German A. Beginning German
Catalog Number: 4294
Members of the Department
Full course (indivisible). M. through Th., sections at 9, 10, 11, or 12. EXAM GROUP: 2, 11
An introduction to German language and culture designed for students with little or no knowledge of the language. Encompasses all four skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Class sessions emphasize the development of oral proficiency. Instruction is supplemented by literary and non-literary texts, videos, and Internet activities.
Note: The first half of this course may not be taken as a half course for credit toward the AB degree; there are no exceptions to this rule. May not be taken Pass/Fail. Not open to auditors.
German Ax (formerly German S). German for Reading Knowledge
Catalog Number: 7177
Charles P. Lutcavage
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). M., W., 4–5:30. EXAM GROUP: 9
Development of reading proficiency for students with little or no knowledge of German. Emphasizes translation of academic German prose into English.
Note: Not open to auditors.
German Bab. Beginning German (Intensive)
Catalog Number: 8629
Members of the Department
Full course (fall term; repeated spring term). Fall: M. through F., sections at 9 or 12, and an additional hour to be arranged. Spring: M. through F., sections at 9, 10, or 12, and an additional hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 2, 11
A complete first-year course in one term for students with no knowledge of German. Provides an introduction to German language and culture encompassing all four skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Class sessions emphasize the development of oral proficiency. Instruction is supplemented by literary and non-literary texts, videos, and Internet activities.
Note: May not be taken Pass/Fail. Not open to auditors.
German Ca (formerly German Da). Intermediate German: Speaking, Listening Comprehension, Reading, and Writing
Catalog Number: 5779
Members of the Department
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Fall term: M., W., F., sections at 9, 11, or 12, and an additional hour to be arranged. Spring term: M., W., F., at 9, and an additional hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 2
Aims at enhancing students’ proficiency in all four skills, with special emphasis on speaking/discussion. The course also offers a thorough grammar review. Course materials consist of literary and non-literary texts and films that address a broad range of cultural topics.
Note: Conducted in German. May not be taken Pass/Fail. Not open to auditors.
German Cb (formerly German Db). Intermediate German: Speaking, Listening Comprehension, Reading, and Writing
Catalog Number: 2608
Members of the Department
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Fall term: M., W., F., at 9, and an additional hour to be arranged. Spring term: M., W., F., sections at 9, 11, or 12, and an additional hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: Fall: 2; Spring: 2, 4
Continuation of German Ca. Discussion materials include literary and non-literary texts and film. Emphasis on speaking proficiency and on strengthening writing skills. Course includes a review of selected grammatical structures and exercises in vocabulary building.
Note: Conducted in German. May not be taken Pass/Fail. Not open to auditors.
Prerequisite: German Ca or permission of the instructor.
German Dab. Intermediate German (Intensive): Speaking, Listening Comprehension, Reading, and Writing
Catalog Number: 1351
Members of the Department
Full course (fall term; repeated spring term). Fall: M., W., F., at 12, Tu., Th., 1–3; Spring: M., W., F., at 12, Tu., Th., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 5, 15, 16
A complete second-year course in one term for students with a basic knowledge of German. Focuses on enhancing students’ proficiency in all four skill areas with special emphasis on speaking/discussion. Extensive vocabulary-building exercises, a thorough grammar review, and an introduction to various cultural topics of the German-speaking countries through the use of literary and non-literary texts, Internet, multimedia resources, and film.
Note: Conducted in German. May not be taken Pass/Fail. Not open to auditors.
Prerequisite: German A, German Bab, a score of 450 or above on the Harvard placement test, or permission of the instructor.
German 61. Advanced Grammar and Reading
Catalog Number: 5179
Peter J. Burgard and Staff
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 8:30–10:00 or 10–11:30, and an additional hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 10, 11
Advanced instruction in German through systematic study of the rules of grammar, their nuances, and their exceptions. Application of this knowledge through readings of short selections of sophisticated texts (e.g., Goethe, Kant, Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Rilke, Kafka, Mann) prepares students for courses and academic work requiring advanced German reading comprehension. Further application through writing exercises.
Note: Conducted in German. Not open to auditors.
