No prerequisites. All readings and course discussions are in English.
Medicine is not just a science, but an art. In particular, the art of narrative has played a prominent role in both the production of medical knowledge, such as in the doctor’s case report, and in the ways patients convey their own sense and experience of illness. Even language itself has sometimes been the symptom of illness, and sometimes the means of cure. This course will explore narratives of illness, medical care, and deviance in German literature, with a few forays into writing from the Americas. Through encounters with a selection of novellas and short stories from the 19th through the 20th centuries, we will explore the ways in which authors have drawn from their medical experiences to produce novel forms of writing. We will pay particular attention to the role of the surreal, the uncanny, and the disorienting as thematic and textual strategies in the navigation of the complexities of medical care. We will question how narratives can both construct and subvert pathologized subjects, as well as develop our skills as critical readers of texts which challenge scientific and literary genres.
CALL NUMBER: 14251
SPRING 2025
WE 2:10PM - 4:00PM
READINGS IN JEWISH LITERATURE: THE
BOOK OF GENESIS
As an onset of an ongoing investigation into the history and development of Jewish literature, we will focus on its very beginnings, as culturally understood – the Book of Genesis – and read it in light of millennia of Jewish literary commentary as lenses through which to examine currents, traditions, and trajectories of Jewish literary interpretation and history. By focusing on several distinct episodes and then tracking those episodes’ reception in the light of differing moments of interpretation, we will try to gain a sense of this seminal work’s changing role in Jewish history and culture.
Familiarity with Biblical and rabbinic Hebrew not absolutely required, but strongly recommended.
CALL NUMBER: 17221
SPRING 2025 TU 2:10PM - 4:00PM
CREDITS: 3
PROF. DAUBER, JEREMY
BERLIN/ISTANBUL: MIGRATION, CULTURE, VALUES
Course Description:
This is an intensive seminar analyzing questions of migration, identity, (self-)representation, and values with regard to the Turkish minority living in Germany today. Starting with a historical description of the “guest worker” program that brought hundreds of thousands of Turkish nationals to Germany in the 1960s and 1970s, the course focuses on the experiences and cultural production of the second and third generations of Turkish Germans, whose presence has profoundly transformed German society and culture. Primary materials include autobiographies, legal and historical documents, poetry, novels, theater plays, and films. In German.
SPRING 2025
M 10:10-12:00PM
CREDITS: 3
PROF. MARK ANDERSON
ADVANCED TOPICS IN GERMAN LITERATURE (IN GERMAN)
Topic: „Verteufelt human“: Menschlichkeit und Humanität in Philosophie und Literatur
The Advanced Topics Class will focus on a dialogue between philosophy and literature in order to study the negotiation of the concepts of “Menschlichkeit” and “Humanität.” Readings will focus on philosophical and critical texts by Theodor Adorno, Hannah Arendt, Walter Benjamin, Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Nietzsche. They will include the critique of the concepts of “humane behavior” and “Menschlichkeit” in the form of aphorisms and adages, as well as their articulation in distinct ethical practices related to forms of tolerance, hospitality and solidarity, prevalent in the two central plays for this course by G.E. Lessing and J.W. Goethe: Nathan der Weise and Iphigenie auf Tauris.
“Advanced Topics in German Literature” is open to seniors and other advanced undergraduate students who have taken Intro to German Literature (GERM 3333) or an equivalent class. The seminar provides students the opportunity to closely examine a topic from a variety of perspectives and theoretical approaches. Readings and discussion in German. The course is repeatable for credit.
SPRING 2025
T 12:10-2:00:PM
CREDITS: 3
CALL NUMBER:13109
PROF. DOROTHEA VON MÜCKE
POP CULTURES: THE ART OF THE ORDINARY
Explores facets of modern Pop Culture by discussing historical developments, international range, literary and audiovisual representation of an aesthetics of the ordinary in the 20th/21st centuries. Emphasis on questions of public appreciation, pleasure, taste, consumption, and impact in examinations of prose, poetry, film, music, and the arts. Course taught in German.
