COURSES IN THE LANGUAGE SEQUENCE
We are offering all our regular German language courses from German 101 to 202 (Beginning and Intermediate German) this fall.
If you are not sure, which one you should take, check out our placement guide here.
In all our courses, we are working with the new textbook series Impuls Deutsch, as well as authentic sources from music, websites, and videos. In GER 201, you will also work with the graphic novel drüben! about a family's journey from the East to the West during the time when Germany was still divided. In GER 202, you will read a short book, Inge Scholl’s Die weiße Rose, about a resistance group in the Third Reich, to prepare you for more extensive readings in the upper-level courses.
Of course there will also be a project again! In the past, project themes have included political parties in Germany, regions of the German-speaking world, the situation of refugees in Germany and the US, and adaptations of well-known German fairy tales.
GERMAN 101: Beginning German 1
M/W/F at 10:00am-10:50am, 12:00pm-12:50pm, or 1:00pm-1:50pm
Hallo - Guten Tag - Servus - Grüezi!
This course is aimed at true beginners! Learn how to greet people, give basic personal and family information, discuss your hobbies and your housing situation, talk about your clothing and food preferences, and find out how to make small talk about the weather. Discover how punctual the Germans really are, and whether they truly eat sauerkraut and sausage all the time!
You have three options in the fall: MWF at 10:00-10:50 am, 12:00-12:50 pm, or 1:00-1:50 pm, all meeting in the Cathedral of Learning.
If you are not sure if this is the right course for you, contact Dr. Viktoria Harms, vih16@pitt.edu.
GERMAN 102: Beginning German 2
M/W/F 12:00pm-12:50pm, or M/W 6:00pm-7:15pm
You have finished Beginning German 1 (or are about to), and you are ready for more? Then this is your course! Learn how to talk about the past (finally!), how to describe things in more detail, how to give directions, and how to speculate about hypothetical situations!
We will also discuss all the stuff we buy and consume and throw away, remember our favorite childhood pastimes, get to know Austria's capital Wien a bit better, and learn about German inventions.
Prerequisite: GER 101 or equivalent. If you are not sure if this course is for you, contact Dr. Viktoria Harms, vih16@pitt.edu.
Fulfills the DSAS Second Language General Ed. Requirement
GERMAN 201: Intermediate German 1
M/W/F 11:00am-11:50am or 12:00pm- 12:50pm
If you just finished the Beginning German series and want to take your German to the next level, this is the course for you! You will review and expand your grammatical structures and vocabulary, discuss issues of sustainability in a German context, learn about German history after 1945, and talk about who those Germans actually are!
Prerequisite: GER 102 or equivalent. If you are not sure if this course is for you, contact Dr. Viktoria Harms, vih16@pitt.edu.
DSAS Geographic Region General Ed. Requirement DSAS Second Language General Ed. Requirement SCI Polymathic Contexts: Global & Cross Cul. GE Req.
GERMAN 202: Intermediate German 2
M/W/F 10:00am-10:50am, CL 306 with Dr. Viktoria Harms
You have already taken three German courses? So why stop now - it is only going to get more interesting!
This semester, you will talk about different kinds of media, discuss amusement parks and rollercoasters, and learn about different kinds of protest and resistance movements in the past and present. You will practice and improve your writing, speaking, listening, and reading skills, and review many key grammar topics as well, to make sure that you are ready for our advanced German languages courses afterwards!
Prerequisite: GER 201 or equivalent. If you are not sure if this course is for you, contact Dr. Viktoria Harms, vih16@pitt.edu.
DSAS Geographic Region General Ed. Requirement SCI Polymathic Contexts: Global & Cross Cul. GE Req.
GERMAN 1001: Writing on the Margins
M/W/F 10:00am-10:50am, CL236 with Dr. Jaclyn Kurash (kurash@pitt.edu)
Explore short texts, films and other media produced by minorities and migrants in Germany. Read the poems of Afro-German writer May Ayim or explore portrayals of the immigrant experience in films like Almanya - Wilkommen in Deutschland (2011), and Wir sind jung. Wir sind stark (2014).
Learn to respond in different forms of writing, such as biographical and autobiographical narratives, comparative analysis, emails/letters, or a personal manifesto.
Fulfills the writing Intensive Gen. Ed. Requirement.
