Fragen zu den Texten / Zeittafel / Mündliche Referate / Aufsatzthemen / Wiederholungsblatt

Description:
Rapid social and political change characterizes the 19^th Century in German-speaking countries. Important ideas and developments, including the rise of both socialism and nationalism, bourgeois demand for parliamentary politics, and increased industrialization, transformed the political, social, and cultural landscape. This course will examine the correlation between socio-political transformations and cultural change. Students will analyze texts, music, philosophy, and art from periods such as Vormärz, Junges Deutschland, Realism, and Naturalism, and will focus on topics such as the role of women, the status of minorities, political revolution, class conformity, and industrialization in Germany. Readings include works by Georg Büchner, Heinrich Heine, Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, Friedrich Hebbel, Gottfried Keller, Theodor Storm, Theodor Fontane, and Gerhard Hauptmann.

Click here to see a detailed plan of the entire Semester.

Course Materials (available at the Pitt Book Center):

• Georg Büchner: Woyzeck
• Heinrich Heine: Deutschland. Ein Wintermärchen
• Annette von Droste-Hülshoff: Die Judenbuche
• Friedrich Hebbel: Maria Magdalene
• Gottfried Keller: Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe
• Theodor Storm: Der Schimmelreiter
• Theodor Fontane: Irrungen, Wirrungen
• Hauptmann, G: Vor Sonnenaufgang

Requirements and Grading:
Your Course Grade will be calculated as follows:
 

Participation (includes attendance, active participation, homework, and quizzes)	20%
Oral Report and handout	15%
Papers (3) [first two =10% each, third=15%]	35%
Exams (2) [15% each]	30%

Participation:
Class sessions will consist predominantly of discussion, not lectures. I view our discussion sessions as a collaborative effort to better understand the material under analysis. For discussions to be effective, it is imperative that all participants a) attend and b) are prepared, having not only read the material, but also reflected on it, developed analytical questions about it, and completed any homework assignments related to it (such as study questions, 1 ½-page written responses to the texts, etc.). The effectiveness of each class session will depend on your preparation–you should plan on spending about 2 hours outside of class for each hour in class. Plan on reading 50-60 pages of German each week and be prepared for occasional pop quizzes on the reading.

Since I will give daily participation grades, attendance is mandatory–any student not in class, receives a 0 for that day. (Family and medical emergencies are excusable, but only if you contact me before class and provide an official doctor’s excuse afterward). You are allowed one unexcused absence per term with no penalty.

Note: I do not accept late work without prior notice. If you cannot submit work on time, you must contact me before the deadline.

Oral Report:
You will present one 10 to 15 minute oral presentation during the semester. This will involve:

1) selecting a topic by the second class meeting (preferably from the attached list or in consultation with me);

2) discussing your presentation with me during office hours at least one week prior to your presentation date. At this time you will also submit a draft of the handout to me (see description of the handout in #4);

3) presenting (spoken extemporaneously, not read) the material in class in your best German and within the allotted time frame (10-15 minutes);

4) distributing a 1-2 page handout for your classmates. This handout should summarize the salient points of your presentation and should also include a bibliography of the sources used in your research. Your bibliography should be written in accordance with the guidelines in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 5th Edition. [Note: Do not rely solely on internet sources! The internet is useful, but often unreliable; take the time to do research at Hillman library.]

Please pay close attention to and take notes on the oral reports by your fellow students. Some material from these will be included on the examinations.

Papers:
You will write three analytic/interpretive papers in the course of the semester. The papers should be in your best German, 3-5 pages (750-1250 words) in length for the first two, 6-8 pages (1500-2000 words) for the third, and have a clear and polemical thesis with adequate and well-organized support (I will distribute a list of possible paper topics a few weeks before the papers are due). These papers should not summarize the material you have read, nor should they regurgitate class discussion; instead, they should contend for a specific argument/interpretation on the basis of close readings and careful analysis. You should assume that your audience has read all of the texts in this course and thus you can limit the amount of summary in the paper and cite from the text only when you intend to analyze your citation.

