Course Descriptions - Undergraduate Calendar 2013-2014

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G E R M A N 

Courses in German are offered through the Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies.

Notes

  1. A number of German language courses can be taken concurrently. Students majoring in German or preparing for work or study terms in German-speaking Europe are encouraged to take some courses in tandem: 201 and 211 together; 202 and 212 together; 303, 304, 307, 308, 309 together with 331 or 334.
  2. Students with advanced German language skills interested in taking literary or cultural studies courses, but who do not have the necessary prerequisite courses, should contact the undergraduate officer for departmental approval to take these courses.

GER 100s


GER 100 LEC,TUT 0.50Course ID: 013628
Zeitgeist and Popular Culture
An introduction to life, society, and culture in modern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
[Note: Taught in English.]

GER 101 LAB,LEC 0.50Course ID: 006056
Elementary German I
For students with little or no knowledge of German. The basic elements of German grammar with emphasis on group and individual oral practice. Development of skills in listening/comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Introduction to aspects of German culture and everyday life. Tapes and computer exercises accompany each chapter of the textbook. Students are encouraged to use them in the language laboratory and at home.
[Note: GER 101 is not open to students with native, near-native or similar advanced ability.]
Antireq: 4U German
Also offered Online

GER 102 LAB,LEC 0.50Course ID: 006057
Elementary German II
A continuation of GER 101.
[Note: GER 102 is not open to students with native, near-native or similar advanced ability.]
Prereq: GER 101.
Antireq: 4U German
Also offered Online

GER 180 LEC,TUT 0.50Course ID: 013630
German and Russian Literary Masterpieces
An examination of major Russian and German literary works that have influenced world literature.
[Note: Taught in English.]
(Cross-listed with REES 180)

GER 200s


GER 201 LAB,LEC 0.50Course ID: 006070
Intermediate German I
This course continues the work of GER 101/102. It offers practice in speaking, reading, and writing, with vocabulary building, grammar, and exercises in comprehension.
[Note: Students intending to major in German or preparing for work or study terms in German-speaking Europe are encouraged to take GER 201 and 211 concurrently. GER 201 is not open to students with native, near-native or similar advanced ability.]
Prereq: GER 102 or 4U German
Also offered Online

GER 202 LAB,LEC 0.50Course ID: 006072
Intermediate German II
Strengthening of communicative skills, grammar review, vocabulary building, written practice, conversation on issues of contemporary life in German-speaking countries.
[Note: Students intending to major in German or preparing for work or study terms in German-speaking Europe are encouraged to take GER 202 and 212 concurrently. GER 202 is not open to students with native, near-native or similar advanced ability.]
Prereq: GER 201

GER 211 LAB,LEC 0.50Course ID: 014285
Integrative Language Seminar I
This course develops reading, writing, and oral skills, and intercultural competence.
[Note: Students may take GER 201 and 211 concurrently.]
Prereq: GER 102 or 4U German

GER 212 LAB,LEC 0.50Course ID: 011595
Integrative Language Seminar II
This course builds on GER 211 to develop competence in reading, writing, oral skills, and intercultural competence.
[Note: Students may take GER 202 and 212 concurrently. Formerly GER 204.]
Prereq: GER 201 or 4U German

GER 220 LEC,TUT 0.50Course ID: 013653
Once Upon a Fairy Tale: Fairy Tales, Then and Now
This course studies fairy tales in the broader context of the history of childhood and practices of education and socialization. The course will concentrate on the German and Russian context and in particular on the work of the Brothers Grimm and Alexander Afanasyev, and will also consider fairy tales drawn from a number of different national traditions and historical periods.
[Note: Taught in English.]
(Cross-listed with REES 220)

GER 250 LAB,LEC 0.50Course ID: 011596
Performance German I
This course focuses on improving the student's oral skills through the preparation and performance of a German play. Students also learn about the theoretical and technical aspects of theatre production.
Prereq: GER 101 or 102.
Antireq: 4U German

GER 261 LEC 0.50Course ID: 013008
Languages and Society I
This course examines the role that languages play in multilingual societies from a linguistic perspective. It focuses on topics such as dialects, language contact and change, bilingualism, language choice, and language and identity.
[Note: Taught in English.]
(Cross-listed with REES 261, ENGL 220A)

GER 262 LEC 0.50Course ID: 013009
Languages and Society II
This course examines the role that languages play in multilingual societies from a social and cultural perspective. It focuses on topics such as plurilingualism and multilingualism, language maintenance and loss, language planning and politics, multilingual and heritage language education.
[Note: Taught in English.]
(Cross-listed with ENGL 220B, REES 262)

