancy, the role of language in inclusion/exclusion, oral vs. written usage, and strategies of discourse and narration. English-German structural contrasts will be noted where appropriate, as well as some of the more general aspects of first and second language acquisition.
The course is intended primarily for graduate students, but advanced undergraduates are welcome. Readings will be assigned from Anthony Fox, The Structure of German, and a course pack. In addition to the readings, students will have homework problems and will give a several mini-reports on topics of interest. Students may choose to write a term-paper or take a final examination.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: No Data Given. | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: Graduate standing, or permission of instructor. (3). (Excl).
Credits: (3; 2 in the half-term).
Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: No Data Given. | Waitlist Code: No Data Given. |
Prerequisites & Distribution: Senior standing; and candidate for a teaching certificate. (3). (Excl).
Credits: (3; 2 in the half-term).
Course Homepage: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~hmr/
This course is intended to provide the theoretical and practical foundations for the teaching of German as a foreign language in schools and colleges. The course will combine regular reading assignments with frequent class observations, and the preparation of sample lessons in order to generate a fruitful interplay between theory and practice. Course requirements include regular reading assignments, regular class observations, several short presentations, quizzes, and a final paper or project.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 2 | Waitlist Code: 1 |
Prerequisites & Distribution: Permission of instructor. (3). (Excl).
Credits: (3).
Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.
German Studies, defined by its heterogeneity rather than by any single theoretical approach or unified object of exploration, has been the subject of animated debate over the last decade. This introductory course pursues three distinct but related goals. First, we will study some of the most important theoretical foundations of German and Cultural Studies: Nietzsche’s concept of the death of God and its vast implications; psychoanalytic accounts of the economies of desire; and the Frankfurt School’s explorations of ideology and culture. We will then trace these themes and their incarnations and modifications in various fields, such as literary and historical studies, studies in gender and sexuality, social and political thought, visual arts, and popular culture, seeking to gain an overview of the seminal work done in German Studies over the last decades. Third, we will take stock of the critical debate surrounding critical studies and ideally construct a preliminary working model of German Studies at the University of Michigan. Requirements: several article-length readings a week; two seminar papers of about ten pages each. One of these papers should sketch a specific project in German Studies, the other should be devoted to a critical theoretical exploration of German Studies itself. The last session of the term will be organized as a round-table discussion of that second set of papers.
| Check Times, Location, and Availability | Cost: 2 | Waitlist Code: 3 |
This page was created at 11:36 AM on Wed, Sep 29, 1999.