German


Faculty List

Professors Emeriti
A.P. Dierick, MA, PhD (V)
R.H. Farquharson, MA, PhD (V)
H. Froeschle, MA, DrPhil (SM)
W. Hempel, DrPhil (SM)
H.L.M. Mayer, DrPhil (V)
H.W. Seliger, MA, PhD (V)
D. W.J. Vincent, MA, PhD (T)

Chair of the Department
TBA

Associate Chair (Graduate Studies)
TBA

Associate Chair (Undergraduate Studies)
TBA

Full Professors
W. Goetschel, PhD
J. Noyes, PhD 
A. Shternshis, DrPhil
J. Zilcosky, MA, PhD

Associate Professors
A. Fenner, PhD
M. Hager, DrPhil
C. Lehleiter, MA, PhD
S. Soldovieri, MA, PhD
M. Stock, DrPhil

Associate Professor, Teaching Stream
E. Boran, MA, PhD

Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream
H. Kim, PhD

Introduction

German-speaking countries enjoy a long tradition at the cultural and political core of Europe. During the last two hundred years their importance has steadily increased, and with the recent developments in Eastern Europe their influence seems certain to expand even more.

The importance of the German language has grown correspondingly: it is the second foreign language after English in the countries of central and Eastern Europe, and its use is spreading within the European Community. Learning German opens the door to many fields of intellectual, technical and politico-economic endeavor. German scholars have been leaders in philosophy, the sciences, history, archaeology, sociology and political science. German literature is equally distinguished: writers like Goethe, Kafka, Rilke, Brecht, Mann, Wolf, Grass, Jelinek, Özdamar, etc., have dealt with the widest possible range of human problems and concerns, and have been recognized worldwide.

The Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures offers courses on literature from the Middle Ages to the present, so that the student may acquire an overview of this significant element of German life and culture. We offer language courses from beginning and intermediate to advanced levels, with practice in reading, writing, comprehending and speaking German, as well as stylistics, linguistics, and the specialized vocabulary and concepts of business. Language and literature instruction is integrated as far as possible, with the aim of teaching students advanced critical literacy in German. The department offers a minor in Yiddish, with instruction offered from beginning and intermediate to advanced levels. German combines well with other modern languages and literatures, and double-majors are encouraged. Students in a variety of programs, such as Cinema Studies, European Studies, Literary Studies, Drama, Music and others, will benefit from courses in German language, literature and culture. The Department supports opportunities for students to study and work in Germany, by encouraging participation in programs established by the German government, by Canadian universities, and by our own Arts and Science Faculty's Study Abroad Program.

A knowledge of German is a virtual necessity for specialists in many disciplines; it is also very useful in certain career areas (e.g., the foreign service, interpretation and translation, librarianship, business and commerce, music, tourism, and of course teaching). The successful completion of a four-year program, including seven approved courses in German, may entitle the student to enter the M.A. or Ph.D. program in the Graduate Division of the Department.

Students entering with some previous knowledge of German are required to contact the department to write an initial assessment test (placement test) and will then be advised to take courses at the appropriate level. Please check the department's website at german.utoronto.ca for more information.

Information on studies in German Language and/or Literature can be obtained from the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies at german.undergrad@utoronto.ca.

Enquiries:
Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures
Address: 50 St. Joseph Street, Odette Hall #322
Tel.: 416-926-2324
Email: german@chass.utoronto.ca

Website: german.utoronto.ca

German Programs

German Studies Specialist (Arts Program) - ASSPE1400

Enrolment Requirements:

This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.

Completion Requirements:

(10 full courses or their equivalent)

  1. GER100Y1, GER200Y1, GER300Y1, GER400H1
  2. GER150H1 (to be taken as early as possible), GER205H1 (should be taken together with GER200Y1, must be taken prior to completing GER300Y1), GER305H1
  3. At least 2.5 additional F.C.E. in GER courses on the 300-level
  4. At least 1.0 additional F.C.E. in GER courses on the 400-level (except GER401H1)
  5. No more than 3.0 F.C.E. courses taught in English
  6. Up to 2 F.C.E. in identified or preapproved cognate courses may count (i.e. courses offered by other departments containing a relevant Germanic component and a final paper on a Germanic topic); please inquire at the Department and get approved in advance.

