Catalog
German and Russian Studies
Associate Professors Browne, Cernahoschi, and Kazecki; Lecturer Loginova
Contemporary central and eastern Europe consists of heterogeneous societies with contested cultural traditions. Offerings in the Department of German and Russian Studies investigate important interconnections among history, society, culture, and language in the region. The curricula in German and Russian explore societies challenged and invigorated by change and stress the importance of attaining fluency not only in the language but also in the nuances of cultural understanding.
The department offers a major and a minor in German and a minor in Russian. The department also contributes to the interdisciplinary Program in European Studies. More information on the Department of German and Russian Studies is available on the website (www.bates.edu/german-russian).
All students, and especially majors and minors, are strongly encouraged to spend an extended period of time abroad prior to graduation. Opportunities to do so include participation in the Bates Fall Semester Abroad programs in Germany and Russia; junior-year- or junior-semester-abroad programs; summer sessions; and the various off-campus Short Term courses sponsored by the department.
Entering students are assigned to the appropriate level in language courses according to the following criteria: their performance on the SAT II or Advanced Placement Test of the College Entrance Examination Board taken in secondary school, relative proficiency based on length of previous study, and/or after consultation with an appropriate member of the department. Incoming students with previous knowledge of German should complete the German Language Placement Questionnaire on the departmental homepage to determine the appropriate German course to take.
Literatures and Cultures in Translation
While the department emphasizes the importance of acquiring the fluency needed to study literature and culture in the original, the German and Russian faculty offer many courses in translation. See course listings in German, Russian, and European studiesfor detailed descriptions of these courses.ES/RU 216. Nature in the Cultures of Russia.
EUS 215. Jewish Lives in Eastern Europe: History, Memory, Story.
EUS 240. Daily Life under Hitler and Stalin.
EUS 261. Slavic Europe.
EUS 300. Sport in Europe.
EUS s24. Slavic Europe.
EUS s26. Russian and East European Film.
EU/GR 220. Remembering War: The Great War, Memory, and Remembrance in Europe.
EU/GR 254. Berlin and Vienna, 1900-1914.
EU/RU 213. Russian Identities and National Values in Russian Literature.
GER s26. The Split Screen: Reconstructing National Identities in West and East German Cinema.
German
Major Requirements in German
The major consists of nine courses at the 200 level or above. Required are:1) Both of the following:
GER 233. Advanced German Language and Culture I.
GER 234. Advanced German Language and Culture II.
2) At least four courses from the following list:
GER 241. German Modernisms.
GER 251. The Age of Revolution: The German Enlightenment, Classicism, and Romantic Rebellion, 1750-1830.
GER 256. The Age of Materialism, 1830-1899.
GER 252. Tracing the Autobiographical: Personal Narratives in Twentieth-Century German Literature.
GER 264. World War I in German Culture.
GER 350. Margins and Migrations.
GER 358. Literature and Film of the German Democratic Republic.
3) Two electives. All courses taught by the German faculty at Bates, whether in German or English, may be taken as electives. Courses on German topics from outside of the department may be counted toward the major with the approval of the faculty advisor.
4) GER 457 or 458. Senior Thesis. Students for whom German is the only major must register for the senior thesis. Students may choose to pass a series of comprehensive examinations in German if German is one of two majors and they complete a thesis in the other major. Students who choose the option of a comprehensive exam do not register for GER 457 or 458 and must substitute a 200-level or 300-level German course from the list above.
Pass/Fail Grading Option
Pass/fail grading may not be elected for courses applied toward the major except for 201, 202, and/or 233; nor for the minor except for 101, 102, 201, 202, and/or 233.Minor in German
A minor requires a minimum of seven courses in German. At least one of the seven courses must involve a study of literature or culture (taught either in the language or in translation), but only one course in translation may be counted toward the minor. A student may petition to have up to three comparable courses, completed at other institutions either in the United States or abroad, apply toward the minor. Advanced Placement courses may not be applied toward the minor. CoursesGER 101. Introduction to German Language and Culture I.
This course, part of a yearlong sequence, introduces students to the German language and its cultural contexts. By emphasizing communicative skills, students learn to speak, build vocabulary, and develop their listening comprehension, reading, and writing skills. GER 101 is only offered in the fall semester. GER 101 is not open to students who have had two or more years of German in secondary school. Normally offered every year. [AC] [CP] R. Cernahoschi, J. Kazecki.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
GER 102. Introduction to German Language and Culture II.
