Courses - Autumn 2017

Please note that this webpage will be updated as information becomes available

For GE courses, please check out our General Education Web page.

German 1101.01 • German I

4 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

GE Foreign Language course
Introduction to language and culture of the German-speaking world, with emphasis placed on the acquisition of basic communication skills in cultural context. CEFR Levels A1/A2. Not open to native speakers of this language through regular course enrollment or EM credits, or to students with 2 or more years of study in this language in high school, except by permission of dept.
Text: ISBN 978-3-12-606128-5  Netzwerk A1: Deutsch als Fremdsprache
 

German 1102.01 • German II

4 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

GE Foreign Language course
Continued development of German-language skills and cultural knowledge for effective communication. Emphasis on more advanced language structures, sustained interactions, reading and writing. CEFR Levels A2/B1. Not open to native speakers of this language.
Prereq: 1101.01, or 4 sem cr hrs of 1101.51.
Texts: ISBN 978-3-12-606128-5  Netzwerk A1: Deutsch als Fremdsprache;
    and ISBN 978-3-12-606998-4 Netzwerk A2: Deutsch als Fremdsprache

German 1103.01 • German III

4 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

GE Foreign Language course
Development of skills for independent use of German. Discussions, presentations, writing, & listening/viewing activities that address topics of contemporary German-speaking world. CEFR Level B1. Not open to native speakers of this language through regular course enrollment or EM credit.
Prereq: 1102.01, or 4 sem cr hrs of 1102.51, or 1266.
Text: ISBN 978-3-12-606998-4 Netzwerk A2: Deutsch als Fremdsprache

German 1101.51 • 1102.51 • 1103.51  Self-paced Individualized

GE Foreign Language course
each course is 4 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

German 2101 • Texts and Contexts I: Contemporary German Language, Culture and Society

Frenzel | 3 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017
Heck | 3 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

Development of communication skills and knowledge about recent social, cultural, and political developments in German speaking countries through texts, media and film; CEFR level A2/B1. Closed to native speakers of this language.
Prereq: 1103.01 or 1103.51, or equiv, or permission of instructor. No audit. FL Admis Cond course.

German 2102 • Texts and Contexts II: 20th-Century German Language, History and Culture

 Heck | 3 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

Continued development of communication skills; gain an understanding of major social and cultural developments in 20th century German history through texts, media, film. CEFR level B1/B2. Closed to native speakers of this language.
Prereq: 2101 or equiv, or permission of instructor. FL Admis Cond course.
Text:
Damals war es Friedrich (Hans Peter Richter), ISBN: 978-3-423-07800-9.

German 2254 • Grimms' Fairy Tales and their Afterlives

Richards | 3 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

In the present course, we will be trying to understand the meaning and the enduring appeal of one of Germany’s greatest successes in the realm of cultural exportation—a book whose circulation figures are exceeded in Western culture only by those of the Bible, namely, Grimms’ fairy tales.  This will mean asking a series of interlocking questions.  How did the fairy tales come about?  What were the aims of their compilers?  How do the tales play to those aims?  How do they exceed them?  How do the tales tend to work structurally?  What have their social and psychological effects been?  How have they helped shape—and been reshaped by—popular cultures outside Germany, like popular culture in the U.S.  In reckoning with these questions, we will be enlisting the help of a parade of great critics, including Vladimir Propp, Bruno Bettelheim, Erich Auerbach, and Jack Zipes.
Required Texts:
Jack Zipes, The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
Assigned films will be available at drm.osu.edu
Other readings will be posted on Carmen.
All works in English translation; taught in English.
Repeatable to a maximum of 9 cr hrs. GE lit course.

German 2350 • Introduction to German Studies

Byram | 3 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

This course provides a broad introduction to German history and culture and to the field of German Studies. Taught in English, it is an ideal course for students considering a major or minor in German, or for those with a general interest in German-language history and culture.

