Bettina Matthias
Director, German for Singers and Vocal Coaches
Chair of the German Department, Middlebury CollegeBettina Matthias(Ph.D., University of Washington)
is Professor of German and Chair of the German Department at Middlebury College. She has been the director for “German for Singers and Vocal Coaches” since 2010, a program in which she has taught beginning German and classes on German cultural history since the year 2000. The author of numerous presentations about and a special textbook for German for Musicians, Ms Matthias is also active as an accompanist and has collaborated with singers in recitals in the Northeast and in Paris (France).
As the founder and director of Middlebury’s German Theater Group, Ms. Matthias has directed over two dozen German plays. In 2009, she also received her certification as “Spielleiter szenische Darstellung von Musik” from the Staatsoper unter den Linden, Berlin.
Ms Matthias’ scholarly focuses on early twentieth century Austrian and German works, most notably on Arthur Schnitzler, Stefan Zweig, and Thomas Mann and the literary hotel in the early 20th century. Her current research explores the literary libretto from the early 20th century.
Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
GRMN 3105 - Elementary German for Singers ▹
Daily activities include 3 hours of classroom instruction, plus additional work in the language laboratory and the computer center. Emphasis will be placed on the grammatical structures of German, conversational survival skills, diction, and pronunciation, as well as music vocabulary.
Required texts: )DiDonato, Clyde & Vansant: Deutsch, Na Klar! 5th edition (McGraw-Hill) with lab book and workbook; Recommended text: Barber, German for Musicians (Indiana University Press); Additional materials will be available.
Summer 2008, Summer 2009, Summer 2010, Summer 2011, Summer 2012
GRMN 3106 - Elementary German for Singers ▹
Daily activities include 3 hours of classroom instruction, plus additional work in the language laboratory and the computer center. Emphasis will be placed on the grammatical structures of German, conversational survival skills, diction, and pronunciation, as well as music vocabulary.
Required texts: )DiDonato, Clyde & Vansant: Deutsch, Na Klar! 5th edition (McGraw-Hill) with lab book and workbook; Recommended text: Barber, German for Musicians (Indiana University Press); Additional materials will be available.
Summer 2008, Summer 2009, Summer 2010, Summer 2011, Summer 2012
FYSE 1099 - Cultural History of the Piano ▹
Piano, Piano: The Cultural History of the Piano
Why do so many people have a piano in their living room? In this seminar we will try to answer this question by exploring the cultural history of the piano. As we study the piano’s special place in our (musical) culture, we will learn about the technical as well as social aspects of this instrument’s developments over the past 300 years. We will hear virtuosos like Franz Liszt and Keith Jarrett, study milestones of the pianistic repertoire, and discuss representations of this instrument and its artists in literature, the arts, and film.
Fall 2010, Fall 2012
GRMN 0101 - Beginning German
Beginning German
Geared toward quick and early proficiency in comprehension and free expression. Grammatical structures are practiced through group activities and situational exercises (e.g., role-playing games and partner interviews). Active class participation by students is required and will be counted toward the final grade. Since this is an integrated approach, there will be laboratory assignments but no special drill sections. Classes meet five times a week. Students take GRMN 0102 as their winter term course. 5 hrs. lect.
Fall 2010, Fall 2011
GRMN 0102 - Beginning German Continued
Beginning German Continued
This course is the intensive continuation of GRMN 0101 which will further the development of your language skills in an immersion-like environment, and will include bi-weekly cultural readings in English. Classes meet for two hours each morning, then lunch at the language tables, in addition to afternoon and evening activities (e.g. film screenings). Completion of this course is a prerequisite to enrollment in GRMN 0103. (GRMN 0101 or equivalent)
Winter 2012
GRMN 0111 - Accelerated Beginning German ▲
Accelerated Beginning German
This class is aimed at students who wish to begin the study of German on the fast lane. In one semester, we will cover a year's material, the equivalent of GRMN 0101, 0102, and 0103. We will develop all four skills in an intensive, immersion-style environment, allowing students to continue German in the regular second-year classes in the fall. Classes meet five times per week, including two 75-minute meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and an additional drill session. Students are expected to fully participate in all departmental activities. No prerequisites. 6 hr lect./disc./1 hr. drill
Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012
GRMN 0304 - Advanced Writing Workshop
Advanced Writing Workshop
With its emphasis on grammatical structures, this course is designed to develop students' writing skills, bridging the 0200-level courses and the advanced 0300 and 0400 levels. From initial sentences and short paragraphs to a final term paper the course tries to assist individual students with their specific problems with German compositions. In addition to frequent written assignments, students also read excerpts from several German papers and magazines in order to familiarize themselves with a variety of narrative styles.3 hrs. lect.
Fall 2009
GRMN 0338 - German Comedy
German Comedy
Even though the German literatures abound with comedies, humor is rarely mentioned as a German trait. In this course we will challenge the notion of “humor” as a universal, and examine the general ramifications that frame the comical as a cultural phenomenon. Drawing on theoretical texts such as Freud’s Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious (1905), we will discuss the German sense of humor and its manifestations in everyday life as well as in literary representations. Readings include texts by G. E. Lessing, F. v. Kleist, H. v. Hofmannsthal, and P. Süskind.
Spring 2011
GRMN 0403 - Weimar Germany & Its Legacies
Weimar Germany and Its Legacies
This course examines the brief and intense period of artistic creativity and political upheaval in Germany's first democracy, the Weimar Republic. Beginning with Germany's humiliating defeat in World War I, we will cover the implications of the Versailles Treaty, the Dolchstoß (stab-in-the-back) theory, the stillborn revolution of 1918-1919, and the growing political polarization and apathy leading to Hitler's rise to power. Contrasting the political decline with the increase in cultural productivity, we will discuss the artists' outcry for spiritual rebirth, examining the development of Expressionism, Dadaism, and New Objectivity in literature, visual arts, theater, and film. Readings include texts by Lasker-Schüler, Toller, Fallada, Kafka, Brecht, and Thomas Mann.
Fall 2011
GRMN 0412 - The Berlin Wall Then and Now
The Berlin Wall: Then and Now
From 1961 to 1989 the Berlin Wall was a physical reminder of the ideological divide separating East and West Germany. We will examine the wall's inception, its history, and the role it played in the political, cultural, and literary landscapes of divided Germany. We will also investigate the evidence of a persistent "inner wall" that continues to separate East and West Germans after political reunification. Our texts will interrogate the perspectives of both East and West and will include journalistic accounts, speeches, films and documentaries, and fiction from writers such as Christa Wolf and Peter Schneider.
Fall 2009
GRMN 0418 - German Theatre in Action
German Theatre in Action
In this course, students will prepare and stage a full production of a German play. After five weeks of seminar-style academic discussions of this work in context (the genre, the author, the topic, the time) and aspects of theatrical performance (theory), the class will prepare the show for the last week of the semester (two rehearsals/ week). Students will make informed staging decisions as a group and come to understand performance as a powerful mediator in the never-ending process of negotiating literary meaning. (At least two 0300+-level courses or by waiver) 3 hrs. lect/disc.
Spring 2010
GRMN 0460 - Fin-de-siecle Vienna ▲
Memory Matters: National Identity in Contemporary Germany and Italy
In the course we will explore the crucial role of memory in the formation of national identity, and focus on the troubled remembrance of the Nazi period in Germany and the Fascist period in Italy. Using primary sources in their original language, students will study the ways in which the memory of this difficult past decisively informs contemporary national identity. Topics will include commemorative sites, national symbols, autobiographical memory, traumatic memory, and trans-generational memory. Classes will alternate between a plenary English session and discussions in either German or Italian. (Formerly GRMN 0481) 3 hrs. sem./disc.
Spring 2012
GRMN 0500 - Independent Study ▲ ▹
Independent Study
(Approval only)
Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013
GRMN 0700 - Senior Research ▲ ▹
Honors Project
(Approval only)
Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013
INTL 0702 - EUS Senior Thesis
European Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Winter 2011, Winter 2012
