German Women Writers of the 19th and 20th Century
Deutsche Schriftstellerinnen des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts

Taught in German
TTH 9:30 – 10:45 at ECU, UNCW and WCU
9:50 - 11:05 at NC State in Poe 202
A class of the UNC System German Consortium
with live two-way video conferencing between NC State, ECU, UNCW and WCU

Course website (only accessible for registered students):
http://webct.ncsu.edu (for NC State students)
http://webct.ncsu.edu/guest (for students on other campuses)
WebCT Instructions
German literature links

Course Description

We will read, discuss and write about poems and prose works by German, Austrian and Swiss women authors of the 19th and 20th centuries. We will consider these texts in their cultural and historical contexts and also in the context of women’s emancipation through these two centuries. Ideas from feminist theory will help our understanding of the literary texts. There will be mini-lectures, much class discussion (sometimes in pairs or groups), two exams, a number of writing assignments, and discussion postings on the WebCT site.

Prerequisites

At NC State University you need to have completed FLG 202 or have placed into the 300 level; at ECU, the prerequisite for this course is GERM 3510 (Introduction to German Literature). In more general terms, four semesters of college German have to be completed.

Student Learning Objectives

By the end of the course you should be able to:
• understand, describe and explain selected aspects of women’s and general history as reflected in German women’s writings of the 19th and 20th century
• discuss, orally and in writing, selected works of German women writers of the 19th and 20th century (their topics, motifs and literary devices) in their cultural and political contexts
• write an interpretive analysis of a literary text in German.

Texts

Required

Herminghouse, Patricia, Frauen im Mittelpunkt: Contemporary German Women Writers (New York: Suhrkamp, 1987), ISBN 3-518-02973-8, $ 15.00.

Michelle Stott and Joseph O. Baker, eds.: Im Nonnengarten: An Anthology of German Women's Writing 1850-1907, (Prospect Heights, Ill.: Waveland Press, 1997), ISBN 0-88133-963-6, $ 16.50.

If you can't purchase the books at your local bookstore, order from the NC State bookstore, which has enough copies: just follow the prompts for
ordering for FLG 390, section 1, at: http://www.fis.ncsu.edu/ncsubookstores/
For German books in general, you can also try: http://www.ibiservice.com. Or try http://amazon.com, or E-Bay's used-book web site http://half.ebay.com/index.jsp

A good-size dictionary, such as the New College German Dictionary (Langenscheidt) or Cassell's German Dictionary Concise Edition.
You may also use on-line dictionaries such as: http://dict.leo.org, http://www.langenscheidt.aol.de/, http://www.linguadict.de and http://www.wordreference.com; there are others on the web (Google will turn them up), but these may be the best or biggest ones. You may NOT use online or electronic translation programs (they produce very questionable results anyway).

Computer Work

At NC State: you may use the computer workstations in the Foreign Language Technology Center (FLTC) in the Laundry Building, LAU 214, on the corner of Stinson Drive and Current Drive. Check http://fllab.chass.ncsu.edu for opening hours and info on the FLTC.

At ECU: the Foreign Language Resource Center, Bate Building. Check their web site for more information.

Course Requirements and Evaluation

Class Work
For your participation in class, your grade will be determined using the following criteria:
A = you are well prepared, often with written notes, and participate actively; you are attentive, respond when called upon and volunteer often with pertinent questions and comments.
B = you are usually prepared, sometimes with written notes, and always respond when called on; you volunteer on occasion.
C= you show evidence of being unprepared; you have some trouble when called on and do not volunteer often.
D = you are unprepared and/or inattentive; you never volunteer; you come to class late and/or leave early.
F= you exhibit a lack of concern for the class; you sleep in class; your behaviour may have a negative effect on the class.

Group Work
There will be a lot of group activities. The above evaluation criteria also apply to group work. Be a good team member in partner work or small group activities. Turn your chair to create an easy setting for interaction with your partner(s). Volunteer information, keep the work moving along, but don’t dominate. Help your partners, if they are having a more difficult time (helping others is an excellent way to learn for yourself!). In order to be a good team player you need to be well prepared for class. Each member of a group should take notes about the ideas generated in the group and be prepared to give a report to the class.

