German Courses

Courses by Category

Please note: Languages courses may not be audited or taken Pass/No Pass. 

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Explanation of Course Numbers

• Courses in the 1000s are primarily introductory undergraduate courses
• Those in the 2000s to 4000s are upper-level undergraduate courses that also may be taken for graduate credit with permission and additional work assigned
• Those in the 6000s and 8000s are for master’s, doctoral, and professional-level students
• The 6000s are open to advanced undergraduate students with approval of the instructor and the dean or advising office

GER 1000. Dean's Seminar. 3 Credits.

The Dean’s Seminars provide Columbian College first-year students focused scholarship on specific intellectual challenges. Topics vary by semester; see department for more details.

GER 1001. First-Year German I. 4 Credits.

Fundamentals of speaking, understanding, reading, and writing German. Laboratory fee.

GER 1002. First-Year German II. 4 Credits.

Continuation of GER 1001. Fundamentals of speaking, understanding, reading, and writing German. Prerequisite: GER 1001. Laboratory fee.

GER 1003. Second-Year German I. 4 Credits.

Fundamentals of speaking, understanding, reading, and writing German. Prerequisite: GER 1002 . Laboratory fee.

GER 1004. Second-Year German II. 4 Credits.

Continuation of GER 1003. Fundamentals of speaking, understanding, reading, and writing German. Prerequisite: GER 1003. Laboratory fee.

GER 1005. Intensive Beginning German I. 8 Credits.

Intensive course in fundamentals of speaking, understanding, reading, and writing German (equivalent to GER 1001– GER 1002). Recommended for majors. Laboratory fee.

GER 1006. Intensive Beginning German II. 8 Credits.

Continuation of GER 1005. Intensive course in fundamentals of speaking, understanding, reading, and writing German (equivalent to GER 1003– GER 1004). Prerequisite: GER 1002 or GER 1005. Recommended for majors. Laboratory fee.

GER 1099. Variable Topics. 1-36 Credits.

GER 2009. Intermediate German I. 3 Credits.

Practice in speaking, listening, reading, and writing at the intermediate level. Prerequisites: GER 1004 or GER 1006; or permission of the instructor.

GER 2010. Intermediate German II. 3 Credits.

Continuation of GER 2009. Practice in speaking, listening, reading, and writing at the intermediate level. Prerequisites: GER 1004 or GER 1006; or permission of the instructor.

GER 2091. Introduction to German Literature—in English I. 3 Credits.

Survey of German literature 1700 to 1830, including the Enlightenment through Sturm und Drang, classicism, and romanticism.

GER 2092. Introduction to German Literature—in English II. 3 Credits.

Continuation of GER 2091. Survey of German literature 1830 to 1950, including Young Germany through realism, naturalism, expressionism, and the literature of the Third Reich years (exile literature and inner emigration).

GER 2101. Readings in Contemporary German I. 3 Credits.

Analysis of representative readings of expository prose from German newspapers, periodicals, and other publications. Prerequisite: for GER 2101, GER 1004 or GER 1006 .

GER 2102. Readings in Contemporary German II. 3 Credits.

Continuation of GER 2101. Analysis of representative readings of expository prose from German newspapers, periodicals, and other publications. Prerequisite: GER 2101.

GER 2109. Advanced Conversation and Composition. 3 Credits.

Introduction to approaches, concepts, and analytical tools for study in the field, complemented by advanced practice in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Prerequisites: GER 2010 or permission of the instructor.

GER 2109W. Advanced Conversation and Composition. 3 Credits.

An introduction to approaches, concepts, and analytical tools for study in the field, complemented by advanced practice in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Prerequisites: GER 2010 or permission of the instructor. Includes a significant engagement in writing as a form of critical inquiry and scholarly expression to satisfy the WID requirement. Credit cannot be earned for this course and GER 2109.

GER 2110. Germany in the Age of Globalization. 3 Credits.

Continuation of GER 2109. An introduction to approaches, concepts, and analytical tools for study in the field, complemented by advanced practice in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Prerequisites: GER 2010 or permission of the instructor.

GER 2110W. Germany in the Age of Globalization. 3 Credits.

Continuation of GER 2109. An introduction to approaches, concepts, and analytical tools for study in the field, complemented by advanced practice in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Includes a significant engagement in writing as a form of critical inquiry and scholarly expression to satisfy the WID requirement. Prerequisites: GER 2010 or permission of the instructor.

GER 2111. Business German. 3 Credits.

Introductory course preparing students to function in business-related communicative situations, with an emphasis on language skills necessary for work in areas such as marketing and finance. Prerequisites: GER 2010or permission of the instructor.

GER 2161. German Culture–in English I. 3 Credits.

The central problems, issues, and events that have shaped the development of German culture from antiquity to the present. Emphasis on products and processes of German culture in social, historical, and political contexts.

GER 2162. German Culture–in English II. 3 Credits.

Continuation of GER 2161. The central problems, issues, and events that have shaped the development of German culture from antiquity to the present. Emphasis on products and processes of German culture in social, historical, and political contexts.

