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Selected Graduate Course Descriptions

Fall Semester 2005

Graduate Course Descriptions

(For Undergraduate Course Descriptions click here)

311: First Semester Dutch for Grad Students, 3 cr.
Lecturer, Lec 1, MTWR, 1:20
Lecturer, Lec 2, MWR, 6:40-7:50pm
Prerequisites: Graduate Student or consent of instructor.
See description and textbooks for German 111.

313: Third Semester Dutch for Grad Students, 3 cr.
Lecturer, Lec 1, MTWR, 9:55
Prerequisites: Graduate Student and German112 or 312 or consent of instructor.
See description and textbooks for German 213.

391: German for Graduate Reading Knowledge I, 3 cr.
Love, Lec 1, MWF 11:00
Prerequisites: Senior or Graduate Student or consent of instructor.
German 391 is a grammar and translation course intended for graduate students in other disciplines who need to learn to read German academic prose. The complete German grammar system is covered in this semester. Writing, speaking, and listening comprehension skills are not addressed in this course.
Textbooks:
Hubert Jannach and Richard Alan Korb, German for Reading Knowledge. 5th edition, ISBN: 1-4130-0370-2.

611: Survey of German Literature to 1700, 3 cr.
Moedersheim, Lec 1, TR, 11:00-12:15
Prerequisites: Senior Student or consent of instructor.
Dieser Kurs gibt einen Überblick über die wichtigsten Entwicklungen in der frühen deutschen Literatur von den ersten schriftlichen Dokumenten bis zum Ende des 17. Jahrhunderts. Wir interpretieren Texte der verschiedenen Gattungen aus allen Epochen dieses Zeitraums. Ein Schwerpunkt liegt dabei auf dem Einfluß der mündlichen Tradition und der Bedeutung der Volkssprache im Vergleich zum Gebrauch des Lateinischen, sowie auf den Medien der Verbreitung literarischer Texte vom mündlichen Vortrag über das Manuskript bis zum gedruckten Buch. Texte und Diskussionen auf Deutsch.
Course webpage: http://palimpsest.lss.wisc.edu/~moeders/gr611/
Required Textbooks:
1000 Jahre deutsche Literatur Von den Anfängen bis zur Aufklärung. Ed. Gudrun Clay (1-58510-040-4) Pullins, 2002
Hartmann von Aue: Erec (Fischer Taschenbuch 6017)
H.J.C. von Grimmelshausen: Der abenteuerliche Simplicissimus.  (reclam 7452)

645: Topics in Dutch Culture: Tolerantie, Multiculturalisme, 3-4 cr.
Taylor, Lec 1, MWF, 12:05
Taylor, Dis 301, R, 12:05
Prerequisites: German 314 or consent of instructor.
Common representations of the Netherlands seem contradictory. Some people picture row upon-straight-row of tulips in fields, windmills, almost perfectly parallel ditches—a well-planned society. Conversely, facts and misconceptions about such curiosities as Dutch drug policy, the sex industry, the practice of euthanasia, gay rights and "multiculturalism"—often lumped together under the rubric of "tolerance"—oddly counterbalance the aforementioned tamer images. Do these different views represent two different strains, or two extremes, within Dutch culture? Are they related? Do these cultural practices find their source in a consistent approach? Recently, the international
press has reported on the influx of “newer” Dutch citizens and the notorious murders of two public figures—Pim Fortuyn, and Theo van Gogh—and asks whether these are a sign of a major change in Dutch society. This course looks at the history and context of these events to attempt a nuanced understanding.
We will investigate the role and meaning of "tolerance" and the recent attempt at “multiculturalism” in Dutch culture by studying approaches to tolerance and community that have shaped current debates and practices. We will note the history of the area, influences of geography and climate, the importance of trade and international contacts, Dutch relations with the country's immigrants (including Jewish citizens and those from the Indies), the Dutch Revolt and founding of the Dutch nation, the Reformation, philosophers such as Erasmus, debates about the roles of the state and voluntary
affiliations in the 19th century, social control and attitudes toward social and economic safety nets, the effect of immigration throughout history, and the rise and decline of that typically Dutch form of societal organization, "pillarization." We will ask: how well do recent immigrant groups fare in Dutch society, and has Dutch society changed
in response to their presence?
In our attempt to understand the role of the notion of "tolerance" (whether it be "verdraagzaamheid" or "gedoogpolitiek"), we will consider contributions to the ongoing debate selected from a range cultural expressions, including literary work, the fine arts, film, music, and architecture.
While focusing on an important contemporary topic, this course will help you develop a basic understanding of Dutch culture. It will help prepare you for study abroad in the Netherlands, and for further study in Dutch literature and culture. It will also provide a strong background for other humanities and social science coursework on topics
related to the Netherlands and contemporary approaches to immigration and multiculturalism in Europe.German 645 meets with German 245/445 for three hours a week, and for an hour of Dutch-language discussion each week.

