Introduces significant moments in and monuments from the cultural histories of the German-speaking, Scandinavian, and Dutch nations from their beginnings to the present. Designed to discuss representative problems in research and analysis in cultural studies and the humanities.

Introduction to important topics in the history of Northern Europe's culture, including areas from history, the arts, film studies, language and linguistics, and literature.

Focuses on over a century of Yiddish-based contributions to American literature, music, and film, including works by Isaac Bashevis Singer, Michael Chabon, Woody Allen, and the Marx Brothers.

A comparison of films from various nations about major twentieth century wars to the historical facts of the conflicts as practicums in critical comparative analysis of histories as representations.

Examination of pseudoscientific popular theories of "race" and gender that developed in Germany and elsewhere in Europe in the nineteenth century, and how these affected the lives of millions and shaped current thinking about "racial" and gender differences.

Reading and discussion of tales from the Grimms' collection, as well as some of the relevant secondary literature.

Using case studies, trace Sweden's long history with innovation, starting with classic innovations produced with direct governmental support in the eighteenth century and continuing into present day with innovations like Spotify and Swish leading the way.

Explore nineteenth- to twenty-first-century children's literature from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Finland, Belgium and the Netherlands. Focus on the prominent place of children's literature in the popular culture of central and northern Europe, as well as the serious issues and themes which north Americans might otherwise consider "adult" that are often found in this genre-death, war, poverty, social justice, and family conflict-alongside whimsy, warmth and wonder.

Examine the familiar and unfamiliar fragments of what remains from pre-Christian European culture--the limited written records, the artifacts, and the folklore--as well as the more plentiful anti-pagan writings of early Christian missionaries. Test many of the popular claims about how Europe's pre-Christian inhabitants lived, what they believed, and how Christianization impacted their lives against the limits of what we can actually know, using the tools from the study of history, cultural studies, and religious studies.

Examine a broad selection of the (re)tellings of the Faust legend, i.e., the "bargain with the Devil," to reveal how this particular narrative forms a pillar of the cultural heritage of the European Christendom.

This course is used to record credit the student earns while enrolled at another institution in a program administered by the University's Study Abroad Office. Credit is recorded as assigned by the study abroad adviser in the Department of Germanic Studies. University credit is awarded for work in an exchange program; it may be counted as coursework taken in residence. Transfer credit is awarded for work in an affiliated studies program.

Excursions, local research, and exposure to a German viewpoint on contemporary European affairs.

This course is used to record credit the student earns while enrolled at another institution in a program administered by the University's Study Abroad Office. Credit is recorded as assigned by the study abroad adviser in the Department of Germanic Studies. University credit is awarded for work in an exchange program; it may be counted as coursework taken in residence. Transfer credit is awarded for work in an affiliated studies program.

An introduction to the films of Ingmar Bergman.

An introduction to the work of women filmmakers from Scandinavia, Germany, as well as to the viewing and interpretation of films in general.

Survey research tools and methods used to study the history of Hollywood film industries and the roles that films and film professionals play; based on films and industry careers connected to Central Europe.

Explore silent film and filmmaking in Germany and Scandinavia.

Explore the history and aesthetics of German cinema from 1918 until 1945.

A detailed introduction to Ibsen's social dramas (1877-1899), emphasizing their unity as a prolonged commentary on the society of his era and the variety of its human problems. Special emphasis on subjects such as: the family and the home; the public world of reputation, work, and citizenship; the predicaments of men and women in a male-dominated society; and the motives of our interventions into the lives of others.

Introduction to such Hans Christian Andersen tales as "The Little Mermaid," "The Ugly Duckling," and "The Emperor's New Clothes. Examination of their author and the romantic period in which they were written, as well as their historical, philosophical, and literary context.

Introduction to both the history of Jewish and German women during World War II and the Holocaust, and to women's narratives and self-representations of this period. Historical sources, memoirs, films, and interviews will be used as source material.

An introduction to the twentieth-century Danish author Karen Blixen, focusing on her major themes such as gender and destiny, and examining her role as a literary figure.

An analysis of contemporary Scandinavian literature and films, how they reflect Scandinavian reality, and how Scandinavian identity is created through sports, food, and politics.

