Ich und Welt:Mod. Germ. Lit

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

The course investigates the particular contribution of the German literary tradition to the exploration of the self. In contrast to other European traditions, German literature can be viewed as focusing more pointedly on the experience of the individual rather than on depicting society at large. It is this perspective embedded in Germany’s cultural tradition that will guide the readings in this course which are drawn exclusively from canonical works of modern German literature. Goals: The course develops students’ sensibility towards the German literary and cultural traditions. The goal is to hone interpretive skills within a historical and systematic context and to have students develop the necessary written and spoken German to communicate such interpretation and their contexts in a convincing and appropriately complex style. Approach: This is a seminar-style, reading intensive course that will focus its classroom activities on structured discussions of the texts while developing a broader historical/aesthetic framework for such readings. Frequent presentations by students on particular issues — such as comparisons between aspects of two works, introduction of additional works with reference to the ones read in class etc. — will provide additional starting points for student engagement. Language-learning Focus: Receptive skills in reading will be honed — and made explicit in occasional presentations by teacher how the literary individual is constructed through language in the texts. Writing skills will be another focus as students will continue to develop their ability to summarize complex events within a larger framework through three 2-3-page summaries of longer fictional texts (prose and drama) in a process-writing mode. A final paper that will present the additional text read by the student within the context of the class-discussions and with references to secondary sources is the culminating writing assignment for the course. Presentational oral skills will be developed through two formal presentations by students. The first presentation will be introducing a text to the class (including a handout). The second will present the additional work the student has read to the class. Presentations are modeled by the teacher and supporting language materials are provided as the students are guided through the process. In addition, every student is required to read one additional work and report on it to the class. Examples for such works are other dramas or stories by Lessing, Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, Büchner, any of the Romantics, as well as stories by the likes of Storm, Keller, Stifter. The main issue is that the piece be interesting to the student and presented within the historical and systematic framework developed in the course. Assessment: 1. Class participation 30% 2. Presentations (2) 10% 3. Short summaries (3) 30% 4. Final paper, incl. Handout 30% Materials: 1. Immanuel Kant, “Was ist Aufklärung?” (supplied) 2. G. E. Lessing, "Nathan der Weise" 3. Johann Wolfgang Goethe, "Die Leiden des jungen Werther" 4. Friedrich Schiller, "Wilhelm Tell" 5. Ludwig Tieck, "Der gestiefelte Kater" 6. Georg Büchner, "Woyzeck" 7. G. Keller, "Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe" 8. Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, "Maslans Frau" (supplied) 9. Friedrich Nietzsche, "Über Wahrheit und Lüge im aussermoralischen Sinn" 10. Hugo von Hofmannsthal, “Ein Brief” (supplied) 11. Arthur Schnitzler, “Leutnant Gustl” (supplied) 12.Alfred Döblin, “Die Ermordung der Butterblume” (supplied) 13. poetry reader (supplied)