German
German 101A/101B brings an all-new look and feel to Beginning German which is based upon a course model used at Stanford University. At the center, we maintain a fairly traditional treatment of the fundamentals of vocabulary and grammar in a communicative approach. But added on to this are three cultural modules. In the fall we will read Goethe's Faust (in English translation), one of the major works of world literature; take a look at modern German society through readings dealing with history, Hitler, money, politics and religion; and introduce students to Germany's contribution to music through use of the World Wide Web. In the spring, we will be reading Kafka's Metamorphosis, one of his more "kafkaesque" works and Bernhard Schlink's The Reader, a novel dealing with contemporary German society that made Oprah's reading list. A module on German art, like the one on music also web-based, will round out the course. For those students interested, the 101A/101B sequence will be be accepted for 6 hours of humanities in the University Core Curriculum. For a sample syllabus, click here:
German 101A (Fall) German 101B (Spring) German Music German Art
We offer majors in German Studies (Combines the study of German language and culture with area studies in Art History, Economics, History, Philosophy, and Political Science), German with specialization in International Public Service, and German with a high school teaching certificate Click here for details!
German Studes Course Offerings (in addition to 101a and 101b)
- GER 201a, b (Intermediate German: Cultural Encounters) 8 credit hours
GER 320a (Adv. Conver. and Writing I: Swiss, German, & Austrian Authors) 4 hrs.
GER 320b (Adv. Conversation and Writing II: Literatur der Gegenwart) 3 hrs.
GER 335 (The Germans I: From Tribes to Empire in History and Literature) 3 hrs.
GER 336 (The Germans II: From Reich to Republic in History and Literature) 3 hrs.
GER 370 (Comtemporary Germany) 3 hrs.
GER 381 (Film and Literature) 3 hrs.
GER 385 (Reading German Poetry) 3 hrs.
GER 390 (Directed Language Learning)
GER 410 (German for Writing Proficiency) 3 hrs.
GER 435 (Business German) 3 hrs.
GER 460 (German Theater: Literature on Stage) 3 hrs.
GER 465 (Self and Society: The First-Person Narrative) 3 hrs.
GER 490 (Independent Study)
GER 493 (Seminar: Special Topics)
GER 495 (Internship in Germany)
I. German or German Studies major (36 hours) or double major: German + Business, English, History, Political Science, Aviation Mgmt., etc.
II. Secondary School Teaching Certificate (German 36 hrs, Education 28 hours)
- Career Options: High School or Middle School language teaching
- (Summers off, teachers in demand, good hours for mothers/fathers of children)
- Career Options: International trade, banking and finance, international law & diplomacy, airlines & travel industry
IV. Minor in German (18 hours)
- Nearly 1000 U.S. firms do business in German-speaking countries.
- German corporations have over 2,500 U.S. subsidiaries. They employ 600,000 Americans.
- A foreign language minor enhances a job resumé.
- German is an importnt research tool for graduate study in Philosophy, European History, Musicology, Library Science, and many other fields.
Learn German in Germany or Austria! Try one of the following:
ActiLingua Academy - Learn German in Vienna
Case Studies: Some Recent SIUC Graduates:
- Darcy Belton ('92 German) - Researcher, International Trade Association, Arlington, VA.
- Tanya Cary ('93 Ger + Intl. Trade) - Implementation Specialist, Unisource Worldwide, St. Louis.
- Andrew Garret ('95 Ger + Aviation Mgmt.) - Lufthansa Airlines, Boston.
- Jessica Jaskowiak ('95 Ger + Intl Trade) - Executive Asst., Warsteiner Bier Corp., Chicago
- Laura Meinhardt ('95 German) - working on Master's of Business Administration, SIUC
- David Choberka ('96 Ger + Hist + Computer Sci.) - working on Ph.D. in History at U or Tennessee
- Nicole Searles ('96 German) - Raleight Tobacco Co., International Division, Houston, Texas
- Stephanie Peiffle ('96 Ger + Intl. Trade) - Underwriter, International Insurance Co., Chicago
- Erica Jo Meyer ('96 Ger + Intl. Trade) - Sales Rep., Minolta Business Systems
- Dave Wittry ('Ger. + Ed. + Comp. Sci.) - Teaching German and Computer Sci., Chicago
- Garrett Scott ('96 Ger + English) - working for Amazon Books.Com in Regensburg, Germany
- Adrian Hickersberger ('97 Ger + Ed.) - Teaching High School German and Social Studies
- Amy Brenner ('99 Ger + Chemistry) - Chemist at BASF, Mannheim, Germany
- Carola Daffner, Lecturer
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Classes taught: First, second, and third year German language courses; German Masterpieces in English Translation
Interests: 18th-20th German literature (emphasis on the early twentieth century); German-Jewish literature and culture; and Media Studies
Thorsten Huth, Assistant Professor of German; German Section Head and Advisor
Classes taught: Ger 101A/B – Elementary German; Ger 201A/B – Intermediate German; and FL436 – Teaching Foreign Languages (Methods)
Interests: German language, literature, and culture; German applied linguistics; Intercultural communication; and foreign language teaching pedagogy
- Thyra Knapp, Lecturer
Classes taught: Ger 101A/B (Introduction to German Language and Culture); Ger 320B (Conversation/Composition); German Culture through Film; Business German; Survey of German Poetry; and Literature on Stage: German Drama (Spring 2008)
Anne Winston-Allen, Professor of German; Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. Ph.D. University of Kansas (1979).
Classes taught: GER 335: The Germans I: From Tribes to Empire in History and Literature; GER 101A: German Language & Culture; GER 410: Writing for Proficiency; and GER 488: German as a Research Tool
Interests: Medieval studies, women in the late Middle Ages