Poetic Voices – Women Voices
Exploring German(y) through women voices from the earliest German verse to today
- Instructor: Cosima Mattner, cm3783@columbia.edu
- Office hours: by appointment (801 Hamilton or online)
- Class details: Spring 2021; TR 10:10-11:25; 2 credits
Course Description:
In this class, we will explore the German language and its literary and cultural history through women poetry: Frauenlyrik. Looking at different points in time from the first documented poem in the German language ever – a magic spell discussing woman`s liberating powers – until today, we will explore the field of women writing by reading, watching, listening to, discussing and writing about its form and content – and the way these two are always already one.
The goal is to access and critically reflect on German cultural history and politics through poetic conceptions of the word “woman,” specifically in poems written by women which thematize the existential effects of that gendered category. Throughout, we will explore what Frauenlyrik actually is. While our main focus will be on primary texts, we will also consider contextual material to situate them historically. Hence, students will become familiar with a broad range of German literary and cultural history from 9th century A.D. to today, zooming in on texts from early 19th and 20th century as well as today. By identifying recurring structural and thematic aspects and responding to texts in reflective, essayistic and analytic writing and discussions, students will deepen their understanding of German, expand their vocabulary (including select encounters with older German variants and dialects), and increase their awareness for semantic nuances, syntactic flexibility, and pragmatic powers of the language. While a strong command of the Intermediate II level of German is prerequisite, no prior knowledge of the authors and texts is required.
Course Objectives:
After successful completion of this two-Credit course, students will be able to:
- Describe experiences and associations associated with the word “woman” as presented in poetry
- Compare and contrast poems about or by women of different periods
- Summarize the main points of class sessions
- Compose and structure short formal analysis and historically critical close readings of poems
- Creatively reflect on poetic conceptions of womanhood in writing
- Implement circumlocution in most areas to compensate for developing vocabulary
Course Materials and Prerequisites:
The class may be online or in-person, following university-wide policies. If in person, students are expected to always wear their mask. A laptop and sufficient internet bandwidth is required but may only be used for class-related activities. There is no assigned textbook for this class. All texts and assignments will be uploaded to the Canvas site and found under the File tab. All readings are in German. Recommended: Langenscheidt Großwörterbuch Deutsch als Fremdsprache [Online Version: de.thefreedictionary.com or www.duden.de] Further, students are encouraged to visit Kaffeestunde (in Deutsches Haus, 420 W. 116 – dates and times TBA, make sure you’re on the departmental list serv) and departmental events (dates and times TBA) to practice their German!
Students in Advanced Conversation & Composition should have completed the equivalent of one and a half years of college German. This conversation group is designed for students who are now taking Intermediate German I/II (UN2101/UN2102) or who wish to maintain their spoken German at least at the advanced intermediate level.
Grading:
- Class attendance and active participation: 25%
- Daily preparation and homework: 15%
- Writing assignments: 35%
- Group presentation: 15%
- Final written & recorded oral reflection: 10 %
Class attendance and participation (25%)
are crucial to students’ success in this class. Attendance is an essential condition for your learning and hence part of your participation grade. Each student is allowed two unexcused absences (equivalent to one week of class). Generally, absences have to be announced to me (via email or in person) and have to be made up for in alternative kinds of asynchronous assignments. Excused absences include documented illness, religious observance, deaths in the family and other documented crises, and call to active military duty or jury duty. Late arrivals and early departures by 20 minutes or more will be counted as an absence. Inform me early if you know you will miss a class. You are responsible for making up for any work you missed. Consistent tardiness will affect your participation grade. Participation includes a concentrated presence in class, respectful behavior towards everyone, awareness for balanced speaking time between everyone, active listening – all in the sense of stepping back and stepping up in the right moments. This applies to all kinds of individual, team and group work.
Daily preparation and homework (15%)
will consist of doing the required reading for each class session and completing small assignments that accompany the readings (such as weekly summative reflections or reflective audio recordings in canvas.). All homework is posted online and needs to be completed online before class.
Writing assignments (total 35%):
We will be writing on a constant basis. Every week, you will write either a new or second, edited version of a writing assignment. You will post your writing in your own google doc which only you and me as your instructor can see. I will add corrections in this google doc and you add the reviewed versions of your essays in the same google doc.You will practice writing in different genres, including a conventional formal poetry analysis, a comparative analysis, a close reading and a reflective or creative response to a poem.
Group presentation (15%)
Towards the end of the semester, you will present on an apropos topic in groups and lead a full class on the topic, using activating approaches to text analysis that we have been practicing throughout class. A selection of topics to choose from will be circulated and groups get about three sessions to prepare their class, with my support. Groups will upload lesson plans and presentation materials to a respective assignment in canvas before their presentations and include feedback given by me before leading the class. Students will reflect on the group’s working and learning processes individually in their final reflections.
Final written & recorded oral reflection: (10 %)
Referencing concrete learning experiences, students will reflect on their learning progress in the group presentations and the course overall in writing and orally (in a canvas assignment). The written reflection explicitly documents learning processes, differentiating the group work and the overall course experience. In the oral part, students are asked to present (read aloud), analyze and interpret one of the poems that we discussed in class to an imagined conversation partner.