Notes: (a) All specialists should schedule an appointment with the Undergraduate Coordinator for personalized counselling as early in their studies as possible; (b) students with prior German knowledge are required to contact the department to take a placement test; self-placement is not allowed; (c) Completion of GER205H1 is a prerequisite for taking ANY 300-level literature courses taught in German; (d) completion of GER305H1 is a prerequisite for taking ANY 400-level literature courses taught in German; (e) 300-level courses may be replaced by 400-level courses (inquire in advance); (f) GER401H1 is not a program requirement, but recommended.

German Studies Major (Arts Program) - ASMAJ1400

Enrolment Requirements:

This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.

Completion Requirements:

(7 full courses or their equivalent)

  1. GER100Y1, GER200Y1, GER300Y1, GER400H1
  2. GER150H1 (to be taken as early as possible), GER205H1 (should be taken together with GER200Y1, must be taken prior to completing GER300Y1), GER305H1
  3. At least 1.5 additional F.C.E. in GER courses on the 300-level
  4. At least 0.5 additional F.C.E. in GER courses on the 400-level (except GER401H1)
  5. No more than 1.5 F.C.E. courses taught in English
  6. Up to 1.0 F.C.E. in identified or preapproved cognate courses may count (i.e. courses offered by other departments containing a relevant Germanic component and a final paper on a Germanic topic); please inquire at the Department and get approved in advance.

Notes: (a) All majors should schedule an appointment with the Undergraduate Coordinator for personalized counselling as early in their studies as possible; (b) students with prior German knowledge are required to contact the department to take a placement test; self-placement is not allowed; (c) Completion of GER205H1 is a prerequisite for taking ANY 300-level literature courses taught in German; (d) completion of GER305H1 is a prerequisite for taking ANY 400-level literature courses taught in German; (e) 300-level courses may be replaced by 400-level courses (inquire in advance); (f) GER401H1 is not a program requirement, but recommended.

Al and Malka Green Yiddish Program Minor (Arts Program) - ASMIN1163

Enrolment Requirements:

This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.

Completion Requirements:

(4.0 credits)

  1. ( GER260Y1/​ ( GER261H1 and GER262H1) and GER360H1)/ GER463Y1
  2. GER460H1/​ GER462H1*
  3. The remaining courses should be taken from: GER361H1, GER367H1, JGJ360H1, GER100Y1, GER150H1, or any course offered by and cross-listed by the Centre for Jewish Studies

*NOTE:

1. Students who took GER463Y1 cannot take GER260Y1/​ GER261H1/​ GER262H1 or GER360H1; students who took GER260Y1/​ GER261H1/​ GER262H1 or GER360H1 cannot take GER463Y1.

2. Students who took GER462H1 cannot take GER460H1.

Course Groups

Centre for Jewish Studies Courses:
CJS200H1, CJS201H1, CJS390H1, CJS498Y1, CJS499H1

Anthropology Courses:
ANT384H1, ANT426H1

Canadian Studies Courses:
CDN380H1

Diaspora and Transnational Studies Courses:
DTS200Y1, DTS300H1, DTS404H1

School of the Environment Courses:
ENV382H1

History Courses:
HIS208Y1, HIS242H1, HIS304H1, HIS317H1, HIS338H1, HIS339H1, HIS351Y1, HIS353Y1, HIS361H1, HIS442H1, HIS444H1, HIS451H1

Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations Courses:
NML155H1, NML156H1, HIS303H1, NML255H1, NML220Y1, NML256H1, NML350H1, NML355H1, NML356H1

Philosophy Courses:
PHL338H1, PHL362H1, PHL370H1, PHL410H1

Political Science Courses:
POL345Y1, POL430Y1, POL438H1, POL484H1, POL486H1

Religion Courses:
MHB155H1, MHB156H1, MHB255H1, MHB256H1, MHB355H1, MHB356H1, RLG100Y1, RLG202H1, RLG220H1, RLG241H1, RLG280Y1, RLG316H1, RLG322H1, RLG326H1, RLG336H1, RLG341H1, RLG342H1, RLG347H1, RLG389H1, RLG411H1, RLG418H1, RLG431H1, RLG452H1

Slavic Languages and Literatures Courses:
SLA202H1, SLA230H1, SLA495H1

Sociology Courses:
SOC201H1, SOC251H1

Business German Minor (Arts Program) - ASMIN2453

Enrolment Requirements:

This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.

