
Chris Burwick
Chris Burwick's scholarship explores the intersections between materiality theory and material culture in literature and media.
You will study the language, literature, culture, historical development and politics of German-speaking countries and emerge prepared for graduate school or a range of careers. Your professors will encourage you to study abroad in a German-speaking country. German studies concentrators spend at least one semester, and ideally a full year, in Germany.
Germany's important contemporary position, cultural legacy and turbulent history at the center of European affairs make it an important topic of study for a wide range of interests: language and literature, government and diplomacy, international trade, science and technology. German is one of the major official languages of the European Union and is recognized as an important language of business, particularly in Eastern Europe.
My favorite aspect of studying German at Hamilton had to be the free tutoring sessions offered by the school with native speakers. Freshman year, I was paired up with Daniela Pfister '09 and from there I began to enjoy learning the language! She put me at ease with her kind, encouraging manner and I always looked forward to our meetings. Talking with her got me excited to learn more vocabulary, pronounce words correctly and study certain words to use in our next tutoring session.
Emily Johnston — German studies major
Beyond the mandatory core courses in the language, students may choose from a wide selection of offerings in other departments, tapping into history, government, music, philosophy and more.
Chris Burwick's scholarship explores the intersections between materiality theory and material culture in literature and media.
Alan Cafruny is an expert on the political economy of the European Union, and U.S.-European and U.S.-Russian relations.
John Eldevik holds the Licence in Mediaeval Studies from the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies.
Robert Hopkins' interests include the evolution of the barbershop quartet style of singing.
Schweiger’s interests include German literature and culture.
Edith Toegel focuses on 19th- and 20th-century German and Austrian literature and culture.
The course is about "imaginary gardens with real toads in them" (Marianne Moore) and about "desir[ing] dragons with a profound desire" (J.R.R. Tolkien). It is about "Once upon a time" - a time that is on nobody's clock but exists in our collective memory. Extensive readings from the Brothers Grimm. Further readings from Perrault, de Beaumont, Hauff, Bechstein, Andersen, Hoffmann, MacDonald, Morris, Tolkien.Taught in English.
View All CoursesIntroduction to German cinema from the Weimar era to the present. Examination of seminal films from Fritz Lang’s M to Sebastian Schipper’s Victoria, we also explore Germany’s history from the 1930s to the twenty-first century. Emphasis on the medium’s relationship to history, propaganda, memory, identity, and entertainment. Close attention paid to the formal language and thematic preoccupations of expressionist and avant-garde cinema, fascist cinema, New German Cinema, and the New Berlin school. Works by filmmakers such as Riefenstahl, Herzog, Fassbinder, Petzold, and Akin.
View All CoursesExamination of issues that address environment concerns popular in German-speaking nations from the conservative idealism of the late 19th century to the radical environmentalism of the 1960s. Close readings of texts informed by theory and other media such as film, music, and technology. The goal of this course is to better understand these works, the ecological questions they raise, and how they intersect with the culture(s), history, media, politics, economy, and identity in modern Europe.
View All CoursesStudy of the Faust legend and how it has been adapted over the centuries. Topics include the origins of Faust in the 15th century in its factual (Paracelsus and Johann Faust) and spiritual (alchemy and astronomy) dimensions; the Faust Book of 1587; Marlowe’s adaptation of the Faust story (The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus); Goethe’s Faust (The First Part of the Tragedy); operas by Gounod (Faust) and Boïto (Mefistofele); the film Mephisto by H. Mann/Szabò; and T. Mann’s Doctor Faustus.
View All CoursesStudy and analysis of works spanning the era from 1871 to the beginning of the Second World War. Selections focus on literary and cultural changes including the Jahrhundertwende and the Weimar Republic. Authors include Fontane, Hauptmann, Trakl, Hofmannsthal, George, Schnitzler and Mann. Taught in German.
View All CoursesStudy of post-1945 literature with focus on Austria, the emergence of two contrasting Germanies, and the Neuanschluss leading to unification. Texts by Bachmann, Bernhard, Böll, Grass, Seghers, Wolf and others. Taught in German.
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