650: History of the German Language, 3 cr.
Salmons, Lec 1, MWF, 9:55
Prerequisites: Senior standing or consent of instructor.
This course introduces you to the field of German historical linguistics. We’ll examine the origins and development of the German language, looking at how sounds, word forms, and sentence structures have evolved in changing cultural and social settings. We’ll also discuss the development of standard German and its relationship to non-standard or regional varieties. Along the way, you’ll be introduced to basic research methodologies.
Requirements: participation, homework and exercises, midterm, final (mostly takehome), short writing assignments.
Required Textbooks:
Stedje, Astrid. 1989. Deutsche Sprache gestern und heute. Munich: Wilhelm Fink.
Campbell, Lyle. 2004. Historical Linguistics. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.

709: Literatur des 20. Jahrhunderts, 3 cr.
Silberman, Lec 1, MW 1:00-2:15
Prerequisites: Graduate Student.
Dieser “Lese”- Kurs bietet die Gelegenheit, einen Überblick über Haupttendenzen der literarischen und kulturellen Entwicklungen des 20. Jahrhunderts anhand von einer Reihe repräsentativer “Texte” - Romane, Erzählungen, Dramen, Gedichte, Essays, Filme - zu skizzieren.  Es wird unternommen, die Katastrophen und wiederholten Neuanfänge dieses Jahrhunderts als zum Teil widersprüchliche Reaktionen in der deutschen Auseinandersetzung mit der (post-) Moderne zu deuten.  Innerhalb dieses
Rahmens werden Textanalysen - "close readings" - zeigen, wie kulturelle Krisenerscheinungen zu neuen inhaltlichen, sprachlichen, formalen, stilistischen, strukturellen und rhetorischen Strategien führen. Gleichzeitig werden wir uns Gedanken machen, wie eigentlich “Haupttendenzen” und “repräsentative Texte” definiert werden. Alle Teilnehmer schreiben nach Beratung mit dem Dozenten eine
Abschlußarbeit zu einem selbstbestimmten Thema, die die Wissensgrundlage
des Kurses erweitert.  Das könnte sein: die vertiefende Lektüre eines weiteren “repräsentativen” Werkes, der begründete Plan eines Undergraduate-Seminars zu einem dem 20. Jahrhundert verwandten Thema, die Ausweitung in andere Medien (Bildkünste, Musik) oder eine theoretisierende Annäherung an die behandelten Texte (Erinnerungs- oder Gedenkensproblematik, Genderfragen, Krise des Subjektbegriffes).
Ein Reader mit ausgewählten Gedichten, Erzählungen und Essays wird am
Semesteranfang zu kaufen sein. 
Sonst sind folgende Ausgaben in der Buchhandlung zu beschaffen:
Kaiser, Von morgens bis mitternachts (Reclam paperback, 3150089379)
Kafka, Der Prozeß (Reclam paperback, 3150096766)
Seghers, Aufstand der Fischer (Aufbau paperback, 3746651506)
Keun, Kunstseidene Mädchen (Klett paperback, 3123511413)
Benjamin, Das Kunstwerk im Zeitalter der technischen Reproduzierbarkeit
(Suhrkamp, 3518100289)
Brecht, Das Leben des Galilei (Suhrkamp Basisbibliothek, 3518188011)
Weiss, Die Ermittlung (Edition Suhrkamp, 3518106163)
C. Wolf, Der geteilte Himmel (Bange, 3804418120)
E. Jelinek, Die Klavierspielerin (Rowohlt, 3499231662)

