German Studies (GERST)Arts and Sciences

Showing 33 results.

Course descriptions provided by the Courses of Study 2022-2023.

Last Updated

  • Schedule of Classes - April 4, 2023 12:09PM EDT
  • Course Catalog - April 3, 2023 12:59PM EDT

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

  • 18667 GERST 1109   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://knight.as.cornell.edu/.

Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 18668 GERST 1109   SEM 102

  •  
    • TR Morrill Hall 107
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Necker, A

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://knight.as.cornell.edu/.

GERST 1121
FWS: Writing Berlin

Berlin is a city that reinvents itself by rewriting itself. In this writing seminar, we'll study a variety of literary, visual, and sonic texts to create a mythical map of the city from its emergence as ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 18670 GERST 1121   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://knight.as.cornell.edu/.

GERST 1123
FWS: Romanticism on Film: International Horror Cinema

This course introduces students to the legacy of Romantic thought in the context of international horror cinema. Students will gain skills in formal film analysis and cultural criticism by watching movies ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 18549 GERST 1123   SEM 101

  •  
    • MW Lincoln Hall 107
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • McQuade, P

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://knight.as.cornell.edu/.

GERST 1124
FWS: Writing Between: Here, There, Everywhere, Nowhere

This course introduces students to literature, film, and media produced by migrants in contemporary German-language contexts. Students will gain skills in literary analysis and cultural criticism by reading ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 18557 GERST 1124   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://knight.as.cornell.edu/.

GERST 1125
FWS: Media Studies

What is a medium? How do new media relate to old media? What differentiates information contents from medial containers, aesthetic forms, and technical formats? To address such questions, media studies ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 18558 GERST 1125   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://knight.as.cornell.edu/.

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

  • 18561 GERST 1170   SEM 101

  •  
    • TR Sibley Hall B12
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Thomas, S

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://knight.as.cornell.edu/.

Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 18562 GERST 1170   SEM 102

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://knight.as.cornell.edu/.

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

  •  3376 GERST 1210   LEC 001

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    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.

  •  3377 GERST 1210   LEC 002

  •  
    • T Morrill Hall 107
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Matthias Phelps, G

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    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.

  •  3378 GERST 1210   DIS 201

  •  
    • MWRF Sibley Hall B10
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Matthias Phelps, G

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

  •  3379 GERST 1210   DIS 202

  •  
    • MWRF Uris Hall 494
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

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

  •  3371 GERST 1220   LEC 001

  •  
    • T Morrill Hall 111
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Lischke, G

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Prerequisite: GERST 1210, LPG score of 37-44, or SAT II score of 370-450. Must enroll in one Lecture and one Discussion.

  •  3372 GERST 1220   LEC 002

  •  
    • T Morrill Hall 106
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Lischke, G

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Prerequisite: GERST 1210, LPG score of 37-44, or SAT II score of 370-450. Must enroll in one Lecture and one Discussion.

  •  3373 GERST 1220   DIS 201

  •  
    • MWRF Uris Hall 398
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Prerequisite: GERST 1210, LPG score of 37-44, or SAT II score of 370-450. Must enroll in one Lecture and one Discussion.

  •  3374 GERST 1220   DIS 202

  •  
    • MWRF Uris Hall 331
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Lischke, G

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Prerequisite: GERST 1210, LPG score of 37-44, or SAT II score of 370-450. Must enroll in one Lecture and one Discussion.

  •  3375 GERST 1220   DIS 203

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Prerequisite: GERST 1210, 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

  •  3395 GERST 1230   SEM 101

  •  
    • TWRF Uris Hall G22
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Wegner, D

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    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

  •  3383 GERST 2000   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Prerequisite: GERST 1230, or LPG score of 56-64, or SAT II score of 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

  •  3384 GERST 2000   SEM 102

  •  

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

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

  •  5269 GERST 2040   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    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 2060
German in Business Culture

Learn German and understand German business culture at the same time. This is a German language course that examines the German economic structure and its major components: industry, trade unions, the ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  4562 GERST 2060   SEM 101

  •  
    • MWF White Hall B06
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Lischke, G

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Prerequisite: GERST 2000 or placement by examination (placement score and CASE). Students without previous knowledge of Business German are welcome. Taught in German. 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 2703
Thinking Media

From hieroglyphs to HTML, ancient poetry to audiotape, and Plato's cave to virtual reality, "Thinking Media" offers a multidisciplinary introduction to the most influential media formats of the last three ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •  5970 GERST 2703   LEC 001

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

GERST 3013
German Language Across the Curriculum (LAC)

This 1-credit optional course aims to expand the students' vocabulary, and advance their speaking and reading skills as well as enhance their knowledge and deepen their cultural understanding by supplementing ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1 Credit Stdnt Opt

  • Topic: Introduction to Comparative Government & Politics

  •  6027 GERST 3013   SEM 101

    • TBA
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Conducted in German. Co-requisite: GOVT 1313.

