Modern Languages and Literatures – German

College of Liberal & Creative Arts

Dean: Dr. Ifeoma Kiddoe Nwankwo

Department of Modern Languages and Literatures

Humanities Building, Room 475
Phone: (415) 338-1421
Website: mll.sfsu.edu/german-program/

Chair: Charles Egan
Undergraduate Advisors: Olivia Albiero, Volker Langbehn (A-L), Ilona Vandergriff (M-Z)
Program Coordinator: Volker Langbehn
Graduate Advisor: Ilona Vandergriff

Program Scope

The German program offers a comprehensive and carefully designed program for undergraduate and graduate studies in language, literature, culture, and linguistics.

The program addresses the needs of students at all levels, from those without prior knowledge of German to those with advanced, near-native, or native competency in German. The curriculum is designed to enable students to develop language proficiency in accordance with the nationally recognized ACTFL standards. Learning German will open up new cultural perspectives and allow students to communicate with 120 million people in German-speaking countries.

The program serves students from the entire University. Many of the students enrolled are double majors, who concurrently pursue a degree in disciplines such as international relations, humanities, history, psychology, creative writing, communication studies, and music. Students can also opt for a European Studies Minor.

In cooperation with the Office of International Programs, we encourage students to study abroad. Through the California State University (CSU) International Program, students may study, for example, at the Universität of Tübingen, Universität of Heidelberg, or other institutions of higher learning. Such opportunities give students an immersion experience, helping to build and reinforce language skills while earning units towards graduation. The program also facilitates paid summer internships in German-speaking Europe.

Professor

Volker M. Langbehn (2002), Professor in Modern Languages and Literatures. Ph.D. University of Minnesota.

Ilona Vandergriff (1996), Professor in Modern Languages and Literatures. Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley.

Associate Professor

Olivia Albiero (2016), Associate Professor in Modern Languages and Literatures. Ph.D. University of Washington.

Major

Minor

Explanation of Course Descriptions, Symbols, and Terms

GER 101 First Semester German (Units: 4)

Listening, speaking, reading, and writing German. Intended for true beginners.

Course Attributes:

  • C2: Humanities
  • Global Perspectives

GER 102 Second Semester German (Units: 4)

Prerequisite: GER 101 or equivalent.

Continuation of first semester German.

Course Attributes:

  • C2: Humanities
  • Global Perspectives

GER 206 Intermediate German Conversation (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GER 101 and GER 102 or equivalents.

Intensive listening and speaking practice, group discussions based on texts and videos, skits and other presentations.

Course Attributes:

  • C2: Humanities
  • Global Perspectives

GER 207 Intermediate German (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: GER 102 or equivalent.

Listening, speaking, reading, and writing at the intermediate level. Group projects based on contemporary issues.

Course Attributes:

  • C2: Humanities
  • Global Perspectives

GER 301 German in Review (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GER 206 and GER 207 or equivalents.

Review of structure and speech patterns. Compositions, oral presentations, and group discussions based on short stories, newspaper articles, contemporary films, and other cultural topics.

GER 302 Grammar in Context (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: GER 207 or equivalent demonstrated proficiency.

Study, review, and communicative practice of grammar structures in the context of real-world language tasks or projects. [Online Course]

GER 305 Advanced Grammar and Composition (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GER 206 and GER 207 or equivalents.

Study and practice of grammar structures and systematic writing practice.

Course Attributes:

  • Global Perspectives

GER 330 Exploring the German Language (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GER 206* and GER 207*; GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better; or permission of the instructor.

Exploration of a wide spectrum of linguistic issues in and approaches to the German language. Analysis of the forms, functions, and uses of contemporary standard and non-standard varieties of German including dialects.

Course Attributes:

  • UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
  • Global Perspectives
  • Social Justice

GER 335 German Through Cinema (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GER 206 and GER 207 or equivalents; or permission of the instructor.

Canonical works of German cinema to increase students language competence in receptive and productive skills. Development of ideas in writing activities to focus also on vocabulary, grammar, and style.

GER 341 Intensive Language Practice and Analysis (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: GER 305 or equivalent.

