German Requirements
German has long been a language of culture, the arts, philosophy
and the social and natural sciences. Germany continues to play an important
role in Europe’s history and economy and is now a driving force
behind European integration. As a result, German is an important "second
language" throughout
the continent. In fact, it is tied with Russian as the most frequently
spoken language in Europe. Germany, itself, is changing in ways that
shatter old prejudices and make it an exciting culture to explore.
Due to the more than six million Germans who emigrated to the United
States during the 19th and 20th centuries, millions of Americans
share German heritage. For many students, German can be a means of
exploring their heritage.
The German department at Ripon assists students
in learning the German language, becoming familiar with Germany’s
literature and culture, and developing interpretive skills. This mix
enables students to understand an increasingly dynamic and interdependent
international community. German students acquire skills and knowledge
that will help them in any career they choose, for an employer sees
the accomplished language learner as a bridge to new clients and customers.
Not only can learning German offer a lifetime of cultural pleasure,
it also provides a new perspective and understanding of one’s
own culture. It will make a difference in how you see the world
and in how the world sees you!
Using a communicative approach, Ripon’s
German program is designed to help students develop proficiency in
listening, speaking, reading and writing. Even in the first semesters,
classes are conducted almost exclusively in German. The third and fourth
semesters, German 221 and 222, focus on contemporary politics, the
environment,
history, film, music, fine art, literature and technology. An emphasis
on the links between language and culture encourages students to compare
and contrast information, analyze structures and content, and predict
outcomes. German 314, the fifth semester, focuses on writing and conversation
skills. Once the linguistic foundation has been laid, students embark
on an exploration of German culture, history and society. The German
program at Ripon embraces the notion of German Studies; in addition
to traditional literature courses, students will be exposed to German
film, popular narratives and topics of lasting cultural and social
significance.
Foreign Language Retroactive Credit: Students whose high school or other background permits them to enroll in a language course above 111 will, after completing the course with a grade of B or above, receive credit for previous courses in the sequence. The maximum credit granted retroactively shall be 12 credits for any one language; credit may be earned for more than one language. The credits will not carry a grade, but count toward the degree.
Study Abroad: Click here for information about Ripon's
Bonn program.
Communicating Plus: German. Students completing a
major in German develop skills in the four Communicating Plus skills
areas — written communication, oral communication, critical thinking
and problem-solving. The study of foreign language and culture necessarily
centers on oral and written communication. To understand and be understood
in a foreign language, students must develop awareness of how communication
takes place and develop the ability to communicate effectively.
This involves acquisition of all four language skills (listening, speaking,
reading and writing) and an understanding of nonverbal cues, cultural
differences and other contextual factors that influence communication.
Building on the comparative and analytical skills developed in
the language courses, upper-level German courses offer opportunities
to work directly on critical thinking and problem-solving. In these
courses, reading becomes central as students analyze and discuss the
problem of defining culture and how it shapes and is shaped by the
people living within it. Students are challenged to tackle more sophisticated
texts and to examine the discourses that have shaped German culture
and society.
Requirements for a major in German: Thirty-two credits in German beyond German 211 or its equivalent, including German 314, 315 and 400. (Only two of the following courses may be counted toward the major: German 321, 344, 347.) The Senior Seminar (German 400) requires the completion of a research project in conjunction with another 300- or 400-level course. At least one semester at Ripon’s Program at Bonn, Germany, or its approved equivalent is required. The department encourages its majors to combine their work in German with a major in another field.
Requirements for a teaching major in German: Students seeking teacher certification must complete 32 credits in course work beyond German 211 including German 314 and 315 and Linguistics 332. An approved study abroad program is required. German 402 also is required but no credit is given toward the major.
Requirements for a minor in German: Twenty credits beyond German 211 or its equivalent, including German 314 and 315. Though not required, at least one semester at Ripon's Program at Bonn, Germany, is strongly recommended.
Requirements for a teaching minor in German: Students seeking teacher certification must complete 20 credits in course work beyond German 211 including German 314 and 315. Linguistics 332 is highly recommended. An approved study abroad program is required. German 402 also is required, but no credit is given toward the major.
Courses
111-112. Acquiring German: Levels I and II (Staff)
Four credits each semester. Acquisition of the essentials
needed to use the German language, including oral communication, reading
and writing. Since the 111-112 sequence is a yearlong course, it is
highly inadvisable to continue into the 112 level without having received
a C- or better in 111. German 112 counts toward the Global and
Cultural Studies requirement.
