German (GER)

GER 100 Zeitgeist and Popular Culture

An introduction to life, society, and culture in modern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. [Note: Taught in English.]

LEC · Course ID 013628On ucalendarGER 100 today

GER 101 Elementary German 1

This course aims to bring German language, culture, and everyday life into the classroom. Students with little or no prior knowledge are introduced to the structure of German and develop their listening/comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Classes are communicative and emphasize interaction in German. Online exercises and audio/video materials accompany each chapter of the textbook. [Note: GER 101 is not open to students with native, near-native, or similar advanced ability.]

LEC · Course ID 006056On ucalendarGER 101 today

GER 102 Elementary German 2

A continuation of GER 101. [Note: GER 102 is not open to students with native, near-native, or similar advanced ability.]

LEC · Course ID 006057On ucalendarGER 102 today

GER 110W Introductory German 1 (WLU)

LEC · Course ID 011989On ucalendarGER 110W today

GER 111W Introductory German II

Taught at Wilfrid Laurier University. Refer to WLU Undergraduate Calendar for course description.

LEC · Course ID 016097On ucalendarGER 111W today

GER 180 German and Russian Literary Masterpieces

An examination of major Russian and German literary works that have influenced world literature. [Note: Taught in English.]

LEC · Course ID 013630On ucalendarGER 180 today

GER 200 Transcultural Studies

This course provides an introduction to transcultural views of literature, film, language, and literature and media culture (e.g., fairy tales and their adaptation in other cultures, authors who work in multiple languages, transcultural comics, multilingual and transcultural films, local cultures' interaction with global arts and media scenes, etc.). [Note: Lectures and readings in English. No knowledge of German required.]

LEC · Course ID 015149On ucalendarGER 200 today

GER 201 Intermediate German 1

This course continues the work of GER 101/102. It offers practice in speaking, reading, and writing, with vocabulary building, grammar, and exercises in comprehension. [Note: GER 201 and GER 211 can be taken concurrently. GER 201 is not open to students with native, near-native, or similar advanced ability.]

LEC · Course ID 006070On ucalendarGER 201 today

GER 202 Intermediate German 2

Strengthening of communicative skills, grammar review, vocabulary building, written practice, and conversation on issues of contemporary life in German-speaking countries. [Note: GER 202 and GER 211 can be taken concurrently. GER 202 is not open to students with native, near-native, or similar advanced ability.]

LEC · Course ID 006072On ucalendarGER 202 today

GER 211 Contemporary German Language and Culture

This course develops reading, writing, and oral skills, and intercultural competence. [Note: Students may take GER 201 and 211 concurrently.]

LEC · Course ID 014285On ucalendarGER 211 today

GER 220 Once Upon a Fairy Tale: Fairy Tales, Then and Now

This course studies fairy tales in the broader context of the history of childhood and practices of education and socialization. The course will concentrate on the German and Russian context and in particular on the work of the Brothers Grimm and Alexander Afanasyev, and will also consider fairy tales drawn from a number of different national traditions and historical periods. [Note: Taught in English.]

LEC · Course ID 013653On ucalendarGER 220 today

GER 230 Vikings!

This course will examine the Viking Age cultures, which flourished in Northern Europe and beyond from c. 800 to 1100 CE. The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the Viking Age and to deepen students' understanding of the processes through which peoples in the present give meaning to the past. [Note: Taught in English; no knowledge of other languages required.]

LEC · Course ID 015309On ucalendarGER 230 today

GER 250 Performance German 1

This course improves students' oral and written skills via creative performances in our everyday life. Students will be actively involved in marketing products, conducting job interviews, writing résumés, improvising theatre skits, hosting poetry slams, or even instructing yoga - all in German.

LEC · Course ID 011596On ucalendarGER 250 today

GER 261 Understanding Conversation

This course examines the connection between conversation and cultural identities. Looking at conversation means looking at language structures and language choice but also at gesture, gaze, laughter, and emojis. We will analyze everyday conversation as well as interaction in digital contexts, with the goal of discovering how linguistic and multimodal choices convey and construct who we are. [Note: Taught in English.]