Systematic and intensive study of written and oral expression. Designed for advanced students of German. May be repeated for a total of 9 units.

GER 350GW Translation Workshop - GWAR (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GE Area A2; GER 206 and GER 207 or equivalents.

Translating written and spoken texts using German or English as source languages. (ABC/NC grading only)

Course Attributes:

  • Graduation Writing Assessment
  • Global Perspectives

GER 502 Contemporary Germany (Units: 3)

Prerequisites for GER 802: German M.A. students; GER 301 or equivalent; or permission of the instructor.
Prerequisites for GER 502: Upper-division standing; GER 301 or equivalent; GPA of 3.0 or higher; or permission of the instructor.

Germany today: its achievements, challenges, problems, potential dangers, and important developments, trends, issues, and figures that have shaped the nation.
(GER 802/GER 502 is a paired course offering. Students who complete the course at one level may not repeat the course at the other level.)

GER 513 The Shifting Contours of Blackness in German Literature, Philosophy, and Film (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.

Exploration of the shifting contours of blackness in Germany from the 18th century to the present. Exploration of the various conceptions of "race" in a variety of fields such as German history, literature, biology, medicine, and popular culture. Emphasis on some of the crucial paradigms in the shifting concepts of race regarding culture, identity, and biology as seen in the context of the German Enlightenment, European and American colonialism, the Holocaust, and the literary and filmic representation in postwar Germany. [Taught in English]

GER 514 Political Violence and Terrorism in German History, Film, and Visual Media (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or permission of the instructor.

Examination of the history of political violence and terrorism - its history, its causes, aims, and forms in Germany. Multidisciplinary approach to develop the knowledge and skills needed to examine the particularities of political violence and terrorism in Germany in the 20th and 21st century as seen in political manifestos, history, films, modern technology, and caricatures. Taught in English. All materials are available in English.
(This course is offered as GER 514, HIST 514, I R 514, and PLSI 514. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

GER 535 The German Novella of the 19th and 20th Centuries (Units: 3)

Prerequisite for GER 835: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.
Prerequisites for GER 535: Upper-division standing; a 300-level GER course; GPA of 3.0 or better; or permission of the instructor.

Explore exemplary works of the novella genre from the 19th to 20th-century German literature. Analyze how art responds to the changing political situation in Germany and how various literary movements react to each other aesthetically and politically.
(GER 835/GER 535 is a paired course offering. Students who complete the course at one level may not repeat the course at the other level.)

GER 600 Mobility, Travel, and Identity in English (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, B4*, and E* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.

Explore questions of mobility, travel, and identity in contemporary German, Austrian, and Swiss literature and culture in relation to historical, socio-political, and cultural contexts. [Taught in English]

Course Attributes:

  • UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
  • Global Perspectives

GER 613 Weimar Literature (Units: 3)

Prerequisite for GER 813: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.
Prerequisites for GER 613: Upper-division standing; GPA of 3.0 or higher; or permission of the instructor.

Introduction to the Weimar Republic and its representation in exemplary works of literature in English translation. [Taught in English]
(GER 813/GER 613 is a paired course offering. Students who complete the course at one level may not repeat the course at the other level.)

GER 614 Crisis and Quest in English (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of the instructor.

Examination of the epistemological concerns displayed in Austrian and German culture between the turn of the century and the 1920s. Discussion of how writers and scientists tried to gain access to the unknown within the self. Exploration of various viewpoints about the unknown self including the unconscious, the sexual drive, the death instinct, the inaccessible totality, the unsayable, or as a visual projection of ethnic and sexual otherness.

GER 616 Postwar German Literature: The Past as Present (Units: 3)

Prerequisite for GER 816: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.
Prerequisites for GER 616: Upper-division standing; GPA of 3.0 or higher; or permission of the instructor.

A study of common themes in postwar German literature to the present. Authors included are Grass, Mann, Koeppen, and Maron. [Taught in English]
(GER 816/GER 616 is a paired course offering. Students who complete the course at one level may not repeat the course at the other level.)