WebCT Discussions
Post 5 contributions, each one at least 5 lines long. The 5 contributions all need to be on different authors. You should make one good point and also back it up a bit, i.e. explain why, or support it with a quote from the text or a reference to the text. In addition, post 5 responses to contributions by others, each one at least 5 lines long. The responses need to be about different authors. Again back it up by explaining why, or by using a quote or referring to the text. For the contributions: copying or even slightly varying postings by your fellow students is not acceptable; before you post, please read what is there already in order to avoid duplication (or else it could lead to a failing grade for your posting). There are so many things one can say! For the responses you comment on what has been stated in the posting you are responding to and you discuss it. Be sure to place your response with the posting to which it responds and not as a new discussion item.
On these postings you will simply be evaluated pass/fail. If you pass, you’ll get the full points. If your first attempt at a contribution or response is a fail, we will discuss it in office hour or email and you’ll get another chance for that first attempt. Since there are more opportunities for postings than the required number, late postings will not carry credit. However, you may post as much as you like for the sake of the discussion, as long as you keep it focused on discussion of the literature. Please keep purely personal issues out of these postings. Discussion topics will be posted throughout the semester.

Written Assignments
You will submit your written assignments via email to both instructors: send email to hausaufgaben@earthlink.net and jensenb@mail.ecu.edu. Your email absolutely needs to contain the following subject line: 390 Hausaufgabe 31. 8. 03 (the numbers at the end should be the due date, written the German way, i.e. day.month.year). Please attach a WORD file with your homework (if you paste it into the email, formatting will get lost, so this is not a good solution). If you are not working in WORD, save your document in Rich Text Format (.rtf). Be sure to include your name, the assignment info, and the due date, typed at the top in your document. Ask computer lab assistants for help if you are unfamiliar with wordprocessing and email practices at this level. Assignments are due by email submission at 9 a.m. of the due date. Also bring a print-out of the assignment to class.

Final Paper
For your final paper you will write an analysis of a literary text, about 3-4 pages. The format will be 1” margins on all sides, 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with page numbers. We are most interested in your own original ideas, not someone else’s, nor in a paraphrase of comments from class, our class-discussions, or the readings themselves. Pay attention to good organization and logical transitions between paragraphs. Base your arguments on close readings; give concrete examples (quotes) from the texts to support your arguments; and avoid vague impressions and over-generalization. Do not use excessively long quotations to fill up the pages, unless you are doing a close analysis of a passage and absolutely need all of the long quote. If you use ideas or quotes from critical literature (books, articles, internet, etc.), you need to document your sources and give proper credit to someone else’s ideas (whether you quote directly or rephrase their ideas)—otherwise you violate academic honesty and commit plagiarism (see below for policy). Do not make someone else’s ideas the major focus of your paper. For the format of footnotes and bibliography, if you have them, refer to the MLA Style Manual (available in bookstore or library). Paper topics will be given out later in the semester.

Exams
The midterm will cover roughly the first half of the semester, the final exam the second half. Exam expectation sheets will be posted later.

Grading scale for exams (in %)

If your university has no +/- grading, you will receive an A for 90 and above, B for 80 and above, etc.

Audit Only Option
Attend (almost) all class meetings until the end of the semester; be prepared for class (read, take notes, prepare daily activities) and participate in discussions. You will not have to hand in written work or take exams, but may do so, if you wish.

Class Attendance Policy

Regular attendance is necessary for achieving good results in your studies and contributing to the success of the whole group. For every unexcused absence in excess of 2 (two) classes, your semester grade will be reduced by 1 point. If you accumulate 5 (five) or more unexcused absences your semester grade will be F. If you miss more than 10 minutes of a class period (unless pre-approved by your instructors), it will count as an absence, but we encourage you to still attend the class so as not to miss the material. If you have to miss a class, please inform your instructors about it beforehand or as soon as possible after the absence. You will still be expected to be prepared for the next class; contact a class mate for information on the missed material and any assignments. For information about what qualifies as an excused absence, please consult: http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/academic_regulations/attend/reg.htm. For ECU's policy, please check the Undergraduate Catalog. For policies at other universities, please check your university website or consult with your on-campus faculty liason (teacher of record). We encourage you to discuss any problems with absences and possible solutions with us.

