Course Description: Films can provide a far more intense experience of a country’s culture and society than textbooks full of facts and data. Films can give an overview of important events in the history of any people. They can help students better comprehend and appreciate many aspects of a distant foreign culture. In this class we will explore 20th-century German identity, culture, history, and politics through film analysis and readings. We will view and discuss 14 German films that were made between 1919 and 2000.

This course will be taught in English. All readings are in English. All films are in German with English subtitles. It fulfills one of the three humanities basic liberal arts requirements.

The main goals of German 1111 are:

• to offer an overview of the history of German cinema from 1919 until the present
• to study the function of cinema in various periods of German history in the 20th century.
• to use films and readings to learn how German identity and culture have changed over the last nine decades
• to introduce the students to the political, economical, and social conditions of Germany during the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich
• to provide the students with an overview of the situation in the devastated Germany after World War II and the subsequent occupation and division of Germany in 2 separate states
• to learn about the creation and fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War
• to help the students appreciate German culture by watching German films in the original and reading authentic materials written by experts in the field
• to help the students attain the ability to write essays about films and give oral presentations

Required Texts and Reading Materials:        Click here for a detailed bibliography on German films.

• Eisner, Lotte. The Haunted Screen. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1973.
• Kaes, Anton. From Hitler to Heimat. The Return of History as Film. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1989.
• Kracauer, Siegfried. From Caligari to Hitler, a Psychological History of the German Film. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1947. New Revised Edition, 2004
• Films and other readings are on reserve at the library.

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 is made aware of them in advance.

Honor Code: The honor code will be strictly enforced. Students must sign the honor pledge on all assignments and tests, and write it on all essays. 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 4th edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers or the college’s own booklet Writing Standards: A Guide for McDaniel College when you prepare your term paper.

Attendance: Regular attendance is essential for academic achievement. Therefore, attendance is mandatory. Two unexcused absence 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 is made aware of them in advance.

Changes to all aspects of this syllabus are at the discretion of the instructor.

How time flies!

Time management is very crucial for every college student. Plan your week ahead of time. Learn to say NO! to people and the temptations of college life when you have assignments due the next day. Prioritize!

Grading		Grading Scale
Essays	25%	A+ 97 – 100% A 93 – 96% A- 90 – 92% B+ 87 – 89% B 83 – 86% B- 80 – 82%	C+ 77 – 79% C 73 – 76% C- 70 – 72% D+ 67 – 69% D 63 – 66% D- 60 – 62% F 59 and below
Film evaluations	20%.
Group presentations	15%
Class participation and homework	15%
Final exam	25%
TOTAL	100%

Requirements

Essays: Each student will write 2 out of 4 essays, 4 pages each, one essay before fall break (essay 1 or 2) and one after fall break (essay 3 or 4). Each essay must be typed (double-spaced). In each essay you should analyze certain aspects of one of the films and develop a coherent argumentation. Present your opinion about the film and back it up with an argument. You should not only give a summary of the content. All essays should include:

• Filmographic information: title [both in German and in English translation], country, director, year, running time, etc.);
  Introduction: Statement of thesis;
• Body: Evidence and examples that support the thesis;
• Conclusion: Restatement of thesis and discussion of its broader implications.

Here are some general ideas about the topics for the essays. These are not written in stone. Please, choose your own specific topic if you so wish.

• Essay #1: Choose one of the films of the Weimar Republic, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu, The Last Laugh, or Metropolis, and write an essay about “Expressionism in Early German Cinema.” Due September 26.
• Essay #2: Compare Triumph of the Will with Jud Suess, and discuss how the Nazis used film as a propaganda tool. Due October 13.
• Essay #3: Discuss how two of the films: The Marriage of Maria Braun, Germany Pale Mother or The Promise try to deal with the recent German past. Due November 3.
• Essay #4: Discuss the different gender relations depicted in the films Men, Makin' Up and Maybe ... Maybe Not. Due November 22.

Film evaluations: Each student will evaluate all films. You have to fill out an evaluation form or write a reflection on Blackboard for each film. Evaluations and reflections are due by Monday following the screening of the film. Some of the evaluations will be done in class and handed in the same night the film is shown.

Group presentations and Students Leading Discussions: The class will be divided up into groups of two students. Each group will lead the film-discussion after the screening. Each group will set the stage for one of the films that will be shown in that week. You will have to provide background information and also present a critical reading of the film. Students should use at least two extra library resources (see bibliography for articles, chapters in books on German film and history, encyclopedias entries) and not always rely solely on the WWW. A list with bibliographic materials is provided at the end of this syllabus. Please prepare handouts for the students so that they will be able to understand and follow what you want to say. I also encourage using PowerPoint as an illustration tool.

Class participation and homework: Active participation in class discussions and weekly preparation are absolutely vital to academic growth. You must have read the assigned pages or articles listed on the schedule. I’ll be asking specific questions on these reading assignments, both during the semester and in the final exam.
Regular attendance is an obvious requirement to get a good participation grade. Your participation-grade is based on the following evaluation:

• A shows total preparation; original comments and constant references to assigned materials;
• B noteworthy oral participation, with full understanding of the material/, participates voluntarily often;
• C participates once in a while/ participates by request only;
• D present, but no participation;
• F absent.

Final exam: The final exam will cover films and materials studied in the semester. Among others, there will be questions about films and directors, year of making, film devices and historical, social, political, and other issues that the films deal with. Make sure that you read all required materials on time and take notes during class discussions.

Field trips: Students will be offered the opportunity to participate in field trips to the German Embassy or the Goethe Institute in Washington DC which frequently show recent German films that are yet not available for rental or purchase.
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.

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.

CITING ON-LINE SOURCES: Writers should bear in mind that standards for citing on-line sources yet not well established. Here are a few guides available on-line, which are based on currently-accepted styles for citing print documents.

• Citing Electronic Resources Using MLA Style. Indiana University Libraries
  http://www.indiana.edu/~libugls/Publications/electronic_mla.html
  
• MLA-Style Citations of Electronic Sources, by Janice R. Walker.
  http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/cgos/idx_basic.html

 For General information on movies (title, director, cast, plot line, etc.) check:
http://www.sapphireswan.com/webguide/wg/movies.htm
 http://www.allmovie.com (All Movie Guide)
http://us.imdb.com/search (Internet Movie Database)

If you are looking for any recent information on Germany today try the following URL:
http://www.germany-info.org