syllabus for ger 376 arizona

7/29/2019 Syllabus for Ger 376 Arizona

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German 376 /Judaic Studies 376:

German-Jewish WritersFall 2013 Prof. Thomas Kovach LSB 310TTh 2:00-3:15 PM Office hours TTh 11-12 or by appointmentModern Languages 311 [email protected] 621-1147

Course description:The course will focus on the contributions of Jewish writers to German literature and culture. Ineach case, a reading of the writers works will include an examination of that writers dual identity asJew and as German, and a questioning of how this duality is reflected in the writers texts. Issues ofassimilation/acculturation, Jewish identification, and Jewish self-hatred will all be discussed.

This course is a Humanities Tier Two course in the University-wide General Education Curriculum;it also fulfills the Gender, Race, Class, and Ethnicity requirement. Like other Tier Two courses,this class will seek to help you develop your critical thinking, writing, and interpretive skills. We willexamine a wide variety of texts, ranging from purely literary textspoetry, prose, and dramato

works of philosophy and political science. The course is interdisciplinary in this sense, and also inthe sense that you will be asked to consider how the work of these writers is shaped by the strugglefor equal rights as Jews in the German-speaking world, and the equally difficult struggle to come toterms within themselves with their conflicted identities.

No knowledge of German is required, and all readings, lectures, and discussions will be in English.For those students with a reading knowledge of German, most texts will be available in the originalGerman on D2L.

Evaluation:The course grade will be based on the following formula:Attendance, completion of readings, and participation in class discussions25%Two 5-page papers15% each. These are not intended to be research papers; rather, they shouldcontain your own reflections on works studied and issues raised in class.Midterm (20%) and Final (25%) exams. These exams will consist of identifications of quotes andterms, along with two essay questions.

Required texts (available at ASUA Bookstore)Howard M. Sachar, The Course of Modern Jewish History(Vintage)Mendelssohn,Jerusalem(University Press of New England)Heine, Poetry and Prose(Continuum)Schnitzler, Road into the Open(University of California Press)Kafka, The Basic Kafka(Pocket Books)

Other texts on D2L see below.

Optional textRuth Gay, The Jews of Germany: A Historical Portrait(Yale University Press)


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Course outlineWeek 1 (Aug. 27 & 29): Jewish settlement in the German-speaking world.Sachar, Chapters 1 & 2.Excerpt fromMemoirs of Glckel of Hameln(D2L).Optional: Gay, Chapters 1, 2, 3

Week 2 (Sept. 3 & 5): The Enlightenment and the beginnings of emancipation.Moses Mendelssohn,Jerusalem, or, On religious power and JudaismOptional: Gay, Chapter 4

Week 3 (Sept. 10 & 12): Assimilation and identity crisis.Sachar, Chapters 3 & 7The Salons: Memoirs of Henriette Herz, Letters of Dorothea Schlegel and Rahel Varnhagen (D2L)Abraham Mendelssohn Bartholdys letter to his son Felix (D2L)Optional: Gay, Chapter 5

Week 4 (Sept. 17 & 19): Heinrich HeineSachar, Chapters 5 & 6

Heine, Harz JourneyHeine Poems: The Grenadiers, I dont know the reason, The night is calm, Youre lovelyasa flower, The young miss stood by the oceanHeine, Germany, A Winters Tale

Week 5 (Sept. 24 & 26): Heine and Marx on Jewish themesHeine: The Rabbi of Bacherach(D2L)Heine: Writings on Jewish themesRead chronologically!! (D2L)Heine: Princcess Sabbath(D2L)Marx, On the Jewish Question (D2L)

Week 6 (Oct. 1 & 3): Questioning assimilation.Hirsch, Emancipation (D2L)Sachar, Chapters 11 & 13.Herzl, excerpts from The Jewish State(D2L).Optional: Gay, Chapter 6First paper due on October 3.

Weeks 7 & 8 (Oct. 10, 15 & 17): Schnitzlers novel: Jews dealing with the rise of antisemitismMidterm exam on October 8Sachar Chapter 19.Arthur Schnitzler, The Road into the Open

Week 9 (Oct. 22 & 24: FreudFreud, excerpts from The Interpretation of Dreams(D2L),.Freud:Jokes and their Relation to the Unconscious(D2L),Moses and Monotheism(D2L)


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Week 10 (Oct. 29 & 31): KafkaKafka, Before the Law, The Judgment, and Letter to his FatherKafka, A Report to an Academy, The Animal in the Synagogue (D2L),Josephine the Singer,or the Mouse Folk