GERMAN 1005: German Media From TV to YouTube
M/W/F 11:00am-11:50am, CL 113 with Dr. Benjamin Brand
- Get intro to Germany's media landscape.
- Examine daily life in Germany via contemporary electronic and print media.
- Strengthen your knowledge of grammatical structures.
- Complete discussions, debates and homework in German.
Fulfills Creative Work Gen. Ed. Requirement.
GERMAN 1012: Introduction to Austrian Literature
W 12:00pm-12:50pm, CL314 with Dr. Orin James
Discover the richness of Austrian literature! Join us as we explore literary texts from some of Austria's most significant writers, covering key periods from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Expand your understanding of German-language literature and cultural history through engaging discussions and readings.
GERMAN 1105: Literary Analysis
T/Th 11:00am-12:15pm, CL339 with Dr. Lucas Riddle
- Explore diverse genres and eras of German literature in a low-tech environment.
- Develop a technical vocabulary for interpreting literary works.
- Learn literary methodologies and theoretical approaches to unlock deeper insights.
GER 1399 Capstone/1490: Special Topics Seminar: Torn Apart? Making Sense of Germany's History in the 20th Century
T/Th 4:30pm-5:45pm, CL235 with Dr. Max Trecker
GER 1500: Myths, Legends and Sagas
M/W/F 12:00pm-12:50pm, CL151
Unlock the mysteries of the Norse gods, legendary heroes, and epic sagas! This course explores the rich tapestry of Germanic mythology, from the thunderous tales of Thor and Odin to the heroic deeds of Siegfried and the Nibelungenlied. Discover how these ancient stories shaped medieval Europe and continue to influence modern culture, literature, and film.
Fulfills SPEC. GEOGRAPHIC REGION & Literature Gen. Ed.s
Join us for an unforgettable journey into the myths that shaped a civilization!
All materials and discussions in English!
GER 1502: Indo-European Folktales
M/W/F 1pm-1:50pm and 3:00pm-3:50pm, CL142 with Dr. Benjamin Brand
Read a wide selection of Indo-European folktales that reach us from places as remote as Iceland and as familiar as the southern States. You will revisit classic fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella, but also get to know their estranged relatives. Beyond that, we will introduce you to the history of folklore research and make you familiar with numerous perspectives from which to understand these tales, including psychoanalytic, feminist, queer, and race studies.
Learn more about the history and approaches of folklore studies, and begin to understand how these tales continue to influence us in the guise of pop and high culture.
Fulfills Gen. Ed. Requirements
GER 1510: Kafka and the Modern World
T/Th 2:30pm-3:45pm, CL113 with Dr. Amy Colin
Human bugs, tortured bodies, persecuted sons, this course examines the works and legacy of one of the world's greatest authors, a haunting literary voices in world literature: Franz Kafka.
- Explore questions of power, authority, law, truth, and self-realization in Kafka's works.
- Explore Kafka's readings of the self and its struggle through the labyrinth of the civilization.
- Explore Kafka's drawings. Learn about German Jewish culture in Prague at the start of the twentieth century.
- Learn about Franz Kafka as a European writer per excellence.
- Taught in English.
For more information, please contact Prof. Colin at paxpeace@pitt.edu
GER 1522: Germany Today
T/Th 11:00am-12:15pm, Langley 202 with Dr. Amy Colin
In this course, we assess the current cultural, political and social situation in German speaking countries. What are the concerns of Germans, Austrians and the Swiss? By concentrating on current conditions and changes of public consciousness, we will debate issues that are important to German speakers.
Materials include articles from journals and newspapers, documentaries, slides and contemporary works of literature.
All materials are in English.
For more information, please contract Prof. Colin at paxpeace@pitt.edu.
GER 1545/FMST 1292: Nazi Culture: Never Again
M/W 4:00pm-4:50pm and Recitations Th/F, CL324 with Dr. Randall Halle
In an era of far-right extremism and growing neo-Nazi movements, this course takes us to the past to understand our present. We will rely on the films as well as other primary sources of the Third Reich to understand the conditions in Germany and what motivated the Germans to make the choices they did. We will examine anti-Semitism, racism, gender and sexuality, mass culture, the cult of the leader, propaganda, and more. And we will understand the present better as well.
Fulfills Gen Eds in Historical Analysis and Diversity Fulfills National Cinema Req for Film and Media Studies
Contact Prof. Randall Halle Director, European Studies Center rhalle@pitt.edu