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Updated 2013-14 Undergraduate Catalog

PDF of German Courses

German Courses

All German Courses

GER 1111 Elementary German I (4 credits)

An introductory course in listening, speaking, understanding, and writing German. The cultures of German-speaking countries are introduced. Regular use of the tape-program is an integral part of the course. Liberal Education Goal Area 8
Common Course Outline

GER 1112 Elementary German II (4 credits)

An introductory course in listening, speaking, understanding, and writing German. The cultures of German-speaking countries are introduced. Regular use of the tape-program is an integral part of the course. Prerequisite: GER 1111 or consent of instructor. Liberal Education Goal Area 8
Common Course Outline

GER 2211 Intermediate German I (3 credits)

Advancement of the four basic skills; understanding, speaking, reading, and writing, especially through expansion of vocabulary. Increased focus on accuracy. Deeper understanding of German culture. Selections from German literature, as well as other fields, are used as topics for discussion. Prerequisite: GER 1112 or consent of instructor. Liberal Education Goal Area 8
Common Course Outline

GER 2212 Intermediate German II (3 credits)

Advancement of the four basic skills; understanding, speaking, reading, and writing, especially through expansion of vocabulary. Increased focus on accuracy. Deeper understanding of German culture. Selections from German literature, as well as other fields, are used as topics for discussion. Prerequisites: GER 2211 or consent of instructor. Liberal Education Goal Area 8
Common Course Outline

GER 2925 People and the Environment: The "Green Movements" In Germany and Austria (3 credits)

Course to include a diachronic as well as synchronic study of the "Green Movements" in Germany and Austria. Environmental policies of the relatively newly constituted united Europe will be reviewed. Literary texts, essays, and official documents will be discussed, specifically with regard to how political policies affect cultural behaviors. Cultural and geographical concerns such as population density, land use, and land availability will be included. The implications of the "opening" of the eastern block countries to western influences will be discussed. Liberal Education Goal Area 10
Common Course Outline

GER 3300 Study Abroad (1-18 credits)

Variable semester credits up to 18 credits to be granted to students of Bemidji State University for resident work and/or study in a German language area.
Common Course Outline

GER 3311 Conversation and Composition (3 credits)

Advancement of the production skills of speaking and writing to the Intermediate-High level and the passive skills of reading and listening to the Advanced level. Emphasis on the more complex grammatical points to give the student greater accuracy and control of the language. Development of good control over elementary vocabulary (1000 word basic vocabulary). Contemporary topics will form the core of language use practice with accurate use of present, past and future time. Development of ability to use dictionary effectively. Prerequisites: GER 2212 or consent of instructor. Liberal Education Goal Area 8
Common Course Outline

GER 3312 Introduction to the Study of German Culture and Literature (3 credits)

A study of the educational political, religious and social institutions for German speaking countries. An introduction to the study of literature and basic literary concepts and genres. Continual advancement of all four skills: speaking listening, writing and reading. Prerequisites: GER 3311 or consent of instructor. Liberal Education Goal Area 8
Common Course Outline

GER 3317 Advanced Conversation and Vocabulary Building (2 credits)

Intensive oral practice to develop speaking ability to the advanced level. Vocabulary building through use of assigned topics. Prerequisite: GER 2212 or consent of instructor. Might not be offered every year.
Common Course Outline

GER 3318 Advanced Listening Comprehension (2 credits)

Development of listening skills to the Advanced-High level through use of video and tape material, including news broadcasts, drama, radio plays, and films. Prerequisite: GER 2212 or consent of instructor. Might not be offered every year.
Common Course Outline

GER 3319 Advanced Composition (2 credits)

Intensive practice in written German to develop skill to the advanced level. Emphasis on grammatical accuracy, cohesive devices, coherent structure, and precision in vocabulary selection. Prerequisite: GER 2212 or consent of instructor. Might not be offered every year.
Common Course Outline

GER 3320 Advanced Reading Skills (2 credits)

Development of reading skills to the Advanced-High level through extensive reading, that is, reading for pleasure, using a variety of written texts chosen by the students. Prerequisites: GER 3312 or consent of instructor. Might not be offered every year.
Common Course Outline

GER 4410 Contemporary Germany (3 credits)

A study of post-war Germany (the Wirtschaftswunder, the wall, reunification) through cultural and literary texts, including the writers of post-war literature, Gruppe 47, and the literature of east and west. Advancement of all four skills. Prerequisites: GER 3312 or consent of instructor. Might not be offered every year.
Common Course Outline

GER 4417 German Unification through World War II: 1870-1945 (3 credits)

A study of the historical and cultural events of the period, including the unification of Germany, World War I, the rise of Nazism, and World War II using cultural and literary texts. Advancement of all four skills. Prerequisite: GER 3312 or consent of instructor. Might not be offered every year.
Common Course Outline

GER 4418 Realism and Naturalism (3 credits)

A study of the major authors and cultural background of the late nineteenth century, including Droste-Hulshoff, Fontane and Hauptmann. Advancement of all four skills. Prerequisites: GER 3312 or consent of instructor. Might not be offered every year.
Common Course Outline

GER 4419 Romanticism, Biedermeier, and Junges Deutschland (3 credits)

A study of the major authors and cultural background of Romanticism, Biedermeier, and Junges Deutschland, including Eichendorff, Grillparzer, Heine. Advancement of all four skills. Prerequisite: GER 3312 or consent of instructor. Might not be offered every year.
Common Course Outline

GER 4420 The Enlightenment and Classicism (3 credits)

Literary works and cultural background of the period between 1700 and 1832, emphasizing the works of Lessing, Goethe, and Schiller. Advancement of all four skills. Prerequisite: GER 3312 or consent of instructor.
Common Course Outline

GER 4427 The Early Years: 800-1700 (3 credits)

A study of the origins of the German language, culture, and literature through texts of the period. Advancement of all four skills. Prerequisite: GER 3312 or consent of instructor. Might not be offered every year.
Common Course Outline

GER 4430 German Grammar and Linguistics (1 credits)

The application of knowledge from ML 3430 Linguistics to the German language. Intensive grammar review as needed. Emphasis on aspects of the language that enhance the teaching of German to English-speaking students. Prerequisite: GER 3312 or consent of instructor. (Might not be offered every year).
Common Course Outline

GER 4467 Studies in the German Language and Culture (1-3 credits)

Possible topics: War and Language; the effect of political upheaval on language; Germanic beginnings and the German language. Consideration given to special problems and interests of the students. Prerequisite: GER 3312 or consent of instructor. Might not be offered every year.
Common Course Outline

GER 4468 Studies in German Literature (1-3 credits)

Possible topics: The German Democratic Republic and its Literature, political thought and literature of eighteenth, nineteenth, or twentieth century, literature as social comment/Brecht and Grass. Consideration given to special problems and interests of students. Prerequisite: GER 3312 or consent of instructor. Might not be offered every year.
Common Course Outline