SPRING 2025
CREDITS: 3
T , TH 10:10-11:25:PM PROF. ERK GRIMM
WALTER BENJAMIN
(IN ENGLISH)
In 1936, the exiled German-Jewish thinker Walter Benjamin wrote, “A generation that had gone to school on a horse-drawn streetcar now stood under the open sky in a countryside in which nothing remained unchanged but the clouds, and beneath these clouds, in a field of force of destructive torrents and explosions, was the tiny, fragile human body.”
Few thinkers or writers have as poignantly articulated how human experience is formed by crisis. Early in his career, he conceptualized a sudden departure from 19th-century modes of experience—a departure brought on by World War I and other developments in early 20th century European history. Between philosophy and history, Benjamin charted a course toward a new mode of experience in the midst of a growing social and political crisis.
Benjamin’s methodology was critique, a specifically historical way of analyzing transformative events and experiences. We will read the texts in which Benjamin tests out formative, critical experiences such as a child’s perception of color, fate and character, the violence of the law, mourning, memory, new media such as film and radio, and his writings on authors such as Baudelaire, Proust, Brecht, and Kafka.
Our reading will proceed roughly chronologically, as Benjamin’s attention shifted from theorizing experience to reflecting on Marxism, Nazism, and other political and social trends. Given Benjamin’s important contributions to a vast number of fields, we will be reading texts in political theory, literary theory, art history, film, and media studies.
R 2:10PM-4:00PM
AESTHETICS AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY (IN ENGLISH)
(IN ENGLISH)
This course offers an introduction to intellectual history by focusing on key texts from the 18th- and 19th century concerned with the philosophy of art and the philosophy of history. We will read Winckelmann’s manifesto “On the Imitation of the Greeks,” Lessing’s Laocoon, Herder’s essays on sculpture as well as his philosophy of language, Kant’s discussion of the beautiful, the sublime, genius and sensus communis in his Critique of the Power of Judgment, the introduction to Hegel’s philosophy of history and Nietzsche’s On the Advantage and Disadvantage of History for Life.
WRITING OF MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES IN GERMANY. POLITICS, AESTHETICS, INTERVENTIONS
For the first time since the Second World War, the far right wins a regional election in Germany. All comes together with a rising number of Nazi attacks and pogroms, documented cases of police violence and racial profiling, political parties promoting the idea of a Fortress Europe, and more restrictions being imposed on asylum and migration, even by liberal political parties.
Taking this as a point of departure, the course investigates postmillennial literature by Black authors and authors of color in Germany. The course will focus on the entanglement of politics and aesthetics, as well as the emergence of new forms and narrative techniques as an intervention in contemporary Germany literature, with stories and plots becoming almost a prophecy of the political reality. We will also closely investigate how BPoCauthors write into and reshape German memory culture that is usually thought of as belonging to white majority society. How do racist killings infiltrate plots and change narrative structures? How is German collective remembrance being (re)shaped with stories by marginalized authors on the Holocaust, the history of German colonialism and other genocides? How is Europe being represented? Where does it end? What transnational alliances, networks, and solidarities are made im/possible? These are some of the many questions the course aims to tackle. The course is taught in English. All readings are available in German and English.
SPRING 2025
WE 12:10PM - 2:00PM
CREDITS: 4
DR. MAHA EL HISSY
RUMOR AND MEDIA: TECHNOLOGIES, CIRCULATIONS, CREDENCE
We are living in an anxious moment where social media and AI have led to the proliferation of rumors and misinformation. But this is not new. At various historical junctures, the emergence of new media technologies has increased the circulation of rumor and the credence gained by unreliable or patently false information. This class will explore rumor, hearsay, disinformation, propaganda, and their interrelations to specific media formats and technologies. Topics include: "hearsay," glory, and the oral tradition in Homer's "Odyssey;" Gutenberg's printing press and AntiCatholic pamphlets; the rotary printing press and mid-nineteenthcentury fake news; radio panic and the "War of the Worlds;" antivaccine rumors; QAnon and other conspiracy theories; social media; deep fakes and AI.
