21 - 30 of 86 results for: GERMAN

What does a narrator who declares himself "insane" make us reevaluate as readers or viewers? How do literary texts portray sanatoriums and the people who inhabit them? From the unreliable narrator to the sudden twist ending, madness is often made into a literary trope; the insane asylum, too, becomes a symbol of broader socio-political concerns. This course looks at the representations of clinics and sanatoriums in classic German texts of the 20th century, engaging critically with these representations and the ways in which insanity and illness are depicted. We will compare texts from several genres (novel, film, drama, or video game), to see how the rules change depending on the form used. Texts will include Robert Wiene's masterful expressionist film "Das Cabinet des Doktor Caligari"; excerpts from Thomas Mann¿s "Der Zauberberg"; excerpts from Gunter Grass' postwar masterpiece "Die Blechtrommel"; Friedrich Dürrenmatt's "Die Physiker", a coldwar theatrical screed on the dangers of science in a nuclear age; and the mysterious point-and-click adventure game "Edna bricht aus." Taught in German. Prerequisite: GERLANG 3 or permission of instructor.

Readings from some of the best German-language authors, including Thomas Mann, Hermann Hesse, Heinrich Boll and Herta Muller. How imaginative literature engages with history, and how great authors address the major questions in politics and philosophy in modern Germany. Taught in German. German language equivalent to high school AP.

In the age of the digital and the hypervisual, why do we still need literature? Is literature the key to a language and a culture? In this course we will reconsider literature as a medium, a cultural form, and a political tool. Engaging with different types of German-language texts from the 18th century to the present, we will ask what literature can do and where it can take us. Short stories, poetry, cinema, industrial music, comics, letters, theory, and new media: in this course we will explore literature in many (unexpected) forms. Taught in German. Prerequisite: One year of German language at Stanford or equivalent.

Key moments in German history through documents: personal accounts, political speeches and texts, and literary works. The course begins with the Prussian monarchy and proceeds to the crisis years of the French Revolution. Documents from the 1848 revolution and the age of Bismarck and German unification follow. World War I and its impact on Germany, including the rise of Hitler, as well as the aftermath, divided Germany in the Cold War through the fall of the Berlin Wall. Taught in German.

We read and discuss selections from works by the key master thinkers who have exerted a lasting influence by debunking long-cherished beliefs. Do these authors uphold or repudiate Enlightenment notions of rationality, autonomy and progress? How do they assess the achievements of civilization? How do their works illuminate the workings of power in social and political contexts? Readings and discussion in German.

Responses to refugees and immigration to Germany against the backdrop of German history and in the context of domestic and European politics. Topics include: cultural difference and integration processes, gender roles, religious traditions, populism and neo-nationalism. Reading knowledge of German, another European language, or an immigrant language will be useful for research projects, but not required.

The course highlights specificities of sports in Germany and thus provides a unique point of access for understanding German culture in past and present. Concepts of competition and performance will be examined, as well as the relations between sports and politics in different periods of modern German history. Special attention will be given to soccer, but boxing, cycling, gymnastics (Turnen), and other Olympic sports will be studied as well. Materials will include theoretical and literary texts in English and German, media representations of athletic contests. To improve writing skills students will write a weekly essay on various phenomena. Language: German, requirement: one year of college German or equivalent.

This class will address major works by Franz Kafka and consider Kafka as a modernist writer whose work reflects on modernity. We will also examine the role of Kafka's themes and poetics in the work of contemporary writers.

Examines the German political economic model in the face of current challenges. Topics include the legacy of Ordoliberalism, management of systemic risks, regulatory frameworks for a digital economy, new competition policies and the right to be forgotten on the internet. Required readings in English, optional supplementary readings in German.