Close readings of the most influential Scandinavian texts, including works by Nobel Prize-winning authors such as Knut Hamsun and Selma Lagerlof, as well as the playwrights August Strindberg and Henrik Ibsen while addressing important themes caused by the revolutionary transition to modernity in Scandinavia around 1900, including emancipation of women and sexuality.

An introduction to Nobel Prize winning authors from northern Europe in the context of literary prizes and the politics of literary reputation. Analyze and compare literary works, set novels into historical context, investigate what popular and scholarly reviews do, and research in both popular and scholarly sources.

A study of graphic novels from Scandinavia, Germany, and Holland to understand the art form of comics and the influence of the cultures in which they were produced. Readings, all in English, cover various genres and time periods.

Examine the history of media technology and its cultural and political implication in the German (speaking) context.

Explore several representative novels by German, Scandinavian, or Dutch writers, along with representative texts and essays on the novel as a genre and interpretative strategies. Examine these works in their literary and cultural contexts via lectures and discussions.

Explore how Hegel's philosophy contributed to the founding of the modern social sciences and led to innovations in the study of religion, psychology, education, social organizations, and social reform.

The evolution of the culture and language of German immigrants to Texas from the 1840s through the present and how they have influenced other ethnic groups in Texas.

Explore how to read identities as patterns in literary texts, linguistic and cultural corpora with digital methods, and come to a deeper understanding of individual texts and textual phenomena. Examine digital research methods, tools, and use cases. Work hands-on with literary and linguistic sources.

In-depth explorations of contemporary and historical moments in the cultures, social relations, cultural histories, and intellectual histories of the nations in Northern Europe and its cultural networks.

Explores the historical, political, psychological, theological, and cultural fallout of the Holocaust, as well as literary and cinematic responses in Europe and the United States.

Explores the theologies, politics, and personal identities that emerged and passed away in this era.

Survey of the sources and main features of Germanic religion and of the transition from paganism to Christianity in northern Europe and the Germanic territories of western Europe. Subjects include cosmogonic myths; the origin of man and of society; the concept of the soul; gods and goddesses and their mythology; and the organization of worship.

The life and writings of Saint Birgitta of Sweden, fourteenth-century visionary, religious reformer, and pilgrim, examined and compared with her predecessor Hildegard of Bingen (Germany), her successor Margery Kempe (England), as well as Margery's mentor, Julian of Norwich. Social and historical contexts for all four of these women mystics will be explored in depth.

The historical roots of Dutch "tolerance" and how it plays a role in current Dutch culture and attitudes towards religious, gender, and sexual differences, as well as drug use, prostitution, and euthanasia. Exploration of the stereotypes and the actuality of these Dutch attitudes and policies from an international comparative perspective.

Traces the origin of the Vienna Circle of Logical Empiricism in nineteenth-century Europe, and introduces central texts and problems of intellectual history and historical epistemology at the roots of today's analytic philosophy.

An introduction to the basic source texts for several pre-Christian belief systems evolving in geographic proximity and their influence on one another including pre-Christian Slavic; pre-Christian Scandinavian; pre-Christian Sami and Finnish; and ancient and modern Siberian shamanism.

Explores pivotal political and cultural movements in post-1945 West Germany, including the student movement, terrorism, feminism, the Green movement, and the anti-nuclear movement. Students engage with a wide array of primary and secondary sources ranging from literature and films to essays, newspaper articles, and speeches in order to examine the roots and results of protest, revolt, and revolution during this period of German history.

History of diverse views and movements regarding German national identity within their respective contexts, 1800-present.

Investigate exhibits, world's fairs, museum, monuments, theme parks, and historical reconstructions from Europe and the US, with attention to images of how their sponsoring nations or other entities want to be seen. Examine evidence for both the good and bad sides of national pride and identity. Explore examples of how large-scale culture projects and the public interact. Consider the lasting marks left on the cities and countries sponsoring them.

Explore how fascism, communism, liberal democracy, and the current nationalistic backlash against immigration have all used the popularity of sports to achieve their strategic goals, from the 1936 Nazi Olympics to Germany's 2014 World Cup victory and beyond.