711: Medieval Narrative: Crusade, Bridal Quest, and the Fantastic, 3 cr.
Calomino, Lec 1, MWF 11:00
Prerequisites: Graduate Student.
This course will consider the topic of adventure in medieval German narrative and its development as an ethical force from the twelfth through to the fourteenth centuries. Both religious and secular aspects of adventure in Crusade narratives will be examined from the Rolandslied to the post-Classical period. Bridal quest has traditionally been identified as a motivation in the Germanic epic culminating in the Spielmannsepik of the twelfth century. This structural element will be considered in representative early works (König Rother, et.al.) as well as in variations on this model during the thirteenth century (Kudrun, et.al). Related tendencies will be examined in the Arthurian model, and here the introduction of the fantastic will provide a basis for further development of the concept of adventure (Lanzelet, Erec). Parody of earlier narrative models will be considered for the post-Classical period (Diu Crône, Moriz von Craûn), and the changing emphases on societal and courtly values of adventure will further be examined. For each work a selection of secondary literature will be discussed. Individual works that are out of print will be made available in photocopy. Participants in the course will complete a research project and write a final examination.
Required Textbooks:
Das Rolandslied des Pfaffen Konrad. Ed. Wesle / Wapnewski. Tübingen: Niemeyer
ISBN 3-484-20169-X
König Rother. Ed. Bennewitz, et.al Stuttgart: Reclam ISBN 3-15-018047-3
Ulrich von Zatzikhoven, Lanzelet., ed. K. Hahn / F. Norman Berlin: De Gruyter
ISBN 3-11-014581-8
Hartmann von Aue, Erec., ed. Leitzmann / Wolff / Cormeau / Gärtner. Tübingen: Niemeyer ISBN 3-484-20139-8
Kudrun, ed. Bartsch / Stackmann Tübingen: Niemeyer ISBN 3-484-20215-7
Mauritius von Craûn, ed. Reinitzer Tübingen: Niemeyer ISBN 3-484-20213-0
Herzog Ernst, ed. Sowinski Stuttgart: Reclam ISBN 3-15-008352-4
Der Reinhart Fuchs des Elsässers Heinrich, Tübingen: Niemeyer
ISBN 3-484-20196-7

720: College Teaching of German, 1 cr.
Chavez, Lec 1, M 7:45
Prerequisites: Teaching Assistantship in German.
This course offers an introduction to principles and theories of second-language acquisition as well as foreign-language pedagogy. We will explore the many interpretations of the common term "communicative language teaching/learning"; how to put the concept into practice; and how the concept is rooted in theory. We will look at how every teacher can and should conduct what is called 'action' ("informal", classroom-based) research, as a check mechanism for intuitive practice. We will also consider the influence of teacher and learner variables and how these variables can be embedded in a common theory of teaching and learning. You will be encouraged to explore yourself as a teacher, to get to know the UW-Madison language program, and to familiarize yourself with the profession at large. The course will primarily be assignment- and project- rather than exam-based. Assignments include discussions of theoretical issues and of the connection between theory and practice; field “investigations”; collaborative and experimental teaching; self-reflection; self-description; on-line research; and interviews.
The overall theoretical nature of the course is complemented by practice-oriented work and regular consultation with a graduate-student TA mentor (available to both teaching and non-teaching graduate students).
Please note that a nearly week-long orientation, partially in collaboration with other language departments, is a course requirement. For the Fall 2005, the orientation program will begin on Friday, August 26. To compensate course participants for the early start, there will be no Friday course meetings during the second half of the semester.
Course participants are not required to hold concurrent teaching appointments. Graduate students new to the department who anticipate teaching in the department in the future are also encouraged to enroll. Please know that you will not be able to receive a teaching assignment unless you have taken or are taking this course (or its officially recognized equivalent) and the course is only offered in fall semesters. There are two versions of the syllabus, one for teaching, the other for non-teaching graduate students.
Please feel free to contact me with questions at mmchavez@wisc.edu.

Required textbooks:
Schmitt, Norbert (ed.). (2002). An Introduction to Applied Linguistics. London: Arnold.
Omaggio Hadley, Alice. (2001). Teaching Language in Context. Boston: Heinle & Heinle. (Third Edition).

722:Theory of Teaching German, 2 cr.
Chavez, Lec 1, WF 7:45
Prerequisites: German 720 or consent of instructor.
See description for German 720.

