Courses - Spring 2026
GERMAN SCANDVN / SWEDISH YIDDISH
Please note that this webpage will be updated as information becomes available
For additional info about our GE course offerings, please check out our General Education Webpage.
Undergraduate courses and Graduate courses - German, Scandinavian, Swedish, Yiddish
German 2254.02 • Grimms' Fairy Tales and their Afterlives
Frazier | 3 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
GE Foundation: Literature, Visual and Performing Arts
Working to understand the meaning and the enduring appeal of one of Germany's greatest successes in the realm of cultural exportation - the Grimms' fairy tales, a book whose circulation figures are exceeded in Western culture only by those of the Bible. To explore their reach, we will also compare them to their adaptations in literature and film, from dark to Disney.
Taught in English. DL course.
German 3250 • Citizenship in the Age of Technology: Exploring Social Justice through Science Fiction in Germany
Richards | 3 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
GE Theme: Citizenship for a Diverse & Just World
Investigating the promises & pitfalls that technologies once confined to the pages of science fiction pose to our relationships, our communities, and our world, with a specific focus on the challenges they will bring to our concept of citizenship. Recent German science fiction will illuminate the debate on the future of democracy as it unfolds in Germany, the USA & in a broader global context.
Taught in English. DL course.
German 3252.02 • The Holocaust in Literature and Film
Richards | 3 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
GE Theme: Citizenship for a Diverse & Just World
Why, faced with a historical catastrophe of unimaginable proportions, would we devote a class to film and literature about it, rather than to “the facts”?
HOW YOU SAY THINGS MATTERS
Come find out why.
Taught in English. DL course.
Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 3252.01 or Yiddish 3399.
German/Scandvn 3354.02 • From Viking Saga to Climate Fiction: Nature in Nordic and Germanic Literatures
Mergenthaler | 4 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
GE THEME: Sustainability; Integrative Practice: Research and Creative Inquiry (two 80-minute sessions and one 55-minute research session per week)
How do the first Viking settlers in Iceland use nature to tell their story and create a legacy? Did they know that their farming practices would deplete the island’s lush forests? How do contemporary Icelanders remember the Vikings and regrow old woods?
How do 17th- and 18th-century German authors and educators imagine dwelling as a hermit in the woods or on a remote island, far away from the ills of civilization? How do they conceive of indigenous populations’ relationship to their environment?
How do Scandinavian 19th- and 20-century authors and philosophers conceive of living in deep harmony with nature, whether flying on the back of a goose or hiking and sleeping high up the mountains?
How do current environmental activists seek to find support for their causes—from climate change to climate justice—through social media? What internal and external challenges do they face?
Finally, how do we evaluate all these efforts to imagine human life as sustainable, in harmony with nature, from medieval times to the present, from our own diverse intellectual perspectives? How do they live up to our own ideals of human-nature relationships and new technological advances? What are possible ways of living sustainably? How do people conceive of sustainability, historically, and today?
In this course, with two 80-minute in person classes/week, and a 55-minute weekly mandatory DL research discussion meeting, students will explore these and other related questions, as well as develop their own questions, about the stories, images, and ideas of sustainability in German and Scandinavian literature and culture, in different media and from a variety of perspectives. Students will engage critically and creatively with cultural objects like Viking Sagas, German Robinson Crusoe adaptations, fantastic travel narratives, Sami folk and pop music, philosophical essay, Disney and Cli-Fi movies, as well as with research on these topics.
Assignments will include short reading/viewing reflections papers, audios or videos, two writing assignments with a variety of choices of formats and topics, and discussions posts and contributions.
In their final research project that comprises the 4th credit of this 4ch course (or 25%), students will expand on the topics and questions discussed in class and integrate them into their own investigation of and active engagement with sustainability in German, Scandinavian, and Nordic cultures. Students are also encouraged to combine approaches from the Environmental Humanities and Ecocriticism with approaches from their major field(s) of study. This final research project encompasses three scaffolded assignments (15%) and the final research essay (10%) as well as a public demonstration and exchange of your research findings.
