Germanic Studies

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This is an archived copy of the 2013-2014 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.uchicago.edu.

Contacts

Undergraduate Primary Contact

Chair
David Wellbery
WB 404

Email

Secondary Contact

Language Program Director
Catherine Baumann
C 508
702.8008
Email

Administrative Contact

Departmental Administrator
Michelle Zimet
Cl 25F
702.8494
Email

Website

http://german.uchicago.edu

Program of Study

The program for the BA degree in Germanic Studies is intended to provide students with a wide ranging and highly personalized introduction to the language, literature, and culture of German-speaking countries and to various methods of approaching and examining these areas. It is designed to be complemented by other areas of study (e.g., anthropology, art history, comparative literature, economics, film studies, history, philosophy, political science, sociology).

Students in other fields of study may also complete a minor in Germanic Studies. Information follows the description of the major.

Program Requirements

Students majoring in Germanic Studies typically register for six German language courses at the second-year level and above, plus six courses in German literature and culture, including two literature or culture courses taken in German, and GRMN 29900 BA Paper. With prior approval of the director of undergraduate studies, students may count up to three relevant German-oriented courses from other departments in the humanities or social sciences toward the requirements of the major in Germanic Studies. Students must meet with the director of undergraduate studies to discuss a plan of study as soon as they declare their major and no later than the end of Spring Quarter of their third year. Students must have their programs approved by the director of undergraduate studies before the end of their third year.

BA Paper

The BA paper typically is a research paper of a minimum of twenty-five pages. While the paper may be written in either English or German, it must include a bibliography that makes ample use of German-language sources. Students must submit a proposal for their BA paper to their faculty adviser by the beginning of the eighth week of Autumn Quarter in their senior year. A first draft of the paper is due on the first day of Spring Quarter, and the completed paper must be submitted by the beginning of the sixth week of Spring Quarter.

Germanic Studies will accept a paper or project used to meet the BA requirement in another major, under the condition that original German sources are used. Students should consult with both chairs by the earliest BA proposal deadline (or by the end of their third year, when neither program publishes a deadline). A consent form, to be signed by both chairs, is available from the College adviser. It must be completed and returned to the College adviser by the end of Autumn Quarter of the student's year of graduation.

Summary of Requirements

Second-year German		300
GRMN 20100-20200-20300	Deutsche Märchen; Deutsch-Amerikanische Themen; Kurzprosa aus dem 20. Jahrhundert ^*
Third-year German		300
GRMN 21103-21203-21303	Erzählen; Drama und Film; Gedichte
Two courses in literature or culture taken in German		200
Four courses in German literature and culture ^**		400
GRMN 29900	BA Paper	100
Total Units		1300

*	Or credit for the equivalent as determined by petition.
**	Three may be courses in other departments and/or Languages Across Chicago courses

Grading

Students who are majoring in Germanic Studies must receive a quality grade in all courses taken to meet requirements in the major. Nonmajors have the option of taking courses for P/F grading (except for language courses, which must be taken for quality grades).

Honors

Honors are reserved for students who achieve overall excellence in grades for courses in the College and within the major, as well as complete a BA paper that shows proof of original research or criticism. Students with an overall GPA of at least 3.0 for College work and a GPA of at least 3.5 in classes within the major, and whose GRMN 29900 BA Paper is judged superior by two readers, will be recommended to the Master of the Humanities Collegiate Division for honors.

Study Abroad

As early in their course of study as possible, interested students are encouraged to take advantage of one of the study abroad options that are available in the College. The five options are:

A program in Vienna, which is offered each Autumn Quarter, includes three courses of European Civilization, as well as German language instruction on several levels.
In the Autumn Quarter, an intensive language program in Freiburg is available to students who have completed the first-year sequence or an equivalent. Students in this program complete the second year of language study.
The College also co-sponsors, with the Berlin Consortium for German Studies, a yearlong program at the Freie Universität Berlin. Students register for regular classes at the Freie Universität or at other Berlin universities. To be eligible, students must have completed the second year of German language courses or an equivalent, and should have completed all general education requirements.
Third-year majors can apply for a Romberg Summer Research Grant to do preparatory work for the BA paper.
Students who wish to do a summer study abroad program can apply for a Foreign Language Acquisition Grant (FLAG) that is administered by the College and provides support for a minimum of eight weeks of study at a recognized summer program abroad. Students must have completed GRMN 10300 Elementary German for Beginners III or its equivalent to be eligible for FLAG support for the study of German. For more information, visit sitg.uchicago.edu .

More than half of the requirements for the major must be met by registering for courses bearing University of Chicago course numbers.