727:Topics in Applied Linquistics: Language Use in the Foreign Language Classroom, 3 cr.
Chavez, Lec 1, MWF 8:50
Prerequisites: Graduate Student.
The simple title belies – or perhaps is necessitated by - the complexity of the topic. We will open the course with a look at the nemesis of accuracy, i.e., errors. We will examine cultural, pedagogical, and theoretical views of the significance and “treatment” of errors. We will read on issues of ‘error gravity’ and of ‘error tolerance’ by native speakers, both “naïve” native speakers and native-speaker as compared to non-native-speaker teachers. We will compare student and teacher beliefs about the role of errors in language learning and their proper “treatment”. We will then survey why/how both second-language-acquisition research and pedagogy have focused on issues of grammatical (morpho-syntactic) over lexical, phonological, discourse, or pragmatic accuracy. We will finally examine empirical studies on the outcome of various approaches to the treatment of errors of all sorts in language production (writing and speaking) and how the push for accuracy triggers avoidance behavior/simplification and how it interacts with other measures such as fluency, expressiveness, or message authenticity.
Course requirements include a class observation & interview project; a take-home exam after the middle of the term; a small teaching-based research project (for which extra time and assistance will be provided); the composition of a conference abstract (based on the research project) in two drafts; regular readings/course participation; and the mediation (for class discussion) of one research article.
Required texts: Recent research articles available as a course reader.

755:Old High German, 3 cr.
Salmons, Lec 1, MWF 2:25
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor or German 651.
This course provides you with a thorough introduction to Old High German, the earliest attested ancestor of Modern German. We will read and translate a wide variety of texts, learn to identify grammatical forms and dialect characteristics, compare Old High German phonological and morphological patterns to those of both early Germanic and modern German.
Requirements: participation, homework and minor writing assignments, a midterm, final exam (take home), and a ca. 5 page ‘anti-paper’ on a topic of your choosing.
Required Textbooks:
Braune/Eggers. 1987. Althochdeutsche Grammatik. Tübingen: Niemeyer.
http://texte.mediaevum.de/ahd.htm, http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~kurisuto/germanic/aa_texts.html plus handouts.

758: Topics in Contemporary German:Sociohistorical Linguistics, 3 cr.
Howell, Lec 1, TR 1:00-2:15
Prerequisites: Graduate Student.
In this course we deal with the effect of social and demographic factors on the process of language change, with particular reference to the Germanic languages. We will discuss the value of various approaches to sociolinguistics to historical studies, focusing on the numerous difficulties involved in basing sociolinguistic analysis on limited data. Topics treated in the seminar will include:

--The use and abuse of sociological 'explanations' in traditional historical linguistics
-- Stratificational models in sociolinguistics
--Solidarity-based models in sociolinguistics: network theory, accommodation theory
-- Language and dialect contact theory, koineization
--(Re)constucting vernaculars based on textual data
--(Re)constructing speech communities or communities of practice
-- The role of social constructs such as gender, national/regional/ethnic identity and class in the development of linguistic behavior
Requirements:
Students will develop a prospectus for a research project involving application of theoretical concepts presented in the course to a specific problem in historical linguistics. In most instances this project will focus on changes resulting from urbanization and immigration in Germany or the Low Countries during the Early Modern period. An initial report on the progress of the project will be made during the last six weeks of the semester in the form of a Referat (20 minutes plus 10 minutes of discussion). A final written prospectus of 20-30 pages will be due at on the last day of class. Students should have taken or be currently enrolled in German 650, or else should have other equivalent background in historical linguistics.

Reading knowledge of German necessary.

804: Interdisciplinary Western European Area Studies Seminar: Gender, Revolutions and Citizenship in Modern Societies: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 3 cr.

Ferree, Sem 1, T 11:30-2:30
Prerequisites: Graduate Student.
Questions of gender and citizenship that had their roots in this modern age of revolutions have re-mained central to political developments in Europe and the Americas to the present day. It can cer-tainly be argued that other moments of intersection between transformations in gender relations and political transformation - such as the feminist movements of the second half of the twentieth century - also have been trans-Atlantic phenomena that would lend themselves to analyses that parallel the research on the late-18th century and early 19th century revolutionary moments. This
seminar is or-ganized around analyses of and comparison across a series of key historical moments when there were intersections between the challenges to political order and challenges to the gender order in Europe and the US, and integrates biographical, historical, and sociological perspectives on these struggles. By using literary texts and political tracts produced by women themselves in diverse revo-lutionary moments as well as secondary analyses theorizing these transformations we examine is-sues of perspective, voice, intersectionality. We consider competing definitions of radicalism, trans-formation, inclusion, equality, and citizenship in
European and American politics from 1776 to 2000, and how they may apply to
gender politics globally today.
Faculty teaching the seminar include: Myra Marx Ferree (Director of the
Center for German and European Studies and Professor of Sociology and
Women's Studies at the UW-Madison), Ruth-Ellen Joeres (Professor of German,
UMN-TC), and M.J. Maynes (Professor of History, UMN-TC).

