GM3005 German Language 1

This is a core language module for all students in the first semester of the first year of the Honours programme. It aims to develop written and spoken German language skills. Two weekly classes are taught by native-language tutors. The module is based on a textbook which includes a wide range of different activities and registers. Students' work includes reading comprehension, discussion of issues raised by texts and audio-visual, a variety of written responses, and revision of aspects of grammar.

GM3006 German Language 2

This is a core language module for all students in the second semester of the first year of the Honours programme. It further develops written and spoken German language skills through work based on texts and videotapes in a range of registers and tasks including reading comprehension, discussion of issues raised by texts and videotapes, written responses, and review of aspects of grammar.

GM3073 The Mediaeval Short Story

The earliest German short stories, know as Maren, were funny tales about beautiful princesses, clever wives, stupid priests, wandering body parts, crossed-dressed knights, intrigue and mayhem. Using comedy, they explore some of the most problematic aspects of mediaeval culture, such as class, gender and religion. Long disregarded as popular culture, Maren have recently emerged as one of the most fascinating areas of mediaeval fiction. This module introduces students to the genre and some of its key topics.

GM3080 Grammatical Rules and Lexical Exceptions in Modern German

Grammatical rules and lexical exceptions in modern German are considered against the background of Saussurean structuralism and in relation to language teaching. Saussure said that a language is a system, and languages do indeed have rules, in their grammar. But most rules of grammar have a long list of unexplained exceptions - why? The view taken in this module is that unexplained exceptions indicate that the grammarians have got the rule wrong. We look at two rules of modern German to see how a close examination of their unexplained exceptions can point to a new and better rule: the passive and non-passivisable transitive verbs; and tense formation and strong verbs.

GM3087 Bertolt Brecht: The Drama of Revolt

Bertolt Brecht's status as one of the most influential innovators of modern theatre remains undiminished today with his plays still staples in the repertoire of theatre companies around the world. This module will explore the fusion of political engagement and aesthetic revolution in Brecht's dramatic philosophy by studying a selection of his most important works for the stage and screen, as well as his theoretical writings. We will consider the works as both performance and literature and discuss such themes as human alienation, anarchy, class struggle, the new role of the masses and Brecht's use of Marxism in his theory.

GM3101 German Integrated Year Abroad

The objective of the module is language learning and cultural familiarisation through work placement in a German-speaking country. Placements will be as language assistant in a school or on other assignments approved by the department. Formal learning and assessment is through a supervised project chosen in consultation with the module co-ordinator, who will provide more detailed guidelines. The project essay will be 5000 words in German to be received in the department by May 5th.

GM3103 Residential Project in a German-Speaking Country

The objective is language learning and cultural familiarisation through self-access residence in a German-speaking country. The student will spend at least six weeks in a German-speaking country. Formal learning and assessment are by means of a project, written up in German on the student's return. The project will not exceed 5,000 words of writing, though other supplementary material may be included. Enrolment is subject to the discretion of the Chairman of Department.

GM4007 Translation Methodology (German / English)

The aim of the module is to develop advanced skills in translating from German into English. The module encourages students to make a careful analysis of the linguistic characteristics of the source texts and to focus on recurrent problems of translation and the methods available for dealing with them. A range of text types including consumer-oriented (technical/commercial), journalistic and literary will be translated into the target language.

GM4091 Generation, Genealogy and the Quest for Tradition : Contemporary German Family Narratives

Since the turn of the millennium, the German book market has been awash with a wave of family narratives, both fictional and autobiographical, that sift through the long after-life of National Socialism from a transgenerational perspective. Engaging with questions of affiliation, lineage and tradition, the narrators of these stories relate how past events have been concealed and yet subliminally transmitted within postwar families. Studying the transition from a culture of remembrance towards a postmemorial culture, we will analyse the narratological strategies and thematic concerns across a range of texts that probe an unmastered inheritance within the domain of the family. We will also examine to what extent these narratives work towards an experiential historiography as an alternative to conventional modes of historical writing.

GM4098 Dissertation on German Topic

The dissertation offers students the possibility of personal advanced study on a topic on which they already have adequate basic knowledge and for which a suitable Supervisor can be found. Guidance will be offered on research methods and on presentation. The dissertation can be either a) a study of a given body of primary material in a given perspective, or b) a critical review of a range of secondary material on a given subject. It should be 5,000 - 6,000 words in length, be submitted in accordance with guidelines and deadlines, and normally be written in English. The topic must be formally agreed in advance with the Chairman of Department.(Guidelines for printing and binding dissertations can be found at: http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/printanddesign/dissertation/)

GM4099 Long Dissertation on a German Topic

The dissertation offers students the possibility of personal advanced study on a topic in German on which they already have adequate basic knowledge and for which a suitable Supervisor can be found. Guidance will be offered on research methods and on presentation. The dissertation will, as a rule, consist of a study of a body of primary material in a given perspective. Its length should be 10,000 words maximum, and it should be submitted in accordance with guidelines and deadlines, and normally be written in English. The topic must be agreed in advance by the Chairman of Department following a recommendation by the Supervisor, whom students should contact in the first instance.(Guidelines for printing and binding dissertations can be found at: http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/printanddesign/dissertation/)

GM4105 German Language 3

This is a core language module for all students in the second year of the Honours Programme It is designed to develop advanced written and oral language skills based on translation from and into German, while the oral part of the module will afford insight into communicative situations, strategies and approaches in a variety of contexts. Students will learn to recognise and analyse communication techniques and employ them effectively in different situations.

GM4106 German Language 4

This is a core language module for students in the second year of the Honours Programme. It is designed to develop advanced written and oral language skills based on task-based text production, summary and essay writing, while the oral part of the module will afford insight into communicative situations, strategies and approaches in a variety of contexts. Students will further develop their competence in recognising and analyzing communication techniques and in employing them effectively in different situations.

GM4801 German Dissertation (Science)

This is a self-access module for students spending study periods and work placements away from St Andrews, in connection with their Honours courses in Science. Because such periods away may arise in any of the four Honours semesters of the two Honours years, this module may be taken in place of any one of the modules GM3005, GM3006, GM4105, GM4106. (Guidelines for printing and binding dissertations can be found at: http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/printanddesign/dissertation/)