Policy on Late Assignments

Late assignments may receive lower grades: one day late = one grade lower, two days late = two grades lower, etc. Exception: pre-approved late submission or lateness in connection with an excused absence.

For both missing class and late submission of assignments: We strongly encourage you to communicate with us about any problems you’re having. We usually work with my students on helping them catch up and get on track again, if there are serious reasons beyond their control for having missed class or assignments. Being overworked, forgetting, etc. are NOT reasons that would qualify. As for technical difficulties with submission, we will address that problem together.

Students with Disabilities

Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with verifiable disabilities. Before talking to us, if you are at NC State, you need to register with Disability Services for Students at 1900 Student Health Center, Campus Box 7509, 515-7653. For more information consult http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/offices/affirm_action/dss/. For the other campuses, find your respective Disability services.

Academic Integrity Policy

Human interaction and effective communication function on the basis of trust. An atmosphere of trust, honesty and respect for each other fosters educational progress and success. Please do not give us any reason to be suspicious of your honesty. You are to do your own work on all class assigments, presentations, projects, and exams, unless it is a designated pair or group assigment. That also means not incorporating others’ ideas and selling them as your own—this is called plagiarism. Whether you take ideas (verbatim or just as an idea) from books, the internet, or other sources does not matter: you need to acknowledge their source if they are not your own. The NC State Library has a Plagiarism Tutorial at: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/scc/tutorial/plagiarism/index.html
Please ask us about anything that remains unclear. Violations of academic integrity (plagiarism, cheating, etc.) will be prosecuted according to NC State’s policy on academic integrity, posted at: http://www2.ncsu.edu/ncsu/provost/info/hat/current/appendix/appen_l.html or the respective policies at the other campuses.

Semester Schedule

FM = Frauen im Mittelpunkt; IN = Im Nonnengarten; numbers are page numbers, read and study everything.
ER = electronic reserve for FLG 390, by NC State Library

Preparation ("Vorbereitung"): read and annotate the assigned texts, look up unfamiliar words, write down questions you have and comments on the texts. For texts on the internet, please print a copy which you can annotate and bring to class.

All submissions of homework (“Einreichen”) are due on the date under which they are listed, by 9 a.m. The portions are not completely even, so we strongly suggest working ahead on some of the tasks, especially when they are due on Thursdays.

