German Studies (GERST)Arts and Sciences

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Course descriptions provided by the Courses of Study 2021-2022. Courses of Study 2022-2023 is scheduled to publish mid-June.

Last Updated

  • Schedule of Classes - May 21, 2022 7:26PM EDT
  • Course Catalog - May 21, 2022 7:14PM EDT

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

  •  4138 GERST 1210   LEC 001

  •  
    • T To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Lischke, 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.

  •  4139 GERST 1210   LEC 002

  •  
    • T To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Lischke, 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.

  •  4140 GERST 1210   DIS 201

  •  
    • MWRF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Staff

  • 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.

  •  4141 GERST 1210   DIS 202

  •  
    • MWRF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Staff

  • 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.

  •  4142 GERST 1210   DIS 203

  •  
    • MWRF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Staff

  • 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.

  •  4143 GERST 1210   DIS 204

  •  
    • MWRF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Lischke, 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.

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

  •  4144 GERST 1220   LEC 001

  •  
    • T To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Matthias Phelps, G

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

  •  6971 GERST 1220   LEC 002

  •  
    • T To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Matthias Phelps, G

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

  •  4145 GERST 1220   DIS 201

  •  
    • MWRF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Staff

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

  •  6972 GERST 1220   DIS 202

  •  
    • MWRF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Matthias Phelps, G

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    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

  •  4687 GERST 1230   SEM 101

  •  
    • MTWF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Matthias Phelps, G

  • 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 1776
Elementary Yiddish I

Provides an introduction to reading, writing, aural comprehension, speaking and grammar, as well as to some of the basic elements of Ashkenazi Jewish culture. view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: JWST 1776

  • 4 Credits Graded

  •  7171 GERST 1776   SEM 101

  •  
    • MTWR To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Forman, D

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

GERST 1880
Intermediate Yiddish

No description available. view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: JWST 1880

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 19287 GERST 1880   SEM 101

  •  
    • MTWRF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: Distance Learning-Synchronous
    This course is part of the Shared Course Initiative and will be streamed from Yale University using videoconferencing technology. Students who may have a scheduling conflict with the published course time should contact the instructor.

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

  •  4585 GERST 2000   SEM 101

  •  
    • MWF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Hadley, S

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    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

  •  4586 GERST 2000   SEM 102

  •  
    • MWF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Matthias Phelps, G

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    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 Texts and Contexts: 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

  •  6508 GERST 2020   SEM 101

  •  
    • MWF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Wegner, D

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    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

  •  4587 GERST 2040   SEM 101

  •  
    • MWF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Pfeifer, A

  • 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 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

  •  6390 GERST 2700   SEM 101

    • TR To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Schwarz, A

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Enrollment limited to 18 1st-semester-freshmen. Readings and discussion in English. Students must apply in writing to 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 3075
Print Matters

"Print Culture from the Medieval to the Modern" employs texts and images in the Kroch Rare Books Library and Johnson Museum of Art as a prism to consider how advances in printing technology transformed ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: SHUM 3075

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 16615 GERST 3075   SEM 101

  •  
    • MWF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • McBride, D

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

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

  • 16617 GERST 3290   SEM 101

  •  
    • TR To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Gilgen, P

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

GERST 3580
Nineteenth Century Philosophy

Survey of nineteenth century philosophy. view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: PHIL 3250, PHIL 6220

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 19029 GERST 3580   LEC 001

  •  
    • M To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Kosch, M

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

GERST 4100
The Seminar

Fall 2021 Topic: Hope in German Literature and Thought: Hope is an appeal to better futures. What creative strategies and critical thought does German literature make available for engaging hope in hard ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • Topic: Humor in German Culture

  •  4157 GERST 4100   SEM 101

  •  
    • TR To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Schwarz, A

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Taught in German. Satisfies Option 1. Prerequisites: standard German proficiency as required for this level: 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, including poster presentations of all final projects, and is taught each fall by a faculty member in the Department of German Studies on a topic of their expertise. Fall 2022 Topic: Humor in German Culture. What is German Humor? Can we ascribe specific qualities to German wit? This seminar will examine forms of humor in various genres such as literature, TV shows, cartoons, podcasts, theatrical performances, stand up comedies, and satires. Topics to be discussed: humor as political critique; humor as a transgressive or/and liberating medium; humor as an expression of religious, sexual and political freedom. Final seminar project: students will create cartoons, satires, and/or posters/podcasts, videos.

GERST 4250
Marx, Nietzsche, Freud

This is an introduction to the three 'master thinkers' who have helped determine the discourses of modernity and post-modernity. We consider basic aspects of their work: (a) specific critical and historical ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: COML 4250, GOVT 4735

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16618 GERST 4250   LEC 001

  •  
    • MW To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Waite, G

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

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

  •  4158 GERST 4510   IND 601

    • TBA
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies
    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

  •  4159 GERST 4530   RSC 701

    • TBA
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: Directed Research

    Department Consent Required (Add)

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Multi-Term

  •  6459 GERST 4530   RSC 702

    • TBA
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • 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

  •  5587 GERST 4540   IND 601

    • TBA
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies
    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 approaches and discusses various ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  6316 GERST 5070   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    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 6090
Poetologies and 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

  • 16621 GERST 6090   SEM 101

  •  
    • W To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Siegel, E

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

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

  • 1-2 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  6356 GERST 6131   SEM 101

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

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

  •  4176 GERST 6310   SEM 101

  •  
    • MWF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Aupiais, J

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Intended for graduate students with no prior experience in German.

GERST 6630
Nietzsche and Heidegger

This graduate seminar provides a basic introduction to the thinking of Nietzsche and Heidegger, and to the latter's interpretation and appropriation of the former. A major concern is the articulation of ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: COML 6630

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16622 GERST 6630   SEM 101

  •  
    • M To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Waite, G

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

GERST 6730
Prophetic Realisms: Literature and the Shape of Things to Come, 1830-1930-2030

No description available. view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: COML 6730

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 18262 GERST 6730   SEM 101

  •  
    • T To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Fleming, P

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Enrollment limited to graduate students. Course description: “Prophetic Realisms” explores the notion that certain literary texts – those that are deeply embedded in the socio-economic totality of the world they build – not only provide insight into the present world, but also anticipate the shape of things to come: the tendencies and trajectories of coming historical formations. The latent is already manifest so that, strangely, one of the proving grounds of literature is history. This idea is very pronounced in Georg Lukacs’ 1930s writing on Realism, but also shared by his antagonists in the ‘Expressionist Debates,’ such as Ernst Bloch: the one point they agree on is literature’s ability to ‘anticipate’ historical developments. This idea is expressed, in a different way, by Erich Auerbach’s 1937 essay “On the Serious Imitation of the Everyday” and 1938 essay “figura”. In this course we will look at these 1930s writings, constellating them with the 1830s texts that harken back to as anticipating the direction of capitalism (Balzac, but also Stendahl), alongside the early 1900s novels anticipating the rise of fascism (Heinrich Mann, but also Fallada), and finally juxtaposing them with science fiction since the 1960s, including theoretical reflections on them with respect to ‘prediction’, such as Philip K Dick, Octavia Butler, and Margaret Atwood. We are interested in moments when historical time seems to become ‘concentrated,’ hence the axes of 1830/1930/2030.

GERST 7530
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

  •  4178 GERST 7530   IND 601

    • TBA
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies
    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

  • 16625 GERST 7531   SEM 101

  •  
    • F To Be Assigned
    • Aug 22 - Dec 5, 2022

    • Gilgen, P

  • Instruction Mode: In Person