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GERM 250/250W: German Cinema

Christa Spreizer

(Submission #50)


Course Description

This course will satisfy the Appreciating and Participating in the Arts (AP) and European Traditions (ET) requirements of the PLAS. This course will focus on the study of the contributions of German filmmakers to the art form of cinema. In a given semester, the course may deal with a certain tendency (such as the Heimat film), period (such as Postwar Cinema or New German Cinema), or director (such as Lang, Murnau, Fassbinder, or Wenders). Students will learn about the cultural and historical context in which German films were produced and to relate these to the larger discipline of German Studies. Through viewings and formal and informal classroom discussions, students will also compare how audiences of different times and cultures, including the present, come to certain interpretations about these works. They will be encouraged to interpret German cinema from a variety of perspectives, including its historical, cultural, aesthetic, political, and technical aspects. German Cinema is part of German culture, and we will analyze how the traditions of Western European thought manifest themselves in twentieth and twenty-first century German culture in general, and in German Cinema in particular. Lectures and work will be done in English; films will be shown in the original language with subtitles. It may be designated a writing intensive course.

Students by the end of the course should be able to communicate their thoughts effectively both in class and in their writing assignments and become aware of the need for interpretative tools in their complex, everyday lives. They should be able to identify and understand the major periods of German cinema and its representative works and relate this to the development of other European and non-European traditions. They should be able to respond appropriately within the context of an academic discussion and be able to critique their own verbal and written presentation skills. They should be able to incorporate useful feedback into their repertoire of critical and evaluative skills as they read, analyze, synthesize, and write about German Cinema and German culture. They should be able to relate it to their own lived experience, thereby becoming more aware of the complex nature of cultural texts and the personal, cultural, and historical forces that shape interpretation.

Category

Area of Knowledge and Inquiry: Appreciating and Participating in the Arts (AP)
Context of Experience: European Traditions (ET)
Extended Requirement: Not Applicable

Additional Course information

Credits: 3
Prerequisites: English 110
Existing Course: Existing
Existing Course Number: German 250, 250W
Course Anticipated to be offered: Every Fall
Other (if specified): 
Number of Sections: 1
Number of Seats: 20-25

File(s)

[Justification, Materials, Assessment, Administration (DOC)]   [Syllabus/Syllabi (DOC)]  

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