Bettina Matthias

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)

German Theatre Project (Half credit)
The German Theater Project offers German students across levels the opportunity to participate in the production of a full-length play in German. The course promotes immersive, project-based, collaborative learning in the target language and focuses on developing oral proficiency, diction, embodied textual analysis and interpretation, and presentational skills. Through 2 - 3 rehearsals weekly, memorization, and the public performance of the chosen play, participants will gain confidence in using German as their language of choice and interacting freely with speakers from various skill levels.(Half credit course)

Weimar Germany Revisited (in English)
In this course we will examine the brief but intense period of artistic creativity and political upheaval in Germany's first democracy, the Weimar Republic. Beginning with Germany's defeat in World War I, we will discuss the implications of the Versailles Treaty, the "stab-in-the-back" theory, and the growing political polarization leading to Hitler's rise to power. Contrasting this political decline with the period's increased cultural productivity, we will examine important movements like Expressionism, Dadaism, and New Objectivity in literature, the visual arts, theater, and film. Readings will include texts by Döblin, Th. Mann, Kracauer, Kästner, and Brecht. Reflecting on Weimar Germany's echo today, we will end the term with a critical evaluation of Netflix' hit show "Babylon Berlin." This course will be taught in English. This course is part of the Public Humanities Labs Initiative administered by the Axinn Center for the Humanities./

Fin-de-siècle Vienna
Major innovations in art, architecture, music, and literature occurred in Vienna at the turn of the century. Politically the Habsburg monarchy was, unknowingly, nearing its end. Despite contributions by Gustav Klimt, Otto Wagner, Arnold Schönberg, and Arthur Schnitzler, scholarship often viewed fin-de-siècle Vienna as a period of decline and decay in which art and literature were characteristically apolitical. In this course an introduction to the historical, political, and cultural events of the Habsburg monarchy serves as background information through which to examine Austria-Hungary’s literature, music, and arts around 1900. Readings will include texts by A. Schnitzler, R. Musil, H. v. Hofmannsthal, and P. Altenberg. (Formerly GRMN 0460). 3 hrs. sem.

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. (Formerly GRMN 0418)

Law and Justice in German Literature
This course focuses on the concepts of “Recht, Gerechtigkeit, Justiz” in German literature. A long literary tradition has seen authors inquire into the complex relationships between what is just and what is the law, and author-activists or judge-authors are frequent participants in public discourse about these issues. Discussion topics include the relationship between “Recht” and “Gerechtigkeit”, vigilante law, divine/ poetic justice, and the judicial system. Texts by F. Schiller, H. Kleist, G. Büchner, F. Kafka, A. Döblin, H. Böll, F. Dürrenmatt, Chr. Brückner, and F. von Schierach. (GRMN 0202, or instructor approval) 3 hrs. sem.

How Grim Are the Grimm Brothers? Rereading Fairy Tales
This course focuses on modern (re)readings of the Grimm brothers' fairy tales. Starting with a discussion of the brothers' lives and the cultural setting at the beginning of the nineteenth century, we concentrate on contemporary issues in these tales. Various approaches to literature allow us to create many spheres of interpretation. Historical, textual, psychological, and philosophical readings generate an array of possible meanings for modern audiences. (Formerly GRMN 0313) 3 hrs. sem.

Weimar Germany and Its Legacies
In this course we will examine 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 discuss 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 increased in cultural productivity, we will trace the artists' outcry for spiritual rebirth, examining the development of Expressionism, Dadaism, and New Objectivity in literature, visual arts, theater, and film. Readings will include texts by Döblin, Th. Mann, V. Baum, Kracauer, Kästner, Brecht, and Hans Fallada. Special project: preparation of an art exhibit in MCA opening in fall 2014. (Formerly GRMN 0403) 3 hrs. sem.