Prerequisite: German C, equivalent preparation, or permission of the instructor.
German 62. Advanced Conversation and Composition: Contemporary Pop Literature
Catalog Number: 2201
Markus Wilczek
Half course (spring term). T., W., 10–11:30. Film screenings: W., 6–8 pm. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
This course explores the potential of "pop" to move beyond apolitical consumerism and to engage critically with issues such as gender relations, cyber-reality, terrorism, xenophobia, and, last not least, the apocalypse. Readings and screenings include works by Rainald Goetz, Christian Kracht, Benjamin von Stuckrad-Barre, Sibylle Berg, Thomas Meinecke, Maxim Biller, Florian Illies, Imran Ayata, René Pollesch, Christoph Schlingensief, and Svenja Leiber. Through composition and conversation workshops, the course advances the reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills of students.
Note: Readings and discussions in German.
Prerequisite: German 61, equivalent preparation, or permission of the instructor.
German 65. Wirtschaftsdeutsch
Catalog Number: 2678
Charles P. Lutcavage
Half course (fall term). M., W., F., at 12. EXAM GROUP: 5
Communication, reading, and writing skills for a business environment. Attention to grammar and specialized vocabulary, as well as cultural and political issues relevant to conducting business in German-speaking countries. Writing practice includes business correspondence and job applications. Supplemented by articles from the German-language press, the Internet, and videos.
Note: Conducted in German. May not be taken Pass/Fail. Not open to auditors.
Prerequisite: German C, equivalent preparation, or permission of the instructor.
German 66 (formerly German 68). Deutschland und Europa
Catalog Number: 6537
Charles P. Lutcavage
Half course (spring term). M., W., F., at 12. EXAM GROUP: 5
An advanced language course focusing on current events in Germany and the European Union. Readings, discussions, and projects based on a variety of contemporary political, social, economic, and cultural topics. Materials from various sources, including the German-language press, the Internet, videos, and television news.
Note: Conducted in German. May not be taken Pass/Fail. Not open to auditors.
Prerequisite: German 61, German 62, German 65, or permission of the instructor.
German 71 (formerly German 50a). German Literature from Goethe to Nietzsche
Catalog Number: 3213
Markus Wilczek
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
Through close readings of central texts from the Age of Goethe to the late 19th century, this course introduces students to key concepts of literary analysis. Readings include Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, Hoffmann, Büchner, Bettina von Arnim, Heine, Droste-Hülshoff, Keller, Stifter, Mörike, and Nietzsche.
Note: Readings and discussions in German. This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the Core area requirement for Literature and Arts A.
Prerequisite: Equivalent preparation or permission of the instructor.
German 72 (formerly German 50b). German Literature from Kafka to Jelinek
Catalog Number: 5412
Katja Garloff (Reed College)
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
The course focuses on central texts in 20th-century German literature. Key authors are read in pairs: for example, Arthur Schnitzler and Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Alfred Döblin and Franz Kafka, Paul Celan and Ingeborg Bachmann. The course provides an historical overview, sharpens German reading skills, and introduces basic concepts in literary analysis.
Note: Readings and discussions in German. This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the Core area requirement for Literature and Arts A.
Prerequisite: Equivalent preparation or permission of the instructor. German 71 is not a prerequisite for 72.
*German 91r. Supervised Reading and Research
Catalog Number: 1059
Judith Ryan and members of the Department
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Advanced reading in topics not covered in regular courses.
Note: Permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies is required.
*German 99. Tutorial — Senior Year
Catalog Number: 3286
Judith Ryan and members of the Department
Full course. Hours to be arranged.
Note: Open to concentrators writing an honors thesis under faculty supervision. Students are expected to enroll for the entire year. Permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies is required.
German 120. Age of Goethe - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 3797
Peter J. Burgard
Half course (spring term). M., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Major movements in German literature and thought from the mid-18th to early 19th century: Enlightenment, Sentimentalism, Storm and Stress, Classicism, Romanticism. Readings include Mendelssohn, Kant, Klopstock, Lessing, Goethe, Lenz, Schiller, Hölderlin, Kleist, Schlegel, Novalis.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2009-10. Readings in German, discussions in English.