Completion Requirements:

(4.0 GER credits)

1. GER100Y1/​ GER200Y1, OR proof of comparable German level

2. GER370H1 and GER372H1

3. 1.0 credit must be taken from GER270H1/​ GER272H1/​ GER290H1/​ GER391H1

4. 1.0 additional GER or JGJ credit excluding GER150H1, GER194H1, GER195H1, GER197H1, GER198H1, GER199H1, GER220H1, GER251H1, GER275H1, GER354Y0, JGJ360H1, GER361H1, and GER410H1. Cognate courses may be substituted with approval of the department.

Note: Students enrolled in the German Studies Specialist of Major Program may not simultaneously enroll for a Business German Minor Program.

German Studies Minor (Arts Program) - ASMIN1400

Enrolment Requirements:

This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.

Completion Requirements:

(4 full courses or their equivalent)

1. GER100Y1, GER200Y1, GER300Y1
2. 1.0 F.C.E. in courses with a GER designator, but cannot be GER400H1 or GER401H1.
3. No more than 0.5 F.C.E. may be taken in English

Note: (a) Students registered for a German Specialist or Major may not simultaneously be registered for a German Minor program; (b) students with prior German knowledge are required to take a placement test and to see the adviser; (c) the exclusion of GER400H1 and GER401H1 does not apply if the student's entry level is post- GER100Y1.

German Studies in English (Arts Program) - ASMIN1405

Enrolment Requirements:

This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.

Completion Requirements:

Requirements:

  1. The Minor Program requires 4.0 credits, of which 3.0 credits must be GER courses.
  2. GER150H1 is required.
  3. A maximum of 1.0 credit in cognate courses is allowed (i.e. courses offered by other departments containing a relevant Germanic component and a final paper on a Germanic topic); please inquire at the Department and get approved in advance.

For a list of courses taught in English, please check the German Department website.

Note: Students registered for a German Specialist or Major may not simultaneously be registered for a German Minor program.

Certificate in Global German Studies (UofT Global Scholar) - ASCER1401

Enrolment Requirements:

This is an open enrolment Certificate. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the Certificate.

Completion Requirements:

(Total: 2.0 credits)

  • 1.0 credit in German language at any level, including GER100Y1, GER101H1, GER200Y1, GER201H1, GER272H1, GER300Y1, GER301H1, GER370H1, GER372H1, GER400H1.
    • Students with very advanced previous knowledge of German may in consultation with the Department take a combination of other 300 or 400-level GER topics courses (taught in German) to meet the requirement.
  • GER290H1 ‘Global Issues / German Contexts’.
  • 0.5 credit in global experience. May take the form of an internship course, GER391H1 ‘iPRAKTIKUM Experiential Learning and Internationalization Internship’. Students may also complete a study abroad course in a German-speaking country, such as GER354Y0. International Course Modules (ICM) or the GER398H0 Research Excursion Program also fulfil the global experience requirement with the previous consent of the department.

 

Faculty of Arts & Science Language Citation

The Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures participates in the Faculty of Arts & Science’s Language Citation initiative for German. The study of German is a demanding and intellectually rewarding educational experience, providing students with excellent resources for understanding the culture of the German speaking world. German is now the second foreign language after English in the countries of central and Eastern Europe, and its use is spreading within the European Community. Learning German opens the door to many intellectual, technical, political, and economic fields. Successful study of German demonstrates intelligence, discipline, analytical sophistication, and an excellent memory. The study of any foreign language provides invaluable insights into the varieties of human culture and expression.