SPRING 2025
WE 10 AM -12 PM
CREDITS: 3 PROF. STEFAN ANDRIOPOULOS
LEARNED WOMEN FROM THE LOW COUNTRIES (AND BEYOND)
This weekly seminar course explores women’s historical involvement in the learned and literary world of Early Modern Europe. We will study contemporary debates on women’s intellectual capacities and their contributions to the intellectual field, with a specific focus on the Low Countries, as this course is organized as part of the Queen Wilhelmina Visiting Professorship of Dutch Studies.
SPRING 2025 TH 12:10PM - 2:00PM
CREDITS: 3
DR. LIEKE VAN DEINSEN
Language Courses
ELEMENTARY GERMAN I
Prerequisites: No prior German.
German 1101 is a communicative language course for beginners, taught in German, in which students develop the four skills -listening, speaking, reading, and writing- and a basic understanding of German-speaking cultures. Emphasis is placed on acquiring the four language skills within a cultural context. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to understand, speak, read, and write German at a level enabling them to communicate with native speakers and provide basic information about their background, family, daily activities, student life, work, and living quarters. Completion of daily assignments, which align with class content, and consistent work are necessary in order to achieve basic communicative proficiency. If you have prior German, the placement exam is required.
SECTION CALL NUMBER
INSTRUCTOR 001 002 003 004 DAY,TIME, LOCATION, 13517 13518 13520 13522 TU TH 6:10PM - 8:00PM MO WE TH 1:10PM - 2:25PM MO TU TH 11:40AM - 12:55PM TU TH FR 10:10AM - 11:25AM
BLANKFIELD, ISABEL (IMB2142)
FRAENKEL, ETHAN (EGF2125)
SCHMIERS-HELLER, JUTTA (JS2331)
NA, YOUNG (YN2397)
ELEMENTARY GERMAN II
Prerequisites: GERM UN1101 or the equivalent. If you have prior German outside of Columbia’s language sequence, the placement exam is required.
German 1102 is the continuation of Elementary German I (1101). It is a four-skill language course taught in German, in which students continue to develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in German and an understanding of German-speaking cultures. Emphasis is placed on acquiring the four language skills-listening, speaking, reading and writing--within a cultural context. Students expand their communication skills to include travel, storytelling, personal well- being, basic economics, recent historical events, and working with movie segments. Completion of daily assignments, which align with class content, and consistent work are necessary in order to achieve basic communicative proficiency.
SECTION CALL NUMBER
001 002 003 004 DAY,TIME, LOCATION, 13524 13525 13526 13527 MO TU TH 4:10PM - 5:25PM MO TU TH 2:40PM - 3:55PM MO WE TH 11:40AM - 12:55PM MO WE TH 10:10AM - 11:25AM
005 13528 TU TH 6:10PM - 8:00PM
INSTRUCTOR
SONG, XUXU (XS2551)
SONG, XUXU (XS2551)
VAIDEAN, SIMONA (SCV16)
VAIDEAN, SIMONA (SCV16)
WALKER WOOD, ROMNEY (RJW2159)
INTERMEDIATE GERMAN I
Prerequisites: GERM UN2101 or the equivalent. If you have prior German outside of Columbia’s language sequence, the placement exam is required.
Intermediate German UN2102 is conducted entirely in German and emphasizes the four basic language skills, cultural awareness, and critical thinking. A wide range of topics (from politics and poetry to art) as well as authentic materials (texts, film, art, etc.) are used to improve the 4 skill. Practice in conversation aims at enlarging the vocabulary necessary for daily communication. Grammar is practiced in the context of the topics. Learning and evaluation are individualized (individual vocabulary lists, essays, oral presentations, final portfolio) and project-based (group work and final group project).