947: Advanced Seminar in German Literature: Detektivliteratur und literarisches Lesen, 3 cr.
Gross, Sem 1, M 3:30-5:45pm
Prerequisites: Graduate Student.
Das Detektiv- und Kriminalgenre ist zwischen zwei Polen des Leseverhaltens angesiedelt, die es auf paradoxe Weise vereinen kann: dem entspannt-identifikatorischen Modus und dem kritisch-analytischen. In der Regel als Unterhaltung eingestuft, steht diese Gattung mit ihren diversen Untergattungen (Kriminalroman, Detektivgeschichte, Thriller, Gerichtsroman, roman noir, Szenekrimi, Regionalkrimi......) zunächst allem Anschein nach im Gegensatz zu „literarischen“ Texten. Zwar kann man auch „Literatur“ entspannt und zum Vergnügen lesen, überwiegend vollzieht sich ihre Lektüre allerdings (und erst recht für GermanistInnen) als kritisches, aufmerksames, detailgenaues Lesen, mit Blick nicht zuletzt auf Lücken, Indetermination und Widersprüche. Nicht nur ähnelt diese Lesehaltung der eines Detektivs – umgekehrt treten auch Detektive als LeserInnen auf. Im Laufe des Seminars wird sich erweisen, dass der Krimi nicht nur das „Vorbild“ analytisch-forschender Lektüre darstellt, sondern in mehrfacher Weise den Inbegriff der „literarischen“ Begegnung von LeserIn und Text verkörpert.
Das Seminar bietet eine Kombination von kanonischen und unorthodoxen Werken und AutorInnen. Wir werden eine Reihe von klassischen und zeitgenössischen Kriminaltexten diskutieren, begleitet von essayistischen, theoretischen und analytischen Texten (u.a. von Brecht, Benjamin, Alewyn, Glauser) zu diesem Genre. Ein Abstecher zu prototypischen Kurzgeschichten von Edgar Allan Poe und Arthur Conan Doyle wird ergänzt durch die Lektüre klassischer literarischer Texte - diesmal im Rahmen des Kriminal/Detektiv-Paradigmas (Kleist, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Droste-Hülshoff). Der Schwerpunkt liegt auf der Analyse und Diskussion von Primärtexten des 18. bis 21. Jahrhunderts; an diesen werden wir zugleich zentrale narratologische Begriffe erproben. Dieser theoretische Sekundärfokus wird u.a. verschiedenen Varianten der Erzählerrolle und der Frage nach der Konstruktion von Realität in Texten gelten.
Erwartet werden: Spaß an kriminalistischer Lektüre und Bewältigung des beträchtlichen Lesepensums (10 Romane sowie eine Reihe kürzerer Texte); Diskussionsbereitschaft; die Vorstellung (Referat, Diskussionsanregungen) eine Primärtextes, möglicherweise auch eines Sekundärtextes; eine Seminararbeit (in deutscher Sprache) von ca. 20 Seiten, die in zwei Stufen mit feedback geschrieben wird.
Für TeilnehmerInnen vor dem Magisterabschluss werden 2 Zusatz-Module mit Erst- oder Ergänzungsorientierung „Literaturwissenschaftliches Arbeiten“ angeboten, so dass dieser Kurs zugleich die Funktion eines Einführungsseminars erfüllt.
Zusätzlich zu einem Kurs-Reader brauchen Sie folgende Texte:
Heinrich von Kleist: Der zerbrochne Krug. (reclam)
Friedrich Glauser: Matto regiert (Arche, ISBN 3-7160-2094-X)
Friedrich Dürrenmatt: Der Auftrag oder vom Beobachten des Beobachters der Beobachter. (Diogenes, ISBN3-257-21662-9)
Wolf Haas: Der Knochenmann. (rororo 1997, ISBN 3499228327)
Jakob Arjouni: Happy Birthday, Türke (Diogenes, ISBN 3-257-21544-4)
Birgit Vanderbeke: Ich will meinen Mord (rororo 1998, ISBN 3-499-22456-9)
Peter Handke: Der Hausierer (Fischer, ISBN 3596220939)
Lilian Faschinger: Magdalena Sünderin (dtv 1997, ISBN 3462024434)
Bernhard Schlink: Selbs Mord (Diogenes 2003, ISBN 3257233604)
Georg Klein: Barbar Rosa (Knaur 2002, ISBN 3426622505)
Martinez, Matias / Scheffel, Michael: Einführung in die Erzähltheorie. (Beck, 5. Auflage / 5th edition 2003. ISBN 3-406-47130 7)

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