German Studies (GERST)Arts and Sciences

Showing 32 results.

Course descriptions provided by the Courses of Study 2017-2018.

Last Updated

  • Schedule of Classes - February 16, 2018 10:59AM EST
  • Course Catalog - February 12, 2018 11:18AM EST

GERST 1109
FWS: From Fairy Tales to the Uncanny: Exploring the Romantic Consciousness

How did bawdy tales of peasants using magic to climb the social ladder get transformed into moral lessons for children?  The answer lies in Romanticism and its appropriation of the imagination as a force ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 17669 GERST 1109   SEM 101

  •  

  • For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute.

Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 17668 GERST 1109   SEM 102

  •  

  • For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute.

GERST 1118
FWS: Let's Play!

Why do we play games and why do we have fun with them? What makes us winners and losers? This course will explore various approaches to games and humans at play. We will try to understand why people play ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 17643 GERST 1118   SEM 101

  •  

  • For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute.

GERST 1170
FWS: Marx, Nietzsche, Freud

A basic understanding of Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud is a prerequisite for participating in critical debates in the humanities and social sciences. Our seminar will explore key terms in the revolutionary ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 17665 GERST 1170   SEM 101

  •  

  • For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute.

Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 17663 GERST 1170   SEM 102

  •  

  • For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute.

Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 17664 GERST 1170   SEM 103

  •  

  • For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute.

Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 17666 GERST 1170   SEM 104

  •  

  • For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute.

Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 17667 GERST 1170   SEM 105

  •  

  • For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute.

GERST 1210
Exploring German Contexts I

Students develop basic abilities in listening, reading, writing, and speaking German in meaningful contexts through interaction in small group activities. Course materials including videos, short articles, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion.

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  5918 GERST 1210   LEC 001

  •  

  • Intended for students with no prior experience in German or with LPG score below 37 or SAT II score below 370. Must enroll in one lecture and one discussion.

  •  5919 GERST 1210   LEC 002

  •  

  • Intended for students with no prior experience in German or with LPG score below 37 or SAT II score below 370. Must enroll in one lecture and one discussion.

  •  5920 GERST 1210   DIS 201

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  •  5921 GERST 1210   DIS 202

  •  

  •  5922 GERST 1210   DIS 203

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  •  5923 GERST 1210   DIS 204

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GERST 1220
Exploring German Contexts II

Students build on their basic knowledge of German by engaging in intense and more sustained interaction in the language. Students learn more advanced language structures allowing them to express more complex ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion.

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  5924 GERST 1220   LEC 001

  •  
    • T Uris Hall 303

    • Matthias Phelps, G

  • Prerequisite: GERST 1210, or LPG score of 37-44, or SAT II score of 370-450. Must enroll in one lecture and one discussion.

  •  5925 GERST 1220   DIS 201

  •  
    • MWRF Uris Hall G20

    • Matthias Phelps, G

  • Prerequisite: GERST 1210, or LPG score of 37-44, or SAT II score of 370-450. Must enroll in one lecture and one discussion.

GERST 1230
Expanding the German Dossier

Students continue to develop their language skills by discussing a variety of cultural topics and themes in the German-speaking world. The focus of the course is on expanding vocabulary, reviewing major ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  6595 GERST 1230   SEM 101

  •  

  • Limited to students who have previously studied German and have an LPG score of 45-55 or an SAT II score of 460-580. Successful completion of GERST 1210, 1220 and 1230 satisfies Option 2.

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  6596 GERST 1230   SEM 102

  •  
    • MWRF Uris Hall G20

    • Matthias Phelps, G

  • Limited to students who have previously studied German and have an LPG score of 45-55 or an SAT II score of 460-580. Successful completion of GERST 1210, 1220 and 1230 satisfies Option 2.

GERST 2000
Germany: Intercultural Context

Students examine important aspects of present-day German culture while expanding and strengthening their reading, writing, and speaking skills in German. Materials for each topic are selected from a variety ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  6474 GERST 2000   SEM 101

  •  

  • Prerequisite: GERST 1230, LPG score of 56-64, or SAT II 590-680 or placement by examination. Satisfies Option 1. A content-based language course on the intermediate level.

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  6475 GERST 2000   SEM 102

  •  
    • MWF Uris Hall G20

    • Matthias Phelps, G

  • Prerequisite: GERST 1230, LPG score of 56-64, or SAT II 590-680 or placement by examination. Satisfies Option 1. A content-based language course on the intermediate level.

