German

Some information in this department has changed since the publication of the St. Olaf College 1996-1997 Academic Catalog. Current information can be found in print or online in The Catalog Supplement for 1997-98.

The Catalog Supplement for 1997-1998: German

Overview

The German Department offers courses at all levels, from beginning to advanced, for both majors and non-majors. The focus of the program is practical, culturally-based proficiency in the use of German, drawing on fields across the behavioral and natural sciences, humanities, and fine arts for materials that support language learning.

All Level II (German 231-298) and Level III (German 340-398) courses are taught in German. General Education courses (German 246, 247, 248) are taught in English with texts in English translation.

Prerequisites

New students with prior study of German should take the German Placement Examination before classes begin to assure proper placement. No prior study is required for German 111. Other prerequisites are reported in the course descriptions and/or in consultation with the instructor.

General Education Credits

German courses that fulfill General Education requirements are listed in the Class and Lab Schedules. Completion of German 232 or a higher numbered course taught in the German language fulfills the foreign language graduation requirement for students who entered after May 1994.

Comprehensive/Distribution Credits

Completion of German 231 or a higher-numbered course taught in German, or demonstrated proficiency, satisfies the college's foreign language requirement for students who entered prior to May 1994. Courses 246, 247, 248, 360, 370, 375, 381, 3 85, and 390 satisfy the Area A literature distribution requirement.

Special Programs

In support of formal course work, the department sponsors a program of extracurricular activities each semester and a residential honor house (Deutsches Haus) with native German residents. The department also has exchange programs with the Universities of Flensburg, Konstanz and Paderborn, at which some 15 St. Olaf students study each year and earn between five and nine course credits. Students may study in Germany for either a semester or a full year. (See the Index.) Two study abroad courses may be applied to the core major requirement; one additional course may count toward the interdisciplinary requirement or teaching major. The Department also offers a series of courses taught in English for General Education (German 246, 247, and 248) and participates in courses taught across disciplines for an Advanced Foreign Language Component (AFLC).

Requirements for the Majors

Requirements for the Graduation Major

The core courses for the German major are German 251 plus 265, 266 or 267, and five additional courses above 251 for a total of seven of the eight courses requi red for the major. Students who do not participate in the department's semester abroad program may count toward the major an Internship (German 294), Independent Study (German 298), or Independent Research (German 398). In addition, the department requires one interdis ciplinary course, which may include courses taught in English or German and may be selected from courses taught on campus, on interims and on study abroad program. Interdisciplinary courses must contain at least 50 percent German cultural content.

Requirements for the Teaching Major

German 251, plus 265, 266, or 267, six additional courses above 251, and Education 385.

Recommendations for Graduate or Professional Study

The German major prepares students for a wide range of graduate programs in German literature and cultural studies. It also includes courses in fields that serve students who wish to pursue professional degrees in law, medicine, business, education, or foreign service. In recent years, several students have continued their study at German universities with grants from the Fulbright Commission or the German Academic Exchange Service.

Courses

111 Beginning German I

An introduction to the principles of German and English grammar. Through classroom and language laboratory activities, students develop basic skills in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing German.

112 Beginning German II

Continued training in the four skills with emphasis on learning about contemporary German culture and society. Offered for all students completing either German 111 or those recommended for German 112 on the basis of previous study.

231 Intermediate German I

Study of life in the German-speaking countries through reading and discussion of cultural texts. Emphasis is on vocabulary building, a review of German grammar, and the development of writing skills. The course includes weekly group conversations with native speakers. Prerequisite: German 112, or equivalent. Taught in German with some grammar explanations in English.

232 Intermediate German II

Continued study of life in German-speaking countries through authentic texts and other materials that help students develop their vocabulary and inspire them to advance their writing and speaking skills. The course includes weekly conversation groups with native speakers. Prerequisite: German 231, or equivalent. Taught in German.

246 The Age of Goethe (in English translation)

Students examine the transformation of German political culture from a feudal society to modern institutions of art, science, education, and commerce. The French Revolution 1789) is the historical axis on which this change turned, and the life of Goethe 1749-1832) spans the period in which Germany began its path toward unity and democracy. Literary texts and historical documents are in English and illustrated materials are in digital and video form.

247 Folktales, Fairy Tales, and Fables (in English translation)

Students read and discuss writings that evolved from oral traditions, including folk books from the Luther era, fables recreated from antiquity during the period of German Classicism, and fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm.

248 Kafka's Europe (in English translation)

In this course, students read and discuss stories representing the literary, political, and social changes in German history from the rise of Bismarck (1871) to the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989). Readings include novels and short stories by Franz Kafka as well as works by German, Austrian, and Swiss writers, who define the surrealistic path of Germany toward democracy and unity.