Proficiency Certificate

It is recommended that all students majoring in Germanic Studies complete the College's Advanced Language Proficiency Certificate in German as documentation of advanced functional ability in reading, writing, listening to, and speaking German. Students are eligible to take the examinations that result in the awarding of this certificate after they have completed courses beyond the second year of language study and subsequently have spent a minimum of one quarter abroad in an approved program; FLAG students are also eligible. For more information, visit college.uchicago.edu/academics-advising/academic-opportunities/advanced-language-proficiency .

Minor Program in Germanic Studies

Students in other fields of study may complete a minor in Germanic Studies. The minor in Germanic Studies requires a total of six courses in addition to the second-year language sequence (GRMN 20100 Deutsche Märchen/GRMN 20200 Deutsch-Amerikanische Themen/ GRMN 20300 Kurzprosa aus dem 20. Jahrhundert) (or credit for the equivalent as determined by petition). These six courses usually include the third-year sequence and three literature/culture courses. One of the literature/culture courses must be taken in German. Note that credit toward the minor for courses taken abroad must be determined in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.

Students who elect the minor program in Germanic Studies must meet with the director of undergraduate studies before the end of Spring Quarter of their third year to declare their intention to complete the minor and must submit a form obtained from their College adviser. Students choose courses in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies. The director's approval for the minor program should be submitted to the student's College adviser by the deadline above on the form.

Courses in the minor may not be double counted with the student's major(s) or with other minors and may not be counted toward general education requirements. Courses in the minor must be taken for quality grades, and more than half of the requirements for the minor must be met by registering for courses bearing University of Chicago course numbers.

The following group of courses would comprise a minor in Germanic Studies. Other programs may be designed in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies. Minor program requirements are subject to revision.

Germanic Studies Sample Minor

GRMN 21103	Erzählen	100
GRMN 21203	Drama und Film	100
GRMN 21303	Gedichte	100
Three courses in German literature and culture		300

Minor Program in Norwegian Studies

Students in any field may complete a minor in Norwegian Studies. A Norwegian Studies minor will consist of the beginning language cycle (NORW 10100-10200-10300 First-Year Norwegian I-II-III) as the language component of the minor. Three additional courses are required to complete the minor. Students choose these courses in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies. These courses may include:

20000-level Norwegian language classes and/or literaure classes
NORW 10400	Intermediate Norwegian I: Introduction to Literature	100
NORW 10500	Intermediate Norwegian II	100

Students who elect the minor program in Norwegian Studies must meet with the director of undergraduate studies before the end of Spring Quarter of their third year to declare their intention to complete the minor and must submit a form obtained from their College adviser. Students choose courses in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies. The director's approval for the minor program should be submitted to the student's College adviser by the deadline above on the form.

Minor program requirements are subject to revision.

German Courses

Language

First-Year Sequence

GRMN 10100-10200-10300. Elementary German for Beginners I-II-III.

This sequence develops proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking for use in everyday communication. Knowledge and awareness of the different cultures of the German speaking countries is also a goal.

GRMN 10100. Elementary German for Beginners I. 100 Units.

Terms Offered: Autumn
Note(s): No auditors permitted. Must be taken for quality grade.

GRMN 10200. Elementary German for Beginners II. 100 Units.

Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): GRMN 10100 or placement
Note(s): No auditors permitted. Must be taken for quality grade.

GRMN 10300. Elementary German for Beginners III. 100 Units.

Terms Offered: Autumn, Winter, Spring
Prerequisite(s): GRMN 10200 or 10201, or placement
Note(s): No auditors permitted. Must be taken for quality grade.

GRMN 10201. Elementary German II. 100 Units.

This is an accelerated version of the GRMN 10100-10200 sequence intended for students with previous knowledge of the language.

Terms Offered: Autumn, Winter
Prerequisite(s): Placement or consent of language coordinator
Note(s): No auditors permitted. Must be taken for a quality grade.

GRMN 13100. Reading German. 100 Units.

This course prepares students to read a variety of German texts. By the end of the quarter, students should have a fundamental knowledge of German grammar and a basic vocabulary. While the course does not teach conversational German, the basic elements of pronunciation are introduced.

Terms Offered: Spring
Note(s): Prior knowledge of German not required. No auditors permitted. This course does not prepare students for the competency exam. Must be taken for a quality grade.

Second-Year Sequence

GRMN 20100-20200-20300. Deutsche Märchen; Deutsch-Amerikanische Themen; Kurzprosa aus dem 20. Jahrhundert.

GRMN 20100. Deutsche Märchen. 100 Units.