GERST 2020
Literary Contexts and Texts: The Myth of 1968

1968 marked a turning point in German history. Protesting students upended the social, cultural, and political order with a utopian vision of revolution that ended in a decade-long wave of domestic terrorist ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16743 GERST 2020   SEM 101

  •  

  • Prerequisite: GERST 2000, or equivalent or placement by examination. Taught in German. Can be used in partial fulfillment of the humanities distribution requirement. Satisfies Option 1. Students must take one of the following courses as a prerequisite for Study Abroad in a German-speaking country: GERST 2020, GERST 2040, or GERST 2060.

GERST 2040
Perspectives on German Culture

This course aims at sharpening your awareness of personal and cultural subjectivity by examining texts in a variety of media against the backdrop of cultural, political, and historical contexts.  We will ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  6476 GERST 2040   SEM 101

  •  

  • Prerequisite: GERST 2000, or placement by examination (placement score and CASE). Satisfies Option 1. Students must take one of the following courses as a prerequisite for Study Abroad in a German-speaking country: GERST 2020, GERST 2040, or GERST 2060.

GERST 2700
Introduction to German Culture and Thought

Big names, Big ideas, and Big events are associated with German culture and thought: Luther, Faust, Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Mozart, Beethoven, Kant, Hegel, Goethe, Einstein, Kafka and Thomas ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  9878 GERST 2700   SEM 101

  • Enrollment limited to 18 1st-semester-freshmen. Readings and discussion in English. Students must apply in writing to chair/instructor; Department of German Studies; 183 Goldwin Smith Hall. Upon availability, students of other levels will be welcome to apply.

    Department Consent Required (Add)

GERST 3070
Challenge of Literary Language

Why do literary texts insist on bending (and even breaking) the rules that govern everyday language? Could we improve our mastery of colloquial German by accepting literature's challenge and investigating ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  9594 GERST 3070   SEM 101

  •  

  • Prerequisite: GERST 2040, 2060 or equivalent. This course may be counted towards the requirement for 3000-3209-level language in the major. Taught in German. Satisfies Option 1.

GERST 3290
Mean Streets: German Crime and Detective Fiction

This class surveys the history and contemporary developments of crime and detective fiction in German. In addition, we may read a number of theoretical reflections on the figure of the detective, the history ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16701 GERST 3290   SEM 101

  •  

  • Taught in German. Any course at the 3000-3209-level in German or permission of instructor. Satisfies Option 1.

GERST 3515
Cinema of the Weimar Republic

This course introduces the cinema of the Weimar Republic (1918-33), a golden age of German cinema comparable to the classical Hollywood era. During this period, the German film industry developed a variety ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: PMA 3514, VISST 3515

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17003 GERST 3515   SEM 101

  •  

  • Taught in English.

GERST 3590
Kant

An intensive study of the metaphysical and epistemological doctrines of the Critique of Pure Reason. Some editions of the course may also consider Kant's ethical views as laid out in the Groundwork of ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture. Discussion optional. Combined with: PHIL 3230

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16954 GERST 3590   LEC 001

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  • 17157 GERST 3590   DIS 201

  •  

GERST 4100
The Seminar

This seminar explores 1) how texts try to move; how they attempt to create or shape (artistic, political) movements, 2) how texts attempt to capture political movements. We will study flyers and leaflets ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • Topic: Texts and Movements

  •  5937 GERST 4100   SEM 101

  •  

  • Taught in German. Satisfies Option 1. Prerequisite: Any German course at the 3200-3499-level or equivalent. The Seminar is a requirement of the German Studies major, but is open to all students who have met the prerequisites. The course has a research component and is taught each fall by a faculty member in the Department of German Studies on a topic of their expertise.

GERST 4210
Existentialism or Marxism

The most intense public encounter between Existentialism and Marxism occurred in immediate post-WWII Europe, its structure remaining alive internationally. Existentialist questions have been traced from ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: COML 4251, GOVT 4015, ROMS 4210

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16851 GERST 4210   SEM 101

  •  

GERST 4220
Technologies of Verse

Poems disrupt the flow of reading. In so doing, rather than rendering them transparent, they call attention to their media – often the page or voice. This course will examine the experimental writing techniques ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: COML 4413, ROMS 4225, VISST 4221

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17020 GERST 4220   SEM 101

  •  

  • Taught in English.

GERST 4355
Images and History:Siegfried Kracauer

As an outstanding figure of critical theory in the twentieth century, Siegfried Kracauer left an astonishingly rich body of work spanning literature and the sociology of mass culture, film criticism and ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  • 16577 GERST 4355   SEM 101

  •  

GERST 4510
Independent Study

Undergraduate student and faculty advisor to determine course of study and credit hours. view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  5938 GERST 4510   IND 601

    • TBA

    • Adelson, L

  • Prerequisite: permission of instructor. To apply for independent study, please complete the on-line form at https://data.arts.cornell.edu/as-stus/indep_study_intro.cfm.

