Coursework

The following information recounts the courses I have taken during my academic career at Clemson University. Coursework samples have also been provided to demonstrate my linguistic and writing abilities.

Language-Oriented Instruction

Deutsch als Fremdsprache Intensive A2

This course, offered to me in Bamberg, Germany, focused on broadening my vocabulary, improving my ability to use the past and future tenses, and deepening my understanding of German grammar.

Russian III

This course improved my communicative competency with complex grammatical structures, verbs of motion, and participle constructions. Here Russian culture was also explored through various readings into daily Russian life.

RUSS1010 Elementary Russian

Here I established my understanding of the Russian phonetical system, foundational grammar, and essential phrases. I further learned to construct simple sentences and navigate basic scenarios in Russian.

GER2010 Intermediate German

This course reinforced my basic language skills through grammar review, listening exercises, and active speaking practice through presentations. Here I also expanded my cultural knowledge through reading excerpts written about life in Germany.

Russian IV

This course refined my proficiency and cultural understanding through advanced grammatical analysis, vocabulary lists, and discussions of Russian media. Through this course I was able to improve my spoken Russian through daily practice with my peers.

RUSS1020 Elementary Russian

This course continued the introduction of the Cyrillic alphabet, case declensions, and basic conversational patterns in order to provide me with an elementary level of Russian competency. I also built my core vocabulary for daily interactions and completed simple reading tasks.

GER2020 Intermediate German

In this course I built upon foundational grammatical concepts and vocabulary to enhance my conversational fluency and reading comprehension.

GER3150 Technical German

This course focused on specialized terminology used in science, engineering, and business contexts. In this course I also practiced my public speaking skills in German through presentations over a variety of German technical and industrial topics.

RUSS2010 Intermediate Russian

This course transitioned me from elementary level Russian to the intermediate level through in depth grammatical study and vocabulary expansion. Here I practiced comprehension through daily listening exercises in and outside of class.

German Proficiency Coursework Samples

(GER3690) Emilia Galotti Aufsatz

This essay evaluates whether Lessing's Emilia Galotti could have preserved her virtue by entering a convent instead of choosing death. My paper is an analysis of an AI's ability to weigh the pros and cons of both options. While the AI logically structured the debate, I note that the AI's lack of human emotion prevents it from making a definitive moral choice. Ultimately, my report demonstrates that while AI is useful for mapping complex ethical dilemmas, human perspective remains essential for making final moral judgments.

Emilia Galotti Aufsatz Brennan McCarstle (2).pdf

(GER3690) Miß Sara Sampson - Die Juden Aufsatz

In my essay, I analyze how Lessing uses moments of shock as pivotal turnarounds in Miss Sara Sampson and Die Juden. I contrast Marwood’s violent plot with the noble Traveler revealing his Jewish identity, demonstrating how physical violence in one play parallels the "moral poison" of societal prejudice in the other. Through this comparison, my learning objectives are to critically evaluate Enlightenment drama, contrast literal and metaphorical themes, and analyze character motivations using structural textual evidence.

Miß Sara Sampson - Die Juden Aufsatz Brennan Gunner McCarstle (1).pdf

GER3980 Directed Reading Journals

Here I analyzed Kafka's short story Vor dem Gesetz which I compared to the structured pilgrimage of the Hajj. I also examined Anna's difficult displacement to East Germany in Die Umsiedlerin, focusing on how she overcame isolation and earned respect by standing up to the town council. Additionally, I compared the structures and themes of short stories like Schwarzfahrer and Der violette Tod, by analysing characteristics of short stories, prejudice, distance, and how literature is able to convey sensory details compared to film.

German Directed Reading Journal Entries.pdf

Literature and Film Courses

GER3060 German Short Story

In this course I examined the evolution of the Kurzgeschichte from post-WWII Trümmerliteratur to more modern contemporary works. I analyzed narrative techniques and discrete social commentaries written by various German authors.

RUSS3600 Russian Lit. to 1910

In this course I explored the life of Leo Tolstoy and received an overview of his many works. Together with my classmates I read and analyzed War and Peace in great depth.

GER3690 Lessing

This course explored the life, philosophy, and dramatic short works of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. In this course I analyzed key texts like Miss Sara Sampson and Emilia Galotti to better understand societal mechanics and enlightenment ideas in 18th-century Germany.

GER3980 Directed Reading

In this course I read various short stories written by German authors and actively critiqued the works I read through writing analytical papers.

RUSS3610 Russian Lit. since 1910

In this course I expanded my horizons of Russian literary and film tradition through reading and analyzing various Russian works like Omon Ra and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and watching Russian films such as Leviathan and Solaris.

