Overview:

• Faculty
• Courses
• Study abroad

Faculty:

• Anne Leblans, Associate Professor of German (1987). "Kandidaat," U.F.S.I.A., Antwerp; "Licentiaat," U.I.A., Antwerp; M.A., Ph.D., University of Oregon. Dr. Leblans grew up in the Flemish speaking part of Belgium, where she finished her undergraduate degree in Germanic Languages and Literatures (Dutch, German) with a senior thesis on Walter Benjamin. She did her graduate work in Comparative Literature (German, English, French and some Spanish) at the University of Oregon. She is interested in the carnivalesque and its subversive potential, in problems of modernity and the dream-life of capitalism, in fairy tales and children's books, and in psycho-historical aspects of reading. She is a founding member and an active participant in the Women Studies Program. In Germany, she has lived in Konstanz (1985-86) and Berlin (1995-96).

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• Jacqueline M. Paskow, Professor Emerita of Language and Literature (1981). B.A., Skidmore College; M.A. Middlebury College; M.A., Ph.D., Yale University. Dr. Jacqueline Merriam Paskow was born during World War II in Fort Benning, Georgia and raised on army bases in the United States and in England. She received a B.A. in French from Skidmore College, after spending her junior year in France, and a Ph.D. in French from Yale University, after teaching at a French lycée on a student Fulbright grant. She later received an M. A. in German from Middlebury College. She has taught at Deep Springs College (California), Haverford College (Pennsylvania) and at the University of Constance in Germany on a senior Fulbright grant. She wrote her dissertation on the representation of suicide in romanticist texts. Her abiding research interest are: 19th and 20th century French and German-language and literature in relationship to philosophy and social change; Italian; creative nonfiction. On leave academic year 2005-2006.

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Course catalog: GERMAN COURSES (ILCG)

• ILCG 101. Elementary German I (4F)
  An introduction to the basic structures of spoken and written German and an introduction to German culture and its relation to the language. This course is for students beginning the study of German.

• ILCG 102. Elementary German II (4S)
  A continuation of the study of basic grammar. Increased attention given to conversation and short creative writing assignments. This course satisfies the general education requirement in foreign language. Prerequisite: ILCG 101 or equivalent as determined by the Foreign Language Proficiency Test.

• ILCG 201. Intermediate German (4F)
  Review of grammar, development of conversational skills, weekly writing assignments based on readings and class discussion. Prerequisite: ILCG 102 or equivalent as determined by the Foreign Language Proficiency Test.

• ILCG 205. Intermediate Composition and Conversation (4F)
  Practice in German as a vehicle for communication. Speaking and writing exercises will range from making simple requests to articulating complex thoughts and emotions. Selected topics and texts read in advance will provide a basis for class discussion. Bi-weekly compositions assigned. Prerequisite: ILCG 201 or 206 or equivalent as determined by the Foreign Language Proficiency Test.

• ILCG 206. Introduction to Literature in German (4S)
  Students will study short literary texts representing several periods and genres. Particular attention will be paid to the social and historical context of the literature. Grammar will be reviewed only as needed. Written assignments will be based primarily on the readings. This course satisfies the general education requirement in literature. Prerequisite: ILCG 201 or 205 or equivalent as determined by the Foreign Language Proficiency Test.

• ILCG 355. German Culture and Civilization: History and Everyday Life in the 20th Century (4AF)
  This course deals with problematic aspects of Germany's recent past. The emphasis is on an exploration of issues through the study of a variety of sources: documentary and feature films, eye-witness accounts, diaries, art work and literary texts, newspaper and magazine articles, essays, cultural criticism, etc. Examples of courses that have been offered under this heading are Aspekte der Weimarer Republik, and Geschichte and Alltag im 20ten Jahrhundert. The topic of this course, which is often taught as a workshop, is different whenever the course is offered. May be repeated for credit. Pre- or co-requisites: ILCG 205 or 206 or consent of the instructor.