Open Topics Research Seminar
In this seminar students will develop and pursue a research project on a topic of their choice. After reading and discussing research methodology and building research strategies, students will formally present a research proposal to their peers and the department’s professors. The seminar will culminate in each student completing a research paper, translation, or creative project with theoretical underpinnings. Class discussions, presentations, and research papers will be in German. (One course above GRMN300 or by waiver)

Elementary Diction, Culture and Acting for the German Stage

The performance component carries one unit of credit and includes one hour of formal instruction every day (diction, cultural history, acting for the German stage), weekly private coaching; one public recital; one public performance of the summer's opera project; and an intensive audition training workshop at the end of the program. Repertoire will include German Lieder, oratorio, and operatic arias for the recital. Students are expected to arrive with a minimum of three songs or arias memorized; additional assignments and work focused on the opera production will be announced during the summer. The following course numbers are only different because they correspond with the language level each student is enrolled in, but all students in the following courses are in the same group, taking the same performance classes, and participating in the same projects and workshops.

Early intermediate Diction, Culture and Acting for the German Stage

The performance component carries one unit of credit and includes one hour of formal instruction every day (diction, cultural history, acting for the German stage), weekly private coaching; one public recital; one public performance of the summer's opera project; and an intensive audition training workshop at the end of the program. Repertoire will include German Lieder, oratorio, and operatic arias for the recital. Students are expected to arrive with a minimum of three songs or arias memorized; additional assignments and work focused on the opera production will be announced during the summer. The following course numbers are only different because they correspond with the language level each student is enrolled in, but all students in the following courses are in the same group, taking the same performance classes, and participating in the same projects and workshops.

Required texts:
Texts will be available for purchase at the College Bookstore after all placement testing has been completed.

In this class, students will get a first survey of periods in German literature and be introduced to some of their most important voices and shorter works. Engaging with texts from a variety of genres, students will learn about movements in German literature through time and about synchronicities and asynchronicities of discourses and aesthetics. A special emphasis will be placed on the interplay between the history of German-speaking countries and literary production.

Intermediate Diction, Culture and Acting for the German Stage

The performance component carries one unit of credit and includes one hour of formal instruction every day (diction, cultural history, acting for the German stage), weekly private coaching; one public recital; one public performance of the summer's opera project; and an intensive audition training workshop at the end of the program. Repertoire will include German Lieder, oratorio, and operatic arias for the recital. Students are expected to arrive with a minimum of three songs or arias memorized; additional assignments and work focused on the opera production will be announced during the summer. The following course numbers are only different because they correspond with the language level each student is enrolled in, but all students in the following courses are in the same group, taking the same performance classes, and participating in the same projects and workshops.

Required texts:
Texts will be available for purchase at the College Bookstore after all placement testing has been completed.

Advanced Diction, Culture and Acting for the German Stage I

The performance component carries one unit of credit and includes one hours of formal instruction every day (diction, cultural history, acting for the German stage), weekly private coachings; one public recital; one public performance of the summer's opera project; and an intensive audition training workshop at the end of the program. Repertoire will include German Lieder, oratorio, and operatic arias for the recital. Students are expected to arrive with a minimum of three songs or arias memorized; additional assignments and work focused on the opera production will be announced during the summer. The following course numbers are only different because they correspond with the language level each student is enrolled in, but all students in the following courses are in the same group, taking the same performance classes, and participating in the same projects and workshops.

Required texts:
Texts will be available for purchase at the College Bookstore after all placement testing has been completed.

Advanced Diction, Culture and Acting for the German Stage II

The performance component carries one unit of credit and includes one hours of formal instruction every day (diction, cultural history, acting for the German stage), weekly private coachings; one public recital; one public performance of the summer's opera project; and an intensive audition training workshop at the end of the program. Repertoire will include German Lieder, oratorio, and operatic arias for the recital. Students are expected to arrive with a minimum of three songs or arias memorized; additional assignments and work focused on the opera production will be announced during the summer. The following course numbers are only different because they correspond with the language level each student is enrolled in, but all students in the following courses are in the same group, taking the same performance classes, and participating in the same projects and workshops.

Required texts:
Texts will be available for purchase at the College Bookstore after all placement testing has been completed.