[German 123. Fear and Pity: German Tragedies from the 18th to the 20th Century]
Catalog Number: 4720
Oliver Simons
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Tragedies aim to stimulate the spectator’s passion and sympathy. How precisely do they achieve that goal? Through close readings, the course contextualizes the tragedies of such authors as Lessing, Goethe, Kleist, Büchner, Hebbel, Wedekind, and Hofmannsthal within major literary movements and the theoretical reflections of Nietzsche and Benjamin.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Readings and discussions in German.
[German 147. Nietzsche]
Catalog Number: 6994
Peter J. Burgard
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Readings and discussions of Nietzsche’s major works (in translation), including The Birth of Tragedy, Untimely Meditations, Human, All Too Human, The Gay Science, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Beyond Good and Evil, The Genealogy of Morals, Twilight of the Idols, The Antichrist, and Ecce Homo.
Note: Expected to be given in 2010–11. No knowledge of German required. All readings and discussions in English.
[German 148. Freud]
Catalog Number: 5403
Peter J. Burgard
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Readings and discussions of Freud’s major works (in translation), including The Interpretation of Dreams, The Psychopathology of Everyday Life, Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious, Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality, Totem and Taboo, The “Wolf Man,” Beyond the Pleasure Principle, Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego, The Ego and the Id, Civilization and Its Discontents, and Moses and Monotheism.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. No knowledge of German required. All readings and discussions in English.
[German 151. Franz Kafka: Modernity and Its Discontents]
Catalog Number: 0169
Judith Ryan
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Close readings of Kafka’s novels and stories. Kafka’s development of his characteristic narrative modes, the relation of his works to the cultural context in which they originated, the function of humor and parody in his works, and the challenges his texts pose for readers.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. No knowledge of German required. Readings and discussions in English; German concentrators read texts in the original language.
German 155. Deviants and Outsiders - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 8385
Markus Stock (University of Toronto)
Half course (spring term). W., 4–6. EXAM GROUP: 9
A course on fools, lovers, madmen, saints, and other deviants in German literature. Throughout the history of German literature, authors have tested the limits of human experience by casting their protagonists into the depths of love, madness, and disease. We will follow them through their trials, their elation, their despair. Readings will include a variety of (epic, lyric, and dramatic) texts from the Middle Ages to the modern era.
Note: Readings and discussions in German.
[German 162. Gender Theory and Narrative Fiction]
Catalog Number: 4774
Oliver Simons
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Focusing on such topics as the representation of femininity, the (im)possibility of feminine writing, and literature and the body, the course examines the gender theories of Irigaray, Cixous, Kristeva, Butler, Felman, and others and applies them to 18th- and 19th-century German writers, including Fontane, Musil, Bachmann, and Jelinek.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Readings and discussions in English; German concentrators read texts in the original language.
German 165. Literary and Visual Culture of Weimar Germany - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 1852
Maria Tatar
Half course (fall term). W., 4–6. EXAM GROUP: 9
Explores literary and artistic production in the years immediately preceding the Weimar Republic up to the Nazi era. Authors include Thomas Mann, Hesse, and Brecht. Films include The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Metropolis, and M. We will also focus on drawings and paintings by George Grosz, Otto Dix, and Max Beckmann, as well as on the Dada movement.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2009-10. Course conducted in English. Students have the option of reading the literary texts in German or in English. Seminar with enrollment limited to 15.
German 170. Before Modernity - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 3102
Markus Wilczek
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., at 1. EXAM GROUP: 15
While both Georg Büchner and Adalbert Stifter have been acknowledged as modernists avant la lettre, their work could hardly be more different. Through a comparison of Büchner’s and Stifter’s treatment of themes such as history, nature, violence, and the body as well as a comparison of their stylistic peculiarities (i.e., caesuras and repetition), this course examines two seemingly irreconcilable traditions in the formulation of modernity.
Note: Readings and discussions in German.