Week 11 (Nov. 5 & 7): Lasker-Schler and CanettiSachar, Chapter 20Else Lasker-Schler, Land of the Hebrews and Poems (D2L);Elias Canetti, The Challenge and Backenroth (D2L)

Week 12 (Nov. 12 & 14): The ShoahSachar, Chapter 21.Celan, Fugue of Death (D2L)Sachs, Poems (D2L)Optional: Gay, Chapter 7

Remaining weeks (November 19, 26, 28; Dec. 3, 5, 10): The AftermathJewish writers in Germantoday

Second paper due on December 5.The following readings will be available on D2L:Katja Behrens, Perfectly NormalChaim Noll, A Country, A Child, But Not the Countrys ChildBarbara Honigmann, fromA Love Out of NothingHenryk M. Broder, Heimat?No, Thanks!Robert Menasse, from Happy Times, Brittle WorldThomas Feibel, Gefilte Fish and Pepsi: A Childhood in Enemy TerritoryMaxim Biller, Finkelsteins FingersRafael Seligmann, from Rubinsteins AuctionMaxim Biller, See Auschwitz and Die

Matthias Hermann, Six PoemsPeter Stephan Jungk, from Shabbat: A Rite of Passage in JerusalemLeo Sucharewicz, The Girl and the ChildrenHenryk M. Broder, Our KampfBenjamin Korn, Witching Hour: Images of GermanySixty Years LaterRafael Seligmann, Instead of an AfterwordMaxim Biller, Reunification I

Final examinationThursday, December 19 1:00-3:00 PM Modern Languages 311

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D2LIn addition to being the source for many class readings, Ill be using the D2L website to makeannouncements outside class, and you can use it also to check on readings, class schedules, etc., andto chat among yourselves. The login website ishttp://d2l.arizona.edu/index.asp.
http://d2l.arizona.edu/index.asphttp://d2l.arizona.edu/index.asphttp://d2l.arizona.edu/index.asphttp://d2l.arizona.edu/index.asp


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Policies

Plagiarism. In any written work handed in for class (both papers and exams), it is expectedthat all wording and ideas be your own, unless you have explicitly credited your source.Unless you have made special arrangements, it is assumed that any work turned in for this

class was composed exclusively for this class, and not recycled from an earlier assignment inanother class. For more information, please consulthttp://w3.arizona.edu/~studpubs/policies/cacaint.htm#ProhibitedConductandhttp://www.u.arizona.edu/~debraw/300_presession/plagiarism.htm.

Special Needs. Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations toparticipate fully in course activities or meet course requirements must register with theDisability Resource Center (http://drc.arizona.edu/) and provide the instructor withappropriate documentation in advance of exam or any other required course activity forwhich accommodations are being requested.

Cell phones and pagers, classroom behavior. If you bring these to class, it is yourresponsibility to see to it that they are turned off prior to class. Texting during class is not

allowed. Violations of these policies may result in loss of attendance credit; if this happensmore than once, you will be asked to leave class. Students engaging in private conversationswhile class is in session, or engaging in other disruptive behavior, may be asked to leaveclass; if this occurs, the class will be recorded as an unexcused absence for that student.

Absences.Absences due to holidays or special events observed by organized religions willbe excused for students who show affiliation with that particular religion, provided advancenotice is given to the instructor. Absences due to illness will be excused provideddocumentation is presented to the instructor; if notice is given to the instructor by e-mail orphone prior to class, this requirement may be waived at the instructors discretion.

Under exceptional circumstances, I may allow you to submit written assignments via e-mail,provided the following conditions are met:

1. You must obtain permission in advance.2. It is your responsibility to make sure that I received the assignment in a form that I amable to download and print.

Threatening behavior by students. You should familiarize yourselves with the policiesstated on the following website: http://policy.web.arizona.edu/~policy/threaten.shtml
http://w3.arizona.edu/~studpubs/policies/cacaint.htm#ProhibitedConducthttp://w3.arizona.edu/~studpubs/policies/cacaint.htm#ProhibitedConducthttp://www.u.arizona.edu/~debraw/300_presession/plagiarism.htmhttp://www.u.arizona.edu/~debraw/300_presession/plagiarism.htmhttp://drc.arizona.edu/http://drc.arizona.edu/http://drc.arizona.edu/http://drc.arizona.edu/http://www.u.arizona.edu/~debraw/300_presession/plagiarism.htmhttp://w3.arizona.edu/~studpubs/policies/cacaint.htm#ProhibitedConduct

syllabus for ger 376 arizona

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