| German | Japanese | Russian |  |
Course Descriptions
Below is a list of all courses offered in the fields of German, Russian, and Japanese studies at UNCG. Following each course is a short description including prerequisites. If you are unsure of which courses are offered for a specific semester or which instructor teaches a certain course, follow the links above to use the easy reference tables for each subject. If you want more information on registration, click UNCGenie in the menu above.
Courses For Undergraduates
FMS 107 Freshman Seminar: Faust World Lierature
Campitelli
Essentials of grammar, graded reading, vocabulary building. Language laboratory required. No previous knowledge necessary.
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
101L Elementary German Laboratory (1:1).
Optional supplementary multi-media lab course at the elementary level for students interested in improving their command of the language. Course meets one hour a week for the whole semester.
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
Essentials of grammar, graded reading, vocabulary building. Language laboratory required.
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
102L Elementary German Laboratory (1:1).
Optional supplementary multi-media lab course at the elementary level for students interested in improving their command of the language. Course meets one hour a week for the whole semester.
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
203 Intermediate German (3:3).
Continuation of the essentials of grammar begun in 101, 102. Language laboratory required. [CFL]
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
204W Intermediate German Topics (3:3).
The German Short Story is a second year language course with focus on modern German literature and culture as well as vocabulary acquisition and grammar reviews. The guiding pedagogical principles behind the course aim at intertwining German language, literature, and culture studies on the basis of discussion, conversation, and composition activities, including grammar reviews and vocabulary retention exercises. The course will proceed chronologically: students will read short fiction and hear radio plays from 1945 to the present. The short literary texts, supplemented with newspaper reports and film, will help students develop a critical historical framework within which postwar Germany will be investigated. The course will begin with the reconstruction of Germany after WWII, and continue with an investigation into the quiet fifties, the turbulent sixties, the "new subjectivity" of the 1970s, the environmental consciousness of the eighties and the reunification of 1989. (Course taught as writing intensive.) [CFL]
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
212 Experimental Course: The New German Cinema (3:3).
Introduction to and survey of "New German Film" developments since 1962. Focus will be on German filmmakers' response to modern American (Hollywood) film as a way of defining the New German Film. Includes films by Fassbinder, Herzog, Wenders, Kluge, and others. (Offered FA98)
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
215 German Civilization. Readings in English (3:3).
Cultural, political, and social development of Germany from its origin to the present. (Middle Ages [Romanesque, Gothic] through the fifteenth century.)Use of films, slides, and records. Taught in English. Majors required to do additional reading in German. [215: HP/CPM] (Formerly GER 315)
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
216 German Civilization. Readings in English (3:3).
Cultural, political, and social development of Germany from its origin to the present. (From the Reformation to the present.) Attention given to the German elements in America. Use of films, slides, and records. Taught in English. Majors required to do additional reading in German. [216: HP/CMO] (Formerly GER 316)
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
217 Masterworks of German Literature Read in English (3:3).
This course surveys the writings of Germany's leading authors from late 18th to late 19th century. Readings begin with two classics by Goethe: the world-renowned "Faust" and his early masterpiece. "The Sorrows of Young Werther" (a bestseller of its day and Napoleon's favorite work of German literature). Ludwig Tieck's "Blond Eckbert" (a gothic tale of dreams and insanity) is read as a psychoanalytic case-study, as is E.T.A. Hoffmann's "The Sandman" (the proof-text for Freud's thoughts on the return of the repressed as well as the source for David Lynch's acclaimed film "Blue Velvet"). In the same vein, we read novellas by Heinrich von Kleist and Georg Buechner, considered among the most modern writers of the early 19th century and noted for their treatment of abnormal states of mind. Also on the reading list: Moerike's masterful portrayal of the composer Mozart and Theodor Fontane's "Effi Briest", a German variation on the themes and concerns of Flaubert's "Madame Bovary." A film series accompanies the course. The films are related to the course readings and include F.W. Murnau's classic version of "Faust," Lynch's "Blue Velvet," and R.W. Fassbinder's gorgeous cinematic adaptation of "Effi Briest." [WL, CWL].