The Language Citation recognizes a significant level of achievement in language study with a high level of academic success. The Citation in German is available to students who complete GER100Y1 (or the equivalent prerequisite training) and earn a grade of at least B- in GER200Y1 and GER300Y1.

Students should note that, as explained in the About Programs of Study section of this Calendar, the Language Citation is not equivalent to an academic program and that enrolment in a program is not necessary in order to earn the recognition bestowed by the Citation.

 

Notes:

  1. All students with previous knowledge of the German language, as well as students returning from extended stays in German-speaking countries, are REQUIRED to take a placement test offered at the Department.
  2. The Department reserves the right to place students in the language course appropriate to their level of language skill.
  3. More detailed course descriptions and reading lists for the various courses are available from the instructor.
  4. Courses that indicate "(E)" in the title are taught in English.

German Courses

GER100Y1 - Introduction to German

Hours: 96P

This is the language course to take if you have had no previous experience of the German language. The emphasis is on comprehension, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary and basic grammar. This course can be counted towards all programs in German.

Note: Students with any previous knowledge of German are REQUIRED to take a placement test offered at the department.

Exclusion: Senior high school German or equivalent. Note: Students with any previous knowledge of German are required to take a placement test offered at the department.
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER101H1 - Introduction to German b

Hours: 48P

This course is intended for students with some prior knowledge of German. It is equivalent to the Spring Term of GER100Y1. The emphasis is on comprehension, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary and basic grammar.

Exclusion: Senior high school German or equivalent. GER100Y1.
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER150H1 - Introduction to German Culture (E)

Hours: 24L/12T

This course taught in English is intended for students who are unfamiliar with German culture. It examines historical, political and cultural developments in Germany from about 1871 to the present focusing on literary and non-literary texts. (Note: This course is required for the major and specialist program; it should be taken within the first two years.)

Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER194H1 - Our Vampires, Ourselves (E)

Hours: 24S

Vampires are among the most fascinating figures of popular culture. Since Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) – and, in fact, well before that – they have been haunting the human imagination in various shapes and forms. This course examines the figure of the vampire as a potent cultural metaphor in the German context and beyond, showing how every age embraces the vampires it needs and gets the vampires it deserves. The goal is to teach students to reflect critically and independently on issues of self and society and to develop a structured approach to critical thinking in general. All readings and class discussions will be in English. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER195H1 - Cities, Real and Imagined (E)

Hours: 24S

Cities have been described as places of desire and places of fear. They pulse with life, bringing together people from different class, gender, and ethnic backgrounds, simultaneously giving rise to a sense of freedom and oppression, a sense of belonging and alienation. This course will explore the city as a physical reality that shapes our lives, but is also a projection of our deepest imaginings. Through readings of philosophical and sociological texts by influential theorists of the city, we will consider various ancient and modern conceptions of urban space and subjectivity. Alongside these theoretical readings, we will also examine literary and filmic representations of the city as a space of desire, memory and power. All readings and class discussions are in English. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER196H1 - "Es war einmal auf Deutsch" - Learning German with Fairy Tales

Hours: 24S

Grimms' Fairy Tales – we all know and love them. But what do we really know? Which versions are we familiar with? Most likely not the ones by the Brothers Grimm. And certainly not in German! This course is a journey into the mythical German Schwarzwald, a place of wolves and witches, the realm of the fantastic. It is not a traditional language course, as we won’t be cramming grammar and vocabulary, at least not excessively. Rather, we will learn German playfully by reading, analyzing and acting out original folk tales, their Romantic adaptations and modern retellings. In the process we will enrich our understanding of German language and culture. Please note that basic knowledge of German is required to participate in this course (i.e. at least one year of solid high school instruction). Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Prerequisite: One year of German instruction, or equivalent
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER198H1 - Technology and the Human in German Literature and Thought (E)

Hours: 24S

Technology has changed our lives, and scientific knowledge has enhanced human capacities. At the same time, though, this development is also experienced as a threat. Killing missiles, controlling 'Big Brothers,' and monstrous creatures are often considered the flip-side of technological advancement. This course asks: What is the relationship between technology and the "human"? Can there be progress of technology without a regress of humanity? Or is technology liberating us from the bonds of nature? We will discuss possible answers to these questions by looking at key texts in German literature, philosophy, and cultural history from the eighteenth century to Post-Modernity. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER199H1 - The Pleasure of Reading: Reading as Self-Emancipation in the German Literary Tradition (E)

Hours: 24S

In this course we read some of the most enjoyable plots and stories in German Literature and examine how the pleasure of reading sets readers free to re-imagine themselves and the world released from everyday pressures and the repressive weight of the status quo. Readings are all in English translation and include texts by Lessing, Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, Keller, Heine and Kafka. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option. 

Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER200Y1 - Intermediate German 1

Hours: 96P

This course continues the work done in GER100Y1 / GER101H1. It further expands on basic grammar and vocabulary, practice in comprehension, composition, and conversation.

Prerequisite: GER100Y1/ GER101H1 or German placement test, Senior high school German or equivalent
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER201H1 - Intermediate German 1b

Hours: 48P

This course is equivalent to the Spring Term of GER200Y1. It further expands on basic grammar and vocabulary, practice in comprehension, composition, and conversation. The Department reserves the right to place students in the appropriate language course on the 200- and 300 levels.

Prerequisite: German placement test
Exclusion: GER200Y1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER205H1 - Masterpieces of German Literature 1

Hours: 36S

This course offers a transition from the language courses to the topic courses on the 300-level. It introduces students to German literature and provides them with working methods and analytical tools relevant for the study of German literary texts in the original German.

Note: This course is required for the major and specialist program

Prerequisite: GER100Y1
Corequisite: GER200Y1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER210H1 - Poets and Power: Art, Media, and the Nazis (E)

Previous Course Number: GER197H1

Hours: 12T/24S

To the surprise of many, aesthetics played a vital role in the lives of Nazis and their politics. Hitler was a failed painter, Goebbels a poet, and Göring a collector; other high-ranking officials likewise fashioned themselves as artists. In this course, we will examine how these personal predilections transformed into an aesthetic vision of politics: through the fascist cult of physical perfection, the theatrics of political media, anti-Semitic entertainment films, and the eroticization of the Führer-figure. We will investigate this marriage of beauty and violence and ask how it helped to make the “Third Reich” attractive to many Germans. Beginning with the great avant-garde experiments of the pre-Nazi era, we will analyze why Hitler banned this “degenerate” art – even though he adopted some of its style in propaganda posters. We will continue by examining the Nazis’ glorification of Greek and Roman images of beauty and their aesthetic justifications for genocide. Throughout the course, we will consider some of the high points of German culture – in philosophy, music, and literature – and ask: How did a society that produced such works of genius also create Nazism and the Holocaust? Is high culture necessarily a bulwark against barbarism? And do we have similarly seductive combinations of culture and politics in our world today? How might we notice such allures yet still mark their dangers, maintain our critical distance, and resist?

Recommended Preparation: 1.0 FCE in GER courses.
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER220H1 - Great Works of German Literature in Translation (E)

Hours: 24L/12T

This course taught in English is an introduction to major authors of German literature, such as J.W. Goethe, F. Kafka, T. Mann, G. Grass, C. Wolf and E.S. Özdamar, focusing on their key works and introducing central topics.

Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER251H1 - German and European Cinema (E)

Hours: 24P/24S

This course examines German cinema against the backdrop of European film history. European films share common references points anchored in the cataclysms of two world wars, and have also negotiated analogous postwar transformations in family life, urbanization, the regional and the national, cultural identity, labour relations, post-socialist societies, and state security. A comparative approach enables examination of what binds German cinema to European cinema – shared histories and political concerns--as well as what is nationally unique and distinctive. By matching select films with readings from social theory, cultural studies, and film studies, we will compare and contrast these socio-historical concerns while also attending to the medium specificities of film style, aesthetics, and narrative form.

Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER261H1 - Elementary Yiddish 1

Previous Course Number: GER260Y1

Hours: 36L

This course introduces Yiddish language, literature, music, theater, and cinema through interactive multi-media seminars, designed to build proficiency in reading, writing and comprehending. No prior knowledge of Yiddish is required.