This course is a comprehensive look at German fairy tales, including structure and role in German nineteenth-century literature, adaptation as children's books in German and English, and film interpretations. This course also includes a review and expansion of German grammar.

Terms Offered: Autumn, Winter, Spring
Prerequisite(s): GRMN 10300 or placement
Note(s): No auditors permitted. Must be taken for a quality grade.

GRMN 20200. Deutsch-Amerikanische Themen. 100 Units.

Issues may range from social topics such as family roles or social class, to literary genres such as exile or immigrant literature. Review and expansion of German grammar continues.

Terms Offered: Autumn, Winter, Spring
Prerequisite(s): GRMN 20100 or placement
Note(s): No auditors permitted. Must be taken for a quality grade.

GRMN 20300. Kurzprosa aus dem 20. Jahrhundert. 100 Units.

This course is a study of descriptive and narrative prose through short fiction and other texts, as well as media from the twentieth century, with a focus on grammatical issues that are designed to push toward more cohesive and idiomatic use of language.

Terms Offered: Autumn, Winter, Spring
Prerequisite(s): GRMN 20200 or placement
Note(s): No auditors permitted. Must be taken for a quality grade.

Third-Year Sequence

GRMN 21103-21203-21303. Erzählen; Drama und Film; Gedichte.

It is not necessary to take these courses in sequence, but all three are required for the major. These three courses serve as preparation for seminar-style classes. Students work with a variety of texts and learn to present and participate in instructor- and student-led discussions of relevant issues and topics. Student also write short essays and longer research papers. Work in grammar, structure, and vocabulary moves students toward more idiomatic use of German.

GRMN 21103. Erzählen. 100 Units.

This course develops advanced German skills through the study of narratives of various authors from different periods.

Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): GRMN 20300 or placement
Note(s): No auditors permitted. Must be taken for a quality grade.

GRMN 21203. Drama und Film. 100 Units.

This course develops advanced German skills through the study of dramas and/or films of various authors/directors from different eras.

Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): GRMN 20300 or placement
Note(s): No auditors permitted. Must be taken for a quality grade.

GRMN 21303. Gedichte. 100 Units.

This course develops advanced German skills through the study of poetry of various authors from different periods.

Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): GRMN 20300 or placement
Note(s): No auditors permitted. Must be taken for a quality grade.

GRMN 21403. Philosophie. 100 Units.

This course develops advanced German skills through the study of philosophical texts of various authors from different periods.

Instructor(s): Staff Terms Offered: Spring; Offered in even-numbered years
Prerequisite(s): GRMN 20300 or placement
Note(s): No Auditors permitted. Must be taken for a quality grade.
Equivalent Course(s): GRMN 31403

Literature and Culture

All literature and culture courses are conducted in German unless otherwise indicated. Students who are majoring or minoring in German and take courses taught in English are expected to do the majority of their course work in German.

GRMN 23914. Extreme Makover: Mies van der Rohe's Chicago Edition. 100 Units.

The transition to modern architecture in the beginning of the twentieth century is nothing short of an extreme makeover, to which the Chicago skyline bears witness. Chicago architects spent decades building skyscrapers with ornamental facades, until sleek steel and glass arrived in the Windy City along with the German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. But Mies did not only bring his signature black-box design. He also transplanted the idea that a radical change in architecture has the potential to change how people live and who they are. In this course we will learn how to see, upon entering a space of modern architecture, the ways of life and identities of people that the space prescribes. To acquire this skill of interpreting architectural space, we will first and foremost take advantage of our location in the city of Chicago. Analyzing architectural spaces requires experiencing them first hand, and we have the unique advantage of being surrounded by the products of German Modernism. Our class will thus often take the form of fieldwork: we will leave the classroom to explore Mies’s buildings on campus, in Hyde Park, at IIT, in the Loop, and on the Northside. Architectural treatises, self-help manuals, poems, and novels will provide us with the necessary cultural background to discern the ideologies of German Modernism present in Chicago. Readings will include texts by Walter Benjamin, Georg Simmel, Bertolt Brecht, Walter Gropius, and Joseph Roth. There will be occasional fieldwork sessions or screenings following class.

Instructor(s): A. Mahler Terms Offered: Winter

GRMN 24714. Identity and Crisis: Readings in Narrative German Forms. 100 Units.

This course is concerned with close readings of texts which are marked by a deep preoccupation with the concept of crisis and the consequent efforts to achieve and maintain individual identity as a buttress against a world in flux—discursively, politically, philosophically, and ethically. The readings will revolve around the possibilities for being in the world as an engaged and self-contained narrative subject. We will work to develop a concept of ‘crisis’ as an organizational topos for 20th-century literature from Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s Chandos-Brief (1902) to W.G. Sebald’s The Emigrants (1992). The relationships between perspective and voice, exile and memory, language and knowledge, and genre and story construction will be of particular importance for textual analysis and may be supplemented by additional theoretical readings.

