The content will vary with the topic chosen. The content of a sample topic follows. Students read all stories in German which averages out to about 7 pages of reading per day. Students give three oral reports, each to be followed by a written version. The instructor assists students with reading comprehension, lectures on the cultural and biographical background of the works and on their literary features, and leads the class discussion.
Students give oral reports on the topics they have chosen.
D. Goals and Objectives of the Course Students will be able to identify and illustrate Mann's narrative technique, his ironical stance, his antithetical dualities such as art and life, his characterizations of the grotesque, and his understanding of the role of culture per se. Students will develop reading skills that will enable them to read with consistent understanding prose several paragraphs in length and intended for the general reader. In areas of special interest or knowledge, students will increasingly be able to understand parts of texts which are propositionally and linguistically complex. E. Assessment Measures Reading comprehension quizzes may be given on or after the third or final day on which a story is being discussed. On the midterm and final exam students identify and interpret significant quotes from the stories and give explanations of topics covered in the lectures.