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
218 Masterworks of German Literature Read in English (3:3).
Reading and discussion in English translation of some of the best works of German literature. Selected major works of 20th century prose fiction. Authors include Kafka, Hesse, T. Mann, Handke, M. Walser, and Süskind. Majors required to do additional reading in German. [WL, CWL].
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
221 Germanic Mythology. Readings in English (3:3).
Course taught in translation. Myths of Northern Europe, their main personages and events as preserved in the heroic sagas and epics, the traces of these myths in later literature, in folklore and art, the history of their revival in the nineteenth century (Brothers Grimm, Richard Wagner), the variety of interpretations given to them. Majors required to do additional reading in German. [WL, CWL].
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
301W Topics for German Conversation and Composition (3:3).
For students desiring some proficiency in spoken and written German. Conversation and composition based on various announced topics. Attendance at Kaffeestunde required unless excused by instructor. (Course taught as writing intensive.)
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
302W Topics for Advanced German Composition and Stylistics (3:3).
For students desiring proficiency in written German, especially geared toward students who plan to study abroad or who plan to enter graduate school. Compositions based on various announced topics. (Course taught as writing intensive.)
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
305W Advanced Intermediate German Topics (America in the German Imagination) (3:3).
The relationship between the old continent and the new has been an ambivalent one. In the German context, Amerika, as a geographical and imaginary place, has always been influenced by and responded to the particular political and social situation in the old country. Amerika connoted utopian freedom, unending possibilities and civil rights as well as images of capitalist exploitation and, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, worldwide domination. The course will trace the changing images of Amerika in German print, film and popular music. Our point of departure will be the first enthusiastic descriptions of the new world that enticed many 19th century Germans to leave their homes and find their fortunes in America. We will read excerpts of Karl May's Indian narratives and discuss Franz Kafka's most positive novel Amerika. The course continues with Bertold Brecht and his criticism of capitalism, and the reception of the gangster movie in the 1930s and 1940s. Marlene Dietrich's autobiography My life and Salka Viertel's memoir Kindness of strangers will teach us about the German émigrés during the second world war. The influence of German exile film makers (Billy Wilder, Fritz Lang) on the American cinema will be traced next. The post-war period will be represented by authors Hans Magnus Enzensberger and his The Havana Inquiry and Peter Handke's Short Letter, Long Farewell, and movies, such as Peppermint Peace and The American Soldier. The course will continue with an investigation into the theoretical and social impulses the American Women's Movement exerted on its German sister organization. Finally, we will investigate current German images of American consumerism (Rosalie goes shopping). The course will close with excerpts from Martin Walser's novel Brandung, set in sunny California, and Wim Wender's complicated relationship with the American West, as seen in his movie Paris,Texas.
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
306 Advanced German Topics (Film Noir) (3:3).
Film noir (French for "dark film") describes a Hollywood style of black-and-white film that thrived in the 40s and 50s -- visually compelling but morally cynical -- films like "Sunset Blvd" or "Double Indemnity," both by Billy Wilder. This style and worldview derives to a large extent from German/Austrian expatriate filmmakers (like Wilder) who brought their vision to Hollywood after fleeing the Third Reich. This course takes a look at the German influence on film noir.
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
307 Advanced German Grammar (3:3).
Intensive study of German grammar (including features not covered in lower levels of instruction) and of the contrasting structures of German and English. Introduction to reference tools.
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
Introduction to the special vocabulary and syntax of German as used in business contacts, correspondence and articles. Practice in reading and writing German for business purposes and travel. [CFL]
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
403 Introduction to German Literary Studies (3:3).
Readings from various genres by representative authors of the Age of Goethe, Young Germany, Poetic Realism, Symbolism, Expressionism, and contemporary literature. Introduction to methodologies of literary analysis. (Formerly GER 303)
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
404 Introduction to Modern German Culture (3:3).
History and analysis of German popular culture in the age of modernism. Readings and discussions of works by authors such as Spengler, Benjamin, Freud, Bovenschen, Enzensberger, Habermas. (Formerly GER 304)
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
405 Advanced Topics in German Literature (Lyric Poetry from Classical to Contemporary) (3:3).
"Gedichte sind gemalte Fensterscheiben" writes Goethe, who develops this image as a reminder that poems, like stained-glass windows, are sometimes dull and opague until we go inside the church and see their intricate and radiant beauty. This course offers access to the particular intellectual pleasure that reading lyric poetry can inspire. Much of the emphasis will be on poetry of the 20th century, including the soaring and chaotic voices of Expressionism, the sublime philsophical poems of Rilke, and the melancholy post-holocaust visions of Paul Celan, as well as major writers from each decade since World War II (even some contemporary German hip-hop lyrics). Some attention is given also to the precursors of modern lyric expression: to Goethe, naturally, but also to the German Romantics, who explored the creative potential of the German language to create the refined subjectivity that has become characteristic of contemporary poetry.