Learning Preferences and Accommodations:
I acknowledge in my courses that people learn in different ways. For example, having visuals to support text may work better for some students, whereas others learn better by listening to the instructor. Please talk to me about your learning preferences, so we can make the course work as well as possible for everyone. If you have, or suspect, a disability of any kind, please be sure to contact the office of disabilities (see link below) so that accommodations can be put in place. The earlier I know about it the better it will work.
Academic, Mental and Physical Support:
Student life can get very intense, especially during this time. If you feel that you need help in any way, please don’t wait but act immediately. Let me know that you are struggling. Most importantly, contact your Dean/Advisor to ask for help. Below are online resources to help you:
- https://health.columbia.edu/services/odsLinks to an external site.
- https://www.barnard.edu/health (Links to an external site.)
- https://covid19.columbia.eduLinks to an external site.
- https://thefoodpantry.studentgroups.columbia.eduLinks to an external site.
- https://cc-seas.financialaid.columbia.edu/deans-fundLinks to an external site.
Academic Integrity:
Columbia policy on academic integrity forbids students to hand in work (homework, vocabulary lists, essays, etc.) that has been edited by a tutor or in any way authored or rewritten by someone other than the student. All work must be completed by the student him/herself and must reflect the student’s personal language level. No credit will be awarded for work that you did not complete yourself. If you feel you need tutoring, speak to me or contact Jutta Schmiers-Heller or Irene Motyl for permissible tutoring guidelines.
Students are required to write numerous original texts throughout the semester using vocabulary and structures already learned and practiced in class. The texts are intended as tools to demonstrate how well you have learned to communicate using what you know. Under no circumstances should tutors or German speakers edit or author your work.
Technology in the Classroom:
Laptops and phones may be used only for legitimate classroom purposes, such as for online classes, taking notes, viewing course materials, or working on an in-class exercises. E-mail, instant messaging, surfing the Internet, reading the news, or playing games are not considered legitimate classroom purposes; such inappropriate laptop use is distracting to yourself and your classmates.
Semesterplan
*** MIGHT CHANGE ALONG THE WAY ***
Woche 1: Einführung
18. Januar Syllabus; Kennenlernen; Einführung: was ist „Lyrik“ / was ist „Frau“ / was ist „Frauen-Lyrik“? Gedicht
20. Januar Genderbezeichnungen
Woche 2: Sprache, Gender und Körper
25. Januar Vokabular Gedichtanalyse + Verena Stefan. Kopf
27. Januar Verena Stefan. Kopf
Woche 3: Sprache, Gender und Magie
1. Februar Erster Merseburger Zauberspruch
*** Essay I: ~200 Worte, Reflektion zum Thema ‚Lyrik und Gender‘
3. Februar ctd.
Woche 4: Sprache, Gender und Magie ctd.
8. Februar Barbara Köhler. Kirke
*** Essay I, Version II
10. Februar ctd.
Woche 5: Sprache, Gender und Krieg
15. Februar August Stramm. Krieg; Dagmar Nick. Ruf der Frauen
*** Essay II: ~250 Worte, Gedichtanalyse und Interpretation
17. Februar ctd.
Woche 6: Gedichte Vergleichen
22. Februar Vergleichsvokabular
*** Essay II, Version II
24. Februar ctd.
Woche 7: Emanzipation und Kanon
1. März Annette von Droste-Hülshoff. Am Turme
*** Essay III, Version I ~300 Worte, Vergleich von zwei Gedichten bezüglich Gender und Lyrik // Canvas Selbstevaluation
3. März ctd.
Woche 8: Emanzipation und Kanon
8. März Mascha Kaléko. Emigrantenmonolog
*** Essay III, Version II
10. März ctd.
—– Spring Break ——
Woche 9: Emanzipation und Kanon
22. März May Ayim. afro-deutsch II
*** Essay IV, Version I ~500 Worte, Tagebucheintrag inklusive Gedichtreferenz
24. März ctd.
Woche 10: Emanzipation und Kanon
29. März Nora Gomringer. Debütantin
*** Essay IV, Version II
31. März Ulla Hahn. Ars Poetica / Ulla Hahn. Endlich Emanzipiert
Woche 11: Lied, Song, Chanson, Schlager
5. April Brecht. Die Seeräuberjenny; Hildegard Kneef. Für mich solls rote Rosen regnen; Trude Herr. Ich will keine Schokolade; Marlene Dietrich. Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuss auf Liebe eingestellt (Film: Der blaue Engel)
7. April ctd.
Woche 12: Vorbereitung der Präsentationen
12. April Vorbereitung der Präsentationen
14. April Vorbereitung der Präsentationen
*** Draft für Präsentation, Version I
Woche 13: Präsentationen
19. April Vorbereitung der Präsentationen
*** Draft für Präsentation, Version II
21. April Präsentationen
Woche 14: (last day of classes: May 2nd) Präsentationen
26. April Präsentationen
28. April Präsentationen
*** Präsentationen werden in den letzten beiden Semesterwochen gehalten