A Few Tips: How to Succeed in German Class

Languages are used for communication and foreign language learning works best as a team effort. As part of the team, your instructor will do his or her best to make the class atmosphere creative, lively, and accepting of your best efforts. You have to do the other part:
1. Prepare all assigments for each class. The focus during class time is on practicing what you studied at home. It is nearly impossible to "cram" for this course and do well. Learning a language is like building a house of cards: each one must be well in place before adding the next. Spend at least 30 minutes on German per day, rather than studying all at once before exams. Regular repetition of small quantities of information is the most successful method for learning a foreign language.
2. Attend class regularly. Learning to speak a foreign language is an interactive process and you must interact with your instructor and your classmates in order to progress. Bring your book to class every day; it is essential that you have your own book for partner or group activities.
3. Participate actively in each lesson. Mentally answer each and every question whenever a classmate is responding. The more you participate, the better your grade will be, and the better your German will become.
4. Speak German as much as possible in the classroom, even before class when chatting with classmates. If you should need clarification in the classroom, the following expressions will be helpful:
Wiederholen Sie, bitte! Repeat, please.
Wie sagt man "…" auf deutsch? How do you say "…" in German?
Was bedeutet "..."? What does "..." mean?
Ich weiß nicht. I don't know.
Tut mir leid, ich verstehe nicht. I’m sorry, I don't understand.
Ich habe eine Frage. I have a question.
5. Take notes in class whenever appropriate. A lot of us are "visual" learners. By writing things down you will remember them much more easily and also give yourself a chance to review them after class.
6. Use memory tricks, songs, chants or other devices to learn new material. Say the answers to homework exercises in addition to writing them. This will train your mouth to form the right sounds and will also reinforce memorization when you hear the sounds; it helps your brain connect the sounds with the words on the page.
7. Take risks. Speak out. The more you speak, the more you will get out of the class. Making mistakes is a necessary component of the learning process. Let your instructor and your classmates assist you and make learning a joint and cooperative experience.
8. Be a good team partner in partner work or group activities. Turn your chair to create an easy setting for interaction with your partner(s). Volunteer information, keep the work moving along, but don't dominate. Help your partners, if they are having a more difficult time: helping others is an excellent way to learn for yourself. In order to be a good team player you need to be well prepared for class. Stick to German whenever possible.
9. Enjoy language learning and have fun with the language. You can create a whole new persona for yourself in the foreign language. Be playful and creative in ways that contribute to everyone’s pleasure and learning experience.
10. Stay in touch with other classmates by phone or e-mail and study together outside of class. Students in study groups often do very well. Contact a fellow student for information about a missed class, so you will be prepared when you return.
11. See German movies in theaters or on video. Video stores have them and the Media Center in D. H. Hill Library has a nice collection, a list of which is posted at http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/colmgmt/aboutcolmgmt/Media_Center_Holdings.html. You can watch them there, but not check them out. A few good ones to start with are: Lola rennt/Run, Lola, run; Die weisse Rose/The White Rose; Das schreckliche Mädchen/The Nasty Girl; Das Versprechen/The Promise, this one by director Margarethe von Trotta. Ask your instructor for more suggestions.
12. Participate in a German Club. We have our own at NC State and then there is one in the Triangle. The NC State German Club / DeutschKlub has weekly Stammtisch (conversation) meetings; parties; film viewings; hikes; and other activities. It is free and you can attend as many or as few events as you like. You’ll meet other students of German and also usually a few exchange students from the German-speaking countries. Check out their website at http://www4.ncsu.edu/~clhinso2/ncsuDeutschKlub/. Contact faculty advisor Sylvia Smith, 515-9304, sasmith7@social.chass.ncsu.edu, for more information.
The German-Austrian-Swiss Club of the Triangle (GAST) can be checked out at http://www.orgsites.com/nc/gast. They have monthly meetings and other activities.
13. Consider going for a German Minor. At NC State, you’ll need only five courses: FLG 201, 202, and three courses at the FLG 300 level. For more details, see the German Section Web Page at http://sasw.chass.ncsu.edu/fl/german/ or contact the German Section Coordinator, Helga G. Braunbeck, 515-9320, Helga_Braunbeck@ncsu.edu.
14. Transform yourself by studying abroad! International experience is an invaluable asset in today’s global job market. NC-State has a large number of opportunities available, some with stipends, ranging from a five week summer program to a full year abroad. Your German does not have to be perfect for this. The Study Abroad Office (2118 Pullen Hall, 515-2087, http://www2.ncsu.edu/ncsu/stud_affairs/study_abroad/) has more information. Check out their programs in Germany, Austria and Switzerland by using the links on the German Section webpage at http://sasw.chass.ncsu.edu/fl/german/ . Especially nice are NC-State’s summer program in Vienna, Austria, (see http://www2.ncsu.edu/ncsu/stud_affairs/study_abroad/vienna.htm) and the exchange program between the UNC system and the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany for a semester or a year abroad (UNC-EP, http://www.uncep.org/bw.htm). NC-State advisor for UNC-EP is the German Section Coordinator, Helga G. Braunbeck. Also talk to your instructor, to fellow students who’ve been abroad, and to students from the German Club to learn more!

Viel Glück mit dem Deutschstudium!
We wish you a lot of luck with your German Studies!