Graduate courses for Fall 2023

Title Instructor Location Time All taxonomy terms Description Section Description Cross Listings Fulfills Registration Notes Syllabus Syllabus URL Course Syllabus URL
DTCH 5010-401 Elementary Dutch I Robert A Naborn 36MK 111 TR 3:30 PM-4:59 PM A first semester language course covering the core Dutch grammar and vocabulary with the goal of providing the corner stone for developing overall linguistic proficiency in Dutch. https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202330&c=DTCH5010401
GRMN 5010-401 Elementary German I Christina E Frei WILL 214 MTWR 10:15 AM-11:14 AM Designed for the beginning student with no previous knowledge of German. German 101, as the first course in the first-year series, focuses on the development of language competence in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. By the end of the semester, students will be able to engage in simple conversations about familiar things, know greetings and everyday expressions, they will be ble to count and tell time, and negate sentences in day-to-day contexts. Furthermore, students will be able to speak about events that happened in the immediate past and express plans for the future. In addition, students will have developed reading strategies that allow them to glean information from simple newspaper and magazine articles and short literary texts. Because cultural knowledge is one of the foci of German 101, students will learn much about practical life in Germany and will explore German-speaking cultures on the Internet. GRMN0100401
GRMN 5010-402 Elementary German I Asia Lorraine Cureton WILL 318 MTWR 12:00 PM-12:59 PM Designed for the beginning student with no previous knowledge of German. German 101, as the first course in the first-year series, focuses on the development of language competence in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. By the end of the semester, students will be able to engage in simple conversations about familiar things, know greetings and everyday expressions, they will be ble to count and tell time, and negate sentences in day-to-day contexts. Furthermore, students will be able to speak about events that happened in the immediate past and express plans for the future. In addition, students will have developed reading strategies that allow them to glean information from simple newspaper and magazine articles and short literary texts. Because cultural knowledge is one of the foci of German 101, students will learn much about practical life in Germany and will explore German-speaking cultures on the Internet. GRMN0100402
GRMN 5010-403 Elementary German I Zhanar Beketova GLAB 103 MTWR 1:45 PM-2:44 PM Designed for the beginning student with no previous knowledge of German. German 101, as the first course in the first-year series, focuses on the development of language competence in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. By the end of the semester, students will be able to engage in simple conversations about familiar things, know greetings and everyday expressions, they will be ble to count and tell time, and negate sentences in day-to-day contexts. Furthermore, students will be able to speak about events that happened in the immediate past and express plans for the future. In addition, students will have developed reading strategies that allow them to glean information from simple newspaper and magazine articles and short literary texts. Because cultural knowledge is one of the foci of German 101, students will learn much about practical life in Germany and will explore German-speaking cultures on the Internet. GRMN0100403
GRMN 5020-401 Elementary German II Christopher Gwin WILL 3 MTWR 10:15 AM-11:14 AM This course is a continuation of GRMN 101 and is designed to strengthen and expand students' listening, speaking, reading, and writing competence and to deepen an understanding of German-speaking cultures. By the end of the course, students will be able to handle a variety of day-to-day needs in a German-speaking setting and engage in simple conversations about personally significant topics. Students can expect to be able to order food and beverages, purchase things, and to be familiar with the German university system, the arts, and current social topics. Students will begin to be able to talk aboutthe past and the future, make comparisons, describe people and things in increasing detail, make travel plans that include other European countries, and make reservations in hotels and youth hostels. By the end of the course students will be able to talk about their studies and about their dreams for the future. In In addition, students will develop reading strategies that should allow them tounderstand the general meaning of articles, and short literary texts. Furthermore, students will feel more able to understand information when hearing German speakers talking about familiar topics. Cultural knowledge remains among one of the foci of German 102, and students will continue to be exposed to authentic materials. GRMN0200401
