Oberlin College Course Catalog

German

The Department of German Language and Literatures enables students to explore the cultures of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The program seeks to develop competence in the German language and lay the groundwork for an appreciation of German literature and other cultural expressions. Coursework in literature, both in the original and in translation, allows students to investigate representative works and significant literary genres of the major periods, while the film courses offer insight into this 20th-century medium and its language. Students especially interested in the interconnections between culture, history, and politics should consider the department's German Studies major.

Courses 101, 102, 203, 204, and 305 seek primarily to develop language competence. All courses beyond the 100 series (except those in translation) are conducted in German.

A judicious selection from the regular 300 and 400 offerings will yield a survey of German literature, culture, and cinema, leading to a major or minor.

Advanced students and new students considering a major should include a German course in their freshman program. Opportunities for undergraduate study abroad, such as the Exchange Scholar Program, provide possibilities for acceleration to majors and prospective majors who begin their study in college. Recommended correlated courses distributed over four years include: Art, Classics, History, Music, Film Studies, and another foreign language or literature.

Advanced Placement. Students who have received a score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement (AP) exam in German will be automatically awarded three hours of Oberlin College credit as German 300. All students, including those with AP credit or SAT II, must nevertheless take the departmental placement exam to determine the appropriate level for further study.

Major. Two majors are offered. A basic knowledge of the German language is fundamental to both.

1. The German Major is concerned primarily with the study of literature. Genres, literary movements, and individual authors and themes are examined with the aim of expanding the student's capacity for literary analysis and appreciation. The German major consists of a minimum of 31 semester hours which should be accumulated as follows:

a. at least 22 hours in German language, literature, and cinema at the 300 and 400 level. Of these, 311 and 312, two 400-level courses, including 433, and at least one semester of 304 (Writer-in-Residence) are required;

b. of the 22 hours, no more than nine hours in translation; and

c. at least nine hours of upper-level courses in related literary fields, e.g., comparative literature, literary theory, or other literature courses.

A minimum of 12 semester hours in German language and literature (above 204) must be completed at Oberlin. Private reading courses do not normally count toward the major.

Strongly recommended correlated fields include European History, German History, History of Art, History of Music, and French.

2. The German Studies Major places more emphasis on cultural expressions other than literature (e.g., music, art, film, philosophy, history). It consists of a minimum of 32 semester hours which may be accumulated as follows:

a. at least 15 hours in German language and literature courses at the 300 and 400 level but not including courses in translation. Of these, 311 and 312, two 400-level courses (including 433) and at least one semester of 304 (Writer-in-Residence) are required;

b. of the15 hours, no more than six hours in German literature in translation; and

c. at least nine hours to be selected from courses with total or substantial (50 percent or more) German content in two or more disciplines other than German literature.

A minimum of 16 hours toward the German Studies major must be completed at Oberlin. Private reading courses do not normally count toward the German Studies major. The entire German staff will constitute a special committee to administer the German Studies major.

Honors. Qualified German or German Studies majors should consider the possibility of participating in the departmental Honors Program. Admittance requires a minimum GPA within the major of 3.5 and an overall GPA of 3.0. Outstanding language ability is a firm prerequisite. Students interested in pursuing Honors should consult the department chair by the beginning of the second semester of their junior year for complete procedures.

A BA in German or German Studies can lead to graduate work in German, in comparative literature, or a variety of related fields (e.g., library science, linguistics). German majors have found careers in teaching at all levels, in government work (e.g., State Department), journalism, medicine, law, environmental science, international business, or in music, both in this country and in Europe.

Minor. A minor in German consists of 15 hours at the 300 and 400 levels, which may include one course in translation. One three-hour course must be at the 400 level.

German House. The Max Kade German House, a four-class coeducational dormitory, serves as the focal point for German activities on campus. It affords German students a unique opportunity to develop their speaking skills in an informal setting. Native speakers are regularly in residence. Students interested in German are encouraged to live in German House for at least one year.

Study Abroad. Exchange Scholar Program. Competitive exchange scholarships are offered for study at a German university in the junior year. The program is open to all students with sufficient preparation in German language and literature. Credits earned in this program are subject to the transfer of credit fee. Students on financial aid should consult the Director of Financial Aid. The faculty will also advise students about other opportunities for study in German-speaking countries and assist with applications and enrollment.

Winter Term. The department normally offers an intensive Winter Term Beginning German course that covers the basic elements of grammar and offers practice in simple conversation. This course is not the equivalent of German 101 and does not automatically qualify students to enter 102. Students who have progressed exceptionally well in the Winter Term course, however, may upon recommendation of the instructor advance into German 102.