German 174. The Drama of Enlightenment - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 3639
Diana K. Reese (Cornell University)
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., at 1. EXAM GROUP: 15
This course investigates 18th-century thought with special emphasis on discussions of the theater as well as attention to the role of the theatrical in philosophical argument. How do scenes of witnessing, questions of staging and modes of oratory inflect key texts of the Enlightenment? A corollary question: How does speculation on knowledge and the origins of language become fundamentally political? Readings from Burke, Diderot, Goethe, Herder, Hume, Kant, Kleist, Lessing, Moritz, Rousseau, Schiller, Voltaire, Wollstonecraft.
Note: Readings and discussions in English.
[German 175. Realism]
Catalog Number: 5173
Oliver Simons
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Addressing the problem of “objective” representations of reality, the course concentrates on leading representatives of “bourgeois realism”: Gottfried Keller, Wilhelm Raabe, Theodor Storm, Theodor Fontane, and Conrad Ferdinand Meyer. Through close reading of texts, the course explores how narrative techniques create realistic effects. Attention is paid to the visual arts and sciences in the second half of the 19th century as important contexts for literature of the period.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Readings and discussions in German.
[German 183. Critical Theory Revisited]
Catalog Number: 9169
Oliver Simons
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Introduction to one of the most influential theories of the 20th century. Special attention will be paid to the literary history that has anticipated some of its thoughts. Excerpts of Adorno’s aesthetic theory and a selection of his essays will be contextualized with texts by Goethe, Eichendorff and others; Benjamin’s writings will be discussed along with works by Brecht and Kafka.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Readings and discussions in German.
[German 184. America in the German Mind]
Catalog Number: 3881
Oliver Simons
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Journeys to “America” have their own history in German literature. For 19th-century writers such as Charles Sealsfield, Ferdinand Kürnberger, Friedrich Gerstäcker, Karl May, and others, “America” serves as a topos for aesthetic and political reflection. In 20th-century literature, the constructed nature of “America” becomes particularly apparent. Readings from this period include Franz Kafka, Wolfgang Koeppen, Peter Handke, Max Frisch, and W. G. Sebald.
Note: Expected to be given in 2010–11. Readings and discussions in German.
[German 186. German Poetry: Innovation and Experiment]
Catalog Number: 8548
Judith Ryan
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores the interplay between innovation and tradition in German poetry from 1770 to the present. Topics treated include originality and authenticity, difficulty and hermeticism, and poetic responses to crisis. Authors include Goethe, Hölderlin, Heine, Mörike, Rilke, Trakl, Benn, Bobrowski, and Celan.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Readings in German, discussions in English.
German 187. The Sacred and the Secular in German Poetry - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 7262
Judith Ryan
Half course (fall term). M., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Reaching back to the psalmist David and the mythic figures of Apollo and Orpheus, German lyric poets have invoked the sacred, mourned its disappearance, and expressed skepticism about its relevance to the modern world. The course traces these themes in such poets as Luther, Gerhardt, Novalis, Hölderlin, Brentano, Rilke, Trakl, and Celan.
Note: Readings in German, discussions in English.
[German 190. Literature and Violence in the 20th Century]
Catalog Number: 7128
Oliver Simons
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines how literature reflects violence, but also how violence stimulates new aesthetics throughout the 20th century. Authors include Jünger, Kafka, Müller, Artaud. Close readings of their texts will be accompanied by discussions of theoretical reflections on violence: Freud, Benjamin, Girard and others.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Most readings in German. Discussions in German.
German 226r. Theories of Literature: Proseminar
Catalog Number: 1364
Markus Wilczek
Half course (fall term). Th., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
A survey of classical and current contributions to the theory of literature, this course examines the relationship between the practice of reading and the theory of literature, and literature’s place within larger cultural systems.
Note: Readings in German and English, discussions in German.
