German (GERM-UA)

Open only to students with no previous training in German; others require permission of the department. Offered every semester. 4 points.

Continuation of GERM-UA 1.

Intermediate level courses introduce more complex features of the language and focus on building reading and writing skills, while continuing to develop conversational ability.

Continuation of GERM-UA 3.

Open to students with no previous training in German and to others on assignment by placement examination or with permission of the department. Completes the equivalent of a year's elementary work GERM-UA 1 and GERM-UA 2 in one semester. Emphasizes spoken and written communication skills. Introduces students to the basic conventions, idioms, and structures of contemporary spoken German.

Completes the equivalent of a year?s intermediate work GERM-UA 3 and GERM-UA 4 in one semester. Continuing emphasis on developing spoken and written communication skills. Students learn more-advanced features of the language and begin to read longer and more-complex texts.

Offered every year. 4 points. Required for the German major. Aims to improve students? proficiency in writing and speaking German in three functional areas: description, narration, and argumentation. Grammar and vocabulary are reviewed and practiced as appropriate. Students examine and discuss texts of various genres, then draft and present work of their own in each genre. Discussion and writing components are closely coordinated. Activities inclOffered every year. 4 points. Required for the German major. Aims to improve students? proficiency in writing and speaking German in three functional areas: description, narration, and argumentation. Grammar and vocabulary are reviewed and practiced as appropriate. Students examine and discuss texts of various genres, then draft and present work of their own in each genre. Discussion and writing components are closely coordinated. Activities include presentations, peer review, guided writing, and editing.

Topics vary by semester. For current term course description, please see the German Department website at http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html <http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html>

Topics vary by semester. For current term course description, please see the German Department website at http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html <http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html>

Introduction to representative authors and works of German literature, with emphasis on the modern period. Students learn basic conventions of literature and literary interpretation, as well as strategies for the effective reading of shorter and longer prose works, drama, and poetry. Guided writing assignments focus on developing the language skills necessary for effective written analysis and interpretation of literary texts in German.

Offered periodically. 4 points. Introduces students to the history, theory, and practice of translation through German and English texts taken from a variety of cultural backgrounds. While engaging in the craft of translation first hand, students encounter diverse grammatical, syntactical, and stylistic problems, thus gaining a deeper understanding of the German language. Also stresses the acquisition of vocabulary and complex idiomatic structures necessary for effective reading comprehension, as well as written expression.

Topics vary by semester. For current term course description, please see the German Department website at http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html <http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html>

Topics vary by semester. For current term course description, please see the German Department website at http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html <http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html>

Topics vary by semester. For current term course description, please see the German Department website at http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html <http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html>

Examines the work of these three seminal authors by focusing on their notions of interpretation, history, subjectivity, politics, religion, and art. The seminar does not present their work chronologically, but rather creates a dialogue between the authors around each topic and, thereby, delineates the origins of much modern thought.

The course serves as an introduction to the thought and legacy of Karl Marx. Marx’s theory of capitalism centers on the concept of value. Value is the interface between culture and commerce, the hinge on which Marx’s theory and Marxism turn. Although Marx sometimes distinguished between an economic “base” and a legal-cultural “superstructure,” he managed to depict the culture of capitalism as a whole. This method forms one of his crucial legacies, which we will explore in and after Marx. Organized around a slow reading of Capital, Volume 1, the course will also feature short readings from those who inspired Marx (David Ricardo, G. W. F. Hegel, Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace) and those his work influenced (Rosa Luxemburg, Theodor W. Adorno, Stuart Hall, Donna Haraway). We will follow the trajectory that Capital itself takes, from the commodity and the concept of value to machinery, cooperation, and accumulation.