For more information on course assignments, structure, and requirements see the detailed syllabus (LINK forthcoming). Additional details about individual assignments, including deadlines, guidelines, helpful suggestions, and grading rubrics, will be provided on CarmenCanvas.
All readings available in English; taught in English.
German 3434 • Bad Science
Aupiais | 3 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
GE THEME: Traditions, Cultures, and Transformations.
Developments in science and technology raise key political questions and often reveal global fault lines ? recent debates around AI, climate change, pandemics and public health show this. This course delves into the sometimes-toxic cultural politics of science historically, surveying key case studies (in biology, linguistics, medicine and more) from German history between 1780 and 1940.
Taught in English!
Scandinavian 3350 • Norse Mythology and Medieval Culture
Kaplan | 3 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
GEN Theme: Traditions, Cultures, and Transformations
What do we know about Thor and Odin, and how do we know it? This course examines the myths of the Old Norse gods and the sources in which those myths are recorded. Students will gain insight into the world view and beliefs of the medieval North by reading (in English translation) the most important textual sources on Scandinavia's pre-Christian mythology. Place-name, archaeological, and other evidence will also be discussed. Students intrigued by the Viking Age, medieval Northern Europe, or the interpretation of myth will find much of interest.
Taught in English.
Required texts: Carolyn Larrington's Poetic Edda, 2nd edition; Anthony Faulkes’s translation of Snorri Sturluson’s Edda (any edition; 978-0460876162 is fine); John Lindow’s Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs (ISBN 0-195-153820); Optional: H. Mattingly and S. A. Handford’s translation of Tacitus, The Agricola and the Germania (again, any edition; 978-0140455403 is the most recent)
Yiddish 3399 • The Holocaust in Yiddish Writing and Film
Sobul | 4 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
GE THEME – Citizenship for a Just and Diverse World; Integrative Practice: Research and Creative Inquiry
Meets 2x/weekly, (two 80-minute in-person sessions, and one asynchronous DL session per week)
About six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators during World War II in a series of events that came to be known as the Holocaust or, in Yiddish, as the “khurbn” (“destruction”). Yiddish was the first language of millions of the victims, but the contributions of speakers of this language to the documentation and representation of the Holocaust have often been overlooked or effaced.
In this course, while we will learn about the systematic destruction of Yiddish culture and society, we will also consider how Yiddish-language writers, artists, intellectuals, and filmmakers documented and resisted that destruction. In class discussions and assignments, we will analyze texts, films, and other media produced during and after the Holocaust and consider how these materials, written in or incorporating a language that was itself victimized, open up different perspectives on a seemingly well-known history. We will also consider how these materials participate in ongoing debates about citizenship and minority rights, justice and restitution, the representation of violence, and cultural memory. In addition to providing an introduction to the academic study of the Holocaust and Yiddish culture, this course will familiarize students with cutting-edge research methods and techniques in the humanities and interpretive social sciences (e.g., close reading, archival research, oral history, etc.).
All readings and discussion in English. No knowledge of Yiddish is required.
German 1101.01 • German I
4 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
GE World Languages
Introduction to language and culture of the German-speaking world, with emphasis placed on the acquisition of basic communication skills in cultural context. CEFR Level A1.
Text: Impuls Deutsch 1
German 1102.01 • German II
4 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
GE World Languages
Text: Impuls Deutsch 1
Prereq: 1101.01, 1101.02 or 4 sem cr hrs of 1101.51
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 A1/A2
German 1103.01 • German III
4 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
GE World Languages
Development of skills for independent use of German. Discussions, presentations, writing, & listening/viewing activities that address topics of contemporary German-speaking world. CEFR Level A2.
Text: Impuls Deutsch 2
Prereq: 1102.01, 1102.02 or 4 sem cr hrs of 1102.51
German 1101.02 • 1102.02 • 1103.02
Distance Learning option
GE World Languages
4 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
German On The Ground series
1 credit unit per online course | Spring Semester 2026
GERMAN 1201.01 (online)
Basic Language Skills
1 credit hour; taught in German
Learn basic German language and vocabulary useful for traveling and interacting with locals.