GER 620 German Comics in English: Encounters, Conflicts, and Changes (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.

Exploration of comics and graphic novels that depict encounters, conflicts, and changes in German history, society, and culture across the 20th and 21st centuries. Study of these works in connection with European and global experiences, events, and transformations. Taught in English. All materials are available in English.

Course Attributes:

  • UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
  • Global Perspectives
  • Social Justice

GER 699 Independent Study (Units: 1-3)

Prerequisite: Permission of the department chair and instructor.

Written projects requiring critical analysis and interpretation of linguistic or literary problems. Material adapted to individual needs and interests. May be repeated for a total of 9 units.

GER 741 The Holocaust and Postwar Germany Taught in English (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate standing in German, History, or Jewish Studies, or permission of the instructor.

The Holocaust in Postwar Germany as seen in exemplary works of literature, historical documents and Nuremberg trials. (Plus-minus letter grade only) [Taught in English]
(This course is offered as GER 741, HIST 741, and JS 741. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

GER 786 Great Theorists: Walter Benjamin (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.

Walter Benjamin, one of the premier thinkers of the 20th century, and a major influence on figures such as Hannah Arendt, Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault and others. To thoroughly examine Benjamin is to make inquiries into the basis of thought for the previous century as well as our own.
(This course is offered as PLSI 786, GER 786, and HUM 725. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

GER 802 Contemporary Germany (Units: 3)

Prerequisites for GER 802: German M.A. students; GER 301 or equivalent; or permission of the instructor.
Prerequisites for GER 502: Upper-division standing; GER 301 or equivalent; GPA of 3.0 or higher; or permission of the instructor.

Germany today: its achievements, challenges, problems, potential dangers, and important developments, trends, issues, and figures that have shaped the nation.
(GER 802/GER 502 is a paired course offering. Students who complete the course at one level may not repeat the course at the other level.)

GER 813 Weimar Literature (Units: 3)

Prerequisite for GER 813: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.
Prerequisites for GER 613: Upper-division standing; GPA of 3.0 or higher; or permission of the instructor.

Introduction to the Weimar Republic and its representation in exemplary works of literature in English translation. [Taught in English]
(GER 813/GER 613 is a paired course offering. Students who complete the course at one level may not repeat the course at the other level.)

GER 816 Postwar German Literature: The Past as Present (Units: 3)

Prerequisite for GER 816: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.
Prerequisites for GER 616: Upper-division standing; GPA of 3.0 or higher; or permission of the instructor.

A study of common themes in postwar German literature to the present. Authors included are Grass, Mann, Koeppen, and Maron. [Taught in English]
(GER 816/GER 616 is a paired course offering. Students who complete the course at one level may not repeat the course at the other level.)

GER 835 The German Novella of the 19th and 20th Centuries (Units: 3)

Prerequisite for GER 835: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.
Prerequisites for GER 535: Upper-division standing; a 300-level GER course; GPA of 3.0 or better; or permission of the instructor.

Explore exemplary works of the novella genre from the 19th to 20th-century German literature. Analyze how art responds to the changing political situation in Germany and how various literary movements react to each other aesthetically and politically.
(GER 835/GER 535 is a paired course offering. Students who complete the course at one level may not repeat the course at the other level.)

GER 896EXM Culminating Experience Examination (Units: 0-3)

Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor, committee chair, and approval of Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) and Culminating Experience (CE) forms by Graduate Studies. ATC and Proposal for Culminating Experience Requirement forms must be approved by the Graduate Division before registration.

Enrollment in 896EXAM required for students whose culminating experience consists of an examination only. Not for students enrolled in a culminating experience course numbered 892, 893, 894, 895, 898, or 998, (or in some cases, courses numbered 890 - see program's graduate advisor for further information). (CR/NC, RP)

GER 899 Independent Study (Units: 1-3)

Prerequisites: Graduate German students; permission of the graduate major adviser and supervising faculty member. Enrollment by petition.

Study is planned, developed, and completed under the direction of a member of the departmental faculty. Open only to graduate students who have demonstrated the ability to do independent work. May be repeated for a total of 6 units.