[German 231. The Limits of Enlightened Discourse]
Catalog Number: 0943
Markus Wilczek
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Although Enlightenment culture put great emphasis on the power of rational discourse, there is a surprising amount of instances in which logos collapses in silence or erupts into screams. This course examines the reasons for the ’failure’ of logos, and its implications for the relationship between language, affects, and society in the Enlightenment. Readings include Lessing, Knigge, Herder, Gerstenberg, Schiller, and Goethe.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Discussions and readings in German
German 240. Reading Minds and Modernism - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9635
Maria Tatar
Half course (fall term). Tu., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
We will draw on fields ranging from narratology, theory of the mind, and history of the book to explore how minds are represented and how we read them in literary texts published in the years from 1890 to 1960. Authors include Schnitzler, Hofmannsthal, Mann, Döblin, Brecht, and Grass.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2009-10. Course conducted in English. Readings in German.
German 243. Readings in Feminist Theory - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4762
Diana K. Reese (Cornell University)
Half course (fall term). W., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Sustained, close readings of recent feminist theory with particular focus on questions of style and intertext. Seminar discussion will also be informed by works of three 20th-century poets in German: Bachmann, Kaschnitz and Kirsch.
Note: Readings in German and English.
[German 244. Readings in German Film Theory]
Catalog Number: 6388
Eric Rentschler
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Film theory, from the formalist perspectives of Arnheim and Eisenstein to critical assessments of cinema’s potential by Balázs, Kracauer, Benjamin, and Adorno. We consider the impact of this classical legacy on recent film and media studies.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Conducted in English. Readings in English; students with German-language proficiency read texts in the original.
German 255. Middle High German - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9508
Markus Stock (University of Toronto)
Half course (spring term). Tu., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
An introduction to the German language and literature of the Middle Ages. The reading and translation of exemplary Middle High German texts will provide an insight into epochal cultural concepts like courtly love and chivalry.
Note: Readings and discussions in German.
German 269. Introduction to Film Analysis
Catalog Number: 1886
Eric Rentschler
Half course (spring term). W., 2–4 with an additional weekly screening. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Analytic approaches to the close study of feature films, concentrating on exemplary German productions from 1920 to 1945.
Note: Conducted in English. Some readings in German.
German 275. German-Jewish Love Stories - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 8717
Katja Garloff (Reed College)
Half course (spring term). Th., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
Examines how literary writers have used stories of love - usually of unfulfilled or impossible love - to comment on the historical process of Jewish emancipation and acculturation. Authors include Lessing, Schlegel, Heine, Schnitzler, Lasker-Schüler, Kafka, Sebald, and others.
Note: Readings in German, discussions in English
[German 288. German Novels Since Reunification: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 8467
Judith Ryan
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
A study of German novels since 1990, viewed within their social and cultural context and against the backdrop of contemporary literary theory. Authors include Beyer, Brussig, Drawert, Hein, Hilbig, Maron, Timm, and Wolf.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Readings in German, discussions in English.
[German 290. Experience and Remembrance in W. G. Sebald: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 7036
Judith Ryan
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Close study of Sebald’s narrative and poetic works, as well as a selection of his scholarly essays, against the backdrop of recent literary theory.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Readings in German, discussions in English.
[German 292 (formerly German 188). Poetry After Auschwitz]
Catalog Number: 0379
Judith Ryan
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Engaging with Adorno’s dictum about “poetry after Auschwitz” and related theoretical readings, the course focuses on lyric poetry from 1945 to the present. Special attention to Paul Celan.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Readings in German, discussions in English.
Prerequisite: Good knowledge of German essential.
German 301. Foreign Language Teaching Workshop - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 6129
Members of the Department
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged, two hours weekly.
An introduction to the teaching of German. Examines the history of German pedagogy, current methodological trends, research, textbooks, and technology. Emphasis on the practical aspects of teaching German from beginning to advanced levels.
*German 302. Introduction to Methods of Teaching Courses on Literature and Culture - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4557
Maria Tatar 3645
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
An introduction to teaching courses with an interdisciplinary approach to the subject matter.
Note: By permission of the instructor.
Swedish A. Beginning Swedish Language and Literature
Catalog Number: 7438
Annette Johansson-Los
Full course (indivisible). M., through Th., at 12. EXAM GROUP: 5, 14
A basic course focusing on listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. During spring term, the emphasis is on more advanced conversation and an introduction to Sweden’s culture and civilization through selected texts and videos. By year’s end, students will be able to carry on conversations in everyday Swedish.
