Dr. Lawrence F. Glatz

Please read the content of this syllabus carefully. It contains most of the general information that you will need for this course.

Please also note that the Survey of German Literature I course is not a prerequisite for this course! The division of the literature survey into three semesters is necessary due to the amount of material involved.

The semester is broken into the topics and assignments that we will cover, but the exact pace is subject to change. You will find here information on the objectives of the course, required and recommended texts, student evaluation, attendance, examinations and links to various WWW resources.

To contact me outside of class or office hours, please make arrangements by phone or Email.

Please also review the policies of the Modern Languages Department at: http://www.mscd.edu/~mdl/about/policies.shtml .

The NC (No Credit) option is available online until the Monday after the 10th week of the semester. For Spring 2010, the last day for indicating an NC is April 5, 2010.

In order to contact all students individually and as a group, please check your MSCD Email account regularly!

Objectives of the Course

This course will introduce you to the exciting development of German literature from the Enlightenment through Expressionism. Students will gain an understanding of the major forces involved in the creation of important works of the German language in the last three centuries. The course provides an introduction to the principles of literary analysis and offers opportunities to apply them in discussions and meaningful presentations on works of short length or excerpts.

Students will demonstrate by their work by short presentations in German an ability to work on short texts in German. The course also offers the opportunity for improving reading, writing, speaking and individual presentation skills.

Specific, Measurable Student Behavioral Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course the student should be able to:


1.    Demonstrate level-appropriate language ability in German in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Use clear and correct vocabulary, idioms, and syntax.

2.    Use literary terminology and interpretative techniques to approach and analytically comment upon literary texts in German, both orally and in writing.

3.    Demonstrate comprehension of a literary text of moderate to advanced difficulty and mature content in German.

4.    Demonstrate the ability to use ancillary materials and tools in order to gain linguistic and content comprehension of various literary text examples in German.

5.    Demonstrate a level-appropriate acculturation to the historical development of German society via literary texts.

6.    Manifest the ability to comment upon the history, geography, social customs, and language differentials that contribute to the impact and meaning of an individual literary text.

7.    Demonstrate the ability to compare modern cultural norms to the historic phases of German culture studied through literature.

8.    Work effectively in a group to discuss and interpretively analyze literature in German.

9.    Use technology to interact with the learning community and to pursue increasingly profound comprehension of a literary text in German.

10.    Demonstrate the ability to read works of major authors of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries with greater ease.

Teaching Goals

I strive to:

Required Texts

Lecture Notes and Links, including all Texts in a Calendar and Films, are online:

Lecture Notes and Links: http://www.lawrenceglatz.com/germ3220/3220lecture.htm

Texts in a Calendar: http://www.lawrenceglatz.com/germ3220/germ3220cc2010.htm

Films: http://www.lawrenceglatz.com/germ3220/filme.htm

Student Evaluation

Students will have a final course grade based on the following work:

• 15% - Regular participation in class in discussions; reading of short Texts and online Lecture Notes (including viewing Films) for the discussions (Attendance is included here!)
• 15% - Posting of Discussion Questions and Comments of the required Texts in advance and after discussions
  • These discussion questions and comments will be shared in postings in the Course Wiki
• 20% - 2 @ 10% each - Referate (Oral Presentations) in German of 
• (a) one of the listed texts in the Calendar, and
• (b) an approved short Text found by the student (presented at the end of the semester)
• 6-8 minutes, plus questions and discussion
• 10% - 2 @ 5% each - 2-3 page written versions of the presentations in German (due before the Referat is presented in order to improve for presentation)
  • Format: 12 point, Times Roman font, double spaced, 20 lines per page as a Word .doc or .rtf, PLUS the Text as an appendix for the second Referat! 
  • Posting: an approved version will be shared in a posting in the Course Wiki and added to the Calendar texts
• 20% - 2 @ 10% each - 2 Midterm Examinations
• 10% - Final Examination (comprehensive, but more on the last third of the semester and the final Referate)
• 10% - Group Project in the Course Wiki on a topic involving 3 periods/movements and at least 3 authors (approval of topic required)

Attendance Policy

Attendance is a must! 

Attendance is very important owing to participation in the discussions and learning from the interaction.

Course Calendar

The Course Calendar is at the page: http://www.lawrenceglatz.com/germ3220/germ3220cc2010.htm