The course will have four components

• lectures on history (social, cultural, political, and linguistic)
• lectures on contemporary German-language society and culture
• discussion about works of literature, film, philosophy, art, music, etc.
• introductions to methods for studying language and culture

In the end, students will have a broad overview of German-language history and culture and a catalog of questions that will include tools for analyzing everything from medieval sagas to television shows, political speeches to the words they use.
Taught in English.
Required books (in recommended English editions):
Das Niebelungenlied: The Lay of the Niebelungs.Oxford Classics, ISBN 978-0199238545
The Sorrows of Young Werther. Oxford Classics, ISBN: 978-0199583027
These books are also available as open-access editions, or contact instructor for information about German or German-English editions.
Recommended book:
Mary Fulbrook, A Concise History of Germany, ISBN: 978-0521540711

German 2367 • America Through German Eyes ~ German Literature and American Culture

Byram | 3 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

You can learn a lot about someone by watching how they respond to other people.

So, what do German-speakers’ responses to American culture and politics tell us about the way they understand themselves, their culture, and the world? To explore this question, we will read letters and stories, watch films and newsreels, listen to popular music and propaganda, look at photographs and artwork, surf the web, and follow social media. As we go, you will write to respond to, interpret, and analyze these sources. You’ll write film reviews, blog posts, analytical essays, and other forms to improve your writing skills and help you think critically about what you read and see.

In the end, who knows—you might even learn something about the U.S. as you look through German eyes.

Taught in English. GE Writing and Communication level 2

German 3101 • Texts and Contexts III: Historical Perspectives

Grotans | 3 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

Development of intermediate/advanced communication skills; broadening of cultural and historical knowledge through interaction with literary and non-literary materials informed by historical perspective; CEFR level B2. Closed to to native speakers of this language.
Prereq: 2102 or equiv, or permission of instructor. FL Admis Cond course.
Texts:
ISBN 978-3-19-011657-7  Hering,  Matussek & Perlmann-Balme, Übungsgrammatik für die Mittelstufe.Hueber Verlag, 2009.
ISBN 978-3-12-676615-9  Mittelpunkt B2 + C1 Redemittelsammlung, Klett Verlag, 2008.

German 3102 • News and Views: Conversations about Current Issues in the German-Speaking World

Grotans | 3 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

This course has a dual aim: 1) to inform you about events, issues, and trends in the German-speaking world today and 2) to increase your speaking and auditory German language skills. On September 24, 2017 Germany will hold federal elections and vote for members of the Bundestag, of the federal parliament, and for the Chancellor. We will study the political structure of the Federal Republic and closely follow the elections, before, during and after. Further topics covered will be the rise of (extreme) right-wing political movements in Europe, the migrant situation, the state of the EU, and Europe and Russia. The course is meant to help you expand your ability to gather information about these events from German-language sources (print, audio, and video); to summarize and analyze these sources; and to express your thoughts and opinions in a variety of oral and some written genres (e.g. conversation, formal presentation, email, twitter, news blog/commentary, short narratives, and reaction pieces). Special attention will also be given to German phonetics and pronunciation practice.

German 3200 • Poetic Prose and Narrative Poetry ~ Topics in German Literature, Art and Film

Fischer | 3 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

In this course students will explore especially well-crafted examples of poetic prose and narrative poetry. We will examine a variety of genres, such as fairy tales, legends, fables, parables, aphorisms, fragments, satires, parodies, novellas, stories, ballads, mock-epics, romances, burlesques, humoresques, and chansons. The readings will be fairly slow and detailed with an eye on aesthetic peculiarities and an understanding of literary history and contemporary preferences. In addition, students will develop their speaking and writing skills and build their vocabulary.

Class discussions and all written assignments are in German.
Prereq: 2102 or equiv, or permission of instructor.

German 3252 • The Holocaust in Literature and Film

Richards | 3 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

Reading, analysis, and discussion of representative works pertaining to the Holocaust from the perspectives of the German and Ashkenazic traditions. Taught in English.
Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 399, or Yiddish 3399 (399). GE lit and diversity global studies course.