SECTION CALL NUMBER
INSTRUCTOR 001 002 DAY,TIME, LOCATION, 13529 13530 MO WE TH 2:40PM - 3:55PM MO TU TH 11:40AM - 12:55PM
SONG, XUXU (XS2551) VAIDEAN, SIMONA (SCV16)
ADVANCED CONVERSATION AND COMPOSITION
TONGUES IN CRISIS: MOTHER TONGUE POLITICS IN THE GERMANOPHONE WORLD
This course explores the idea of “mother tongue” (Muttersprache) in the German-speaking world. "Beginning with the Grimm brothers' attempts to standardize the German language and extending to the racialization of language in Nazi Germany, we will investigate the connections between language, nationalism, and identity through various materials, including literature, film, and news. " We'll also study how contemporary authors and directors, such as Meral Kureyshi and Züli Aladağ, address the notion of language in their work. In the final weeks of the course, we will focus on journalistic and social media sources that address contemporary AfD politics, with assignments involving reflections on students’ own linguistic experiences.
13515
SPRING 2025
MO WE 10:10AM - 11:25AM
CREDITS: 2 KAHVECI, VAROL
Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Tower of Babel, 1563. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
INTERMEDIATE CONVERSATION
Prerequisite: Completion of 1102 or equivalent. If you have prior German outside of Columbia's language sequence, the placement exam is required.
Desire to speak lots of German! Students in Intermediate Conversation should have completed the equivalent of two semester of college German or placed at the Intermediate level at Columbia. This conversation group is designed for students are either taking Intermediate German I or II and would like additional practice or who take only this class because they wish to maintain their spoken German.
The course is designed to improve your ability to speak and understand and manage German in everyday situations; to provide opportunities to participate in conversational situations on any topics you are interested in; to strengthen and acquire skills to understand German spoken at normal conversational speed; to expand active and passive vocabularies speaking skills; and to maintain a certain level of written German through short written activities. This is a 2-point course and does not count towards the language requirement.
SPRING 2025 TU TH 10:10AM - 11:25AM
ELEMENTARY DUTCH II
Fundamentals of grammar, reading, speaking, and comprehension of the spoken language. During the spring term supplementary reading is selected according to students needs.
SECTION CALL NUMBER
INSTRUCTOR 001 002 DAY,TIME, LOCATION, 11390 11391 MO WE 4:10PM - 6:00PM TU TH 6:10PM - 8:00PM
DE WITTE, BEN DE WITTE (BD2741) DE GROOT, WIJNIE (WED23)
INTERMEDIATE DUTCH II
Prerequisites: DTCH UN1101-UN1102 or the equivalent. Continued practice in the four skills (aural comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing); review and refinement of basic grammar; vocabulary building. Readings in Dutch literature.
SECTION CALL NUMBER
INSTRUCTOR 001 DAY,TIME, LOCATION, 11392
TU TH 4:10PM - 6:00PM
DE GROOT, WIJNIE (WED23)
ADVANCED DUTCH II
Prerequisites: DTCH UN1101-UN1102 or the equivalent.
Continued practice in the four skills (aural comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing); review and refinement of basic grammar; vocabulary building. Readings in Dutch literature.
SECTION CALL NUMBER
INSTRUCTOR 001 DAY,TIME, LOCATION, 11394
TU TH 1:15PM - 2:30PM
SPRING 2025
CREDITS: 3
DE GROOT, WIJNIE (WED23)
SPECIAL
READING COURSE: 17TH CENTURY TEXTS
In this course, we will read and translate various Dutch printed texts from the 17th century, including a few handwritten texts (paleography). Emphasis will be on reading strategies. Permission for registration is required from the instructor.
Semper Augustus Tulip
CALL NUMBER: 11395
ELEMENTARY FINNISH II
Fundamentals of grammar and lexicon. Building proficiency in aural comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing. Linguistic structures in the cultural context.
