GER 430 - Seminars (in transl.)

Franz Kafka: Writer. Insurance administrator. Lawyer. Son. Lover. Night owl. Patient. German, Jewish, Austrian, Czech, European. Modernist. Comic. Revolutionary. Created a new minor literature singlehandedly. Changed everything for prose writers in and after Modernism. In this seminar we read translations in English of Kafka’s whole oeuvre, the stories and parables, (unfinished) novels, letters, and diaries. Students with German (majors and minors, but open to all) will read some or all of Kafka’s works in German and that group will meet extra each week to discuss in German. We will pay special attention to Kafka as a Jewish writer in an age of antisemitism through readings of his works by Walter Benjamin, Theodor Adorno, Martin Buber, Hannah Arendt, and Susan Sontag, among others. Weekly writing, final project, portfolio-based assessment.

Courses numbered 430-449 are seminars taught in translation. Specific topics are announced in advance of registration.

Prerequisites & Notes
For GER 430 Kafka (transl, XP in German) - extra meeting times for students who want to read in German.