LEC · Course ID 013008On ucalendarGER 261 today

GER 262 Multilingualism

This course examines the concept of multilingualism in society from a social, cultural, and linguistic perspective. It covers topics such as multilingualism in the media, endangered languages, language and identities, language maintenance and loss, language planning and politics, and multilingual education. [Note: Taught in English.]

LEC · Course ID 013009On ucalendarGER 262 today

GER 271 German Thought and Culture: Objects

An exploration of human-made objects that open up perspectives on German-speaking society and culture. Objects to be studied might include the Berlin Wall, the swastika, Luther's Bible, donairs, and Volkswagens. Students acquire skills in cultural analysis and learn about major developments in literature, philosophy, religion, art, architecture, and music. [Note: Taught in English.]

LEC · Course ID 006084On ucalendarGER 271 today

GER 272 German Thought and Culture: People

An exploration of key figures whose contributions to the arts and intellectual life have shaped German-speaking society and culture. Persons to be studied might include Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Leni Riefenstahl, and Hannah Arendt. Students acquire skills in cultural analysis and learn about major developments in literature, philosophy, religion, art, architecture, and music. [Note: Taught in English.]

LEC · Course ID 006085On ucalendarGER 272 today

GER 286 Great German Thinkers

An introduction to and examination of the thought of one important figure (such as Leibniz, Kant, Nietzsche, or Heidegger) or school (such as Idealism, Romanticism, or phenomenology) of German philosophy. The choice of the philosopher(s) studied varies from term to term. [Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]

LEC · Course ID 015496On ucalendarGER 286 today

GER 298 Topics in Cultural Studies

Selected topics in cultural studies. [Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]

SEM · Course ID 014480On ucalendarGER 298 today

GER 299 German Abroad

This immersion course provides students with an introduction to and a familiarity with selected topics in German-speaking environments. The topics range from history and culture, to language and linguistic varieties in the German-speaking world, as well as arts and the German-speaking media landscape. Course offerings include classes abroad as well as field trips. [Note: Information about current offerings can be obtained from the department. This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of two times.]

LEC · Course ID 014481On ucalendarGER 299 today

GER 301 Language, Culture, and Identity

This course provides an introductory overview of fundamental concepts of language, culture, and identity and relates them to foreign/second language learning and teaching. The course is not language-specific but rather addresses general questions related to learning and using more than one language. [Note: Taught in English.]

SEM · Course ID 012718On ucalendarGER 301 today

GER 303 Interactive German Language and Culture

This course develops German language skills and cultural awareness. Discussions include such topics as Heimat, nation, migration, and study abroad. Students will engage with and reflect on different social and cultural perspectives through interviews, videos, and texts. Online interactions, including with people in and from Germany, form an integral part of the course. [Note: Offered through University of Guelph in alternating years, but always available to both University of Waterloo and University of Guelph students.]

LEC · Course ID 011597On ucalendarGER 303 today

GER 304 Reading and Translating

Students learn strategies for understanding a variety of texts such as newspaper reports, manuals, and fiction. Translation exercises are used to improve language skills.

LEC · Course ID 011598On ucalendarGER 304 today

GER 307 German for Professional Purposes

This language course teaches students the skills needed to function in German business and professional environments. Praxis-oriented language and intercultural training are combined with a discussion of the German business world.

LEC · Course ID 013631On ucalendarGER 307 today

GER 308 German through Comics

German-language comic strips and graphic novels enable students to explore modern language use. Colloquial German language skills are sharpened in this course, and the place of the comic strip and graphic novel in society is discussed.

LEC · Course ID 013632On ucalendarGER 308 today

GER 311W Advanced German II (WLU)

LEC · Course ID 011858On ucalendarGER 311W today

GER 330 Infamous Lovers

Enduring and contemporary works of German culture and literature guide our exploration of transgressive, requited, passionate, sexual love across the centuries, its historical and social locatedness, and the concepts of art and knowledge each work develops that orient the loving self in the world. [Note: Taught in English.]

SEM · Course ID 016216On ucalendarGER 330 today

GER 331 Exploring the German Language

An introduction to the study of linguistics with a focus on developing the German language skills necessary for linguistic analysis.