GRMN 5020-402 Elementary German II Christopher Gwin WILL 5 MTWR 12:00 PM-12:59 PM This course is a continuation of GRMN 101 and is designed to strengthen and expand students' listening, speaking, reading, and writing competence and to deepen an understanding of German-speaking cultures. By the end of the course, students will be able to handle a variety of day-to-day needs in a German-speaking setting and engage in simple conversations about personally significant topics. Students can expect to be able to order food and beverages, purchase things, and to be familiar with the German university system, the arts, and current social topics. Students will begin to be able to talk aboutthe past and the future, make comparisons, describe people and things in increasing detail, make travel plans that include other European countries, and make reservations in hotels and youth hostels. By the end of the course students will be able to talk about their studies and about their dreams for the future. In In addition, students will develop reading strategies that should allow them tounderstand the general meaning of articles, and short literary texts. Furthermore, students will feel more able to understand information when hearing German speakers talking about familiar topics. Cultural knowledge remains among one of the foci of German 102, and students will continue to be exposed to authentic materials. GRMN0200402
GRMN 5030-401 Intermediate German I David R F James WILL 320 MTWR 10:15 AM-11:14 AM This course is designed to improve students writing and speaking competence, to increase vocabulary, to deepen grammar usage, and to help develop effective reading and listening strategies in German across literary genres and media as students interpret and analyze cultural, political, and historical moments in German-speaking countries and compare them with their own cultural practices. This course is organized around content-based modules and prepares students well for GRMN 104 and a minor or major in German. GRMN0300401
GRMN 5030-402 Intermediate German I David R F James WILL 307 MTWR 12:00 PM-12:59 PM This course is designed to improve students writing and speaking competence, to increase vocabulary, to deepen grammar usage, and to help develop effective reading and listening strategies in German across literary genres and media as students interpret and analyze cultural, political, and historical moments in German-speaking countries and compare them with their own cultural practices. This course is organized around content-based modules and prepares students well for GRMN 104 and a minor or major in German. GRMN0300402
GRMN 5040-401 Intermediate German II Sibel Sayili-Hurley WILL 24 MTWR 12:00 PM-12:59 PM A continuation of GRMN 103. Expands students writing and speaking competence in German, increases vocabulary and helps students practice effective reading and listening strategies. Our in-class discussions are based on weekly readings of literary and non-literary texts to facilitate exchange of information, ideas, reactions, and opinions. In addition, the readings provide cultural and historical background information. The review of grammar will not be the primary focus of the course. Students will, however, expand and deepen their knowledge of grammar through specific grammar exercises. Students will conclude the basic-language program at PENN by reading an authentic literary text; offering the opportunity to practice and deepen reading knowledge and to sensitize cultural and historical awareness of German-speaking countries. GRMN0400401
GRMN 5050-401 Accelerated Elementary German Sibel Sayili-Hurley WILL 438
WILL 29
TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM
MW 10:15 AM-11:14 AM
This course is intensive and is intended for dedicated, highly self-motivated students who will take responsibility for their learning and creation of meaning with their peers. An intensive two credit course in which two semesters of elementary German (GRMN 101 & 102) are completed in one. Introduction to the basic elements of spoken and written German, with emphasis placed on the acquisition of communication skills. Readings and discussions focus on cultural differences. Expression and comprehension are then expanded through the study of literature and social themes. GRMN0150401
GRMN 5060-401 Texts and Contexts Claudia Lynn MCNB 409 MW 1:45 PM-3:14 PM In this course, you will explore themes of cultural and historical significance in contemporary German-speaking countries through literature and nonfiction, through film and current event media coverage. Whether you wish to dive deeply into historical or political contexts, explore untranslatable cultural phenomena or the aesthetic rhythm and semantic complexity of the German language, GRMN 203 Texts and Contexts will inspire your imagination and deepen your understanding of German language, culture and literature. This is a required course for all courses taught in German at or above the 200 level. GRMN2100401