• ILCG 356. German Culture and Civilization: Historical (4AF)
  The topic of this course is often a response to contemporary issues of great urgency and complexity in a rapidly changing Germany (the collapse of communism and the fall of the Wall, reunification and the psycho-social problems that accompanied it, the decline of the nation state and the European identity crisis, migration, shifting boundaries, etc.). The course studies how these issues developed historically, often going back as far as the Middle Ages. Examples of courses that have been offered under this heading are Hauptstadt Berlin, Fremdgruppen in Deutschland, and Das Deutsche Neunzehnte Jahrhundert. The topic of this course is different whenever it is offered. May be repeated for credit. Pre- or co-requisites: ILCG 205 and 206 or consent of the instructor.

• ILCG 360. Advanced Grammar and Translation (4AS)
  Study of grammatical and stylistic structures as they apply to the task of translating a variety of texts from German into English and from English into German. Pre- or co-requisites: ILCG 205 and 206 or consent of the instructor.

• ILCG 362. Topics in German Literature I (4AS)
  Close study of selected major literary works from the Middle Ages to the Age of the Enlightenment. The course will normally focus on a theme, movement, or genre which links the selected works in a common or conflicting tradition. Class discussion and short papers will aim at developing the ability to read literature critically. A short creative writing project is part of the requirements. Although the course focuses on a pre-modern period, links are made to later periods and to the present. Recent offerings: the Middle Ages and how medieval imagery and ideas were revitalized by the Romantics and the 20th century; and "Der Garten," what historical changes this archetypical image underwent in different periods from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. The topic of this course is different whenever it is offered. May be repeated for credit. Pre- or co-requisites: ILCG 205 and 206 or consent of the instructor.

• ILCG 363. Topics in German Literature II (4AS)
  Close study of major literary works from the period of Romanticism to the present. The selection of works will normally reflect a particular theme, movement, or genre which links the selected works in a common or conflicting tradition. Class discussion and short papers will aim at developing the ability to read literature critically. The topic of this course is different whenever it is offered. May be repeated for credit. Pre- or co-requisites: ILCG 205 and 206 or consent of the instructor.

• ILCG 493/494. St. Mary's Project (8E)
  A student-initiated and student-executed project of eight semester-hours is the senior capstone experience, to be carried out in the language of study (with the exception of Chinese). The project may be a research project in literary or cultural studies, a creative-expressive project involving the arts, or a pedagogical project involving teaching applications. Also, depending on the focus of the student's course work and interests, the project can be single or multi-disciplinary based. Whatever the nature of the project, students must demonstrate in it: 1) linguistic competence equal to the task, 2) a method of approach and execution appropriate to the task, 3) adequate knowledge of the particular area of research or endeavor, 4) an ability to analyze and reflect upon this knowledge in order to integrate it with knowledge in other areas of inquiry or performance, and 5) the readiness to critically discuss and publicly share the results of the project. Prerequisites: ILCT 393; approval of a faculty project mentor; approval of the department chair of the student's major(s). NOTE: Students whose projects are to be based on material collected "in the field" while studying abroad during their junior year or while engaged in off-campus apprenticeships or internships should discuss their plans with a faculty adviser as early as the second semester of their sophomore year. This course is repeatable for up to a total of eight semester-hours.

• ILCG 199, 299, 399, 499. Independent Study (1-4E)
  This course consists of an independent creative or research project designed by the student and supervised by a foreign language faculty member. The nature of the project, the schedule for accomplishment, and the means of evaluation must be formalized in a learning contract prior to registration. (See "Independent Study" under "Academic Policies" section.)

• ILCT 302. German Studies in Translation (4AF)
  The study of major works in the German-speaking literary traditions of Europe, or the study of basic philosophical, moral, social, and political dilemmas of German-speaking societies. May be repeated for credit.

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Study abroad:

For students of German, the department offers a short study abroad program to Berlin (see Dr. Anne Leblans). For a year-long study abroad experience, St. Mary's has an exchange program with the University of Heidelberg in Heidelberg, Germany (see Drs. Anne Leblans or Jacqueline Paskow). For these programs you pay St. Mary's College tuition and credit is granted by St. Mary's College in the form of a grade.
For more details concerning study abroad options, click here.

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