Examine the migration of established European intellectuals into the US, due to the Second World War. Explore how they worked against their persecutors for their own cultural heritage and to influence US intellectual life. Investigate the ethical dilemmas faced in transplanting their lives and projects into new contexts.

Investigate how the small European country of Switzerland positions itself in a globalized world and how it competes and thrives in it. Explore the questions of how globalization impacts a small, affluent country and how its economy copes with globalization. Consider Swiss history, and its development of direct democracy, to understand Swiss exceptionalism, its response to contemporary issues, and its influence abroad.

Examine the role that narratives of the past play in politics and policies in both Germany and the United States, by engaging with key theoretical and empirical debates. Focus on the role of memory in German and US immigration politics.

Explore fundamental questions about the unique role of culture in modern democracies and dictatorships by taking an overview of culture and politics in the Third Reich. Examine questions about the relationship between political propaganda and modern entertainment, mass media and authoritarianism, political aesthetics and ideology, and the dynamics of oppression, resistance, and consent.

Examine the modern globalization process that also incorporates a description of the current Coronavirus pandemic as a phenomenon that is inextricably linked with modern globalization.

Consider the ways the wars of the twentieth and twenty-first century are being remembered in Germany and the United States - from poems, novels and films to monuments and the controversial debates about military conflicts that the two countries have been involved in. Utilize theories of social memory, and concepts of individual and social mourning, to analyze how war affects individual lives, how societies mourn, and how remembering war impacts national identity and politics.

Explore German immigration to the United States from the colonial era to the present. Examine the motivations for migration; settlement patterns; construction of identity through traditions and festivals; German American's economic, social, and cultural contributions to the United States; and challenges to assimilation.

Explore the art and culture of the global Middle Ages through close examination of recent films, popular and academic publications, and works of art and architecture that reveal the interconnection between the European and the Islamic worlds.

Explore innovative European ideas that reshaped United States history and society: Freud and settlement houses, models for education (from Switzerland to Dewey at the University of Chicago), and the labor movement (Marx to Eugene V. Debs and Mother Jones)

Examine the indigenous people of Scandinavia, the Sami, including their history, culture, and self-expression. Explore issues of indigeneity, decolonization, and religious repression.

Uncover the dark side of the Nordic countries, from gritty streets to icy fjords, and explore the history, culture, literature, and movies these societies produce.

Explore the cultural renaissance between 1880 and 1925 in Northern and Central Europe, covering the period often called the Modern Breakthrough in Scandinavia, but also known as la belle epoque in France and "the gilded age" in the United States.

Explore and (re)asses the diplomatic, strategic-military relations and socio-cultural entanglements between the United States and the German Democratic Republic, thus complicating our understanding of the West-East divide and Cold War culture.

Explore a variety of texts, films, and artifacts from Northern and Central Europe for the insights they provide about the interrelationships between nature and culture and strategies for developing a sustainable relationship to the world around us.

Examine the literature of Eastern European Jewish Holocaust survivors and their artistic successors. Engage novels, short stories, memoirs, essays, and even song lyrics with questions of memory and of place.

Explore and compare German and American memory cultures, analyzing the Holocaust, slavery, and colonialism. Analyze the diversity and complexity of (inter)national, local, and indigenous memory cultures while also discussing how Germany and the United States might "learn from each other.

Explore political philosophies from the continental tradition (Heidegger/Arendt, Nietzsche, Adorno/Horkheimer, and Agamben/Schmitt) implicated in radical politics and answering to political turning points, with a focus on research and reading in historical contexts.

Explore Northern Europe's transition from medieval to Early Modern in and through the northern Renaissance. Examine humanist culture and its many tensions with the Church, technological breakthroughs and their social and economic consequences, the connections between the discovery of new lands and the recovery of ancient learning, and the formation of the early modern state.

Examine the complex and dynamic legacies of World War II and questions of memory, identity, and politics from 1945 to the present.

Work leading to assembling a capstone portfolio in German, Scandinavian, and Dutch Studies, including tutorials on norms for presentation, writing, documentation, and research.

Supervised individual study of selected problems in German, Scandinavian, and Dutch Studies.

Supervised individual research on a literary or linguistic problem, culminating in an honors paper of some length.