This course offers a survey of modern German literary, cultural, and intellectual currents, as well as an introduction to argumentation and analysis. Students will examine numerous issues and questions central to defining the complexity of modern German culture. R5A satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement, and R5B satisfies the second half.

From the sixteenth-century captivity narrative of Hans Staden to Daniel Kehlmann’s novel Measuring the World [Die Vermessung der Welt], this course will explore transcultural exchanges between Germany and Latin America. What does it mean to be cosmopolitan, to be a “country of immigrants” or a “country of the future,” and how have Germany and numerous Latin American countries variously understood both themselves and each other as such? How have ideas of German and Latin American identity circulated and transformed through literature, ethnography, and music, among other forms of exchange? In addition to studying forms of cultural production, we will look at specific waves of German immigration to Latin America, such as that of the Mennonites starting in the 1920s and the influx of predominantly German-Jewish refugees in the Southern Cone, as well as shifting political and affective dynamics during periods of democracy and dictatorship. Course material will be multimodal and multidisciplinary, and students will hone their ability to write critically about works in various forms and genres.

Requisites

• Satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing Requirement.

Credit Restrictions

Students will receive no credit for GERMAN R5A after passing GERMAN 5A.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills