German 315 - German Cultural History to 1800

We begin where centuries of Amherst students have: with the Roman writer Tacitus and his now-infamous text, Germania. But who are these "Germans" and what makes them tick? Our course follows this question across seventeen centuries of history, literature, art, politics, and culture in German-speaking Europe. Stops include the heroic epics and courtly lyrics of the medieval period; mystical treatises and Humanistic plague texts; the northern Renaissance and the rise of urban life; the revolutions of printing, Luther's Reformation and the Peasants' Revolt; witchcraft and gallows humor; the Thirty Years' War and vernacular autobiography; the Baroque and the rise of Absolutism; and end with the clashes of Prussian expansionism, the German Enlightenment and Sturm und Drang. Along the way, we will engage critically with issues of community, language and identity in these histories, as well as their appropriation by later centuries. Small-group discussion and reflective writing practice will develop students' speaking and writing in German, while a range of audio-visual materials will strengthen reading and listening skills. Conducted in German.

Requisite: GERM 210 or equivalent. Fall 2025. Professor Hannah Hunter-Parker.

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Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: An emphasis on instruction in languages other than English, on written work, readings, and oral presentations. Students with documented disabilities who will require accommodations in this course should be in consultation with Accessibility Services and reach out to the professor as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations can be made in a timely manner.