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
406 Advanced Topics in German Culture (Nazi Culture and Exile) (3:3).
This course focuses on German culture, history and literature from 1930 to 1950. Besides an emphasis on expanding students' reading, speaking and writing proficiency in German, the curriculum centers on three main topics: Nazi culture in Hitler-Germany, exile life and letters (Europe, Palestine, Americas, Shanghai, USA), Holocaust history and memoirs of Shoah survivors. Readings are primarily in German and include newspaper articles, autobiographies, diaries, short stories, radio and film scripts (George Mosse, Nazi-Kulultur; A. Lixl, Erinnerungen deutsch-jüdischer Frauen; Anna Seghers, Ausflug der toten Mädchen; Jud Süss; Inge Deutschkron, Denn ihrer war die Hölle, and selected handouts). Internet excursions, slides, videos and literary readings will supplement lectures, student presentations, and seminar discussions. Grades are based on class participation, oral and written presentations, and three tests including a final exam or a semester paper. Course prerequisite: German 204 or equivalent. For more online information see www.uncg.edu/gar/courses/lixl.
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
407 Advanced Topics in German Language (3:3).
Topics will be of a linguistic or pedagogical nature, and may include: History of the German language; study of major language changes from Indo-European to modern High German; readings of short texts in Old High and Middle High German literature; theories of language development. Taught in German or English. (Formerly GER 308)
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
Directed program of reading, research, and individual instruction in Germanic literatures and languages. (Formerly GER 401)
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
Directed program of reading, research, and individual instruction in Germanic literatures and languages. (Formerly GER 402)
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
589 German Civilization Internet Research and Teaching Projects
This experimental course in intended for advanced undergraduate German majors at UNCG, as well as German High School teachers and online students with advanced German skills.
Adams, Baumgartner, Campitelli, Lixl, Pynes
Courses For Undergraduates
FMS 110 Freshman Seminar: African-American Literary Ties to the Soviet Union/World Literature (3:3)
Will examine Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man and Richard Wright's American Hunger, autobiographical selections by Langston Hughes, Paul Robeson, and others, as well as excerpts from two first-hand accounts of the Soviet experience, Homer Smith's Black Man in Red Russia and Robert Robinson's Black on Red.
Ahern
Basic principles of grammar; graded reading of selected texts; some conversation; language laboratory facilities.
Ahern
Basic principles of grammar; graded reading of selected texts; some conversation; language laboratory facilities.
Ahern
201 Russian Literature in Translation (3:3).
The Survey of Russian Literature course is designed as an introduction to Russian Literature of the 19th century. We will focus on the development of prose fiction through works of Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Turgenev and Chekhov. A unit on Russia's Golden Age of poetry will complete the reading list. We will also view some film versions of Russian classics from this period, analyzing the success of these adaptations--perhaps writing a modern adaptation of some favorite scene ourselves. All readings will be in English. Texts: TBA Requirements: Students will write brief responses to the readings, take an identification exam and will complete a final essay on a topic of their choice. Maximum number of students: 25 Maximum number of RCO students: 10 Crosslisted as RCO 200. [WL, CWL].
Ahern
202 Russian Literature in Translation (3:3).
Survey of Russian prose beginning with early Russian Literature and focusing on nineteenth-century Russian prose up to 1917. Works from the following writers are read: Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, Goncharov, Turgenev, Leskov, Garshin, Kuprin, Chekhov, Bunin, Belyj, Sologub. No knowledge of Russian required. [WL, CWL].
