German Studies (GERST)Arts and Sciences

Showing 26 results.

Course descriptions provided by the Courses of Study 2023-2024. Courses of Study 2024-2025 is scheduled to publish mid-June.

Last Updated

  • Schedule of Classes - May 1, 2024 7:28PM EDT
  • Course Catalog - May 1, 2024 7:07PM 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. 

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  3149 GERST 1210   SEM 101

  •  
    • MTWF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Brady, B

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Intended for: students with no prior experience in German language or based on German Placement test result.

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  3150 GERST 1210   SEM 102

  •  
    • MTWF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Witchey, L

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Intended for: students with no prior experience in German language or based on German Placement test result.

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 10684 GERST 1210   SEM 103

  •  
    • MTWF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Lischke, G

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Intended for: students with no prior experience in German language or based on German Placement test result.

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. 

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  3151 GERST 1220   SEM 101

  •  
    • MTWF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Villalobos, M

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Prerequisite: GERST 1210 or based on German Placement test result.

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  5649 GERST 1220   SEM 102

  •  
    • MTWF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Matthias Phelps, G

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Prerequisite: GERST 1210 or based on German Placement test result.

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. 

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  3631 GERST 1230   SEM 101

  •  
    • MWF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Matthias Phelps, G

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Limited to students who have previously studied German and based on German Placement test result. Successful completion of GERST 1210/1220 or equivalent and GERST 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:

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: JWST 1776, YIDSH 1776

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 10053 GERST 1776   SEM 101

  •  
    • MTWR To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Forman, D

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

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

  •  3550 GERST 2000   SEM 101

  •  
    • MWF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Matthias Phelps, G

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Prerequisite: GERST 1220 + placement result or 1230. Satisfies Option 1. A content-based language course on the intermediate level.

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  3551 GERST 2000   SEM 102

  •  
    • MWF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Reynders, A

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Prerequisite: GERST 1220 + placement result or 1230. Satisfies Option 1. A content-based language course on the intermediate level.

GERST 2005
Intermediate Yiddish

No description available. view course details

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Syllabi:

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: JWST 2276, YIDSH 2276

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 18836 GERST 2005   SEM 101

  •  
    • MTWR To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Forman, D

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

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

  •  3552 GERST 2040   SEM 101

  •  
    • MWF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Gutfeld, T

  • 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 2567
History of the Holocaust

This course explores the history of the Holocaust during which the Nazis murdered six million Jews. Topics covered in this class include the history of antisemitism in Europe and twentieth-century Germany, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: JWST 2467

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 19432 GERST 2567   LEC 001

  •  
    • MW To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

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. 

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  5224 GERST 2700   SEM 101

    • MW To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Siegel, E

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    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. Online application: https://german.cornell.edu/application-gerst2700

    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. 

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 10648 GERST 3070   SEM 101

  •  
    • MWF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • McBride, D

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

GERST 3555
Comics as a Medium

What are comics? While it's easy to identify a cartoon, graphic novel, or comic book, it's hard to understand the wide world of comics. As a medium, comics are part of a global tradition of visual storytelling ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: PMA 3555, SHUM 3555, VISST 3555

  • 3 Credits Opt NoAud

  • 19243 GERST 3555   SEM 101

  •  
    • TR To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Born, E

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Intended for: juniors, seniors.

GERST 3561
Freud and Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis considers the human being not as an object of treatment, but as a subject who is called upon to elaborate an unconscious knowledge about what is disrupting her life, through analysis of ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  • 18644 GERST 3561   LEC 001

  •  
    • MW To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • McNulty, T

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

GERST 3612
Remembering Socialism: Literature and Film After the End of History

More than thirty years after the end of the Soviet Union, we have the distance needed to view the twentieth-century state socialist project from a historical perspective--even as Cold War tropes are revived ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: COML 3012, ENGL 3903, HIST 3012

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 11541 GERST 3612   SEM 101

  •  
    • TR To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Pinkham, S

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

GERST 4100
The Seminar

Fall 2023 Topic: What is Poetry?  view course details

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Syllabi:

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one seminar and one project. Combined with: FGSS 4100, LGBT 4100

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • Topic: Gender and Sexuality in German Science and Fiction

  •  3163 GERST 4100   SEM 101

  •  
    • MW To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Jarris, M

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Taught in German. Satisfies Option 1. Prerequisite: any German course at the 3210-3499-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.

  • Topic: What is Poetry?

  • 10704 GERST 4100   PRJ 601

  •  
    • TBA
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Jarris, M

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

GERST 4382
Paul de Man

This course studies major works from the great 20th century literary theorist Paul de Man, one of the founders of deconstruction. We will read carefully works from across his career, including broader ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  • 19548 GERST 4382   SEM 101

  •  
    • M To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Caruth, C

  • 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

  •   Project Session Full. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  3164 GERST 4510   IND 601

    • TBA
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies
    To apply: first discuss the Independent Study with the course supervisor, and then complete the online Independent Study form at 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

  •  3165 GERST 4530   RSC 701

    • TBA
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: Directed Research

    Department Consent Required (Add)

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Multi-Term

  •  5284 GERST 4530   RSC 702

    • TBA
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • 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

  •  4498 GERST 4540   IND 601

    • TBA
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • 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 approaches in the field of applied linguistics and language pedagogy.  Introduces different models of foreign language approaches and discusses ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  5164 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 6224
Writing for the Public: Adapting Academic Work for a General Audience

This workshop-style course will address the question of how to draw on academic research and expertise to write for a non-specialist audience. We will discuss the benefits of public-facing writing; how ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: COML 6224, ROMS 6324

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 18499 GERST 6224   SEM 101

  •  
    • T To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Pinkham, S

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

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

  • 17927 GERST 6310   SEM 101

  •  
    • MWF To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Spadoni, N

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

GERST 6363
Queer Marxism

Are queer theory and Marxism truly irreconcilable? While queer studies emerged in part as a rejection of Marxism's totalizing approach and Marxists have criticized the queer emphasis on individuals, this ... view course details

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Syllabi:

  • 19283 GERST 6363   SEM 101

  •  
    • W To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Jarris, M

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

GERST 6382
Paul de Man

This course studies major works from the great 20th century literary theorist Paul de Man, one of the founders of deconstruction. We will read carefully works from across his career, including broader ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  • 19736 GERST 6382   SEM 101

  •  
    • M To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Caruth, C

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

GERST 6445
German Media Theories

This seminar examines German media theories from the Frankfurt School to the Kittler Network and beyond. We will discuss influential concepts associated with this work (e.g., the culture industry, the ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: STS 6445

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 19245 GERST 6445   SEM 101

  •  
    • R To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Born, E

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

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

  •  3183 GERST 7530   IND 601

    • TBA
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Staff

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

    Instructor 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

  •  8874 GERST 7531   SEM 101

  •  
    • F To Be Assigned
    • Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024

    • Gilgen, P

  • Instruction Mode: In Person