GER4550 German Film

Here I analyzed the historical developments of German cinema from Weimar Expressionism to more modern German cinematic productions. I also learned various aspects of film theory in order to analyze how cinematic narratives reflect shifting social landscapes.

Literature and Film Coursework Samples

(RUSS3610) Final Russian Literature Essay

In my essay, I analyze how the structural failures of the Soviet system, namely intense political interference, intellectual isolation, and a lack of genuine innovation incentives, crippled its space program despite the regime's grand propaganda efforts. Drawing on Victor Pelevin’s satirical novel Omon Ra, I demonstrate how the Soviet Union feigned technological breakthroughs and relied on forced martyrdom to project an illusion of ideological dominance to the world. Through this analysis, my primary learning objectives were to examine the tragic disconnect between totalitarian myth making and economic reality, while illustrating how state enforced compliance ultimately destroys individual autonomy.

Final Essay Brennan Gunner McCarstle (2).pdf

(RUS3600) Russian Literature Final Essay

In this essay, I examine how Leo Tolstoy defines good and evil in War and Peace by contrasting dynamic, moral characters who embody empathy, compassion, and selflessness, like Natasha Rostova and Prince Andrei, with static, harmful characters like Dolokhov. My primary objective is to analyze how specific actions and moral choices dictate a character's capacity for personal growth and spiritual development throughout the novel. Ultimately, I aim to demonstrate that positive moral growth requires an open, evolving perspective through life's trials, whereas inherently selfish or manipulative traits lead to stagnant personal development.

Russian Literature Final Essay Brennan McCarstle (1).pdf

(HIST4700) History of the Book Final Paper

In my paper, I examine how the advent and standardization of the printing press revolutionized information distribution, transformed the book trade through copyright and regulation, and deeply impacted European society, religion, and politics. Through this research, my learning objective was to understand that the transition from manuscripts to print was an arduous, messy process rather than a seamless shift. Ultimately, I aimed to uncover the often-overlooked human side of print culture and gain a deeper appreciation for a technology that we frequently take for granted today.

History of the Book Final Paper Brennan Gunner McCarstle (1).pdf

Cultural Courses

Kulturstadt Bamberg

This course, offered to me in Bamberg, Germany, taught me about Bamberg’s regional history, architecture, and various Franconian traditions. I was able to explore local historical monuments and experience the city's rich culture daily.

Stereotypen und Mentalität der Deutschen

In this course, offered to me in Bamberg, Germany, I investigated many of the cultural stereotypes, historical self perceptions, and regional identities across the German speaking world.

POSC4710 Russian Politics

Through this course I analyzed the historical evolution and political dynamics of the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia. I analyzed Russia’s political stability through its history, its many democratization hurdles, and Russian foreign policy strategies through writing essays.

Cultural Coursework

(REL3100) Second Unessay

In my essay, I explore how 20th-century American political, cultural, and intellectual shifts reshaped religious communities through forced native assimilation, Cold War national identity, and the civil rights movement. My core learning objective is to analyze how Native American spiritual practices were pressured into survival strategies like syncretism, how Cold War tensions entrenched a "Judeo-Christian" national identity, and how both sides of the civil rights movement deployed competing religious arguments. Ultimately, I aim to demonstrate the dynamic relationship between religion and society, showing how external socio-political forces transform religious traditions while religious interpretations simultaneously drive social change.

Second Unessay Brennan Gunner McCarstle (1).pdf

(REL3100) Religious Freedom in the Colonies

In this paper, I argue that Pennsylvania's policy of religious tolerance gave it a crucial edge over Massachusetts's strictly uniform Puritan society. While Massachusetts struggled with a restricted labor pool, Pennsylvania's openness to diverse settlers successfully drove growth and laid the historical groundwork for the separation of church and state and modern religious freedoms. Ultimately, this historical contrast demonstrates how the foundational embrace of pluralism proved essential to the development of the American nation.

Religious Freedom in the Colonies Gunner McCarstle.pdf

German Culture - German Cultural Mediation

In my journal entries comparing Germany and the United States, I reflected on several everyday contrasts. I noted that Germans greet strangers less often, wear more alternative or fashionable styles, and benefit from walkable cities and practical public transit that reduce the need for a car. I also observed that German shops are smaller, the shops close on Sundays, and public restrooms usually require payment. Finally, I remarked on the abundance of authentic family run restaurants and the perception that people in Germany generally appear healthier and leaner.

German Cultural Mediation - Brennan McCarstle.pdf

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