German 3253 • The German Experience in North America

CANCELLED! | 3 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

GE Cultures and Ideas

German-Americans comprise the largest ethnic group in North America. What brought these Germans to America? How did they establish themselves in the new country? What influences have they exerted in American history and culture? This course serves as an introduction to the history, culture, and literature of German immigrants to North America, from the 17^th into the 21^st century. We study reasons for migration, selected settlements in Ohio, the Midwest and beyond, selected individuals (from the Ohio missionary David Zeisberger, exile writers, directors, actors, and scientists to recent cross-cultural agents) as well as stories and tales of German immigrant authors. If feasible, field trips to German Village in Columbus and to Eastern Ohio will provide a first-hand encounter with the culture and life of early settlers. A discussion of contemporary issues of migration and German-American relations concludes the course. Class discussions and assignments will be in English.

German 3603 • Translation 1

Fischer | 3 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

German-English/English-German translation; focus on everyday language; emphasis on improvement of grammar and development of vocabulary; discussion of common translation techniques, introduction to theories of translation.
Prereq: 2102 or equiv, or permission of instructor..

German 4300 • Word, Film, Image, Sound~ Senior Seminar in German: Culture Studies, Social and Intellectual History (German)

Davidson | 3 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

This course explores the expressive possibilities and impacts of various media, using examples drawn from key areas of concern since the founding of the (West) German state. Units will be built around democratization, the challenge of popular culture to "high" culture, national belonging and the European Union, and ecological problems. Students will gain experience in the interpretation of artistic works, hone their reading and listening comprehension, and practice their written and spoken language as they learn about the fundamental issues that have shaped today's Germany.

Taught in German.  Counts toward fulfillment of advanced requirement for the major.
Prereq: 3101, and one course at the 3000 level, and Sr standing; or permission of instructor. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 cr hrs.

German 6200 • Introduction to German Literary History and Analysis

Reitter | 3 credit units | T/Th 3:55-5:15 pm   Autumn Semester 2017

The course is designed to introduce new graduate students to central authors, texts, periods, and analytical tools relevant to the study of German literature. The syllabus covers parts of the Department's mandatory MA reading list.
Prereq: Grad standing, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 702.

German 6600 • Introduction to Teaching and Learning German at the College Level

Taleghani-Nikazm | 4 credit units | Mon.  8:30-11:00 am   Autumn Semester 2017

Developing an understanding of communicative language teaching and second language acquisition as it applies to German. Overview of instructional strategies and techniques for various modalities.
Prereq: Open to Graduate Teaching Associates enrolled in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures; all others by permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 840.

German 6601 • Teaching Practicum

Taleghani-Nikazm | 1 credit unit |  Autumn Semester 2017

This course is for GTAs who are teaching a 1000-level German language class. The course provides graduate students with instruction and practice in designing and implementing instructional materials for their undergraduate classes. It offers best practices in creating tests, developing speaking portfolios, designing culture components, and becoming reflective practitioners.
Prereq: Grad standing, and permission of instructor. Repeatable to a maximum of 10 cr hrs. This course is graded S/U.

German 8200 •   Fan Fiction: A Literary History ~ Seminar in Literature and Literary Culture 

Birkhold | 3 credit units | Wed.  3:00-5:30 pm    Autumn Semester 2017

Enthusiastic readers of Harry Potter write sequels, prequels, and spinoffs and post them online every day. But writing fan fiction is far from new. Beginning in classical antiquity and ending with J.K. Rowling, we’ll investigate the surprising history of this literary form, asking how ideas of originality, authorship, and intellectual property influence literature. Along the way, we’ll study great works of literature and philosophy, including texts by Goethe and Kant, whose ideas still shape thinking about fan fiction. Do characters belong to authors or readers? How can we define character? Why are so many women in China writing “slash”? Why do people write fan fiction?   ALL WORKS IN ENGLISH TRANSLATION; TAUGHT IN ENGLISH.  
Prereq: 6200, or Grad standing, or permission of instructor.

German 8300 •  Marx and Western Marxism ~ Seminar in Intellectual History and Cultural Studies 

Holub | 3 credit units | Mon.  1:00-3:30 pm   Autumn Semester 2017

This seminar has two goals: (1) to examine primarily the writings of Karl Marx, but also some of the intellectuals in the Western tradition who considered themselves writing in the spirit of Marx’s thought, and gain some understanding of their theoretical positions and the circumstances to which they were responding; and (2) in examining Marx and the Marxist tradition to consider what is obsolete and what is potentially still useful for us in confronting problems in our society.

