Course Description

This course explores German culture and history from 1933 to the present. It begins with an examination of the Nazis' rise to power and their political, economical, social, and racist programs. The course continues with WW II and the most brutal crime committed against humankind - the Holocaust. A closer look examines occupied Germany and the so-called "Zero Hour," divided Germany, the erection of the Berlin Wall, the student movement in 1968, the collapse of communism and the fall of the Berlin Wall that led to German unification and beyond.

The main goals of German 1125 are:

• to offer an overview of German history and culture from 1933 until the present
• to introduce the political, economical, social, and racist programs of the Third Reich
• to help you comprehend what happened in the Holocaust by inviting a survisor who will accompany us to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum
• to learn about resistance to the Nazis by seeing the film "The White Rose" and inviting an expert on the topic
• to provide you with an overview of the situation in the devasted Germany after World War II and the subsequent occupation and division of Germany in 2 seperate states
• to learn about the creation and fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War by seeing some historical film footage
• to gain a good knowledge of how German culture and identity changed in the recent past
• to help you appreciate German culture by reading authentic materials, watching some German films and visiting the German embassy and the Goethe-Institut in Washington, DC
• to help you attain the ability to write short and long essays and give oral presentations

Required Texts and Reading Materials

• Hoffmeister, Gerhart & Tubach, Frederic C., Germany 2000 Years. Vol. III: From the Nazi Era to German Unification, New Edition, New York: Continuum, 1992. (Bookstore)
• Wiesel, Elie, Night. New York, etc.: Bantam Books, 1982. (Bookstore)
• Bernhard Schlink. The Reader, New York: Vintage Books, 1998. (Bookstore)
• Primo Levi. Survival in Ausschwitz, New York, etc.: Simon & Schuster, 1996. (Bookstore)
• Facts about Germany and miscellaneous handouts will be provided by instructor

  Recommended Books

• Frank, Anne. The Diary of a Young Girl. New York, etc: Anchor Books Doubleday
• Spiegelman, Art. Maus
• Films and other readings are on reserve at the library.

Important: Do not ignore problems, ask questions. Do not fall behind. Complete all required readings on time. Be active in your group. Send me an e-mail message or call me for an extra appointment.

Honor Code: You must write out and sign the Honor Code at the bottom of all work (essays, exams, reports, etc.) handed in for this class. The honor pledge is posted in every classroom.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is using another person’s words or ideas in a direct or indirect way without proper acknowledgment. Whenever using two or more important words, they must be placed in quotation marks. You should consult the 5th edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers or the college’s own booklet Writing Standards: A Guide for McDaniel students is available in the Writing Center in Hill Hall, Room 101 [http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/English/writingcenter/home1.htm] when you prepare your term paper.

Classroom Deportment: In order to have an optimal teaching and learning environment, please keep the following guidelines in mind:

• arrive promptly and dressed properly for the classroom (no caps, no pajamas)
• turn off all cell phones and pagers.
• treat everyone in the class with courtesy
• please do not start packing your belongings until class is dismissed. This is disruptive, and you may miss important last minute notices and information.

REQUIREMENTS

Attendance: Regular attendance is essential for academic achievement. Therefore, attendance is mandatory. Two unexcused absences will lower the final grade by 3%, three by 6%, four by 9%, and so on. Excused absences are at the discretion of the instructor. Absences caused by college-related activities are excused only if the instructor in made aware of them in advance.

Class Participation: All students are expected to actively participate in class discussion. All required reading materials must be completed by the start of the day for which they are assigned. Your class participation is evaluated on a scale of 10, if you have read the material and participated in the discussion, to 0, if you didn’t read the material, didn’t participate in the discussion or missed class on that day. If you are shy, come talk to me during office hours.

Peer Learning Groups Reports: My Spanish colleague, Dr. Amy McNichols came up with this great idea and I am adopting it for our First-Year Seminar. We will divide the class into small groups of 3 or 4 students that you will work with throughout the semester. You are responsible for one another’s learning. You must meet with one another regularly to study and/or discuss your assignments, share/compare notes, and help one another with the course material. There is a form attached to this syllabus that you may print from the course website and Blackboard page on which you will report your group meetings on a weekly basis to me. Whenever you have a question or difficulty with the course material, you should seek out help from your group members first, then come to see Stephanie Reed or me.

Please remember:

• Your group is only as strong as each person’s commitment allows it to be. Not attending a meeting, is not living up to the learning commitment you make by taking this course, and it will affect your class participation grade. Remember that everyone is pressed for time, but that your primary commitment when you attend college should be to your studies.
• Your learning group discussions are to be confidential. Please respect your classmates. I want everyone to feel comfortable sharing in group discussions, and some may feel less inclined to speak if they fear that their stories/comments may be repeated without their knowledge.
• Each group member in attendance at each meeting must sign the pledge at the bottom of the “Report” sheet.

Essays: Each student will write three (3) essays, 2 pages each. Each essay must be typed (double spaced). Topics and due dates are listed on the syllabus. In each essay focus on discussing one issue of your choice and develop a coherent argumentation.

Exams: You will have three (3) exams based on the material studied. Missed exams will not be made up and will be recorded as zeros unless a valid excuse is presented to the instructor.

Group Presentations: In the course of the semester, the class will be divided up into five groups of three or four students. The groups will be rearranged twice. Each group will give two (2) oral presentations to the class (about 20 minutes long) about an assigned topic.

Final Exam/ Final Essay: You can choose to write a 6 page long research paper on a certain topic from the attached list. First draft is due by November 23; final draft is due December 6. You may opt for a comprehensive final exam in the week of December 13-17. The final exam will cover the material studied in the semester.

• September 17: You must participate in the field trip to the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. The bus will leave at 9.00 a.m. in front of Gil Center. Specific information about this trip will be given prior to the trip.
• November/ December: Evening trip to a German restaurant in the area.

Guest Lectures: There will be few guest lectures in and outside of class (some dates are still pending). You must attend all guest lectures and participate in following discussions. Submit short summaries of each guest lecture outside of class. Each missed guest lecture or summary will lower final grade by 1%.

Films/ Videos: You have to watch all films and videos selected for this course. If you miss class on a day when a film or video is shown, you need to make arrangements with the classroom assistant or instructor to view the missed film or video. Submit short summaries of each film or video you missed. Each missed film or video or summary will lower final grade by 1%. On September 20th, the classes of Dr. Nilsson from Chemistry, Dr. Mian from Physics, and our class will meet at 6 p.m. in Decker Auditorium to watch the film "Copenhagen" and have a Pizza dinner together.