Instructor(s): A. Ellis Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): GRMN 34714

GRMN 26913. Anagnorisis and the Cognitive Work of Theater. 100 Units.

In the Poetics Aristotle conceives anagnorisis or recognition as one of the three constitutive parts of the dramatic plot and defines it as the “a change from ignorance (agnoia) to knowledge (gnosis).” Implying the rediscovery of something previously known anagnorisis refers to the emplotment and staging of a certain kind of cognitive work characteristic of theater (as a locus of theoria or theory). For recognition is not only required of the dramatis personae on stage but also of the spectators who need to (re)-cognize a character whenever s/he enters. Just as the characters’ anagnorisis isn’t restricted to the filiation, i.e., identity, of other characters the audience’s cognition concerns the understanding the plot as a whole. In short, by focusing on anagnorisis we can gain insight in the specific cognitive work of theater (and drama). Naturally we will begin in antiquity and examine the instantiation of recognition in Homer’s Odyssey and several Greek tragedies as well as its first theorization in Aristotle’s Poetics. Then we will jump to the modernes, specifically Enlightenment theater’s obsession with anagnorisis and the cognitive work it performs, and investigate dramas by Diderot and Lessing. Kleist’s dramatic deconstructions of German bourgeois and classical theater test the Enlightenment’s claim to reason and reform of human cognition. Our last stop will be Brecht’s theater of “Entfremdung” that makes the alienation at the heart of anagnorisis into the centerpiece of his aesthetic and political project. If we have time, we will also take a look at comical recognition as self-reflection of its tragic counterpart. Readings and discussions in English.

Instructor(s): C. Wild Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): CLCV 25513,CLAS 35513,CMLT 26913,CMLT 36913,TAPS 28441,GRMN 36913

GRMN 27813. Rilke, Sonnets to Orpheus. 100 Units.

This seminar will engage in close readings of Rilke’s famous volume of poems. Supplementary readings will address some of the fundamental issues raised by the poems: the sonorous universe of poetry and the nature of the voice; the “Orphic” dimension of poetry; the religious and profane meanings of praise in relation to mourning. We will furthermore compare the treatment of the voice by Rilke with its treatment by another Prague writer: Franz Kafka. Excellent reading knowledge of German required.

Instructor(s): E. Santner Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Reading knowledge of German required
Equivalent Course(s): GRMN 37813,FNDL 21706

GRMN 28714. Thinking Tragedy: Nietzsche’s Geburt der Tragödie. 100 Units.

The Focus of this seminar exploring (German) theories of tragedy will be Friedrich Nietzsche’s Birth of Tragedy. In order to understand better this work’s iconoclasm we will first survey some of the more seminal theorizations of the tragic genre starting with Aristotle but concentrating on the contributions of German idealist philosophers and thinkers such as Schiller, Hegel, and Schelling, before we then turn to a close critical reading of Nietzsche’s text. Readings and discussions in English.

Instructor(s): C. Wild Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): FNDL 25202,TAPS 28442

GRMN 29614. Absorption/Distanciation: Wagner, Brecht, Kluge. 100 Units.

Explores Richard Wagner's music-dramas, Bertolt Brecht's plays, and Alexander Kluge's films as a forum for the formulation, circulation, and contestation of absorption and distanciation. While a conventional historical account would map the tensions between absorption and distanciation as a one-way trip, moving from absorption (in Wagner) to distanciation (as coined by Brecht) to distraction (as deployed by Kluge), we will explore how each artist deploys each term to varying effects. Works to be considered include Wagner's The Flying Dutchman and Parsifal, Brecht's Man Is Man and The Measures Taken, and Kluge's Yesterday Girl and The Power of Emotions. Readings by each artist, as well as by Theodor Adorno, Walter Benjamin, Michael Fried, Miriam Hansen, Andreas Huyssen, and Gertrud Koch. In English.

Instructor(s): D. Levin Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): GRMN 33914,CMST 28304,CMST 38304,TAPS 28439,MUSI 29614,MUSI 33914

GRMN 29700. Reading and Research Course in German. 100 Units.

Terms Offered: Autumn, Winter, Spring
Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor and director of undergraduate studies
Note(s): Students must consult with the instructor by the eighth week of the preceding quarter to determine the subject of the course and the work to be done. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form.

GRMN 29900. BA Paper. 100 Units.

