GERMAN 350
(ENGLISH
317)
German
Short Story:
A survey of the German
short story (Deutsche Novelle) from the 18th century to the present.
Department of Modern
Languages and Intercultural Studies
Fall 2007
Tuesday and Thursday 2:00 –
3:15, CH 106
*Taught in English. Meets General Education course 1A
Instructor:
Frau
Klaudia Thompson
331
Holloway Hall
(410)
543-6522
Office
Hours: and by
appointment only
Text:
German
Stories: Deutsche Novellen by Harry Steinhauer - latest edition
Purpose:
This
course is designed to introduce the student to examples of the German novella
from the time it first became a significant German literary genre to the
present. This latecomer to the German
literary tradition is a form in which the Germans have achieved special
distinction. In this course we will
introduce the student to examples of this genre by reading novellas of a
representative group of writers from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe to Wolfgang
Borchert. All work will be done in
English; German minors must write their papers in German.
Objectives:
1. To
expose the American student to works of another culture and other countries
(Germany, Austria, Switzerland).
2. To
help the student put these works into a historical perspective by making the
student aware of some broad historical, political and social trends of the
times during which each was written.
This course does not intend to be a history course but recognizing that
art and literature do not occur in a vacuum, it is designed to present general,
political, historical, social, and artistic trends that might have influenced
each writer.
3. To help the student become aware of certain stylistic
techniques used in each of these selections such as the development of
character, narrative perspectives, metaphorical language, and irony.
Performance Objectives:
At
the end of this course the student will be able to:
1. Discuss in detail the major themes
present in each of the works presented;
2. Be
able to discuss each work in its historical and cultural perspective;
3. Provide
examples of certain literary techniques used in each work read.
Class
Procedure:
Please be aware that this is a Discussion and Lecture course.
Historical background and presentation of artistic trends and stylistic
techniques will be given in LECTURE form. Students will be expected to take notes on this material as it will be included in the material on the written
tests. Study questions will be
provided to help students in their group discussions of the stories. These questions will also be represented on
the written exams.
Perhaps it would be best if you purchased two
notebooks, one for your journals and the other for your own lecture notes.
Note: Cell phones, i-Pods and the like will
not be permitted in this classroom.
Assigned Work and Grading
Grades
will be based on the following:
1. 2/5
Journal In keeping up with the
University’s Writing Across the Curriculum policy each student is
expected to keep a journal in which, after reading the assigned story (outside
of class), 3 questions about the story OR 3 quotes from the story are jotted down. These questions or quotes will serve as the
springboard for class discussion. Then
each question or quote must be answered or explained in paragraph
form. This paragraph should reflect the
student’s greater understanding of the text.
It should be a discussion that draws upon the historical and cultural
information that was presented in class prior to the reading of the assigned
novelle as well as any information given about the author’s personal life or
literary objectives and style. Following
a class discussion of the short story students are then expected to write a
short summary of the work as presented in class including his/her individual
insights. Please follow the following
format:
Title
of Novelle by
1a) Quote or question
1b) Paragraph discussion of above
2a) Quote or question
2b) Paragraph discussion of above
3a) Quote or question
3b) Paragraph discussion of above
This should be a brief retelling of the story in your own words.
Journals will be graded and
collected as indicated. Journal grades
will be based on content and mechanics (80%) and (20%) on your discussion of each
story and will drop in value each day that they are late. Journals will be collected twice during the
semester.
As stated, factored into
your journal grade will be your class discussion grade. Students are expected to participate in
class discussion since
their class participation grade will be based on their intelligent comments and
observations made in regard
to the story. Study questions will be
provided to help students prepare in
advance for these
discussions.
2. 2/5
Exams Two exams will be given: a
mid-term and a final.
3. 1/5 Paper The paper is to be typed, 5-8 pages long, double spaced with
proper
documentation. Use a style guide. The library has several on reserve. If you have never written a research paper or
are unsure of how to write one the
University now has a writing center to help you. It is known as the
center can help you not only
with the mechanics of your paper but also especially with the proper way to
document a source. Plagiarism is a
serious
matter and can result in being expelled from the University.
Each student will write a term paper choosing
his / her own topic after discussion
with and approval of the instructor. One
might choose some aspect of German culture (i.e., art, music, manners, social
behavior) or history that comes from the time frame of a given novella. A student might also discuss the literary
development of an additional work by one of the authors we have read. Flexibility will be allowed in choosing a
topic due to the limited number of original materials in German
or on German literature at Blackwell Library. German minors are encouraged to
take the option of reading an additional work by one of the authors in
German as their paper topic. These
works will be furnished by the instructor from her own collection. Otherwise they must use at least one German
source (most likely from Inter-library loan from the UMS system) in the
development of their paper. Topics will
be selected in conference with the instructor by mid-term. Papers will be due the 11th week of
class. All papers must be submitted
electronically to “ Turnitin” as well as to me in paper form. If you use a properly cited internet source
you must also submit a copy of that entire source on which you have highlighted
the
quote or paraphrase you have
used in your paper. You must use at
least three legitimate sources in your paper (more are better). Footnotes or endnotes
and a proper
bibliography must be included.
Paper grades will be:
80% content
10%
style
5% organization
5% mechanics
**Late papers will lose one letter grade each day
that they are late. Final drafts of
papers will not be returned, so if you wish to have a copy for yourself, you
must xerox it before you turn it in.
***Note: If you use the internet for your source
materials, you must furnish a copy of the entire document with your
paper. This must be furnished for each
internet quote you use.
**** Additional information on how to use “Turnitin”
will be provided in a few weeks.
There
will be approx. 500 possible points in this course
Course
grades will be based on the following percentage scale:
100%-90%
= A, 89%-80% = B, 79%-70% =C, 69%-60% = D, 59% = F
Absences:
Students
are permitted no more than 3 excused absences.
After 4 absences, the best possible course grade will be a B,
after 6 absences a C and so on.
TENTATIVE WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Week
1 Introductory comments
Discussion of literary
terms used in course
Week
2 The Attorney,
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Week
3 An Unexpected
Week
4 The Earthquake in
Chile, Heinrich von Kleist
Week
5 Don Juan, E. T.
A. Hoffman
Week
6 Rock Crystal,
Adalbert Stifter
Week
7 The Little Legend of
the Dance, Goltfried Keller
Week
8 Review/Journals due
A Woman in My Years, Theodor Fontane
Week
9 The Blind Geronimo
and His Brother, Author Schnitzler
Week
10 A Difficult Hour,
Thomas Mann
Week
11 Before the Law, The
Knock at the Manor Gate, Franz Kafka
PAPER DUE
Week
12 The Railway Station
of Zimpren, Heinrich Böll
Week
13 The Three Dark Kings
, Wolfgang Borchert - on reserve
Week
14 Review materials and
mid-term/Journals due
Week
15 FINAL
EXAM