This course, a continuation of GER 101, introduces students to the German language and its cultural contexts. By emphasizing communicative skills, students further develop their speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing skills. GER 102 is only offered in the winter semester. GER 102 is not open to students who have had two or more years of German in secondary school. Prerequisite(s): GER 101. Normally offered every year. R. Cernahoschi, J. Kazecki.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
GER 201. Intermediate German Language and Culture I.
Offered in the fall, this course is a continuation of GER 101-102. Students further expand their skills through sustained interactive practice in reading, writing, listening and speaking, as well as their cultural knowledge about the German-speaking countries through wide-ranging, authentic material. Open to first-year students who enter with at least two years of German. Prerequisite(s): GER 102. Open to first-year students. Normally offered every year. [AC] [CP] R. Cernahoschi, J. Kazecki.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
GER 202. Intermediate German Language and Culture II.
This course, offered in the winter semester, is a continuation of GER 201. Students further expand their skills through sustained interactive practice in reading, writing, listening and speaking, as well as their cultural knowledge about the German-speaking countries through wide-ranging, authentic material. Open to first-year students who enter with at least two years of German. Prerequisite(s): GER 201. Open to first-year students. Normally offered every year. R. Cernahoschi, J. Kazecki.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
GER 233. Advanced German Language and Culture I.
A topical course offered in the fall semester and designed to develop linguistic and cultural competency. Through reading and discussing a variety of texts, working with multimedia, and completing writing assignments, students attain greater oral and written proficiency in German while deepening their understanding of the culture of German-speaking countries. Prerequisite(s): GER 202. Open to first-year students. Normally offered every year. [CP] [HS] R. Cernahoschi, J. Kazecki.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
GER 234. Advanced German Language and Culture II.
A topical course offered in the winter semester and designed to develop linguistic and cultural competency. Through reading and discussing a variety of texts, working with multimedia, and completing writing assignments, students attain greater oral and written proficiency in German while deepening their understanding of the culture of German-speaking countries. Prerequisite(s): GER 233. Open to first-year students. Normally offered every year. R. Cernahoschi, J. Kazecki.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
GER 251. The Age of Revolution: The German Enlightenment, Classicism, and Romantic Rebellion, 1750-1830.
A study of selected German literary works written during the Enlightenment, the period of Weimar Classicism, and early Romanticism, including writings by Lessing, Schiller, Goethe, and Kleist. Topics include artistic responses to enlightened absolutism, the French Revolution and the impact of Napoleon's victories on Germany, images of authority and rebellion, gender relations, growing urbanization, and attitudes toward religion and nature. Prerequisite(s): GER 234. [AC] [HS] J. Kazecki.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
GER 252. Tracing the Autobiographical: Personal Narratives in German Literature.
The course focuses on autobiographical writings in German literature. Students consider questions about the self-presentation of the authors as narrators of their own stories, the relationship between disclosure and literary invention, and the contested area between truth and fiction in autobiographical forms. They investigate how "life-writing" and "self-writing" can be a literary genre that presents issues such as identity, belonging and Otherness, memory, and trauma. Prerequisite(s): GER 234. J. Kazecki.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
EU/GR 254. Berlin and Vienna, 1900–1914.
From the beginning of the twentieth century to the outbreak of World War I, the capital cities of Berlin and Vienna were home to major political and cultural developments, including diverse movements in art, architecture, literature, and music, as well as the growth of mass party politics. The ascending German Empire and the multiethnic Habsburg Empire teetering on the verge of collapse provide the context within which this course examines important texts of fin-de-siècle modernism. Topics include urban growth and planning, German Expressionism, Austrian Impressionism, early German cinema, and Freud's case studies of hysteria. Conducted in English. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. R. Cernahoschi, J. Kazecki.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
GER 256. The Age of Materialism, 1830-1899.
The nineteenth century saw the profound transformation of Germany and Austria at all levels of society. The Napoleonic Wars, the failed revolutions of 1848, the ascent of Prussia and the divisions within the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, the crumbling of feudalism and the emergence of nationalism, scientific advances, and industrialization contributed to the rethinking of political, economic, and social roles, the relationship between the human and the natural worlds, and the nature of reality itself. The course focuses on the investigation of the materiality of the human condition through selected literary, artistic, journalistic, and other texts of the period. Prerequisite(s): GER 234. R. Cernahoschi.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
GER 264. World War I in German Culture.
This course explores the ways in which the memory of World War I informs German culture from 1918 to the present, with an emphasis on the literature and film of the Weimar Republic. Topics include the literary representation of the experience of the war, the impact of the war on Weimar cinema, the instrumentalization of the Great War in Nazi ideology and artistic production, as well as strategies of commemoration of World War I in post-1945 German culture. Prerequisite(s): GER 234. J. Kazecki.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
This course counts toward the following Interdisciplinary Program(s)
GER 350. Margins and Migrations.
