GERST 1175

GERST 1175

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2019-2020.

Small forms can contain big ideas. This course will put contemporary microformats, such as tweets, snaps, lists, and text messages, in dialogue with a much broader spectrum of small, short, and simple forms, from anecdotes, jokes, and aphorisms to fables, short stories, and feuilletons. With a focus on German literature and philosophy, we will read exemplary cases of small literary forms (e.g., Brecht, Dörrie, Kafka, Lichtenberg, Walser), along with short philosophical reflections on the economy of language, the effects of miniaturization, and the desire for simplicity (e.g., Adorno, Benjamin, Nietzsche, Polgar, Schlegel). Writing activities will provide related training in small academic forms like notes, glosses, abstracts, protocols, excerpts, and commentaries, which will become the crucial building blocks of academic work on larger scales.

When Offered Fall.

Satisfies Requirement First-Year Writing Seminar.

Comments No knowledge of German is expected.

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Syllabi: none
  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 18320 GERST 1175   SEM 101

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