211-222. Intermediate German: Levels I and II (Sopcak)
Four credits each semester. Instruction is content and task-based,
focusing on contemporary politics, the environment, history, film, music,
fine art, literature and technology. Students learn to communicate in
interpersonal, interpretive and presentational modes and are encouraged
to compare and contrast information, analyze structures and content,
and predict outcomes. In German. Counts toward the Global and Cultural
Studies requirement. Prerequisite: German 112/211 or consent of instructor.
300. Departmental Studies (Sopcak/Staff)
Four credits. Special subjects in German not covered by regular courses. Topics have included: German Youth and Children’s Literature; The German Novella; Minorities in German Literature and Culture. This course may be repeated for credit when topics change. Prerequisite: German 222 or consent of instructor.
302. Applied Language Analysis (Staff)
Two credits. This course is designed for students with an advanced knowledge of German who are interested in strengthening their linguistic foundation and expanding their language awareness. A systematic survey and in-depth analysis of German lexicography, phonology, grammatical patterns and syntactic principles will focus on specific problem areas and introduce complex idiomatic structures. Extensive work in written and oral production as well as training in listening
and reading abilities will be supported by a contrastive analysis of German and English semantics, morphology and syntax. Emphasis will be placed on increasing language fluency and competency. Conducted in German. Prerequisite: German 222 or consent of instructor.
310. Bonn and Berlin: Cultural and Political Centers of Germany, Past and Present (Sopcak)
Two-four variable credits. Maymester in Germany. Offered as registration permits. This course offers students an intense immersion experience in contemporary German culture and language. Students will meet during spring semester in Ripon for an introduction to the history and culture of Bonn and Berlin through literature, film, discussion and Internet research. Students define a specific photo-essay project to conduct during the two-week stay in Germany. Possible projects include a study of regional art, architecture, monuments, music, theater, advertising, tourism, economy or environmental issues. Prerequisite: Parallel enrollment in German 222 (4th semester) or higher or consent of instructor.
314. Conversation and Composition (Sopcak)
Four credits. Offered fall semester. Students improve and refine their speaking and writing skills through the study of a variety of written texts, discussion based on those readings, advanced grammar exercises and systematic vocabulary building. The primary work of the course involves composing (in multiple drafts) texts that fall into diverse genre categories, including descriptive, argumentative and persuasive essays. In preparation for upper-level literature and culture courses, this course pays special attention to the style, language and techniques used in writing textual and cultural analysis for specific audiences. Prerequisite: German 222 or consent of instructor.
315. Reading Texts and Contexts (Sopcak)
Four credits. This course serves as a transition from the language sequence to courses in German literature and culture. It stresses the central role literature plays in fostering an understanding of German society, while it provides students with an introduction to the tools and theories of literary and cultural analysis. Because context is central to any “close reading,” texts are chosen from various genres but remain focused on a single theme or period. Focus is on class discussion and the practice of critical and comparative writing. Prerequisite: German 222 or consent of instructor.
316. German Theatre Workshop (Retterath)
Two credits. Offered in alternate years. Introduction to the basics of acting through dramatic readings in German. Final project is the preparation and performance of a German play. Prerequisite: German 222 or consent of instructor.
318. German Theatre Workshop (Retterath)
Two credits. Offered in alternate years. Same as German 316 but designed for students wishing to repeat the theatre experience. Prerequisite: German 316.
320. Culture of Business in Germany (Sopcak)
Two credits. This course is designed for students wanting to combine their interest in German with the study of international business. Students learn about the culture of the German business world through texts and class discussion which focus particularly on differences between German and American business traditions and perspectives. The course also offers students an opportunity to practice the language skills needed to communicate effectively in German in a business setting. Prerequisite: German 222 or consent of instructor.
321. Inventing Germany (Staff)
Four credits. Since German national history is surprisingly short and has seen numerous interruptions, there is much to be learned from the cultural, social and political construction of Germany since 1789. Students use literary and nonfiction texts to examine German nationalism and national identity as they developed from the Napoleonic Wars through Bismarck and two world wars to “reunification” in 1990. Topics of special interest include the role of Germany in Europe, tensions between East and West, and the increasing diversity of German society. Counts toward the Global and Cultural Studies requirement. Prerequisite: German 222 or consent of instructor.
344. Film in Germany (Sopcak)
Four credits. From the early days of silent film to contemporary
works by some of the world's most influential directors, this course
selects from nearly 80 years of filmmaking in Germany. Germans produced
films with a wide range of aesthetic and political perspectives, ranging
from expressionism to Nazi propaganda and from escapist comedies to
avant-garde art. Learning how to "read" German films critically
equips students with the skills for critically viewing and "reading"
today's
Hollywood and independent movies. "Film in Germany" comprises
a tour of German cultural and political history through the medium
of film. May be repeated once for credit. Counts toward the Global
and Cultural Studies requirement. Prerequisite: German 222 or consent
of instructor.