251 Kommunikation (Communication)

Students continue to refine their communications skills in speaking, reading, writing, and listening with emphasis on grammatical and idiomatic proficiency. This course is taught for native fluency in writing and conversation and includes weekly papers of two and three pages as well as participation in group conversations with native speakers outside the class. Topics of discussion include: mass media, especially radio and TV; sports, news, weather reports, entertainment, and music shows as presented on German radio and TV. Prerequisite: German 232. Taught in German.

265 Kulturpolitik (Culture Politics)

This introduction to German cultural history focuses on issues and problems of contemporary society rooted in German traditions since the time of Martin Luther and the Reformation. Students acquire the critical language and skills as well as the historical understanding needed for informed discussion of events current in Germany. Primary readings are taken from

Stern magazine with supporting materials in cultural history taken from politics, philosophy, theology, sociology, psychology, and the fine arts. Handbooks and other secondary material will be introduced. Prerequisite: German 251. Taught in German.

266 Wirtschaftsdeutsch (Business German)

Students learn the German used in commerce and economics, industry and labor, import and export, transportation systems, communication styles, banking, marketing, and management-labor relations. Students develop reading, listening, speaking and writing skills using contemporary economics and business texts and conventions. Prerequisite: German 251. Taught in German.

267 Berufsdolmetschen (Career Translating)

A survey of linguistics, grammar, and hermeneutics as they apply to reading, translating, and interpreting German in written and spoken contexts. This course covers the German sound system, word and sentence formation, and stylistic differences in spoken and written German varying from formal written translations to simultaneous spoken interpretations. The emphasis is on practice with topics and sources across disciplines and professions. Prerequisite: German 251. Taught in German.

294 Internship

298 Independent Study

340 Seminar: Kultur (Culture)

Students explore in depth topics of significance in German culture, including, for example, turn-of-the-century Vienna, Germany in Europe, the Revolution of 1848, Weimar today, German-American relations, the Bauhaus, German film, German immigration to the U.S., Marx and the Marxist legacy. Students may register more than once provided a different topic is offered. Prerequisite: German 251. Taught in German.

350

Seminar: Literatur (Literature)

This seminar addresses changing literary topics associated with specific time periods, genres, or writers, e.g., German classical drama, film and literature, German romanticism, Cold War writers, writers in exile, women writers, and Kafka's short stories. Prerequisite German 251. Taught in German.

360 Novelle (Novella)

In this survey of the novella, a short prose form popular from the early 19th century to the modern period, students read the works of such authors as Goethe, Kleist, Tieck, Eichendorff, Hoffmann, Stifter, Droste-Hülshoff, Meyer, Keller, Mann, and Grass, as well as readings on theories of the novella. Prerequisite: German 251. Taught in German.

370 Modernes Drama (Modern Drama)

Students read and perform selected dramas and write papers on the theoretical writings by Hauptmann, Brecht, Dürrenmatt, Hochhuth, Weiss, Handke, and others. Prerequisite: German 251. Taught in German.

375 Kurzgeschichte (Short Story)

This short prose form followed the American model and was practiced by 20th-century German writers, including the works of Schnitzler, Mann, Kafka, Böll, Grass, Christa Wolf, and others. Prerequisite: German 251. Taught in German.

380 Goethes Faust (Goethe's Faust)

Students examine both parts of Goethe's Faust, focusing on the plot narrative and on the ethical questions raised as Faust enters agreements with the Devil in his quest for ultimate experiences in sex and politics, travel and study, and war and power. Students report on variations of the Faust story in literature (Marlowe, Lessing, Lenau, Heine, and Th. Mann), in music (Berlioz, Gounod, Schubert, Schumann, and Randy Newman), in film (Murnau and Gründgens), and in illustration (Delacroix, Cornelius, Retzsch, Barlach and Schröder). Prerequisite: German 251. Taught in German.

385 Lyrik (Poetry)

Students investigate the work of eight to ten poets from the mid-18th century on, chosen from Klopstock, Goethe, Hölderlin, Eichendorff, Heine, Droste-Hülshoff, Meyer, Rilke, Benn, Bachmann, and Enzensberger. Prerequisite: German 251. Taught in German.

394 Internship

398 Independent Research

Interim

The following Interim courses were offered in January 1996:

German 233: Intensive German in North Germany (off-campus)
German 246: The Age of Goethe (in English translation)

Faculty

Karen R. Achberger (Chair)
Professor of German, 1979-
B.S., M.A., Ph.D., Wisconsin (Madison)
20th-century literature, women writers

Karl J. Fink
Professor of German, 1982-
B.A., Wartburg; M.A., Arizona; Ph.D., Illinois
Goethe studies, history of science

Joachim Reppmann
Visiting Associate Professor of German, 1992-
M.A., Ph.D., Universität Kiel
German history and German Americana

La Vern J. Rippley
Professor of German, 1967-
B.A., Holy Cross; B.S., Wisconsin (River Falls); M.A., Kent State; Ph.D., Ohio State
German Romanticism and German Americana

Norman Watt
Associate Professor of German, 1966-
B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Minnesota
German Renaissance and German poetry