SEM · Course ID 011599On ucalendarGER 331 today

GER 350 Performance German 2

This course improves students' more advanced oral and written skills via creative performances in our everyday life. Students will be actively involved in marketing products, conducting job interviews, writing résumés, improvising theatre skits, hosting poetry slams, or even instructing yoga - all in German.

LEC · Course ID 011602On ucalendarGER 350 today

GER 359 Topics in German Film

Selected topics in German film. [Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]

SEM · Course ID 011606On ucalendarGER 359 today

GER 362 German Film Classics

Masterpieces of German film from the silent era to present. [Note: Taught in English.]

LEC · Course ID 013634On ucalendarGER 362 today

GER 363 German Filmmakers in Hollywood

An examination of the work of filmmakers who have made a mark in both European and American cinema. [Note: Taught in English.]

LEC · Course ID 013635On ucalendarGER 363 today

GER 364 German and Russian Film Pioneers

An examination of early German and Russian cinema, and the way these two film industries influenced each other. Influential theories of film from the period will also be studied. [Note: Taught in English.]

LEC · Course ID 013636On ucalendarGER 364 today

GER 383 Culture in the Third Reich: Racism, Resistance, Legacy

An examination of German culture during the Nazi period (1933-1945). The course will analyze representations of Nazi ideology in the arts (film, art, architecture, and propaganda), the literature of exile and "inner emigration," and the impact of the Nazi legacy on post-war German culture. [Note: Taught in English.]

LEC · Course ID 012957On ucalendarGER 383 today

GER 385 Culture Behind the Iron Curtain

An examination of the culture of the Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic, and other states that experimented with socialism in the 20th century. Representations of Marxist-Leninist and Stalinist ideologies in literature, cinema, and the arts; the role of the state in directing cultural expression; and resistance to totalitarian control of culture are examined. Western representations of the Cold War are also studied. [Note: Taught in English.]

LEC · Course ID 013650On ucalendarGER 385 today

GER 395 Waterloo in Germany Program

Study abroad at a German university in the fall term.

LEC · Course ID 006125On ucalendarGER 395 today

GER 396 Waterloo in Germany Program

Study abroad at a German university in the winter term.

LEC · Course ID 006128On ucalendarGER 396 today

GER 397 Waterloo in Germany Program

Study abroad at a German university in the spring term.

LEC · Course ID 011867On ucalendarGER 397 today

GER 398 Topics in Cultural Studies

Selected topics in cultural studies. [Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of two times.]

SEM · Course ID 014483On ucalendarGER 398 today

GER 399 German Abroad

This immersion course provides students with an introduction to and a familiarity with selected topics in German-speaking environments. The topics range from history and culture, to language and linguistic varieties in the German-speaking world, as well as arts and the German-speaking media landscape. Course offerings include classes abroad as well as field trips. [Note: Information about current offerings can be obtained from the department. This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of two times.]

LEC · Course ID 014484On ucalendarGER 399 today

GER 407 Experiential Learning and Transcultural Skills Development

This course offers an immersive experience in a professional setting in a German-speaking country, company, or community partner. Through extensive written reflection on work tasks, experiences and their cultural environment, students develop German language skills; transcultural skills; and their ability to identify the skills developed in and out of the classroom. [Note: Course will be graded on a CR/NCR basis. Due to the costs involved with working in a foreign country, paid positions are eligible for credit in the course.]

LEC · Course ID 011197On ucalendarGER 407 today

GER 431 Senior Seminar

Topics in German literary and cultural studies and linguistics chosen by the instructor in consultation with the department. These courses reflect research interests of the faculty and form part of a well-rounded undergraduate education in "Germanistik". [Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of 10 times.]

SEM · Course ID 011604On ucalendarGER 431 today

GER 490 Senior Honours Project

German Honours students in their third or fourth year may complete, with departmental permission, a major project, the results of which must be presented in a substantial essay. The topic should reflect the student's field of interest. [Note: Requests for permission should be submitted to the undergraduate officer, in consultation with the intended faculty advisor, and should include an outline of the project and a bibliography. The project will be assessed and graded by two faculty members.]

RDG · Course ID 006143On ucalendarGER 490 today

GER 495 Reading Course in Approved Topics

Reading course in topics chosen in consultation with an advisor. [Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]

RDG · Course ID 006144On ucalendarGER 495 today