Note: The first half of this course may not be taken as a half course for credit toward the AB degree. Not open to auditors.
Swedish Ba. Intermediate Swedish
Catalog Number: 3104
Annette Johansson-Los
Half course (fall term). M., W., at 1, and an additional hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 6
Review of the essentials of Swedish grammar and development of vocabulary. Readings in modern Swedish literature are selected to encourage class discussion and to improve the student’s speaking and writing skills. Authors include Hjalmar Söderberg, Selma Lagerlöf, and Ingmar Bergman.
Note: Conducted in Swedish. Not open to auditors.
Prerequisite: Swedish A or equivalent.
Swedish Bb. Intermediate Swedish
Catalog Number: 3405
Annette Johansson-Los
Half course (spring term). M., W., at 1, and an additional hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 6
Continuation of Swedish Ba. Readings from works in classical and modern Swedish literature and other texts of cultural and social interest. Authors include August Strindberg, Pär Lagerkvist, Carl Michael Bellman, Tomas Tranströmer, and Vilhelm Moberg.
Note: Conducted in Swedish. Not open to auditors.
Prerequisite: Swedish Ba or equivalent.
*Scandinavian 91r. Supervised Reading and Research
Catalog Number: 7308
Stephen A. Mitchell and members of the Department
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Advanced reading in topics not covered in regular courses.
Note: Permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies required.
*Scandinavian 97. Tutorial — Sophomore Year
Catalog Number: 1592
Stephen A. Mitchell and members of the Department
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Group or individual tutorial designed to supplement course work and acquaint students with appropriate analytical methods.
Note: Open to concentrators in the Scandinavian option. Permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies required.
*Scandinavian 98. Tutorial — Junior Year
Catalog Number: 4255
Stephen A. Mitchell and members of the Department
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Group or individual tutorial designed to supplement course work and to develop analytical techniques.
Note: Permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies required.
*Scandinavian 99. Tutorial — Senior Year
Catalog Number: 5542
Stephen A. Mitchell and members of the Department
Full course. Hours to be arranged.
Note: Open to concentrators writing an honors thesis under faculty supervision. Students are expected to enroll for the entire year. Permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies required.
Scandinavian 150 (formerly Scandinavian 80). The Vikings and the Nordic Heroic Tradition
Catalog Number: 3974
Stephen A. Mitchell
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., at 1, and an additional hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 15
Examines the heroic legacy resulting from the historical events in northern Europe A.D. 800 to A.D. 1100, concentrating on medieval Icelandic poetry and sagas. The course focuses on how these texts present their heroes as warriors, kings, poets, outlaws and adventurers, and reviews how the viking image is received and shaped in later periods. Pre-Christian mythology, the viking raids and the Norse experience in “Vinland” carefully considered.
Note: All readings and discussions in English. This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the Core area requirement for Literature and Arts A.
[Scandinavian 160a. Old Norse Language, Literature, and Culture: The Viking Legacy]
Catalog Number: 1139 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Stephen A. Mitchell
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Introduction to the language and literary culture of medieval Scandinavia, emphasizing works treating the Viking Age and their valorization of an heroic ideal. In addition to basic language skills, students acquire familiarity with key critical tools of the field. Readings include scaldic poetry, selections from Egils saga and the Vinland sagas, and various runic monuments.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. May be counted toward the Folklore and Mythology 90 requirement.
[Scandinavian 160br (formerly Scandinavian 160b). Old Norse Language, Literature, and Culture: Mythology]
Catalog Number: 7588 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Stephen A. Mitchell
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Builds on Scandinavian 160a, continuing the language study and cultural survey of the first term, but now considers mythological texts relating to Viking religious life, mainly selections from the prose and poetic Eddas. Special attention is paid to scholarly tools and debates concerned with the interpretation of these cultural monuments.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. May be counted toward the Folklore and Mythology 90 requirement.
Prerequisite: Scandinavian 160a or equivalent.
*Scandinavian 191r. Supervised Reading and Research
Catalog Number: 6175
Stephen A. Mitchell
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Advanced readings in topics not covered in regular courses.