GERMAN 1201.02 (online)
Navigating German-speaking Europe
1 credit hour; taught in English
Learn information about the cultures in the countries of German-speaking Europe, and
how to navigate a variety of contexts and to interact with the German speakers.
GERMAN 1201.03 (online)
Navigating the professional world in German-speaking Europe
1 credit hour; taught in English
Learn information about professional cultures in the countries of German-speaking Europe, and
navigate a variety of professional life and contexts and to interact with German-speaking colleagues.
German 2101 • Texts and Contexts I: Contemporary German Language, Culture and Society
Heck | 3 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
Beringer | 3 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
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, 1103.02, or 4 sem cr hrs of 1103.51, or equiv, or permission of instructor. No audit.
German 2102 • Texts and Contexts II: 20th-Century German Language, History and Culture
Heck | 3 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
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.
German 3101 • Texts and Contexts III: Historical Perspectives
Frazier | 3 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
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.
German 3200 • Matter and Metaphor: Geopoetics and the German Imagination - Topics in German Literature, Art, and Film
Senuysal | 3 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
This course is taught in German.
Prereq: 2102 or equiv; or permission of instructor.
German 4300 • What is Human about Nature? • Senior Seminar in German: Culture Studies, Social and Intellectual History (German)
Byram | 3 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
How have German speakers over time understood their place in nature—or outside it?
Today, human activity is affecting natural systems at every level, so understanding people’s answers to this question is crucially important. The question also leads to a fundamental question of the humanities: what it means to be human.
Our class will investigate evolving beliefs about the relationship between humanity and nature by analyzing German art, literature, film, philosophy, scientific statements, political manifestos, and social media. At the same time, students will be guided in developing a research project and presenting it for a public audience.
At the end of the semester, students will be familiar with the broad history of Western thinking about the relationship between humans and nature and will understand the questions being raised about this relationship today. They will also have learned methods for and practiced skills associated with research in the humanities and have considered how those skills can help them in their future careers.
Taught in German.
German 5602 • ALI - German for the Professional World
Beringer | 3 credit units | | Spring Semester 2026
This course provides students with practice in Advanced German proficiency with the goal of being able to pass the TestDaF language exam with an overall rating of 4 or better. Students develop linguistic and cultural competencies in all four modalities of speaking, listening, reading and writing and in various registers (colloquial and formal). Review of difficult grammar points, vocabulary building and practice in pronunciation and fluency.
Open to students with a minimum of intermediate-high (B2) level of German language proficiency. Not open to native speakers of German
Swedish 1102 • Swedish 2
instructor tba | 4 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
GE World Languages
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 1101. Not open to native speakers of this language through regular course enrollment or EM credit. GE for Lang Course.
Text: Althén, Anette. Mål 2 Lärobok (textbook with CD); Althén, Anette. Mål Övningsbok (workbook). Both Stockholm: Natur och Kultur (2007 edition).
Yiddish 1102 • Yiddish 2
BTAA course | 4 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
GE World Languages
The course is designed to help you learn to communicate in culturally informed ways in Yiddish. It will help you develop balanced skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. In addition to completing exercises in the textbook In eynem: A Communicative Approach to Yiddish, we will read short texts.
Prereq: 1101 or equivalent
Yiddish 3399 • The Holocaust in Yiddish Writing and Film
Sobul | 4 credit units | Spring Semester 2026
4 credit course; GE THEME – Citizenship for a Just and Diverse World; Integrative Practice: Research and Creative Inquiry
Meets 2x/weekly, (two 80-minute in-person sessions, and one asynchronous DL session per week)
About six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators during World War II in a series of events that came to be known as the Holocaust or, in Yiddish, as the “khurbn” (“destruction”). Yiddish was the first language of millions of the victims, but the contributions of speakers of this language to the documentation and representation of the Holocaust have often been overlooked or effaced.