Terms Offered: Autumn, Winter, Spring
Prerequisite(s): Fourth-year standing. Consent of instructor and director of undergraduate studies.
Note(s): Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form.

GRMN 33300. German for Research Purposes. 100 Units.

This rigorous course begins with an introduction to grammar and vocabulary enabling students to read and comprehend German. Students then perform a series of process exercises designed to practice the specific skills they need to use German for research. Students able to work with texts and journals in their own discipline to complete these exercises. Graduate students who take and perform well in this course will be able to read in a foreign language reading, and will also master skills they useful as scholars in their field. The course also prepares student for the graduate reading exam. No previous knowledge of German necessary.

Terms Offered: Winter, Spring, Summer
Note(s): Graduate students only; undergraduates must have permission. Limit: 18.

Languages Across Chicago (LxC)

LxC courses have two possible formats: (1) an additional course meeting during which students read and discuss authentic source material and primary texts in German; or (2) a course in another discipline (such as history) that is taught entirely in German. Prerequisite German language skills depend on the course format and content. LxC courses maintain or improve students’ German language skills while giving them a unique and broadened perspective into the regular course content.

Norwegian Courses

Language

NORW 10100-10200-10300. First-Year Norwegian I-II-III.

The aim of this sequence is to provide students with minimal proficiency in the four language skills of speaking, reading, writing and listening—with a special emphasis on speaking. To achieve these goals, we undertake an overview of all major grammar topics and work to acquire a substantial vocabulary.

NORW 10100. First-Year Norwegian I. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): K. Kenny Terms Offered: Autumn

NORW 10200. First-Year Norwegian II. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): K. Kenny Terms Offered: Winter

NORW 10300. First-Year Norwegian III. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): K. Kenny Terms Offered: Spring

NORW 10400. Intermediate Norwegian I: Introduction to Literature. 100 Units.

This course combines intensive review of all basic grammar with the acquisition of more advanced grammar concepts. While our main priority remains oral proficiency, we work to develop our reading and writing skills. We challenge our reading ability with more sophisticated examples of Norwegian prose and strengthen our writing through essay writing. The centerpiece of the course is the contemporary Norwegian novel Naiv. Super.

Instructor(s): K. Kenny Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): NORW 10300 or consent of instructor

Literature and Culture

NORW 28500. Comparative Fairy Tale. 100 Units.

For some, fairy tales count as sacred tales meant to enchant rather than to edify. For others, they are cautionary tales, replete with obvious moral lessons. Critics have come to apply all sorts of literary approaches to fairy tale texts, ranging from stylistic analyses to psychoanalytical and feminist readings. For the purposes of this course, we assume that these critics are correct in their contention that fairy tales contain essential underlying meanings. We conduct our own readings of fairy tales from the German Brothers Grimm, the Norwegians, Asbjørnsen and Moe, and the Dane, Hans Christian Andersen. We rely on our own critical skills as well as on selected secondary readings.

Instructor(s): K. Kenny Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): NORW 10400 or consent of instructor
Equivalent Course(s): CMLT 21600,GRMN 28500,HUMA 28400

NORW 29700. Reading and Research Course in Norwegian. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): K. Kenny Terms Offered: Autumn, Winter, Spring
Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor and director of undergraduate studies
Note(s): Students must consult with the instructor by the eighth week of the preceding quarter to determine the subject of the course and the work to be done. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form.

Yiddish Courses

Language

YDDH 10100-10200-10300. Elementary Yiddish I-II-III.

The goal of this sequence is to develop proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking for use in everyday communication. The main features of Yiddish culture are introduced through websites, songs, films, and folklore.

YDDH 10100. Elementary Yiddish I. 100 Units.

Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): JWSC 20300,LGLN 27200,YDDH 37300

YDDH 10200. Elementary Yiddish II. 100 Units.

Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): JWSC 20400,LGLN 27300,YDDH 37400

YDDH 10300. Elementary Yiddish III. 100 Units.

Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): JWSC 20500,LGLN 27400,YDDH 37500

YDDH 20100-20200-20300. Intermediate Yiddish I-II-III.

This sequence uses a variety of material to expose students to different styles of written and spoken Yiddish. Course materials include a selection of modern Yiddish literature (short stories and poems), including CDs with readings by native speakers; newspaper articles; and websites about Yiddish cultural life in the United States, Europe, and Israel.

YDDH 20100. Intermediate Yiddish I. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): J. Schwarz Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): YDDH 10300 or consent of instructor

YDDH 20200. Intermediate Yiddish II. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): J. Schwarz Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): YDDH 10300 or consent of instructor

YDDH 20300. Intermediate Yiddish III. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): J. Schwarz Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): YDDH 10300 or consent of instructor