The Seminar has fourteen meetings: the first nine meetings will be devoted to a selection of writings of Karl Marx, from his earliest published writings to his magnum opus, Capital. In the last five weeks we will look briefly at selected German intellectuals who wrote in the wake of Marx: Friedrich Engels, Marx’s friend and supporter; Karl Korsch and György Lukács, the two figures most responsible for the foundations of “Western Marxism”; Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer of the Frankfurt School; and Jürgen Habermas, the “second generation” of the Frankfurt School and Germany’s leading postwar intellectual.
Prereq: 6200, or Grad standing, or permission of instructor.

German 8500 • Doctoral Colloquium

  | 1 credit unit | ARR  Autumn Semester 2017

Regular student-driven discussions of ongoing dissertations, current topics in the professional field, and new research approaches to Germanic Studies.
Prereq: Successful completion of Ph.D. candidacy exams or permission from Director of Graduate Studies and instructor. Repeatable to a maximum of 9 cr hrs. This course is graded S/U. Admis Cond course.

Scandinavian 5251 • The Icelandic Saga

Kaplan | 3 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

Swedish 1101 • Swedish I

Risko | 4 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

GE Foreign Language course
Introduction to language and culture of Sweden with emphasis on the acquisition of basic communication skills in a cultural context. Closed to native speakers of this language.
Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 101.01, or to students with 2 or more years of study in this language in high school, except by permission of dept. GE for lang course.
Text: Althén, Anette. Mål 1 Lärobok (textbook with CD); Althén, Anette. Mål Övningsbok (workbook). Both Stockholm: Natur och Kultur (2007 edition).

Swedish 1103 • Swedish III

Risko | 4 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

GE Foreign Language course
Development of skills necessary for the independent use of Swedish. Discussions, presentations, writing and listening/viewing activities address topics of contemporary Sweden.
Prereq: Grade of C- or better in 102. Not open to students with credit for 103.01, 104.01, or to native speakers of this language through regular course enrollment or EM credit. GE for lang course. FL Admis Cond course.
Text: Althén, Anette. Mål 2 Lärobok (textbook with CD); Althén, Anette. Mål Övningsbok (workbook). Both Stockholm: Natur och Kultur (2007 edition).

Yiddish 2241 • Yiddish Culture

Payne | 3 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

GE cultures and ideas and diversity global studies course
From Crackow to Columbus, from Brooklyn to Beechwood, the great majority of American Jews are heirs to the thousand-year old culture of Ashkenaz—the largest country in Europe. Yiddish 2241 explores the culture of Ashkenaz in its many forms of expression —literature, film, folklore, family life, food, politics, religion, academics, sports, entertainment, immigration, assimilation, self-assertion, marginality, subversion, and the "Jewishing" of the American dream.
Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 241. GE cultures and ideas and diversity global studies course.

Yiddish 2367 • Jewish-American Voices in U.S. Literature

Algar  | 3 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

GE Cultures and Ideas, GE Writing and Communication: level 2
Introduction to Jewish-American literature; development of expository writing and argumentation skills through systematic and critical reflection upon their own country from the perspective of an ethnic community.
Prereq: English 1110 (110) or equiv. Not open to students with credit for 367. GE writing and comm: level 2 and cultures and ideas course.

Yiddish 3399 • Holocaust in Yiddish and Ashkenazic Literature

Hamblet  | 3 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

GE lit and diversity global studies course
Reading and analysis of texts, films and music pertaining to the topic of the Holocaust, the genocide perpetrated by Nazi Germany against European Jewry, and its impact on Ashkenazic-Jewish civilization.
Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 399. GE lit and diversity global studies course.

Yiddish 4721 / 7721 • Studies in Yiddish Literature

Cancelled | 3 credit units | Autumn Semester 2017

Advanced study of specific literary periods, figures, and/or topics involving extensive reading and discussion of appropriate primary and secondary source materials.
Repeatable to a maximum of 9 cr. hrs.