In this course, while we will learn about the systematic destruction of Yiddish culture and society, we will also consider how Yiddish-language writers, artists, intellectuals, and filmmakers documented and resisted that destruction. In class discussions and assignments, we will analyze texts, films, and other media produced during and after the Holocaust and consider how these materials, written in or incorporating a language that was itself victimized, open up different perspectives on a seemingly well-known history. We will also consider how these materials participate in ongoing debates about citizenship and minority rights, justice and restitution, the representation of violence, and cultural memory. In addition to providing an introduction to the academic study of the Holocaust and Yiddish culture, this course will familiarize students with cutting-edge research methods and techniques in the humanities and interpretive social sciences (e.g., close reading, archival research, oral history, etc.).
All readings and discussion in English. No knowledge of Yiddish is required.
Yiddish 5194 • The Yiddish Short Story: Folk Tales, Monologues, and Post-Apocalyptic Parables
Zaritt | 3 credit units | M/W 12:45-2:05 | Spring Semester 2026
Who are the storytellers of Yiddish literature?
Where did their stories come from?
Why did the short story become the central genre of modern Jewish literary culture?
This course explores the genealogy of the Yiddish short story from the hasidic folk tale to the modernist sketch, from the monologues of Sholem Aleichem and Isaac Bashevis Singer to the haunting narratives of David Bergelson and Der Nister. Stretching from the nineteenth century to the present, we follow the short story in its comparative contexts from Eastern Europe to Western Europe, Palestine/Israel, and the US.
Note: All texts will be taught in translation; optional reading section for those with Yiddish knowledge.
Required Books:
- Irving Howe (ed.), A Treasury of Yiddish Stories (Penguin, 1990), ISBN: 978-0140144192
- Frieda Forman, et al (eds.), Found Treasures: Stories by Yiddish Women Writers (Second Story Press, 1994), ISBN: 978-0929005539
All other materials will be available via Carmen
Prereq: Advanced Undergrad, Grad standing, or permission of instructor.
German 5602 • ALI - German for the Professional World
Beringer | 3 credit units | | Spring Semester 2026
This course provides students with practice in Advanced German proficiency with the goal of being able to pass the TestDaF language exam with an overall rating of 4 or better. Students develop linguistic and cultural competencies in all four modalities of speaking, listening, reading and writing and in various registers (colloquial and formal). Review of difficult grammar points, vocabulary building and practice in pronunciation and fluency.
Open to students with a minimum of intermediate-high (B2) level of German language proficiency. Not open to native speakers of German
German 6601 • Teaching Practicum
Uskokovic | 1 credit unit | ARR - Spring Semester 2026
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 • Critique of poetry, 18th century to the present - Seminar in Literature and Literary Culture
Mergenthaler | 3 credit units | Thursdays 9:10-11:55 | Spring Semester 2026
more information coming soon!
(Taught in German)
Prereq: Grad standing, or permission of instructor.
German 8300 • Bad Science - Seminar in Intellectual History and Cultural Studies
Aupiais | 3 credit units | Wednesdays 9:10-11:55 | Spring Semester 2026
more information coming soon!
Prereq: Grad standing, or permission of instructor.
German 8600 • Conversational interaction and second language development: Methods and approaches - Seminar in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
Taleghani-Nikazm | 3 credit units | Wednesdays 2:20-5:05 | Spring Semester 2026
This course will count towards the GIS in Second Language Studies.
This seminar focuses on theoretical underpinnings and approaches to studying L2 conversational interaction with practical considerations (context and setting, study design, data collection, coding, and analysis).
Emphasis will be on the development of L2 interactional competence: the ability to deploy L2 resources (morpho-syntax, lexicon, prosody, and other semiotic resources) in interaction in context-sensitive ways to accomplish actions (e.g., requests, offers, disagreement) recognizable by the interlocuters.
Prereq: Grad standing, or permission of instructor.
German 8500 • Doctoral Colloquium
Byram| 1 credit unit | ARR - Spring Semester 2026
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.