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

Course Materials (available at the Pitt Book Center):
 

Kleist, H.v.: "Der Zweikampf" Hoffmann, E.T.A.: "Der Sandmann" Arnim, A.v.: "Der tolle Invalide" Büchner, G: "Lenz" Meyer, C.F.: Die Versuchung des Pescara Hauptmann, G: Bahnwärter Thiel

Rilke, R.: Die Aufzeichungen des Malte Laurids-Brigge Mann, T: "Der Tod in Venedig" Kafka, F.: "Das Urteil" und andere Prosa Borchert, W.: Draußen vor der Tür Course Packet (Bachmann, Wolf, Kirsch)

I will also distribute some articles in class (I will collect money to cover photocopying charges).

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

Participation (includes attendance, active participation, and homework)	20%
Oral Report and handout	15%
Papers (2) [first =15%, second=20%]	35%
Exams (2)	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 1 ½-page written responses to the texts, study questions, etc.).  Students should be prepared for pop quizzes on the reading as well.  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)

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 a 10 to 15 minute oral presentation once during the semester.  This will involve:
  1) selecting a topic early in the semester (either from the list below 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.]

Click here to see scheduled Oral reports.

Oral Report Topics:
 

On Prose: Mikhail Bakhtin: Dialogic Imagination Wayne Booth: The Rhetoric of Fiction Peter Brooks: Reading for the Plot G. E. Lessing - Laokoon Die Novelle [See me for readings] Literary/Philosophical Texts: Ingeborg Bachmann: Malina Sigmund Freud: “Das Unheimliche” Jeremias Gotthelf: Die schwarze Spinne  Arthur Schopenhauer - Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung Verena Stefan - Häutungen Adelbert von Chamisso: “Peter Schlemihl”

The body and meaning: Elisabeth Bronfen: Over Her Dead Body Peter Brooks: Body Work Armando Favazza: Bodies under Siege Sander Gilman: Disease and Representation Peter Hays: The Limping Hero Simon Richter: Laocoon’s Body and the Aesthetics of Pain Elaine Scarry - The Body in Pain Susan Sontag: “Illness as Metaphor”/“AIDS and its Metaphors”

Papers:
You will write two analytic/interpretive papers in the course of the semester.  The papers should be in your best German, 4-6 pages (1000-1500 words) in length for the first, 6-8 pages (1500-2000 words) for the second, 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.

The first paper will be due on October 17th; the final paper will be due at the end of the semester (Monday, December 11th).

Exams:
There will be two in-class written exams during the semester (on October 3rd and November 14th).  They will consist of three portions: a brief identification section (associating passages with their authors and relating their significance), a few short answer questions, and a longer essay question.  All exams will be in German.

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.

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.

T, 8/29 Einleitung: Lavater, Kleist
Th, 8/31 Kleist: “Der Zweikampf”

T, 9/5  Hoffmann: “Der Sandmann”
Th, 9/7 Arnim: “Der tolle Invalide”

T, 9/12 Büchner: “Lenz”
Th, 9/14 Meyer, C.F.:  Die Versuchung des Pescara

T, 9/19 Meyer, C.F.:  Die Versuchung des Pescara [reading day, no class meeting]
Th, 9/21 Meyer, C.F.:  Die Versuchung des Pescara

T, 9/26 Meyer, C.F.:  Die Versuchung des Pescara
Th, 9/28 Hauptmann: “Bahnwärter Thiel”

T, 10/3 Test 1
Th, 10/5 Auszüge: Nietzsche, Freud

T, 10/10 Rilke:  Die Aufzeichungen des Malte Laurids-Brigge
Th, 10/12 Rilke:  Die Aufzeichungen des Malte Laurids-Brigge

T, 10/17 Rilke:  Die Aufzeichungen des Malte Laurids-Brigge / Erster Aufsatz fällig
Th, 10/19 Rilke:  Die Aufzeichungen des Malte Laurids-Brigge

T, 10/24 Rilke:  Die Aufzeichungen des Malte Laurids-Brigge
Th, 10/26 Rilke:  Die Aufzeichungen des Malte Laurids-Brigge

T, 10/31 Mann: “Der Tod in Venedig”
Th, 11/2 Mann: “Der Tod in Venedig”

T, 11/7 Mann: “Der Tod in Venedig”
Th, 11/9 Kafka: “Ein Landarzt,” “In der Strafkolonie”

T, 11/14 Test 2
Th, 11/16 Borchert: Draußen vor der Tür

T, 11/21 Borchert: Draußen vor der Tür
Th, 11/23 - Keine Sitzung - Erntedankfest

T, 11/28 Diskussionstunde
Th, 11/30 Bachmann: “Undine geht”

T, 12/5 Wolf: “Geschlechtertausch”
Th, 12/7 Kirsch: “Blitz aus heiterem Himmel”

M, 12/11 Zweiter Aufsatz fällig