What is German literature? The course examines this question through the lens of writers who are difficult to incorporate into a national narrative. The first part of the course focuses on literatures produced on the margins of the German and Austrian empires in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, while the second part studies the effects of postwar labor migrations and globalization on contemporary German, Austrian, and Swiss literatures. Prerequisite(s): GER 234. This course may be repeated once for credit. Enrollment limited to 15. R. Cernahoschi, J. Kazecki.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
GER 358. Literature and Film of the German Democratic Republic.
This course explores the ways in which literature and film reflect and refract the social and political experiments of the GDR. Topics include the doctrine of Socialist Realism and its (mis)applications, coming to terms with the past, the emergence and problematization of new gender models, youth culture and generational tensions, the role of the individual in socialist society, censorship and artistic experimentation, conformity and resistance, popular culture and the artistic underground, and industrialization and environmental concerns. Attention is given to the sociohistorical contexts of the examined works and the means and ends of literary and cinematic creations of (alternate) realities. Prerequisite(s): GER 234. R. Cernahoschi.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
This course counts toward the following Interdisciplinary Program(s)
GER 360. Independent Study.
Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, individually design and plan a course of study or research not offered in the curriculum. Course work includes a reflective component, evaluation, and completion of an agreed-upon product. Sponsorship by a faculty member in the program/department, a course prospectus, and permission of the chair are required. Students may register for no more than one independent study per semester. Normally offered every semester. Staff.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
GER 365. Special Topics.
Designed for the small seminar group of students who may have particular interests in areas of study that go beyond the regular course offerings. Periodic conferences and papers are required. Permission of the department is required. Staff.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
GER 457. Senior Thesis.
Research leading to writing of a senior thesis. Open to senior majors, including honors candidates. Students register for German 457 in the fall semester. Majors writing an honors thesis register for both German 457 and 458. [W3] Normally offered every year. Staff.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
GER 458. Senior Thesis.
Research leading to writing of a senior thesis. Open to senior majors, including honors candidates. Students register for German 458 in the winter semester. Majors writing an honors thesis register for both German 457 and 458. [W3] Normally offered every year. Staff.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
GER s26. The Split Screen: Reconstructing National Identities in West and East German Cinema.
This course investigates selected works of West and East German cinematic production after 1945. Students engage a broad range of topics and issues that define the popular view of Germany and its culture today. They discuss Germany's Nazi past, the postwar division of the country and its reunification in 1990, the legacies of the 1968 generation, and the role of minorities in contemporary Germany. The course also provides students with basic tools of film analysis, which are used in the discussion of cinematic art and in the analysis of the specific aesthetic qualities of a film. Conducted in English. Not open to students who have received credit for GER 262. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. J. Kazecki.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
This course counts toward the following Interdisciplinary Program(s)
GER s50. Independent Study.
Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, individually design and plan a course of study or research not offered in the curriculum. Course work includes a reflective component, evaluation, and completion of an agreed-upon product. Sponsorship by a faculty member in the program/department, a course prospectus, and permission of the chair are required. Students may register for no more than one independent study during a Short Term. Normally offered every year. Staff.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
Russian
Minor in Russian
A minor requires a minimum of seven courses in Russian. At least one of the seven courses must involve a study of literature or culture (taught either in the language or in translation), but only one course in translation may be counted toward the minor. A student may petition to have up to three comparable courses, completed at other institutions either in the United States or abroad, apply toward the minor. Advanced Placement courses may not be applied toward the minor.Pass/Fail Grading Option
Pass/fail grading may not be elected for courses applied toward the minor, except for 101, 102, 201, 202, 301, and 302.Courses
RUSS 101. Elementary Russian I.
This course, offered in the fall semester as part of a yearlong sequence, introduces students to Russian language and culture with an emphasis on listening and speaking. Students also experience the richness of modern Russia through a variety of authentic texts including music, art, film, and television. Conducted in Russian. Normally offered every year. [AC] [CP] D. Browne, M. Loginova.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
RUSS 102. Elementary Russian II.
This course, offered in the winter semester, is a continuation of RUSS 101 with an emphasis on listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students continue their introduction to modern Russia through authentic texts including music, film, and television excerpts, and selected items from recent newspapers and the Internet. Conducted in Russian. Normally offered every year. D. Browne, M. Loginova.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
RUSS 201. Intermediate Russian I.