GER 271 LEC 0.50Course ID: 006084
German Thought and Culture
A survey of cultural currents to the 18th century. Lectures will focus on major developments in literature, philosophy, religion, art, architecture, and music as seen against the historical background of the German-speaking peoples.
[Note: Taught in English.]
Also offered Online

GER 272 LEC 0.50Course ID: 006085
German Thought and Culture
A survey of cultural events from the 18th century to the present. Lectures will focus on major developments in literature, philosophy, religion, art, architecture, and music as seen against the historical background of the German-speaking peoples.
[Note: Taught in English.]
Also offered Online

GER 280 LEC 0.50Course ID: 013877
Comparative Literature: Theory and Practice
An introduction to comparative literature, its history as a discipline, and its continuing role in literary studies. Past and present theoretical approaches to literature are used to illustrate the interpretive possibilities achieved by overcoming national, linguistic, and other boundaries. Examples are drawn from a variety of literatures.
[Note: Taught in English.]
(Cross-listed with ENGL 220C, REES 280)

GER 298 SEM 0.50Course ID: 014480
Topics in Cultural Studies
Selected topics in cultural studies.
[Note: This course is repeatable once, subject to different content.]

GER 299 LEC 0.50Course ID: 014481
German Abroad
This immersion course provides students with an introduction to and a familiarity with selected topics in German-speaking environments. The topics range from history and culture, to language and linguistic varieties in the German-speaking world, as well as arts and the German-speaking media landscape. Course offerings include classes abroad as well as field trips.
[Note: Information about current offerings can be obtained from the Department. This course is repeatable once, subject to different content.]
Department Consent Required

GER 300s


GER 303 LAB,LEC 0.50Course ID: 011597
German Through Media
Listening comprehension and oral communication are developed through exposure to German media. Students also develop a more sophisticated understanding of the contemporary German society.
Prereq: One of GER 202, 203, 204, 211, 212

GER 304 LAB,LEC 0.50Course ID: 011598
Reading and Translating
Students learn strategies for understanding a variety of texts such as newspaper reports, manuals, and fiction. Translation exercises are used to improve language skills.
Prereq: One of GER 202, 203, 204, 211, 212

GER 307 LEC,TUT 0.50Course ID: 013631
German for Professional Purposes
This language course teaches students the skills needed to function in German business and professional environments. Praxis-oriented language and intercultural training are combined with a discussion of the German business world.
Prereq: One of GER 202, 203, 204, 211, 212.
Antireq: GER 305, 306

GER 308 LEC,TUT 0.50Course ID: 013632
German through Comics
German-language comic strips and graphic novels enable students to explore modern language use. Colloquial German language skills are sharpened in this course, and the place of the comic strip and graphic novel in society is discussed.
Prereq: One of GER 202, 203, 204, 211, 212

GER 309 LAB,SEM 0.50Course ID: 014286
The Structure of German
Students in this course investigate grammar phenomena in electronic corpora (large principled collections of texts) to develop their language awareness and the accuracy and appropriateness of their written German.
Prereq: One of GER 202, 203, 204, 211, 212

GER 331 SEM 0.50Course ID: 011599
Exploring the German Language
An introduction to the study of linguistics with a focus on developing the German language skills necessary for linguistic analysis.
Prereq: One of GER 203, 204, 211, 212

GER 334 LEC,TUT 0.50Course ID: 013633
Exploring German Literature
An introduction to the study of prose, poetry, and theatre. Periods in German literary history, forms of literary expression, and the methodologies used to analyze these forms are examined. Special attention is also paid to developing the German language skills necessary for literary interpretation.
Prereq: One of GER 203, 204, 211, 212

GER 350 LAB,LEC 0.50Course ID: 011602
Performance German II
A course for more advanced learners of German who wish to improve their oral skills through the preparation and performance of a German play. Students also learn about the theoretical and technical aspects of theatre production.
Prereq: GER 201 or 4U German

GER 353 LEC 0.50Course ID: 006112
Intermediate Conversation and Composition on Topics in German 'Landeskunde'
Conversation and composition on topics in German 'Landeskunde' with grammar review and study of German vocabulary and idiomatic expressions. This course is taught in Mannheim in conjunction with the 'Waterloo in Germany' program.
Department Consent Required

GER 354 LEC 0.50Course ID: 006113
Intermediate Conversation and Composition on Topics in German 'Landeskunde'
Conversation and composition on topics in German 'Landeskunde' with grammar review and study of German vocabulary and idiomatic expressions. This course is taught in Mannheim in conjunction with the 'Waterloo in Germany' program.
Department Consent Required

