German Curriculum Overview
Professor David Ward (Modern Languages Department Chair and German Program Director)
The German program at Norwich offers instruction in German language, culture and literature; the minor in German consists of six courses at the intermediate level or higher. Beginning and intermediate German courses focus on building a solid foundation in the language, while courses beyond the intermediate offer a broad overview of German (and Austrian and Swiss) cultural history, literature, business practices, and cinema. The academic program is augmented by extra-curricular activities that include weekly film viewings, German table lunches, peer tutoring, and the German Club. Students are also encouraged to study abroad. Norwich maintains a student exchange with campuses of the German military university, Die Universität der Bundeswehr, in Hamburg and Munich. Students may also study for a semester at CityLab, Norwich's own program in Berlin. Students who have completed more than one year of high school German, or the equivalent, must take the foreign language placement test before registering for their first Norwich course in German.
Goals:
Our program aims to provide students with a firm foundation in spoken and written German, an overview of German political, cultural and literary history, and firsthand knowledge of today's German-speaking world.
Outcomes:
Students who complete the minor in German are able to:
- Comprehend and produce a broad range of communicative structures in German, consistent with the Intermediate-Mid ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) rubrics.
- Recognize and understand literary, linguistic, and cultural texts and apply digital tools across different texts and contexts.
- Engage the German-speaking world with empathy and with understanding of human experience across languages and cultures.
German Minor Curriculum Map 2019-2020 Catalog
All courses require a grade of C or higher. The courses required to complete the minor depend on the German-language proficiency level of the incoming student. See tracks A and B below:
A. The following is the track to complete the minor for those who enter Norwich at or below the intermediate level:
| GR 205 | Intermediate German I | 3 |
| GR 206 | Intermediate German II | 3 |
| GR Elective (250 or above) | 3 | |
| GR Elective (321 or above) | 3 | |
| GR Elective (321 or above) | 3 | |
| GR Elective (321 or above) | 3 | |
| Total Cr. | 18 | |
B. Track B is to be completed by students who place above the Intermediate level:
| GR Elective (321 or above) | 3 | |
| GR Elective (321 or above) | 3 | |
| GR Elective (321 or above) | 3 | |
| GR Elective (321 or above) | 3 | |
| GR Elective (321 or above) | 3 | |
| GR Elective (321 or above) | 3 | |
| Total Cr. | 18 | |
Courses
GR 121 Beginning German I 4 Cr.
Students progress along the first steps towards acquiring basic languages skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing, with a focus on their use for several modes of communication, such as the interpersonal, the interpretive, and the informative, within the context of the cultures of the German-speaking world. For students with little or no previous exposure to German. 4 lecture hours. Pre-reqs: none.
GR 122 Beginning German II 4 Cr.
Students continue progress toward novice-high skill levels in speaking, listening, reading, and writing - and their use in several modes of communication: the interpersonal, the interpretive, and the informative - all within the context of the cultures of the German-speaking world. 4 lecture hours. Pre-req: GR 121 or the equivalent score on the Foreign Language Placement Test.
GR 150 Topics Course 3 Cr.
Specialized topics relating to culture, business practices, or language. Topic will be indicated in the schedule of classes. This is an introductory-level course. Course may be repeated for credit if the topic differs. Taught in German.
GR 150EN Topics Course in English 3 Cr.
Specialized topics relating to culture, literature, business practices, or language. Topic will be indicated in the schedule of classes. Taught in English. This course does not meet the Modern Language requirement.
GR 1XX German Transfer Elective 3 Cr.
This course is used for transfer when no equivalent Norwich course exists.
GR 205 Intermediate German I 3 Cr.
A sequence that provides aural-oral practice in German, in which students are enabled to enter into full discussion of topics that include abstract themes; review and expanded use of syntactical structures; intensive and extensive reading; and composition. Classroom: 3 hours, laboratory: 1 hour. Prerequisite: GR 122 or NU Placement test.
GR 206 Intermediate German II 3 Cr.
A sequence that provides aural-oral practice in German, in which students are enabled to enter into full discussion of topics that include abstract themes; review and expanded use of syntactical structures; intensive and extensive reading; and composition. Classroom 3 hours, laboratory 1 hour. Prerequisite: GR 205 or NU Placement test.
