German Heritage and Image in America

13:033

Main Class Site and Class Protocol

Syllabus

TWIST

Final Exam

Contents of the Exam:

Thursday, May 16th, 7 p.m.,

218 Phillips Hall

A. Question on the Amanas.
Project Portfolios due at final exam

B. Question on class members' in-class reports.
You can bring any books or notes to the final.

C. Question on two Hegi books.
4 short essay questions (25% each)

D. Question on your own project.

 

Friday,

May 10

 

 

 

Project Presentations

 

Lizabett Hoffmann

Malena Brunner

Matthew Brackmann

Zach Russell

Wednesday,

May 8

 

 

 

Project Presentations

 

Katherine Runge

Kerry Schantz

Kevin Keller

Krista Schieffer

Monday,

May 6

 

 

 

Project Presentations

 

Chad Reich

Christine Klein

Helmut Fleps

Joan O'Kones

 

Wednesday,

May 1

 

 

 

 Assignment for Friday, May 3:
  • Prepare for presentations next week (May 6-10).
    • 10-minutes each.
    • Monday

      Chad Reich

      Christine Klein

      Helmut Fleps

      Joan O'Kones
      Wednesday

      Katherine Runge

      Kerry Schantz

      Kevin Keller

      Krista Schieffer
      Friday

      Lizabett Hoffmann

      Malena Brunner

      Matthew Brackmann

      Zach Russell


  • Amana Pilgrimage
    • Meet at NW corner of Phillips Hall at 3:00
    • Travel to Main Amana
    • Visit the Historical Museum.
    • Walking tour of shops and sights.
    • Dinner at 6 p.m. at the Ronneburg.

Class Meeting:

  • Report discoveries in projects.
  • 3-minute reports on "Tearing the Silence".
    • Johanna
    • Ulrich
    • Anneliese
    • Karl
    • Eva
    • Hans-Peter
    • Sigrid
    • Joachim
    • Kurt
    • Marika
    • Heinrich
    • Beate
    • Gisela
    • Jürgen

 

Monday,

April 29

 

 

 

 Assignment for Wednesday, May 1:
  • Continue rounding out your project with extra chunks of writing and media; prepare for presentation next week (May 6-10).
  • Prepare to discuss "Tearing the Silence"

Class Meeting:

  • Report discoveries in projects.
  • Discussion with Lawrence Rettig from Amana.
    Topics:

    Tourism
    Religion/Church
    Homelife in the Amanas
    Being a German/American
    Use of the German language in the Amanas
    Attitudes of various age groups toward their heritage
    Attitudes and connections to Germany today
    Differences between Amana lifestyles and typical Iowa City lifestyles
    Advice on what to visit and where to eat

 

Friday,

April 26

 

 

 

 Assignment for Monday, April 29:
  • Continue rounding out your project with extra chunks of writing and media; prepare for presentations week after next (May 6-10).
  • Be ready in case we have time to discuss Tearing the Silence

Class Meeting:

  • Report discoveries in projects.
  • Discussion with Jessica Birk from Middle Amana.
    Topics:

    Tourism
    Religion/Church
    Homelife in the Amanas
    Being a German/American
    Use of the German language in the Amanas
    Young people's attitudes toward their heritage
    Attitudes and connections to Germany today
    Differences between Amana lifestyles and typical Iowa City lifestyles
    Advice on what to visit and where to eat
  • Only if time allows: discuss chapters from "Tearing the Silence". (Main discussion will be next Wednesday.)

 

Wednesday,

April 24

 

 

 

 Assignment for Friday, April 26:
  • Naming your project: Come up with a title and a rationale and email it to me.
  • Be ready in case we have time to discuss Tearing the Silence

Class Meeting:

  • Report thrills and discoveries in projects.
  • Talk about final presentations.
  • Prepare questions for Jessica Birk on Friday, Larry Rettig on Monday.
  • Discuss chapters from "Tearing the Silence".

 

Monday,

April 22

 

 

 

 Assignment for Wednesday, April 24:
  • Prepare five questions to aid in our interviews with Amana residents. (In writing, turn them in during class.)
  • Prepare to describe your three sections of "Tearing the Silence" as assigned in class on Friday (see below).