Ahern
203 Intermediate Russian (3:3).
Review of grammar, practice in conversation, selected readings from nineteenth- and twentieth-century literature. [CFL]
Ahern
204 Intermediate Russian (3:3).
Review of grammar, practice in conversation, selected readings from nineteenth- and twentieth-century literature. [CFL]
Ahern
305 Advanced Grammar, Conversation and Composition (3:3).
Intensive reading of unedited Russian texts plus conversation and composition based on the reading.
Ahern
306 Advanced Grammar, Conversation and Composition (3:3).
Intensive reading of unedited Russian texts plus conversation and composition based on the reading.
Ahern
313 Tolstoy in Translation (3:3).
Intensive study of his artistic writing between 1852-1910. Tolstoy's moral views are considered as part of the course. [WL, CWL].
Ahern
314 Dostoevsky in Translation (3:3).
Intensive study of his artistic writing between 1846-1880. His political and religious views are considered as an integral part of the material of the course.
Ahern
315 Twentieth-Century Russian Literature in Translation (3:3).
Intensive study of the artistic writing in Russia from 1917 to the present. Readings cover poetry and prose of Sholokhov, Ilf and Petrov, Pasternak, Evtushenko, Solzhenitsyn, and others. [WL, CWL].
Ahern
316 Modern Polish Literature in Translation (3:3).
Intensive study of the artistic writing in Poland from 1918 to present. Readings cover poetry and prose of Zeromski, Wittlin, Gombrowicz, Witkiewicz, Schulz, Iwaszkiewicz, Rozewicz, Tuwim, Andrzejewski, Milosz, and Herbert. [WL, CWL].
Ahern
491 Independent Study of Russian Literature (1 to 3).
Directed programs of independent study and research. Topics in the poetry and prose of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. Depending on student's qualifications, the readings will be either in translation or in the original. Baer. (Formerly RUS 401)
Ahern
492 Independent Study of Russian Literature (1 to 3).
Directed programs of independent study and research. Topics in the poetry and prose of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. Depending on student's qualifications, the readings will be either in translation or in the original. Baer. (Formerly RUS 402)
Ahern
Ahern
Courses For Advanced Undergraduates and Graduate Students
511 The Russian Novel in Translation (3:3).
Survey of the Russian novel from the nineteenth (Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, Goncharov, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy), to the twentieth century (Belyj, Sologub, Pasternak, and Solzhenitsyn). Analysis of artistic structure and ideas within the context of Russian literary history, philosophy, and religious thought.
Ahern
101 Elementary Japanese (4:4).
Introduction to communicative Japanese and its writing systems: Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji. Students study fundamental words, phrases and expressions, and are introduced to basic grammar.
Takagi
102 Elementary Japanese (4:4).
Introduction to communicative Japanese and its writing systems: Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji. Students study fundamental words, phrases and expressions, and are introduced to basic grammar.
Takagi
203 Intermediate Japanese (3:3).
Review of elementary grammar, and more advanced concepts of grammar (verb conjugations and verb tenses). Vocabulary building. Further acquisition of Chinese characters (Kanji). Reading of simple texts from Japanese literature. [CFL]
Takagi
204 Intermediate Japanese (3:3).
Review of elementary grammar, and more advanced concepts of grammar (verb conjugations and verb tenses). Vocabulary building. Further acquisition of Chinese characters (Kanji). Reading of simple texts from Japanese literature. [CFL]
Takagi
Japanese 220 is a topics oriented, East Asian Studies course, which focuses on various aspects of modern Japanese society, history, literature and culture. The guiding pedagogical principles behind the course aim at intertwining Japanese civilization, literature, and culture studies on the basis of discussion, conversation, and composition activities, including social studies review and retention exercises. The methodology of the course rests on a chronological and historical framework, and aims at developing critical thinking and reading, and writing strategies. Based on thought provoking texts and visuals, the course topics offer a diverse view of modern Japanese life and letters. The reading selections include literary texts, newspaper reports, memoirs, diaries, letters, and interdisciplinary materials, which highlight various aspects of colonial, postwar and postmodern developments (K. Henshall, Dimensions of Japanese Society: Gender, Margins and Mainstream; I. Morris, Modern Japanese Stories. An Anthology). Part of the reading and writing assignments will involve the use of the Internet, e-mail, and other electronic learning and research tools, which utilize Japanese resources available on the networks.
Takagi
http://www.uncg.edu/gar/courses/describe.html