Assignments
I. Reports
The class will be divided into five groups. Every week, each group will be responsible for one specific Schwerpunkt, one aspect of cultural history: Literature, Art and Architecture, Music, Language and Culture, and History. The object of these reports is to create a central position from which your group can investigate the era we are studying.Your reports should be divided into three parts: 1) a discussion of the form or genre of the work, 2) an analysis of the meaning or forces of the work, and 3) a synthesis, or a discussion of the work as it is placed in its larger cultural/ historical context. For a collection of good examples of past reports that earned good grades in German 330, see the sample reports that I have placed in the “Course Materials” part of the 330 Blackboard site on Route Y (the sample reports are organized in colored folders according to different Schwerpunkte: Music, Art and Architecture, etc). I have also provided you with a list of suggested Report topics which can be found on Blackboard under the “Course Materials” section.
IMPORTANT: FOUR (4) of your Reports MUST be written in German. If you miss any of these, your report grade will be significantly lowered. Make sure that you take the time to write these reports ahead of time so that you can get sufficient help on grammar, word choice, etc.
II. Presentations.
Each week you will summarize your report for your group, and bring an extra copy for the week’s designated presenter. This person will summarize the reports and will be exempt from writing a report for that week. Instead, s/he will create a Power-Point presentation for the class that summarizes all of the group’s reports. See a model Presentation in the “Course Materials” section on Blackboard. On the weeks when your group is not writing on an assigned topic, you will be asked to write an “Individual Report.” For these reports you will be asked to search out your own subject by using libraries, museums, the internet, etc. The subject of the report should still correspond to the Schwerpunkt that has been assigned to your group for each unit: Literature, Music, etc. (See the list of suggested topics on Blackboard under “Course Materials,” or come to office hours and I can provide you with a suitable subject if you wish). Just like the other reports, your individual report should be made up of three parts: form, content, and context. As with the other reports, bring an extra copy for the designated presenter.
III. In-Class Essays
Each Monday, we will spend the first 15 minutes of class writing an essay which synthesizes all of the information that we have heard from the various reports. It is your responsibility to skim through your notes of all the reports and through the appropriate chapters in Schultze's Germany: A New History or in Kelling’s Deutsche Kulturgeschichte in order to build a fairly cohesive overview of the historical period we have covered over the last week. A good report will show how texts, works of art and events from the different Schwerpunkte fit in (or don’t fit in) to some of the major historical and cultural forces that are associated with each period that we will be studying. There will be a short content quiz on the reading passages from your textbook.
IV. Final Paper
At the end of the semester, you will be asked to take one of your group or individual reports and to expand this project into a 5-page paper for the course. The paper should take your report to a higher level, making it into a persuasive paper with a central argument, good organization, examples and references. The final paper should be five pages long (double-spaced) and should include a (non-annotated) MLA-style bibliography. The final paper will be due at the minute the final begins. No late papers will be accepted after that. I encourage you to choose your topic a few weeks before the end of the semester, and to discuss your paper plans with me during my office hours. I also strongly encourage you to seek help at the JKHB Writing Center. This final paper will represent 10% of your grade.
IV. Final Exam
The Questions on the final exam will be as follows:
1) Describe 5 artifacts that best illustrate the five most important concepts of a German nation. Do not only use artifacts from history, but examples from other Schwerpunkte as well.
2) Describe 5 artifacts that illustrate the five most important influences on the development of the German Language.
3) Compare and contrast two specific eras using three pairs of artifacts from the contrasting eras. For example: Artifact 1: Music from one era vs. Artifact 2: music from the second era, Artifact 3 and 4: examples of Literature from each of the eras, artifact 5 and 6: Historical artifacts from each of the eras (or language and culture, art and architecture, etc.) The information about the specific eras will be provided later in the semester, so pay attention to all of them.
4) Name and describe 5 artifacts that best illustrate the evolving relationship between the different social/economic classes.
5) As if you were writing a short entry in the "Relevant Coursework" section of your resume, list 5 skills that you have developed in this class that will be useful in your future coursework, in your grad school applications and in your future employment. These should be listed as 5 short bullet points.