Exclusion: GER260Y1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER262H1 - Elementary Yiddish 2

Previous Course Number: GER260Y1

Hours: 36L

This course is the continuation of GER261H1, Elementary Yiddish 1. While learning the language the course will also introduce students to Yiddish literature & culture, providing a greater understanding of the historical and contemporary, religious and secular communities that speak and spoke this language.

Prerequisite: GER261H1
Exclusion: GER260Y1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER270H1 - Money and Economy in German Literature and Culture (E)

Hours: 24L/12T

In this course, we examine key literary, philosophical, and cultural texts, in order to understand how modern culture approaches problems such as property, debt, and exchange value.

Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER272H1 - Introduction to Business German

Hours: 36P

This course introduces students to basic concepts and vocabulary necessary for the German business context. All the language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) will be practiced in appropriate business contexts.

Corequisite: GER200Y1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER275H1 - Marx, Nietzsche, Freud (E)

Hours: 24L/12T

This is an introductory course to the thought of Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Sigmund Freud and their pioneering contributions to the understanding of the individual and society in modernity. Readings include selections from writings of the early Marx, the Communist Manifesto, and Capital, Nietzsche's critique of culture, academe, and nationalism, and Freud's theory of culture, his views on the psychopathology of everyday life, on the meaning of dreams, symptoms, the return of the repressed, and what it might mean to live in a free society.

Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER290H1 - Global Issues - German Contexts (E)

Hours: 24S

The movement of cultural products, material goods, capital, people, ideas, and information across national borders has resulted in a new quality of global interdependency. The course explores the contemporary character of globalization patterns and problems as they bear on German-speaking contexts. Readings in globalization history and theory.

Recommended Preparation: 2.0 credits of German language instruction in consultation with department
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)

GER299Y1 - Research Opportunity Program

Credit course for supervised participation in faculty research project. Details at https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/academics/research-opportunities…. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

GER300Y1 - Intermediate German 2

Hours: 96P

Continuing the work done in GER100Y1 and GER200Y1, this course offers German at the intermediate level focusing on extension of vocabulary, specific problems of grammar, essay-writing, reading and conversation. The Department reserves the right to place students in the appropriate course in the series GER200Y1 and GER300Y1.

Prerequisite: GER200Y1/ GER201H1 or German placement test
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER301H1 - Intermediate German 2b

Hours: 48P

This course is equivalent to the Spring Term of GER300Y1. It further expands on basic grammar and vocabulary, practice in comprehension, composition, and conversation at the intermediate level. The Department reserves the right to place students in the appropriate language course on the 200- and 300 levels.

Prerequisite: German placement test
Exclusion: GER300Y1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER305H1 - Masterpieces of German Literature 2

Hours: 36S

Building on the work of GER205H1, this course offers a survey of German literature and culture from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. Within a chronological framework, students read and analyze excerpts from representative works of major German writers. (Note: This course is required for the major and specialist program, and should be taken concurrently with GER300Y1.)

Prerequisite: GER205H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER310H1 - Contemporary German Culture and Media

Hours: 24S

This course focuses on contemporary German culture as expressed through a variety of media. It approaches Germany and Germany's position within Europe and the world mainly (but not exclusively) through non-literary texts.

Prerequisite: GER200Y1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER320H1 - Age of Goethe: Revolution and Romanticism

Hours: 24S

Goethe and his contemporaries saw themselves faced with a rapidly changing world. This course examines the innovative literary experiments they developed in response to these changing times.

Prerequisite: GER205H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER321H1 - Literary Realism in the Industrial Age

Hours: 24S

This course focuses on German authors of the nineteenth century. Literary, political and philosophical texts are analyzed as a discussion of political uprisings, the industrial revolution and the emergence of German nationalism.

Prerequisite: GER205H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER322H1 - Kafka's World

Hours: 24S

Franz Kafka's texts are read in the literary, historical, and philosophical context of fin-de-siècle Prague and central Europe.