Topics vary by semester. For current term course description, please see the German Department website at http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html <http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html>

Topics vary by semester. For current term course description, please see the German Department website at http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html <http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html>

Topics vary by semester. For current term course description, please see the German Department website at http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html <http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html>

Topics vary by semester. For current term course description, please see the German Department website at http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html <http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html>

Topics vary by semester. For current term course description, please see the German Department website at http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html <http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html>

Topics vary by semester. For current term course description, please see the German Department website at http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html <http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html>

Topics vary by semester. For current term course description, please see the German Department website at http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html <http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html>

Topics vary by semester. For current term course description, please see the German Department website at http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html <http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html>

Topics vary by semester. For current term course description, please see the German Department website at http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html <http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html>

Topics vary by semester. For current term course description, please see the German Department website at http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html <http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html>

Topics vary by semester. For current term course description, please see the German Department website at http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html <http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html>

Topics vary by semester. For current term course description, please see the German Department website at http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html <http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html>

Topics vary by semester. For current term course description, please see the German Department website at http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html <http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html>

Topics vary by semester. For current term course description, please see the German Department website at http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html <http://as.nyu.edu/german/courses.html>

Offered in the spring. Student works under the guidance of a faculty member to produce a research paper of 40 to 60 pages. The thesis can be written in German or English. If it is written in English, the student must also write an abstract of 3 to 4 pages in German. There will also be a one-hour oral presentation of the senior thesis with two faculty members.

Requires permission of the department.

Prerequisite: permission of the department. May be repeated for credit. Offered every semester. 2 to 4 points.

Prerequisite: permission of the department. Offered in the fall. 4 points. Advanced seminar for honors students.

In Elementary German I students will learn the basics of the language. The course is focused on conversational skills; by learning a simplified structure of German grammar in a clear and concise format, students will be encouraged to use the new language as often as possible. The first steps into the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) will be accompanied by an introduction to contemporary life and culture in German-speaking countries. At the end of the course students should be able to handle some essential structures of the (real-life functional) language and achieve a rough idea about the way how the German language works.

In Elementary German II students will continue to learn the basics of the language. Although the course introduces more complex grammatical concepts and is intended to enrich lexical knowledge, it focuses on the development of conversational ability. Students will grow more confident and more proficient while using various conversational strategies accompanied by a learning by doing attitude. Written assignments will support writing skills, which gradually are getting more important during the course. By acquiring these competencies and by understanding some aspects of contemporary German life and culture students should achieve an initial knowledge of the language.

Intermediate German I is the first part of a two-semester-long intermediate sequence. You will continue to study grammar, vocabulary and other aspects of language. The class is almost entirely taught in German and emphasizes the language skills necessary to communicate effectively in a foreign language – speaking, reading, viewing, writing, and listening. During this course, you will engage with a large variety of topical subjects from German culture, lifestyle and history. This course intends to create a balance between working with intellectually stimulating subjects and practicing the skills needed to communicate in a foreign language. Learning another language requires a great deal of commitment, diligence, discipline, and effort on the part of the student.

Intermediate German II is the second part of a two-semester intermediate sequence. You will continue to study grammar, vocabulary and other aspects of the language. You will also learn about the cultural and historical context of the German language. The class is taught entirely in German and emphasizes the language skills necessary to communicate effectively in a foreign language – speaking, listening, viewing, reading and writing. During the course, you will engage in a great variety of up-to-date subject matters. This course aims to create a balance between working with intellectually stimulating subjects and practicing the skills needed to communicate in a foreign language. To learn another language requires a great deal of commitment, diligence, discipline, and effort on the part of the student.

This is an introductory course to the language and everyday culture of German-speaking countries for students with no previous experience learning German. It focuses on the development of communicative competence in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The textbook “Studio 21”, in conjunction with current culture-rich supplemental materials, offer a balanced approach to developing your individual language competencies. The course will help you learn to convey essential information about yourself, your family and friends; to obtain information by asking questions; to describe daily activities; to state likes and dislikes; to give and follow simple directions; to tell time and specify when events take place; to make generalizations; and to relate events from the present as well as the past. You will learn vocabulary and expressions related to: oneself and family; personal possessions; clothing; furniture; shopping; weather; food and restaurants; hotels; entertainment; hobbies and sports; and the workplace. Throughout your engagement with the German language you will also learn about Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany today, its history, climate, landscape, food, and arts.

In this course you will continue to study grammar, vocabulary and other aspects of the German language. The class focuses on the language skills necessary to communicate effectively in a foreign language – speaking, reading, viewing, writing, and listening. During the course, you will engage with a large variety of topical subjects from German culture and history as well as art, films, theater, literature and music. This course aims to create a balance between working with intellectually stimulating subjects and practicing the skills needed to communicate in a foreign language. To learn another language requires a great deal of commitment, diligence, discipline, and effort on the part of the student.

