2007–2008 German Courses
Beginning German
Roland Dollinger, Nike Mizelle
Semester: Year
This course concentrates on the study of grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation in order to secure the basic tools of the language; conversations, oral reports, and short compositions so that the student may assimilate the language and make it a living reality; and reading for comprehension and vocabulary (simple expository prose) and—after a while, it is hoped—for interest and pleasure as well (poetry, short stories, etc.). Weekly practice with the language assistant is an integral part of the course. Conferences will be spent in conversation and discussion of additional reading. Supplementary work with tapes and videos will provide additional opportunities for practice in grammar and pronunciation. The overall purpose is to give the student a thorough foundation in the German language.
Beginning.
Mr. Dollinger, first semester
Ms. Mizelle, second semester
An Introduction to German Thought and Literature
Roland Dollinger, Nike Mizelle
Level: Intermediate
Semester: Year
This course stresses reading, speaking, writing, and a review of grammar. Its aim is to give students a fair degree of fluency in the language and introduce them to some aspects of German literature and culture. Readings will consist of a detective novel, fairy tales, poetry, and stories from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; videotapes will be used to further comprehension. Regular conferences and weekly sessions with the language assistant will supplement the work of the class.
Mr. Dollinger, first semester
Ms. Mizelle, second semester
Postwar German Drama
Level: Advanced
Semester: Fall
In this semester course, we will explore some of the most important plays written in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria after 1945. Our discussions will address the question of how playwrights have dealt with the representation of Germany’s past and present, especially the catastrophe of the Third Reich and the Holocaust. Seminal plays by Borchert, Brecht, Dürrenmatt, Frisch, Bernhard, Kroetz, Peter Weiss, and Heiner Müller will help us understand Germany’s postwar culture. This course consists of two sections. One seminar per week is dedicated to a discussion of these texts; in the second section, students will work on their German grammar and vocab-ulary and will also see some influential German films.
The German Stage
Level: Advanced
Semester: Spring
War, revolution, street riots, and terrorist acts—it’s no coincidence that many of the most radically experimental works of German language theatre followed directly moments of national and international crisis. What does aesthetic revolution have to do with revolution on the streets? How can “die Bretter, die die Welt bedeuten” (Schiller) influence the course of events in the world itself? When is comedy an appropriate response to tragedy? What is the role of censorship? What does the “V-Effekt” (estrangement effect) mean to us today? These are the sorts of questions we will be addressing in this survey of major German, Swiss, and Austrian dramas of the last two hundred years, including comedies, tragedies, and tragicomedies by authors including Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, Büchner, Brecht, Max Frisch, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Peter Handke, Thomas Bernhard, Heiner Müller, Elfriede Jelinek, Yoko Tawada, Jenny Erpenbeck, and Christoph Schlingensief, written in the aftermath of events ranging from the French Revolution to September 11.