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. Course work 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 the 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 these, no more than nine hours in translation; 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 these, no more than six hours in German literature in translation; 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. Students interested in pursuing Honors should consult the department chairperson by the beginning of the second semester of their junior year.

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. Kaufmann, Ms. Tewarson, 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.
Mr. Huff, Ms. Hamilton

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, writing about and discussion of seminal writings from various fields—history, politics, philosophy, psychology, art, music, and journalism. It is aimed at expanding the students' command of spoken and written German and their knowledge of German culture. Notable thinkers and authors to be considered are: Freud, Kant, Nietzsche, Wagner, Rosa Luxemburg, Käthe Kollwitz, et. al. 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 2005-2006.

326. Twentieth-Century German Drama
3 hours 3HU, CD
Next offered 2005-2006.

333. Special Topics in English Translation
3 hours 3HU, CD
Next offered 2005-2006.

In this Department

Film Studies

Film Studies

325. New German Cinema
3 hours 3HU, CD, WR
Next offered 2005-2006.

335. Special Topics in German Cinema: East German Cinema
3 hours 3HU, WR
First Semester.
East German cinema existed even before the formal establishment of the German Democratic Republic in 1949. Examining representative films from 1946 until 1989, students will explore the development and function of film culture in East Germany. In addition to close textual analysis, course members will examine literary, theoretical, and historical impulses in major works by Staudte, Vogel, Wolf, Carow and others. Films (subtitled), lectures, and discussions in English. Identical to CINE 235. Consent of instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 30.
Ms. Hamilton

341. History of German Cinema
3 hours 3HU, CD, WR
Second Semester.
German films played a prominent role in four 20th-century Germanies, rendering the very notion of "the" German cinema complicated at best. This course examines representative films from 1919 until 1968 to examine the route and roots of film culture in the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, the Federal Republic and the German Democratic Republic. Films (subtitled), with lectures and discussions in English. Identical to CINE 241. Consent of instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 30.
Staff

In this Department