GER 2165. Twentieth-Century German Literature–in English. 3 Credits.

Survey of the major trends in the works by modernist, exile, postwar, and contemporary German writers such as Kafka, Thomas Mann, Duerrenmatt, and Grass.

GER 3099. Variable Topics. 1-12 Credits.

GER 3181. History of German Cinema—in English. 3 Credits.

A detailed historical and cultural survey of German cinema from the first moving picture devices (1895) to the expressionistic classics of the 1920s and the collapse of the Nazi film industry in 1945. All films are subtitled.

GER 3182. The Fairy Tale from the Grimms to Disney. 3 Credits.

Survey of the changing form, structure, and meaning of the fairy tale in its traditional contexts, modern transformations and critical interpretations, with readings by nineteenth-century European collectors and twentieth-century critics. Taught in English.

GER 3183. Berlin Before and After the Wall. 3 Credits.

The political, social, and cultural developments in Berlin from 1945 to the present through a reading of selected primary documents, historical analyses, and short literary texts.

GER 3184. German Thought—in English. 3 Credits.

An overview of German ideas about culture, religion, society, and politics from the sixteenth century to the present. Readings from such writers as Luther, Leibniz, Kant, Schiller, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Weber, Heidegger, Adorno, and Habermas.

GER 3185. Literary Voices and the Fascist Experience—in English. 3 Credits.

A survey of writers anticipating as well as reflecting on Germany’s plunge into the totalitarian abyss of fascist politics, including H. Mann, Kafka, Juenger, Brecht, Werfel, Thomas Mann, Lenz, Frisch, Duerrenmatt, and various forms of Holocaust poetry.

GER 3186. German Women Writers of the 19th and 20th Centuries. 3 Credits.

The changing literary and social roles of German women of the 19th and 20th centuries, examined through selected readings of women’s literary production and culture.

GER 3187. German Cinema after 1945. 3 Credits.

The evolution of German cinema after 1945 in relation to social and political developments in the two German states; the national and international influences on the development of East and West German film and on film since German unification. Taught in English.

GER 3188. The Lives of East Germans. 3 Credits.

Consideration of what it meant to grow up and live in the German Democratic Republic and the changes and challenges to East German identity since unification. The course draws upon historical, political, and sociological studies as well as literary and filmic representations of East German experience.

GER 3189. Dealing with the Communist Past in Germany and Eastern Europe. 3 Credits.

GER 3190. Germany in the Global Business Context. 3 Credits.

An interdisciplinary examination of Germany as a world leader in business. Analysis of culturally rich materials (from policy to poetry) offering insights into Germany’s success and shortcomings. Topics vary. Readings and lectures in English.

GER 4171. The Age of Goethe—in German. 3 Credits.

Readings of major works of Weimar classicism in their historical and cultural context.

GER 4172. From Romanticism to Realism. 3,4 Credits.

Readings in German romanticism (Kleist, Hoffmann), literature of the "young Germany" movement (Büchner), and realism (Keller, Storm).

GER 4173. Naturalism to Expressionism. 3 Credits.

Study of various literary movements between 1880 and 1914: naturalism, impressionism, symbolism, and expressionism (Hauptmann, Hesse, Thomas Mann, Kafka).

GER 4174. Inside/Outside the Third Reich. 3 Credits.

Analysis of literary developments inside the Nazi state (propaganda literature, literature of resistance, and inner immigration) and the literature of exile (Seghers, Remarque).

GER 4175. Literature of two Germanies. 3 Credits.

Evolution of East and West German literatures after World War II, their separate developments and ultimate unification.

GER 4176. Contemporary German Literature. 3 Credits.

Analysis of works by former East and West German writers after unification as well as the generation of young German writers, who came of age after or around the time of unification. Emphasis on memoirs, family narratives, essays, and films examining Germany’s transition from fascism and socialism to democracy.

GER 4195. Special Topics. 1-3 Credits.

May be repeated for credit provided the topic differs.

GER 4196. Second Language Acquisition and Pedagogy. 1-3 Credits.

Theories and perspectives on second language learning and the teaching methods that stem from them. Taken in conjunction with a peer mentoring program in which advanced-level language students serve as learning assistants in introductory courses. Restricted to language learning assistants with the permission of the instructor.

GER 4197. Senior Honors Thesis I. 3 Credits.

Senior honors thesis on a topic related to German language, literature, or culture. Required of and open only to honors candidates in the department.

GER 4198. Senior Honors Thesis II. 3 Credits.

Continuation of GER 4197. Senior honors thesis on a topic related to German language, literature, or culture. Required of and open only to honors candidates in the department.

GER 4800. Independent Study. 1-3 Credits.

An independent exploration and close examination of a topic of interest under the supervision of a German program faculty member. Admission by permission of instructor. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: N/A. Corequisites: N/A. Recommended background: N/A.

GER 5099. Variable Topics. 1-99 Credits.