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

GERST 3080
German Digital Culture

This course is aimed to increase your linguistic competencies in German, your cultural awareness, as well as your critical thinking skills. We will discuss internet-relevant topics from a German perspective, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  3366 GERST 3080   SEM 101

  •  
    • MWF White Hall 104
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Matthias Phelps, G

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Taught in German. Satisfies Option 1. Prerequisite: GERST 2020, GERST 2040, GERST 2060, or equivalent or permission of instructor. This course may be counted towards the requirement for 3000-level language in the major.

GERST 3215
Performance Theater and Politics

With Schiller's famous treatise on the stage as moral institution, the theater starts to fulfill a moral, pedagogical, public task. The landscape of German theater is unique because of a political commitment ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17467 GERST 3215   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Prerequisite: any course at the 3000-3209 level in German or placement exam. Taught in German.

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.  Combined with: GERST 6221, PHIL 3230, PHIL 6220

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17532 GERST 3590   LEC 001

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

GERST 3610
Fables of Capitalism

This course examines the stories, literary examples, and metaphors at work in elaborating capitalist society and its "hero," the modern economic subject: the so-called "homo oeconomicus." We will examine ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  • 17675 GERST 3610   LEC 001

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

GERST 3642
Dealing with the Devil: Music's Faustian Bargain with Literature

What would you be willing to give up in exchange for infinite knowledge? (Just think—no more required readings, no more memorization, no more Saturday nights spent studying for prelims!) For one student, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: MUSIC 3242

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 18118 GERST 3642   SEM 101

  •  
    • TR Lincoln Hall B21
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Heinle, S

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

GERST 4290
Spinoza and the New Spinozism

Spinoza was excommunicated, wrote under death threats, and has remained a scandal to philosophy, psychoanalysis, politics, ethics, literature. "Every philosopher has two philosophies, his own and Spinoza's" ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: COML 4090, GOVT 4769, JWST 4790

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17736 GERST 4290   SEM 101

  •  
    • MW White Hall 106
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Waite, G

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

GERST 4413
Walter Benjamin

This extraordinary figure died in 1941, and his death  is emblematic of the intellectual depredations of Nazism. Yet since World War II, his influence, his reputation, and his fascination for scholars ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  • 17321 GERST 4413   SEM 101

  •  
    • M McGraw Hall B65
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Boyarin, J

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

GERST 4520
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

  •  3382 GERST 4520   IND 601

    • TBA
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies
    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)

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  6211 GERST 4520   IND 602

    • TBA
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies
    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

  •  4637 GERST 4530   RSC 701

    • TBA
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: Directed Research

    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

  •  3381 GERST 4540   IND 601

    • TBA
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies
    Prerequisite: GERST 4530.

    Department Consent Required (Add)

GERST 6150
Jews in German Literature and Culture Since 1945

Amidst widespread discussion of Holocaust memory as a globalized phenomenon, this seminar explores Jewish literature written in German since 1945. For these writers and their texts, the historical encounter ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: JWST 6150

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 17645 GERST 6150   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Prerequisite: Required readings in German. Class discussion in English. Enrollment limited to graduate students.

GERST 6221
Topics in Modern Philosophy

Advanced discussion of topics or authors in "modern" Western philosophy (circa the 17th and 18th centuries). view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: GERST 3590, PHIL 3230, PHIL 6220

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • Topic: Kant

  • 18455 GERST 6221   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

GERST 6320
Reading Academic German II

Emphasis on development of the specialized vocabulary of student's field of study. view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  3367 GERST 6320   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Limited to graduate students. Prerequisite: GERST 6310 or equivalent.

GERST 6413
Walter Benjamin

This extraordinary figure died in 1941, and his death is emblematic of the intellectual depredations of Nazism. Yet since World War II, his influence, his reputation, and his fascination for scholars in ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  • 17325 GERST 6413   SEM 101

  •  
    • M McGraw Hall B65
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Boyarin, J

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

GERST 6511
Illness as Metaphor

What is illness? What is health? The human body seems to vacillate between these dichotomous versions of its existence. This seminar traces the cultural/historical developments/traditions that define illness, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: COML 6511

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 18441 GERST 6511   SEM 101

  •  
    • W Olin Library 403
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Schwarz, A

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Enrollment limited to graduate students.

GERST 6560
Aesthetic Theory: The End of Art

This course investigates the emergence of aesthetics as its own philosophical discipline at the end of the eighteenth century.  In a first phase, we will examine the rationalist articulation of aesthetics ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ARTH 6560, PHIL 6951

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 18079 GERST 6560   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Enrollment limited to graduate students.

GERST 6600
Visual Ideology

Some of the most powerful approaches to visual practices have come from outside or from the peripheries of the institution of art history and criticism. This seminar will analyze the interactions between ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ARTH 6060, COML 6600

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17764 GERST 6600   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Enrollment limited to graduate students.

GERST 7540
Independent Study

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

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  3385 GERST 7540   IND 601

    • TBA
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Schwarz, A

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies
    Enrollment limited to graduate students.

    Department Consent Required (Add)

GERST 7541
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

  •  7099 GERST 7541   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person