347. Fairy Tales: Critical Approaches (Sopcak)
Four credits. Did Disney get it wrong? After examining the
cultural context that inspired Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm to begin recording
folk tales in the early 19th century, this course focuses on how the
Grimm brothers' fairy tales can be read and interpreted today. Through
an exploration of various critical approaches to the texts, including
historical, feminist and psychoanalytic interpretations, students
gain insight into the array of meanings that fairy tales still generate
for modern audiences. Prerequisite: German 222 or consent of instructor.
354. The Holocaust in Literature (Sopcak)
Four credits. The course examines literary responses to the Holocaust from the immediate postwar period to the present day, focusing primarily on novels, plays and poems published in Germany and the United States. The starting point is a discussion of the difficulty - and necessity - of representing the Holocaust in literature. Other topics include the depiction of victims and oppressors, the role of the Holocaust in the narrative construction of Jewish identity and the impact of the Holocaust on postwar German culture. Prerequisite: German 222 or consent of instructor.
360. Studies in 18th- and 19th-Century Literature and Culture (Sopcak)
Four credits. Germany's tumultuous political history
produced parallel developments in literature and culture. Important
milestones include the secularization of society that culminated in
the Enlightenment, the Romantic revolt against the philosophical and
literary limits of rationalism, the rise of the novel as a quintessential
bourgeois genre, the development of politically engaged literary forms
that coincided with the Revolution of 1848 and the struggle to define
and practice realistic representation, which foreshadowed literary
modernism. Although topics vary, they remain situated in the context
of cultural and social change. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite:
German 222 or consent of instructor.
361. Studies in Early 20th-Century Literature and Culture (1900-1944) (Sopcak)
Four credits. The course explores various cultural themes
in the first half of the 20th century, most importantly the impact
of modernity on the German cultural imagination. Additional topics
include avant-garde artistic movements such as Expressionism and Dada,
the Weimar Republic and the rise of popular culture, and Nazi aesthetics.
May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: German 222 or consent
of instructor.
362. Studies in Contemporary Literature and Culture (1945-present) (Sopcak)
Four credits. The course centers around themes related to current cultural, economic, political and social issues in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, including art and politics in the 1950s and '60s, the literatures of a divided Germany, the ongoing process of German unification, reckoning with the Nazi past, the situation of women and minorities and the European Union. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: German 222 or consent of instructor.
364. The German Experience in America (Staff)
Four credits. Today, little remains of America’s vibrant
German past — a few Oktoberfests, bratwursts, beer and some
distant memories. The course explores what it used to mean to be German
in the United States and what it still means today. Of particular importance
is the wide variety of German immigrants, who ranged from the Amish
to Albert Einstein, from conservative Christians to "bomb-throwers
and anarchists," and from nameless frontier women to Henry Kissinger.
Students should be prepared to explore their own ethnic history, even
if it isn’t German. Prerequisite: German 222 or consent of
instructor.
400. Senior Seminar (Sopcak)
One credit. In conjunction with a 300- or 400-level course, the seminar serves as a capstone experience for graduating German majors. Students undertake a research project and develop it into a major paper through a collaborative writing process. Prerequisite: German 222 or consent of instructor.
402. The Teaching of Modern Languages (Clemente)
Two to four credits. Offered spring 2009 and alternate years. An exploration of the most recent theories about foreign language methodology and acquisition with practical applications for use in the classroom. This course is designed for prospective teachers of French, German or Spanish and does not count toward the major. Lectures, readings and demonstration teaching. Same as Spanish 402 and French 402. Taught in English.
424. “Woman” and Women Writers (Sopcak)
Four credits. This course examines changing gender roles in
texts authored by both male and female writers. Using feminist literary
theory as a point of departure, students examine selected works in
terms of the images and myths of woman they either reflect or subvert.
The study of the works of women writers facilitates discussion of what
constitutes "great" literature, how literary canons are
constructed, and whether or not "women’s writing" can
or should exist as a literary genre. May be repeated for credit.
434. The Devil’s Pact (Sopcak)
Four credits. Goethe's Faust remains the centerpiece in this
examination of the Faust legend, but the context of Goethe's
masterpiece includes both his predecessors and more recent versions
of the Faust story in literature, music and film. The course pays
particular attention to the decade-long development of Goethe's
text and the place his Faust occupies in German culture. Prerequisite:
German 222 or consent of instructor.
541, 542. Independent Study (Sopcak)
One to four credits each semester. Supervised reading or research
projects on selected aspects of German literature and culture. Prerequisite: Consent
of the department.
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