The papers should be formatted according to the following specifications: typed, double-spaced, 1 inch margins on all sides, 12 point font, numbered pages, paper title on top of first page, and bibliography and footnotes compiled in accordance with the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Ed. Joseph Gibaldi, 5th Edition.

Paper due dates:

Paper 1: Thursday, February 7th

Paper 2: Tuesday, March 19th

Paper 3: Thursday, April 18th

Exams:
There will be one in-class written exam during the semester and a final exam at the end of the semester. The exams will consist of three portions: a brief identification section (associating passages with their authors and relating their significance), some short answer questions, and a longer essay question. All exams will be in German.

Examination dates:

Exam 1: Thursday, February 28^th

Final Exam: Tuesday, April 23rd

Evaluation:
In evaluating class participation, homework, exams, oral reports, and papers, I will grade according to the following principles:

1. Content quality: clearly defined arguments, well-supported with specific examples;
2. Clarity: well-structured arguments, correct grammar and vocabulary usage, pronunciation; and
3. Format: fully answering the questions asked, using the specified format, etc.

Academic Integrity:
In accordance with the Academic Integrity Guidelines of the College of Arts and Sciences, any student who is caught giving or receiving assistance on an exam or assignment will receive an F=0 on that exam or assignment. A second occurrence will be referred to the CAS Dean’s Office. I consider any instance of plagiarism the same as receiving assistance on an assignment, so please be vigilant in documenting all sources that you rely on, whether directly or indirectly. If you have any questions as to what constitutes plagiarism, please speak with me.

Students with Disabilities

If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you should inform both me and the Office of Disability Resources and Services, 216 William Pitt Union, (412) 648-7890/(412) 383-7355 (TTY) as early as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.

Should you ever need a new copy of this syllabus, of discussion questions, of paper topics, or of other course material, they are all available online at http://www.pitt/edu/~jblyon/courses/grm1228.html.

Oral Report Topics:

Politik

Revolutionen: 1830 und 1848 (15.1.02)

Clemens von Metternich (5.2.02)

Marx, Engels und Das Manifest der kommunistischen Partei (21.2.02)

Otto von Bismarck (21.3.02)

Franz Schubert und das deutsche Lied (17.1.02)

Robert und Clara Schumann (14.2.02)

Johannes Brahms (26.2.02)

Richard Wagner und das Gesamtkunstwerk (14.3.02)

Ludwig Richter und Karl Spitzweg (22.1.02)

Moritz von Schwind (29.1.02)

Adolf Menzel (12.2.02)

Arnold Böcklin (12.3.02)

Max Klinger (11.4.02)

G. W. F. Hegel (24.1.02)

Ludwig Feuerbach (31.1.02)

Arthur Schopenhauer (19.2.02)

Friedrich Nietzsche (2.4.02)

15.1.02 Revolutionen: 1830 und 1848

17.1.02 Franz Schubert und das deutsche Lied: Andy Halus

22.1.02 Ludwig Richter und Karl Spitzweg: Felicia Porter

24.1.02 G. W. F. Hegel: Elizabeth Farina

29.1.02 Moritz von Schwind: Laura Phillips

31.1.02 Ludwig Feuerbach: Tom Ellis

5.2.02 Clemens von Metternich: Brandy N. Urich

12.2.02 Adolf Menzel: Jamie Kosele

14.2.02 Robert und Clara Schumann: Erin Heckathorn

19.2.02 Arthur Schopenhauer: Julie Fiore

21.2.02 Marx, Engels und Das Manifest der kommunistischen Partei: Josh Baringer

26.2.02 Johannes Brahms: Jared Wilson

12.3.02 Arnold Böcklin: Heather Muckelroy

14.3.02 Richard Wagner und das Gesamtkunstwerk: Mariam Lunk

21.3.02 Otto von Bismarck: Katie O’Callaghan

2.4.02 Friedrich Nietzsche: Raymond Bradley

11.4.02 Max Klinger: Sara DeAntonio