This course, offered in the fall semester, is a continuation of Elementary Russian, focusing on vocabulary acquisition and greater control of more complex and extended forms of discourse. Conducted in Russian. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 102. Open to first-year students. Normally offered every year. [AC] [CP] D. Browne, M. Loginova.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
RUSS 202. Intermediate Russian II.
This course, offered in the winter semester, is a continuation of RUSS 201 and completes students' introduction to the formal aspects of Russian language. Emphasis is placed on students' use of Russian to express themselves orally and in writing. Conducted in Russian. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 201. Open to first-year students. Normally offered every year. D. Browne, M. Loginova.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
EU/RU 213. Russian Identities and National Values in Russian Literature.
The present tensions between the United States and Russia have often been described as a clash of civilizations. This course places the contemporary debates into a wider historical context. Students analyze Russian literary texts from nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with some study of much earlier works. Students examine works by Alexander Pushkin, Nickolay Gogol, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Mikhail Bulgakov, among others, to critically consider Russian national values, the construction of a Russian national identity, and Russia's relationship to the "West." They also study Russian and Soviet films and their representations of these questions. Conducted in English. [W2] M. Loginova.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
ES/RU 216. Nature in the Cultures of Russia.
This course explores the connections among environment, culture, and identity in the Eurasian landmass that has been home to Russians, Siberians, and Central Asians. After a brief consideration of the ways in which Russian identities have been grounded in deeply conservative understandings of land and peasantry, students consider alternative and revisionist versions that draw on "nature" to explore gender, sexuality, and ethnicity, often in direct opposition to the state. Conducted in English. Prerequisite(s): ENVR 205 or one course in European studies or Russian. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. J. Costlow.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
RUSS 301. Advanced Russian I.
This course, normally offered in the fall semester, focuses on the essentials of contemporary colloquial Russian. Students read short unabridged texts in both literary and journalistic styles, and write one- and two-page papers on a variety of topics. Conducted in Russian. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 202. Open to first-year students. Normally offered every year. [AC] [CP] D. Browne, M. Loginova.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
RUSS 302. Advanced Russian II.
This course, normally offered in the winter semester, is a continuation of RUSS 301, in which students read and discuss texts in a variety of styles from political speeches to short novels, from songs to feature-length films. Students write a number of short papers ranging from opinion pieces to literary parodies. Conducted in Russian. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 202. Normally offered every year. D. Browne, M. Loginova.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
RUSS 306. Advanced Russian Culture and Language.
This course develops oral fluency and aural acuity as well as reading and writing skills through directed and spontaneous classroom activities and individual and collaborative written assignments. Conversations and compositions are based on feature films and film criticism, documentary films, and short fiction and nonfiction texts. Conducted in Russian. Prerequisite(s): RUSS 202. Open to first-year students. M. Loginova.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
RUSS 360. Independent Study.
Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, individually design and plan a course of study or research not offered in the curriculum. Course work includes a reflective component, evaluation, and completion of an agreed-upon product. Sponsorship by a faculty member in the program/department, a course prospectus, and permission of the chair are required. Students may register for no more than one independent study per semester. Normally offered every semester. Staff.RUSS 365. Special Topics.
Designed for the small seminar group of students who may have particular interests in areas of study that go beyond the regular course offerings. Periodic conferences and papers are required. Conducted in Russian. Instructor permission is required. Staff.RUSS 401. Contemporary Russian I.
The course is designed to perfect students' ability to understand and speak contemporary, idiomatic Russian. Included are readings from Chekhov, Vysotsky, Okudzhava, Galich. Students also view selected documentary and theatrical performances. Conducted in Russian. Prerequisite(s): Russian 301 or 302. Maybe be repeated with permission of instructor. [AC] [CP] D. Browne.Concentrations
This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations
INDC s23. Creativity and Conscience: Modern Russian Women's Writing and Film.
Women writers, artists and film makers have made significant, often controversial contributions to Russian culture for at least two centuries. This course provides an introduction to this diverse body of work by focusing on how women’s cultural productions have manifested resistance – political, emotional and aesthetic. In a political context dominated by patriarchal and masculinist ideals, women have found ways to articulate alternative visions, whether responding to oppressive cultural models, political terror or the liaisons of church and state. The course begins with the present day and the remarkable efforts of Russian women journalists and performers to expose human rights abuse and environmental degradation (Anna Politkovskaya, Masha Gessen, Pussy Riot), and then considers work by late Imperial and Soviet writers and film makers. Crosslisted in European studies, gender and sexuality studies, and Russian. New course beginning short term 2020. Enrollment limited to 30. One-time offering. J. Costlow.Interdisciplinary Programs
This course counts toward the following Interdisciplinary Program(s)