SECTION CALL NUMBER
INSTRUCTOR 001 DAY,TIME, LOCATION, 14086 MO WE 4:10PM - 6:00PM
SIRVIOE, HELI (HS3026)
SPRING 2025
CREDITS: 4
ELEMENTARY SWEDISH II
This course is a continuation of the introductory Swedish 101 course. It will introduce you to the Swedish language as it is used in Sweden today. You will also learn about aspects of contemporary Swedish culture, main events and figures in Swedens history, and Swedish traditions. Upon the completion of the course, students who have attended class regularly, have submitted all assignments and taken all tests and quizzes should be able to: talk about themselves, families, interests, likes and dislikes, daily activities, education, professional interests and future plans in some detail; understand and participate in a simple conversation on everyday topics such as educational choices, subjects, plans for the weekend and the holidays, places to live, transportation, etc read and fully comprehend edited texts on familiar topics understand the main ideas and identify the underlying themes in original texts such as literary fiction, film, and newspaper articles write short essays on a familiar topic using the relevant vocabulary understand and utilize the information in a variety of authentic texts (e.g. menus, signs, train schedules, websites) carry out simple linguistic tasks that require speaking on the phone (e.g. setting up an appointment, asking questions about an announcement, talking to a friend) fill in forms requesting information, write letters, e-mails, notes, post cards, or messages providing simple information; provide basic information about Sweden including: Swedens geography, its political system and political parties, educational system, etc. discuss and debate familiar topics recognize significant figures from Swedens history and literary history use and understand basic vocabulary related to important aspects of contemporary Swedish culture and Swedish traditions and contemporary lifestyles in Sweden. pronounce Swedish well enough and produce Swedish with enough grammatical accuracy to be comprehensible to a Swedish speaker with experience in speaking with non-natives. Methodology The class will be taught in a communicative way. It will be conducted primarily, but not exclusively in Swedish. In-class activities and homework assignments will focus on developing speaking, reading, writing, listening skills and a basic understanding of Swedish culture through interaction. Authentic materials will be used whenever possible.
SECTION CALL NUMBER INSTRUCTOR
001
DAY,TIME, LOCATION, 14084
MO WE 10:10AM - 12:00PM
SIRVIOE, HELI (HS3026)
ELEMENTARY YIDDISH II
This course offers an introduction to the language that has been spoken by the Ashkenazi Jews for more than a millennium, and an opportunity to discover a fabulous world of Yiddish literature, language and culture in a fun way. Using games, new media, and music, we will learn how to speak, read, listen and write in a language that is considered one of the richest languages in the world (in some aspects of vocabulary). We will also venture outside the classroom to explore the Yiddish world today: through field trips to Yiddish theater, Yiddishspeaking neighborhoods, Yiddish organizations, such as YIVO or Yiddish farm, and so on. We will also have Yiddish-speaking guests and do a few digital projects. At the end of the two-semester course, you will be able to converse in Yiddish on a variety of everyday topics and read most Yiddish literary and non-literary texts. Welcome to Yiddishland!
SECTION CALL NUMBER INSTRUCTOR 001 DAY,TIME, LOCATION, 13390
MO WE 4:10PM - 6:00PM
BEIRICH, EYSHE (JDB2256)
INTERMEDIATE YIDDISH II
Prerequisites: YIDD UN1101-UN1102 or the instructor's permission.
This year-long course is a continuation of Elementary Yiddish II. As part of the New Media in Jewish Studies Collaborative, this class will be using new media in order to explore and research the fabulous world of Yiddish literature, language, and culture, and to engage in projectoriented activities that will result in creating lasting multi-media online presentations. In addition to expanding the command of the language that has been spoken by the Ashkenazi Jews for more than a millennium, i.e. focusing on developing speaking, reading, writing and listening skills, and on the acquisition of more advanced grammatical concepts, students will also get some video and film editing training, and tutorials on archival research. The class will continue to read works of Yiddish literature in the original and will venture outside of the classroom to explore the Yiddish world today: through exciting field trips to Yiddish theater, Yiddish-speaking neighborhoods, YIVO, Yiddish Farm, and so on. And we will also have the Yiddish native-speaker guest series. Welcome back to Yiddishland!