German staff members are available during Winter Term to sponsor individual and group projects within their discipline or areas of their interest.

Language Laboratory. The Paul and Edith Cooper International Learning Center, located on the third floor of Peters Hall, is designed for both class and individual use at all levels of language learning. Audio, video, and computer materials are available for student use. Laboratory practice is encouraged for all students so that they can further develop their speaking and listening skills.

For further information, consult the German web page: www.oberlin.edu/german.

In this Department

Language Courses

Language Courses (Offered Every Year)

101, 102. Elementary German
5 hours 5HU, CD
First (101) and Second (102) Semester.
Acquisition of the fundamentals of grammar along with practice in speaking and writing. Grammar coverage will extend over both semesters. Early introduction of spoken German, with reading and discussion of graded literary texts in GERM 101 and GERM 102. Second semester classes taught chiefly in German. Use of language laboratory encouraged. Enrollment Limit: 22.
Ms. Hamilton, Mr. Huff, Ms. Kaufmann, Staff

203, 204. Intermediate German
3 hours, 3HU, CD
First (203) and Second (204) Semester.
Increasing mastery of the basic skills (listening, reading, speaking, and writing). Selective grammar review in 203. Readings of narrative prose, drama, and poetry by mainly contemporary authors, along with cultural/historical texts from the 19th and 20th centuries. Completion of Intermediate German will enable students to read a broad range of literary and non-literary texts and to conduct research in their major fields. Prerequisite: GERM 102 or qualification by placement test. Enrollment Limit: 15.
Ms. Hamilton, Mr. Huff, Ms. Ricci, Ms. Tewarson

305. Conversation and Composition
3 hours, 3HU, CD
First Semester.
Expansion and refinement of speaking, writing, and listening skills through a variety of in-class activities (including films and writing). Readings and discussions will cover topics of current social, political, and cultural interest in the German-language countries as reflected in the media and in essays and articles by creative writers. Prerequisite: GERM 204 or equivalent. Enrollment Limit: 20.
Ms. Kaufmann

306. Advanced Conversation and Composition
3 hours, 3HU, CD
Second Semester.
This course will focus on reading, viewing, writing about and discussion of seminal writings and films from German cinema and literary history. It is aimed at expanding the students' command of spoken and written German and their ability to analyze German culture. Notable filmmakers, authors, and intellectuals to be considered are Murnau, Pabst, Brecht, Kracauer, Eisner, Sander, Baser, and Akin, and others. Prerequisite: GERM 204 or equivalent. Enrollment Limit: 20.
Ms. Hamilton

In this Department

Topics in Translation

Topics in Translation

321. German Jewish Women Writers: Between, Traditions, Disciplines and Genres
3 hours, 3HU, CD, WR
Next offered 2006-2007.

326. Twentieth-Century German Drama
3 hours, 3HU, CD
Next offered 2006-2007.

333. Special Topics in English Translation: The Deviant Body in German Literature and Film
3 hours, 3HU, CD, WR
First Semester.
This course examines fictional representations of the human body in order to study changing concepts of normalcy and difference. Discussions will cover German prose, drama, and film (subtitled) from the mid-19th century to the present, including works by Büchner, Kafka, Dürrenmatt, Herzog, Duden, and Jelinek. Lectures and discussions in English. Readings may be done either in English or the German original. Identical to CINE 333. Prerequisite: CINE 101 or the equivalent of one German course. Enrollment Limit: 30.
Ms. Hamilton

334. Special Topics in English Translation: Longing and Beauty in German Literature and Visual Arts
3 hours, 3HU, CD
Second Semester.
This course considers ways that longing and beauty are understood and depicted in late 19th and early 20th century German, Swiss and Austrian culture. Examining literary and philosophical texts as well as paintings, the course analyzes aesthetic strategies for rendering the beloved object and confronting unrequited desires. Authors and artists to be considered include: Thomas Mann, Rainer Maria Rilke, Else Lasker-Schüler, Hermann Hesse, Stefan George, Lou Andreas-Salomé, Sigmund Freud, Georg Simmel, Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. Enrollment Limit: 30.
Ms. Ricci

In this Department

Film Studies

Film Studies

325. New German Cinema
3 hours, 3HU, CD, WR
Next offered 2006-2007.

333. Special Topics in English Translation: The Deviant Body in German Literature and Film
3 hours, 3HU, CD, WR
First Semester.
See description above.
Ms. Hamilton

335. Special Topics in German Cinema: East German Cinema
3 hours, 3HU, WR
Next offered 2006-2007.

341. History of German Cinema
3 hours, 3HU, CD, WR
Next offered 2006-2007.

In this Department