GR 250 Topics Course 3 Cr.
Specialized topics relating to culture, literature, business practices, or language. Topic will be indicated in the schedule of classes. Taught in German. Prerequisite: GR206 or permission of the instructor. Counts as Arts & Humanities elective. Course may be repeated for credit if the topic differs.
GR 250EN Topics Course in English 3 Cr.
Specialized topics relating to culture, literature, business practices, or language. Topic will be indicated in the schedule of classes. Taught in English. Topics in Literature count as a General Education Literature elective and have EN 102 as a prerequisite; others as a General Education Arts & Humanities elective. This course does not meet the Modern Language requirement.
GR 2XX Intermediate German Transfer Elective 3 Cr.
This course is used for transfer when no equivalent Norwich course exists.
GR 321 Survey of German Culture I: From the Beginnings to 1848 3 Cr.
Introduction to major currents in German social, political and cultural history from the time of the Roman Empire until the Revolution of 1848. Taught in German. Prerequisite: GR 206 or equivalent.
GR 322 Survey of German Lit I: From the Beginnings to 1848 3 Cr.
Introduction to major texts and literary figures from the Roman Era until the Revolution of 1848, including, among others, Tacitus, Charlemagne, the courtly poets, Luther, the literary Baroque, Lessing, Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, the brothers Grimm, Büchner and Heine. Taught in German. Prerequisite: GR 206 or equivalent.
GR 323 Survey of German Culture II: 1848 to 1945 3 Cr.
Introduction to major currents in German social, political, and cultural history from the evolution of 1848 through Bismarck and German unification to World War 1, the Weimar Republic, and the period of Fascism and the Holocaust. Taught in German. Prerequisite: GR 206 or equivalent.
GR 324 Survey of German Literature II: 1848 to 1945 3 Cr.
Introduction to major texts and literary figures from the first unification of Germany until the end of World War II, including Nietzsche, Hofmannsthal, Rilke, Thomas Mann, Kafka, Brecht, and others. Taught in German. Prerequisite: GR 206 or equivalent.
GR 325 Survey of German Culture III: 1945 to the Present 3 Cr.
Introduction to major currents in German social, political, and cultural history of the Germanies and Austria, post-war to post-wall: the period of Allied occupation followed by the economic miracle of the 1950s and 60s, radicalism and upheaval in the late 60s and 70s, and finally, the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, culminating in the uneasy co-existence between East and West that has prevailed since re-unification. Taught in German. Prerequisite: GR 206 or equivalent.
GR 326 Survey of German Literature III: 1945 to the Present 3 Cr.
Introduction to major texts and literary figures active since the end of World War II, including Borchert, Böll, Celan, Bachmann, Frisch, Dürrenmatt, Grass, Christa Wolf, Peter Schneider, Jurek Becker and others. Taught in German. Prerequisite: GR 206 or equivalent.
GR 350 Topics Course 3 Cr.
Specialized topics relating to culture, literature, business practices, or language. Topic will be indicated in the schedule of classes. Taught in German. Prerequisite: GR 206, GR 300; level, NU Foreign Placement Language test, or permission of the instructor. Topics in Literature count as General Education Literature elective; others as General Education Arts & Humanities elective. Course may be repeated for credit if the topic differs.
GR 350EN Topics Course in English 3 Cr.
Specialized topics relating to culture, literature, business practices, or language. Topic will be indicated in the schedule of classes. Taught in English. Topics in Literature count as a General Education Literature elective and have EN 102 as a prerequisite; others as a General Education Arts & Humanities elective. Course may be repeated for credit if the topic differs. This course does not meet the Modern Language requirement.
GR 3XX Advanced German Transfer Elective 3 Cr.
This course is used for transfer when no equivalent Norwich course exists.
GR 415 Seminar on a Topic in German Literature and Culture 3 Cr.
A study of a particular author, theme, genre, or literary movement, including cultural themes. Offered as occasion demands. Topic varies each year these courses are offered.
GR 421 Reading and Research in German Literature or Civilization 3 Cr.
A report on an approved project of original research in literature or civilization under the direction of a department member. Limited to students who have demonstrated aptitude for independent work. May be scheduled either or both semesters. Prerequisite: permission of the department chair.