Prerequisite: GER205H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER323H1 - Weimar: Sex and Politics in the Roaring Twenties

Hours: 24S

Focusing roughly on the period from 1918 to 1945, this course examines literary and artistic movements like Dada, Bauhaus, the Golden Age in German film in the decades between World War I and Nazism.

Prerequisite: GER205H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER326H1 - Writing Memory: Post 1945

Hours: 24S

An examination of post-World War II German literature and culture from Zero Hour through to present-day debates about the Holocaust and its memorialization within a German context.

Prerequisite: GER205H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER332H1 - Deviance - Madness - Outsiders

Hours: 24S

An analysis of the artistic confrontation with deviance, madness, and outsiders. The course covers expressions of this confrontation in a variety of genres.

Prerequisite: GER205H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER334H1 - Post-Migrant Germany

Previous Course Number: GER423H1

Hours: 24S

This course investigates contemporary German culture by paying attention to its other or alternate voices and perspectives, i.e. those not usually prevalent in mainstream cultural and sociopolitical discourses.

Prerequisite: GER205H1
Exclusion: GER423H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER336H1 - Berlin Between East and West

Hours: 24S

This course offers an exploration of the cultural developments of one of the most exciting capitals of the world, from the Bismarckian era to German reunification and beyond.

Prerequisite: GER205H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER340H1 - German Theater Production

Hours: 48S

The course offers close reading, rehearsing and staging of a play. Students will become familiar with the different steps of a theater production, be introduced to basic acting and staging techniques and get acquainted to leading theories of theater.

Prerequisite: GER200Y1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER350H1 - German Visual Cultures

Hours: 24P/24S

This course presents students with a survey of the history and development of the German cinema. It examines major trends of German cinematography focusing on thematic and formal aspects.

Prerequisite: GER205H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER354Y0 - Special Topics Summer Course in Berlin (E)

The topics of this course taught in English and open to students from other disciplines vary from year to year. Interested students can address questions to Woodsworth College.

Recommended Preparation: 100-level HIS/POL/GER course/International or European Studies
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER355Y0 - Summer Course in Berlin

Students who wish to petition the department for credit toward a specialist or major program in German will be required to do part of their work in German. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER360H1 - Intermediate Yiddish

Hours: 36P

The course conducted in Yiddish offers a review of basic grammar, stylistics, study of short literary texts.

Prerequisite: GER260Y1
Exclusion: GER463Y1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

JGJ360H1 - Holocaust in Literature (E)

Hours: 24S

This course examines literary works written in different languages, in ghettos and concentration camps during the Holocaust, as well as those reflecting on the genocide in its aftermath. We focus on literature as a means of engaging with the unimaginable and on the cross analysis of eye-witness and memory writing.

Prerequisite: Completion of 4.0 credits
Exclusion: CJS220H1, GER367H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER361H1 - Yiddish Literature in Translation (E)

Hours: 24S

An overview of the major figures and tendencies in modern Yiddish literature and culture from the beginning of the 19th century to the present. Readings (in English) of modern Yiddish prose, poetry, drama and cinema.

Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER367H1 - Topics in Yiddish or German Jewish Literature and Culture

Hours: 24S

Topics in modern Yiddish or German Jewish literature and culture from the beginning of the 19th century to the present, featuring a selection of readings of modern Yiddish prose, poetry, drama and cinema. Taught in English and open to students across disciplines.

Prerequisite: Completion of 4.0 credits
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER370H1 - German Business Culture

Hours: 36P

This course provides students with a working knowledge of German business culture that allows them to navigate the German workplace. The main focus is to deepen students’ knowledge of business concepts.

Note: This course is required for the minor program in Business German

Prerequisite: GER272H1/ GER200Y1/ GER201H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER372H1 - Navigating German Work Environments

Hours: 36P

This course offers an intensive development of the linguistic skills needed in the context of business transactions and management in German-speaking countries. Through materials from various sources, students develop oral and written skills for competence in German business communication as well as cross-cultural awareness.