    Department Consent Required (Add)

GERST 4530
Honors Research

The Reading Course is administered by the director of the honors thesis.  It carries 4 hours credit, and may be counted towards the work required for the German Major.  The reading concentrates ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Multi-Term

  •  5939 GERST 4530   RSC 701

    • TBA

    • Siegel, E

  • Department Consent Required (Add)

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Multi-Term

  • 10245 GERST 4530   RSC 702

    • TBA

    • Adelson, L

  • Department Consent Required (Add)

GERST 4540
Honors Thesis

The thesis is to be written on a subject related to the work done in GERST 4530.  A suggested length for the thesis is 50-60 pages. view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Graded

  •  7909 GERST 4540   IND 601

    • TBA

    • McBride, P

  • Prerequisite: GERST 4530.

    Department Consent Required (Add)

GERST 5070
Teaching German as a Foreign Language: Principles and Practices

Designed to familiarize students with current thought and theories in the field of applied linguistics and language pedagogy.  Introduces different models of foreign language methodology and presents and ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  9188 GERST 5070   SEM 101

  •  

  • Intended primarily for graduate students preparing to teach German and undergraduate students interested in deeper understanding of language study and teaching. Taught in German; readings are in English and German.

GERST 6070
Prose of the World: 19th C. Letters

This seminar takes as its theoretical starting point Hegel's notion of the "prose of the world" to describe the modern age, and the 19th c in particular—an age no longer defined by the exception and heroes, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: COML 6894, ROMS 6070

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16848 GERST 6070   SEM 101

  •  

  • Taught in English. Anchor course. All texts available in English.

GERST 6090
Poetologies & Dramaturgies After 1945

Novelists, poets, and dramatists have reflected on the act of writing and poetic practice for centuries. Since the 1950s, though, public reflections on literary work have become essential to the performance ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16702 GERST 6090   SEM 101

  •  

  • Taught in German.

GERST 6131
German Philosophical Texts

Reading, translation, and English-language discussion of important texts in the German philosophical tradition. Readings for a given term are chosen in consultation with students. view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: PHIL 4003, PHIL 6030

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  9488 GERST 6131   SEM 101

  •  

GERST 6175
Empathy: Affects and Sociality in Literature and Theory

Examination of affects at the intersections of aesthetics, ethics, politics, philosophy and psychoanalysis.  Points of inquiry: how are social feelings of empathy, solidarity and identification evoked ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: COML 6136

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16850 GERST 6175   SEM 101

  •  

  • Taught in English.

GERST 6310
Reading Academic German I

This course emphasizes the acquisition of reading skills in German, using a variety of prepared and authentic texts.  The follow-up course, GERST 6320 , Reading Academic German II, is offered ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  5956 GERST 6310   SEM 101

  •  

  • Intended for graduate students with no prior experience in German.

GERST 6355
Images and History: Siegfried Kracauer

As an outstanding figure of critical theory in the twentieth century, Siegfried Kracauer left an astonishingly rich body of work spanning literature and the sociology of mass culture, film criticism and ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  • 16578 GERST 6355   SEM 101

  •  

GERST 6780
Persecution and the Art of Writing

Our title derives from the political philosopher Leo Strauss, who provides our initial analytic, methodological, and theoretical model. We extend beyond Straussian ideological positions to include art ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  • 16704 GERST 6780   SEM 101

  •  

GERST 7000
PIRIP Independent Study

No description available. view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 2-12 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 10084 GERST 7000   IND 601

    • TBA

    • Schwarz, A

  • Independent Study for non-degree visiting graduate students accepted into the PIRIP.

    Department Consent Required (Add)

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 2-12 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 10246 GERST 7000   IND 602

    • TBA

    • Fleming, P

  • Independent Study for non-degree visiting graduate students accepted into the PIRIP.

    Department Consent Required (Add)

GERST 7530
Independent Study

Graduate student and faculty advisor to determine course of study and credit hours. view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  5959 GERST 7530   IND 601

    • TBA

    • McBride, P

  • Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Enrollment limited to graduate students.

    Department Consent Required (Add)

GERST 7531
Colloquium

The course consists of a bi-weekly workshop series focusing on a range of interdisciplinary topics and sponsored by the Institute for German Cultural Studies (IGCS). Speakers include prominent scholars ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 2 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  6535 GERST 7531   IND 601

  •