Advanced German Tutorial is intended to develop communication, writing, and argumentation abilities at a high level. Students examine, discuss, and value texts of various genres, then write essays related to these areas. The course includes a selected review of advanced grammar, idioms, and structures necessary for the effective written (and oral) expression of systematic concepts. Therefore it is focused on the diversification in the fields of syntax, style, and phraseology. Other features of the course are presentations, guided writing, and written analysis. On the basis of assorted passages and articles from the internet, various books, and selected magazines students train to comprehend and to analyze present-day issues of German-speaking countries. However, the main objective of the course is to improve and to consolidate students’ command of spoken German.

Composition & Conversation is designed for post-intermediate students of German who have a solid grasp of German grammar and vocabulary and wish to extend their knowledge of the German language, history, and culture through reading, watching films, discussions, and writing. Conversation & Composition is a reading- and writing-intensive course. Emphasis will be placed on refining written expression and developing the ability to express, discuss, and argue opinions.This course will give you an overview of recent German political, social and cultural history after 1945 and onwards. Focus will be placed on moments of social criticism and changes – from the youth cultures in the 50s and 80s to the women's movement and ecological protests, from love happenings and terrorism to mass demonstrations and the fall of the wall. During the course, we will explore narratives that are related to our topics from a variety of genres: newspaper/magazine articles, TV/radio documentaries, music, film, photography, and other visual material. The class is taught entirely in German and emphasizes the language skills necessary to communicate effectively in a foreign language speaking, reading, viewing, writing, and listening.

This course provides an introduction to the history of German Literature from the 18th century up until the present. By reading representative texts, the student will receive an overview of various epochs and genres. In addition, basic terminology of literary studies will be explained. Continuities and disruptions, which significantly influence the history of literature, will be discussed in their historical and social contexts. The class will be taught entirely in German. The course objectives are a) to develop an understanding of the texts and their political, cultural and social contexts and b) to develop the ability of critical discussion. These goals will be achieved through a close reading of literary works. This will additionally be fostered by some playful teaching units, in which we transfer the texts into the present and investigate their current relevance.

Power and culture are intimately interwoven in the social history and the material substance of modern Berlin. This interdisciplinary course explores the changing historical contours of the keywords of Kultur (culture), Geist (spirit), Technik (technology), Bildung (education), Arbeit (work) and Macht (power) and contestations over their meanings. Through applying an interdisciplinary approach that integrates literature, film, art, architecture, and philosophy, we interrogate how meaning is made individually and collectively. We will look at how relationships between individual identities, state power, and social norms were shaped in the context of recurrent political and economic crisis and rupture and ask how changing local, national, supranational, and global contexts influence how meanings are made. Paying attention to possibilities and constraints for negotiating the terms of everyday life and for conforming or resisting, we will trace how Berliners made and make sense of their lives and the world they participate in shaping.

Topics vary by semester. Please see course notes for description.

This course examines German theater of the twentieth century, from Expressionism to contemporary postdramatic forms of writing and performance. The course will first offer an overview of German theater traditions before 1900 and will then engage in analyzing specific developments in German theater starting with Max Reinhardt and his work at the Deutsches Theater Berlin. Other case studies will focus on Brecht’s epic theater, theater during the Third Reich, postwar theater trends in East and West Germany, and current developments in reunified Germany. Not only will we closely read relevant plays and theory by the theater makers of the respective periods but we will also explore aesthetics and performance issues as they have changed over time. As the involved practice of dramaturgy in Germany has greatly influenced theatrical developments, we will investigate this major aspect of theatrical work in Germany as a contribution to world theater and study how the extensive debate of ideas is being concretely realized in the theater through the choices being made in a production. An integral part of the course will include visits to Berlin theaters, attending performances, which we will analyze in class, and engaging in discussion with contemporary theater makers in Berlin.

This advanced topics course in German Literature varies by semester. Please see course notes for description.

Topics and prerequisites vary by semester.