Perlons and Petticoats: West German Women in the Fifties

Syllabus - German 303 - Fall 1997

Instructor

Dr. Renate Fischetti

Address

AC 138, Tel. 455-2002, Fax. 455-1025

email: fischett@umbc.edu

Office Hours

M 1:15-1:45, M/W 3:30-4:15

or by appointment

Course Objective

This course is intended to develop advanced language skills, with an emphasis on reading and speaking German. The course will be taught entirely in German. The prerequisite is successful completion of German 301 or 302, or the equivalent. Since this is a topics course, it may be repeated for credit.

The texts we shall read deal with the experience women had growing up, working, and raising families in West Germany of the fifties.

Texts

Required Reader

Perlon Zeit. Wie die Frauen ihr Wirtschaftswunder erlebten. Hrsg. Von Angela Delille und Andrea Grohn. Elefanten Press, 1985.

Additional Readings

Additional readings will be put on reserve.

Films

The following films are on reserve in the Media Center:

Deutschland bleiche MutterHungerjahreDie HalbstarkenDr. HollDie LandärztinSchwarzwaldmädelDie Mädels vom Immenhof

Grammar handbooks

The following titles are on 1-week reserve in the Library:

Duden. Grammatik der deutschen GegenwartsspracheGrammatik der deutschen SpracheHandbuch der deutschen SpracheEssentials of German Grammar in ReviewGerman review and reference grammarGegenwartsdeutschSachwörterbuch für die deutsche Sprache Reviewing German Grammar: A Self-Instructional Reference Work for Elementary German Grammar Grammatik der modernen UmgangsspracheDeutsche Redensarten: Quiz- und ÜbungsbuchBildliche Redensarten

Course Work

1. Readings and Screenings -

all students are expected to do all assigned readings and screenings on time

2. Writing Assignments -

all students are expected to hand in all writing assignments on a weekly basisstudents have the option of editing these assignments or accepting a grade for the first draft

in order to improve their grades, students need to hand in the edited versions of the writing assignments no later than two weeks after the initial assignment was due

all written home work is to be typewritten, double spaced

weekly in-class writing assignments will be ungraded but edited

one mid-term report

one final report

Semester Portfolio

All students are expected to keep a semester portfolio with the following materials:

one ungraded in-class writing assignment

one graded homework writing assignment

Note:

A copy of this portfolio needs to be placed in the student's advisement folder for accountability purposes.

Grading

60%, Weekly writing assignments10% Mid-semester report20% Final report10% Class Participation

Additional Information

Study Abroad -

Students are encouraged to apply for study abroad programs. The University of Maryland runs a program at Schwäbisch-Gmünd. Additional programs are listed with the Office of International Education. Contact Dr. Arlene Wergin, AD 233, Tel. 455-461-4673, email: wergin@umbc.edu.

German Area Scholarships -

The German area offers two scholarships for UMBC German majors:

The Knapple Scholarship, and

The Plogman scholarship.

Announcements are made each spring. Applications are due April 15 of each year. Awards are made May 15.

Assessment/Accountability -

For purposes of accountability, the MLL Department has instituted an assessment procedure. This procedure includes the following:

Oral testing in German 301 and 401A student portfolio, containingone ungraded in-class essay for each 300- or 400-level course,one graded essay for each 300- or 400-level course a graded semester paper for a 400-level course to be selected by the student in consultation with the instructor and/or advisor. The portfolio is placed in the student's advisement folder.

German Club

Manuela Garcia is the new German Club President. Tamara Otte is the Vice President. Watch for announcements of German Club events!

The most notable German Club event for the fall semester is the appearance of Ana Rosmus, scholar and activist, on whose life the film The Nasty Girl is based. Ana Rosmus will come to UMBC Saturday, October 18. Activities include a screening of the film, a lecture by Ana Rosmus, and a panel discussion. This event is offered in the context of UMBC's Mindfest and is sponsored by many campus organizitions. A special thanks goes to outgoing German Club President Renate Smith for having organized this event! She worked extremely hard at obtaining the necessary funding! We wish her well in her year of study at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France.

Electronic Discussion List -

An electronic discussion list for this course was established. All students are encouraged to subscribe!

Following is the procedure:

write to majordomo@lists.umbc.edutype subscribe german303you should receive a written confirmation within a few minutesto send messages to the list, write to german303@lists.umbc.edu.

Home Page

We also have a home page for this course. In order to access this home page

Click on Campus InformationClick on Course MaterialsUnder the category, Electronic Materials by Department, click on Modern Languages and LinguisticsClick on German Women of the Fifties