GRMN 5430-401 Environmental Humanities: Theory, Method, Practice Bethany Wiggin DRLB 2C6 W 1:45 PM-4:44 PM Environmental Humanities: Theory, Methods, Practice is a seminar-style course designed to introduce students to the trans- and interdisciplinary field of environmental humanities. Weekly readings and discussions will be complemented by guest speakers from a range of disciplines including ecology, atmospheric science, computing, history of science, medicine, anthropology, literature, and the visual arts. Participants will develop their own research questions and a final project, with special consideration given to building the multi-disciplinary collaborative teams research in the environmental humanities often requires. COML5430401, ENGL5430401, ENVS5410401, SPAN5430401
GRMN 5520-401 Kant II Carlos J Pereira Di Salvo BENN 20 R 3:30 PM-6:29 PM This graduate course is a study of Kant's moral and political philosophy. Texts may include Kant's Lectures on Ethics, Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, Critique of Practical Reason, Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason, and Metaphysics of Morals. PHIL4182401, PHIL6182401 https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202330&c=GRMN5520401
GRMN 5580-401 The Long Nineteenth Century: Literature, Philosophy, Culture Vance Byrd MCNB 582 MW 10:15 AM-11:44 AM The present course will discuss German literature and thought from the period of the French Revolution to the turn of the twentieth century, and put it into a European context. In regard to German literature, this is the period that leads from the Storm and Stress and Romanticism to the political period of the Vormärz, Realism, and finally Expressionism; in philosophy, it moves from German Idealism to the philosophy of Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and neo-Kantian thought. It is also the period that saw the rise of the novel, and new forms of dramatic works. Painting moved out of the studio into plein air; the invention of photography made an imprint on all arts, and the rise of the newspaper led to new literary genres such as the feuilleton. Economically, Germany experienced the industrial revolution; politically, it was striving for a unification that was finally achieved in 1871. The nineteenth century saw the establishment of the bourgeoisie, the emergence of the German working class, and the idea of the nation state; it also saw Jewish emancipation, and the call for women’s rights. Readings will focus on a variety of literary, political, and philosophical texts; and consider a selection of art works. ARTH7770401, COML5660401
GRMN 5800-401 Walter Benjamin Liliane Weissberg VANP 627 T 1:45 PM-3:44 PM Topic title for Spring 2018: Walter Benjamin. Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) is a philosopher whose writings on art, literature, and politics have had tremendous influence on many disciplines in the Humanities and Social Studies. He has been variously described as one of the leading German-Jewish thinkers, and a secular Marxist theorist. With the publication of a four-volume collection of this works in English, many more of his writings have been made accessible to a wider public. Our seminar will undertake a survey of his work that begins with his studies on language and allegory, and continues with his autobiographical work, his writings on art and literature, and on the imaginary urban spaces of the nineteenth-century. ARTH5871401, COML5800401, JWST5800401, PHIL5389401 https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202330&c=GRMN5800401
GRMN 5990-401 Teaching and Learning Rossella Di Rosa MCNB 582 R 3:30 PM-5:29 PM The course focuses on diverse areas of Foreign Language and Second Language Acquisition research and theories and how they apply to foreign language teaching. Students will familiarize themselves with the major foreign language methodologies and approaches, as well as the ACTFL standards and proficiency guidelines for foreign language learning. Similarly, students will analyze the resources and tools for planning instruction in a second language based on Backward Design and the Universal Design for Learning. Furthermore, students will research and discuss the most effective ways to promote diversity, inclusivity, and equity; enhance learning experiences and outcomes through technology; foster engagement and active learning; and build a sense of community in the foreign language classroom FREN5990401, ITAL5990401 https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202330&c=GRMN5990401