Class Meeting:

  • Amana visitors planned: Jessica Birk on Friday, Larry Rettig on Monday.
  • Report on good news with projects.
  • Initial discussion of "Tearing the Silence" and Ursula Hegi as nonfiction author.

 

 

Friday,

April 19

 

 

 

 Assignment for Monday, April 22:
  • Read "Tearing the Silence" Part One (pp. 13-51)
  • For Wednesday, prepare to describe your three sections as assigned in class on Friday:
    • Johanna
    • Ulrich
    • Anneliese
    • Karl
    • Eva
    • Hans-Peter
    • Sigrid
    • Joachim
    • Kurt
    • Marika
    • Heinrich
    • Beate
    • Gisela
    • Jürgen

Class Meeting:

  • Amana visitors planned.
  • Report on good news with projects.
  • Report on issues in your assigned chapters out of 10-14.

    Topics:

    • Similarities to your own family history.
    • Cross-cultural/transitional experiences
    • German-American culture
    • Portrayals of German culture
    • Assimilation to "American" culture

 

Monday,

April 15

 

 

 

No class on Wednesday due to college faculty meeting.

Assignment for Friday, April 19:

  • Reread/review Emma Blau Chapters 10-14 (to the end). Find answers to the discussion questions (below) for your chapter as assigned in class.
  • Bring "Tearing the Silence" to class.
  • Make a note that the Amana Fieldtrip is set for Friday, May 3rd, 2:30 p.m.

Class Meeting:

  • Report on fieldtrip planning.
  • Report on good news with projects.
  • Report on problems with projects.
  • Whole-class discussion of "Emma Blau" Chapters 7-9.

    Further examples of the following:

    • Similarities to your own family history.
    • Cross-cultural/transitional experiences
    • German-American culture
    • Portrayals of German culture
    • Assimilation to "American" culture

 

Friday

April 12

 

 

 

 Assignment for Monday, April 15:
  • Reread/review Emma Blau Chapters 7-9 (up to p. 291); prepare to finish the book by Friday. April 19th.

Class Meeting:

  • Small group discussion and reports on "Emma Blau" Chapters 4-6.

    Find examples of the following:

    • German-American culture
    • Portrayals of German culture
    • Cross-cultural/transitional experiences
    • Assimilation to "American" culture
    • Similarities to your own family history.
     

 

Wednesday

April 10

 

 

 

 Assignment for Friday, April 12:
  • By Friday I must have
    • Version 0/1 narratives
    • one-paragraph reflections
    • first set of partner questions
    • two chunks responding to partner
  • Transmit via email.
  • Reread/review Emma Blau Chapters 4-6 (up to p. 206); prepare to finish the book by Friday. April 19th.

Class Meeting:

  • Sample responses to partners
  • Discussion of "Emma Blau" Chapters 1-3.

    • Can you identify with any characters?
    • What are the German-related aspects?
    • Does the fact that the author is a woman alter your perceptions of the novel
     

 

Monday

April 8

 

 

 

 Assignment for Wednesday, April 10:
  • Respond to your partner's suggestions by writing at least two distinct "chunks" of about 150 words.
  • Transmit via email.
  • Reread/review Emma Blau Chapters 1-3 (up to p. 100)

Class Meeting:

  • Who is Ursula Hegi?
  • First impressions of Emma Blau
  • Discuss "questions" provided by partners.

 

Friday

April 5

 

 

 

 Assignment for Monday, April 8:
  • Transmit your first narrative (Version 0) to your partner.
  • Write "questions" on your partner's narrative as follows:
    • 5-10 questions that ask for additional details to expand the Version 0 narrative;
    • 4-6 statements that open up a new dimension on the narrative (poetry, fiction, images, historical facts) that is completely different from the Version 0.
  • Bring these to class and transmit via email.

Class Meeting:

  • Return Midterm Exam; explain the curve.
  • Discuss "The Big Lift" and its value to the class
  • Review partners as matched on Friday
  • Discuss nature of expected partner commentary

 

Monday

April 1

 

 

 

 Assignment for Wednesday, April 3:
  • Write a paragraph-length reflection on the interview and writing process.
  • Submit via email by 1 p.m.

Class Meeting:

  • Discussion of form and shape of narrative reports; classification by approach
  • Discussion of "partnering"
  • The Big Lift continued viewing??