GER 359 LAB,SEM 0.50Course ID: 011606
Topics in German Film
Selected topics in German film.
[Note: This course is repeatable, subject to different content.]
(Cross-listed with FINE 359)

GER 362 LAB,LEC 0.50Course ID: 013634
German Film Classics
Masterpieces of German film from the silent era to present.
[Note: Taught in English.]
Prereq: Level at least 2A
(Cross-listed with FINE 362)

GER 363 LAB,LEC 0.50Course ID: 013635
German Filmmakers in Hollywood
An examination of the work of filmmakers who have made a mark in both European and American cinema.
[Note: Taught in English.]
Prereq: Level at least 2A
(Cross-listed with FINE 363)

GER 364 LAB,LEC 0.50Course ID: 013636
German and Russian Film Pioneers
An examination of early German and Russian cinema, and the way these two film industries influenced each other. Influential theories of film from the period will also be studied.
[Note: Taught in English.]
Prereq: Level at least 2A
(Cross-listed with REES 364, FINE 364)

GER 383 LEC 0.50Course ID: 012957
Culture in the Third Reich: Racism, Resistance, Legacy
An examination of German culture during the Nazi period (1933-1945). The course will analyze representations of Nazi ideology in the arts (film, art, architecture, and propaganda), the literature of exile and "inner emigration," and the impact of the Nazi legacy on post-war German culture.
[Note: Taught in English.]
Also offered Online

GER 385 LEC,TUT 0.50Course ID: 013650
Culture Behind the Iron Curtain
An examination of the culture of the Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic, and other states that experimented with socialism in the 20th century. Representations of Marxist-Leninist and Stalinist ideologies in literature, cinema, and the arts; the role of the state in directing cultural expression; and resistance to totalitarian control of culture are examined. Western representations of the Cold War are also studied.
[Note: Taught in English. GER 385 will have a German language component for students in German academic plans. REES 385 will have a Russian language component for students in Russian and East European academic plans.]
(Cross-listed with REES 385)

GER 395 LEC 2.50Course ID: 006125
Waterloo in Germany Program
Study abroad at a German university in the fall term.
Department Consent Required

GER 396 LEC 2.50Course ID: 006128
Waterloo in Germany Program
Study abroad at a German university in the winter term.
Department Consent Required

GER 397 LEC 2.50Course ID: 011867
Waterloo in Germany Program
Study abroad at a German university in the spring term.
Department Consent Required

GER 398 SEM 0.50Course ID: 014483
Topics in Cultural Studies
Selected topics in cultural studies.
[Note: This course is repeatable once, subject to different content.]

GER 399 LEC 0.50Course ID: 014484
German Abroad
This immersion course provides students with an introduction to and a familiarity with selected topics in German-speaking environments. The topics range from history and culture, to language and linguistic varieties in the German-speaking world, as well as arts and the German-speaking media landscape. Course offerings include classes abroad as well as field trips.
[Note: Information about current offerings can be obtained from the Department. This course is repeatable once, subject to different content.]
Department Consent Required

GER 400s


GER 407 LEC 0.50Course ID: 011197
Applied Apprenticeship
For Honours German students interested in a career in international business. The course involves an apprenticeship in an industrial setting in Germany, Austria or Switzerland of no less than twelve weeks combined with weekly written reports, a presentation, and a final report. The course is offered on a credit/non-credit basis and cannot be used to meet the Core German Course requirement. Due to the costs involved with working in a foreign country, paid positions are eligible for credit in the course.
Prereq: GER 306

GER 420 SEM 0.50Course ID: 012634
Topics in Language Pedagogy
Topics in the instruction of German and other foreign/second languages.
[Note: This course is repeatable up to three times, subject to different content. Taught in English.]
(Cross-listed with REES 420)

GER 431 SEM 0.50Course ID: 011604
Senior Seminar
Topics in German literary and cultural studies, and linguistics chosen by the instructor in consultation with the department. These courses reflect research interests of the faculty and form part of a well-rounded undergraduate education in 'Germanistik'.
[Note: This course is repeatable, subject to different content.]
Coreq: GER 331 or 334

GER 490 RDG 0.50Course ID: 006143
Senior Honours Project
German Honours students in their third or fourth year may complete, with departmental permission, a major project, the results of which must be presented in a substantial essay. The topic should reflect the student's field of interest.
[Note: Requests for permission should be submitted to the undergraduate officer, in consultation with the intended faculty advisor, and should include an outline of the project and a bibliography. The project will be assessed and graded by two faculty members.]
Department Consent Required
Prereq: Level at least 3A

GER 495 RDG 0.50Course ID: 006144
Reading Course in Approved Topics
Reading course in topics chosen in consultation with an advisor.
Department Consent Required