GRMN 6381-401 Troubadours at the Center Wendy Pfeffer BENN 407 W 12:00 PM-2:59 PM ‘Troubadour’ is a term whose meaning has evolved from the eleventh century to our day. In the Middle Ages, a troubadour was a singer-songwriter (male or female) who composed in a language called Occitan, the language spoken in northern Italy, across southern France, and into today’s Catalonia. Medieval works in this language include epic poetry, didactic texts, lengthy romances, and love poetry. Renowned and imitated throughout medieval Europe – by authors from today’s Italy, Austria, Germany, France, Spain, and Portugal – the Occitan literary heritage cannot be ignored. Though sometimes presented as a dead language, Occitan is very much alive, and one purpose of this course is to introduce students to it and to its broad importance in European literary history. This course will present the literary and cultural history of the Occitan region, writ large, from the Middle Ages to the modern day. By the end of the course, students will be able to read Occitan with the aid of a dictionary; they will understand the culture of the French Midi as distinct from that of France; they will know something of the distinctive cultural elements of Occitania. They will also have a profound knowledge of at least one Occitan author, medieval, modern, or contemporary. The course will be taught in English. In addition to learning the material covered in the course, students will gain expertise in producing professional presentations and research papers. COML6381401, FREN6381401, ITAL6381401 https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202330&c=GRMN6381401
GRMN 7770-401 Francophone, Italian and Germanic Proseminar Eva Del Soldato CANCELED This proseminar will introduce first-year FIGS graduate students to doctoral studies in the humanities. It is organized into four parts. Part I, “Scholarly Habits and Resources,” introduces students to a variety of resources at Penn, discusses the scholarly habits that graduate students should develop, and covers strategies for promoting mental and physical well-being as a graduate student. Part II, “Intervening in the Field,” introduces students to the processes of conference participation and article publication. Part III, “The Dissertation,” covers the ins-and-outs of writing the dissertation. Part IV, “Awards, Networking, and Jobs,” addresses the importance of awards and networking as well as the academic and non-academic job markets. While DEI issues are constantly addresses throughout the course, also in the form of assignments, there are also bridge sessions to other courses, especially on pedagogy and recent research trends. In addition to weekly discussions and activities, this course will include a number of guest speakers who will share their expertise and give guidance on the how-tos of the field. Students will be given pre- as well as post-class activities to reflect on each week’s topic and begin to prepare a dossier for later use in their graduate studies. Much of the information in this proseminar becomes particularly relevant during the final years of coursework and your dissertation writing years, but it is important to be introduced to these topics and to begin to think about them now. This course is designed for PhD students in Francophone, Italian, and Germanic Studies. Many of the topics apply to all three fields; however, students will also have the opportunity to work on areas that are specific to their language for certain topics. They will also be able to add to the course materials for future graduate students in FIGS. FREN7770401, ITAL7770401 https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202330&c=GRMN7770401
SWED 5010-680 Elementary Swedish I Heli Sirvioe WILL 28 TR 5:15 PM-6:44 PM Elementary Swedish I SWED0100680
SWED 5040-680 Intermediate Swedish II Heli Sirvioe JAFF B17 TR 3:30 PM-4:59 PM Part two of the intermediate level Swedish course. Through in- and our-of-class interactions, you will continue to engage with your peers and native or fluent Swedish speakers. We will look at Swedish products, practices and perspectives, and we will discuss how Swedish culture and society ar adapting to a rapidly changing world. We will complement the course literature with relevant authentic sources, such as online media, films, newspapers, etc. With a small class size, we have the flexibility to adapt the content to individual interests, and you will have plenty of opportunity to contribute to the total learning experience while elevating your Swedish vocabulary, grammar and communication skills. SWED0300680
YDSH 5010-401 Beginning Yiddish I Alexander Botwinik GLAB 103 TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM The goal of this course is to help beginning students develop skills in Yiddish conversation, reading and writing. Yiddish is the medium of a millennium of Jewish life. We will frequently have reason to refer to the history and culture of Ashkenazie Jewry in studying the language. JWST0160401, YDSH0100401
YDSH 5030-401 Intermediate Yiddish I Alexander Botwinik GLAB 103 TR 12:00 PM-1:29 PM The course will continue the first year's survey of Yiddish grammar with an additional emphasis on reading Yiddish texts. The course will also develop conversational skills in Yiddish. JWST0360401, YDSH0300401