Prerequisite: GER370H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER391H1 - iPRAKTIKUM Experiential Learning and Internationalization Internship

Hours: 24P

The course provides curricular support for a variety of work and community-engaged, experiential learning placements in the GTA and in German-speaking countries. The placements are designed to deepen linguistic, cultural, and analytical skills acquired in the classroom in work-related environments, create an awareness of the translatability of academic knowledge to other contexts, promote global competency, and foster links to the community. The number of weekly hours spent in the field, the scope of learning objectives, and the nature of reflective activities are determined on an individual basis in consultation with the host institution, the German Department, and other units in which the student is pursuing a program degree (as required). In addition to successfully achieving the formulated learning goals, students must complete assignments such as eJournals and research papers as well as participate in peer-to-peer reporting and post-placement interviews.

Prerequisite: GER100Y1 and GER200Y1 or consent of department (equivalent proficiency level B1)
Recommended Preparation: 3.0 credits in GER courses
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)

GER398H0 - Research Excursions

An instructor-supervised group project in an off-campus setting. Details at https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/academics/research-opportunities…. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

GER398Y0 - Research Excursions

An instructor-supervised group project in an off-campus setting. Details at https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/academics/research-opportunities…. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

GER399Y1 - Research Opportunity Program

Credit course for supervised participation in faculty research project. Details at https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/academics/research-opportunities…. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

GER400H1 - Advanced German 1

Hours: 48P

This is a course for advanced learners of German reviewing complex features of the language and introducing them to aspects of German stylistics. The emphasis lies on oral and written communication.

Prerequisite: GER300Y1/ GER301H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER401H1 - Advanced German 2

Hours: 48P

This is a course for advanced learners of German reviewing complex features of the language and introducing them to aspects of German stylistics. The emphasis lies on oral and written communication.

Prerequisite: GER400H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER410H1 - Topics in German Intellectual History (E)

Hours: 24S

This course taught in English offers an examination of key moments and themes in German intellectual history from the Enlightenment to the present.

Prerequisite: Advanced status: permission of the department
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

GER426H1 - Medieval Language and Culture

Hours: 36S

This course offers an introduction to the language, literature and culture of Medieval Germany. The reading and translation of exemplary medieval German texts will introduce students to Middle High German and provide an insight into epochal concepts like courtly love and chivalry as well as courtly and monastic designs of identity.

Prerequisite: GER300Y1, GER205H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER430H1 - Topics in German Literature and Culture

Hours: 24S

An open course which explores specific aspects of German literature and culture.

Prerequisite: GER305H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER431H1 - Topics in Germanic Studies

Hours: 24S

An open course which explores specific aspects of Germanic Studies.

Prerequisite: GER305H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER460H1 - Advanced Yiddish

Previous Course Number: GER462H1

Hours: 36P

This course conducted entirely in Yiddish focuses on advanced reading, writing, vocabulary and conversation, the study of poetry, short fiction, and memoir literature by leading authors. Selected advanced grammatical topics are presented in conjunction with the study of texts.

Prerequisite: GER360H1
Exclusion: GER462H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER463Y1 - Yiddish Language for German Speakers

Hours: 48P

The course is designed as an intensive Yiddish language training. The goal is to teach German speakers to read, write and speak in Yiddish. The curriculum relies on the German language skills of the students, and focuses on differences between Yiddish ad German grammar and vocabulary. Upon the completion of the course, students should be able to read Yiddish literary texts with a minimal use of dictionary.

Note: Graduate students can take the course in preparation for their Yiddish competency test.

Prerequisite: 3.0 credits in German language or fluency in German language
Exclusion: GER260Y1, GER360H1, GER462H1
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER490H1 - Independent Study

Hours: 24S

A reading & research project in Germanic literature and/or culture involving a substantive research component. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Prerequisite: Advanced status: permission of the department. Note: permission needs to be obtained by May 1st for the Fall Term and by Nov. 1st for the Spring Term

GER491Y1 - Individual Studies

Hours: 48S

A scholarly project chosen by the student and supervised by a member of the staff. The form of the project and the manner of its execution are determined in consultation with the supervisor. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Prerequisite: Advanced status: permission of the department. Note: project proposals need to be submitted by June 1st

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