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One-Chip Late Submission Policy:

You are allowed to use this chip once during the semester for any unexcused late submission. Please notify me within 24 hours of the submission deadline and we will make an arrangement for you.

* If I don't hear from you within 24 hours, you will incur a 5% penalty/day for late submissions.

Of course, if you have a valid documented excuse, there's no need to use your chip and you can save it for later!

German Language Policy:

You are expected to write one assignment of your choice in German. If you don't do so, you will incur a 5% penalty on your overall grade.
* This can make the difference between B+ and A- or A and A+... think about it!
I am asking this so you have a chance to practice your writing skills in German and get feedback!
**If you choose to write the discussion board in German, you will have to write ALL of them in German.

Respect is the most important thing here. Respect goes for everything: respect the instructor, respect your peers, respect the rules, respect others' work, ... We are here to learn together and we can do so in an atmosphere of collegiality and collaboration. :)

Please let me know if you have any additional question.

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Accessibility:
Everyone's participation and contribution to this course is highly valued. Don't hesitate to get in touch with me if you think that any adjustment to the course's accessibility can be made. If you require accommodations of any kind, please contact the university's Accessibility Services:
accessibility.services@utoronto.ca

Academic Integrity:
Academic integrity is essential to the pursuit of learning and scholarship in a university, and to ensuring that a degree from the University of Toronto is a strong signal of each student’s individual academic achievement. As a result, the University treats cases of cheating and plagiarism very seriously. The University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters outlines the behaviours that constitute academic dishonesty and the processes for addressing academic offences. I encourage you to read the University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters here: https://governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/secretariat/policies/code-behaviour-academic-matters-july-1-2019.

Please let me know if you have any additional question.

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Welcome to GER3XX, Environmental Literature Between East and West Germany!

Please read the info on this page carefully! You can scroll right and left, and up and down in every column. You can click on any image of file to expand it!

If it's a little confusing, you will also find a PDF version of the syllabus on the LMS.

*Photo credit: Laurence CP, Bitterfeld, Germany, 2018

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This course will look at environmental literature from both Germanys from the 1970s, through the 1980s and into reunified/ post-Wende Germany.

We will look at the development of ecocriticism and environmental humanities approaches. We will explore the development of environmental awareness and activism in East and West Germany, and will look at how it was transposed into literature on both sides of the wall.

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This course is asynchronous, meaning that there won't be fixed meeting times. Everything will take place virtually on the LMS. You will be provided with short videos every week that contain background information on the weekly topics/readings. If need be, they will also contain technical information on the assignments.

Important days for our course will be Thursdays (discussion board entries) and Fridays (any major assignment).

Every module and task will be clearly laid out and identified.

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Ph.D. candidate,
Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures,
University of Toronto

* You can use my first name when addressing me and if you choose to communicate with me in German, I am fine with "du". I use the pronouns she/her (sie/ihr).

https://german.utoronto.ca/laurence-cote-pitre/

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Hello! :)

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e-mail: laurence.cote.pitre@mail.utoronto.ca

I can always be contacted via e-mail or the LMS inbox. You can usually expect a response within 48 hours.

I will also hold virtual office hours via zoom every week. You will find all the information you need for these office hours under HOUSEKEEPING on the LMS. (I can also provide a phone number in special individual cases.)

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If I need to speak with you directly, you will most likely hear from me in an e-mail!

Otherwise, my messages to the class will be sent via LMS announcements. Make sure you turn on your LMS-notifications so you don't miss anything!

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How will you be in touch with your peers?

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How will you be in touch with your peers?

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You will be in touch with your peers every week via the LMS-Discussion Board. We will all interact on this page quite a lot, so you might want to familiarize yourself with it as soon as you can!

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Expand knowledge of 20th Century German Literature

Expand reading and writing skills in German

Develop a set of theoretical knowledge in environmental humanities

Analyze texts pertaining to environmental literature

Think critically about a text

Formulate a clear argument/opinion

Conduct academic research

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There will be two kinds of things to do in this course:

1) Learning Tasks will NOT be graded, but might be needed in order to complete assignments and will greatly benefit your learning experience (and the experience of your peers).
*This is also a chance to receive feedback before handing in a graded assignment.

2) Assignments will be graded and will also greatly benefit your learning experience (and the experience of your peers). At least ONE of your assignments will have to be written in German. You choose which one!

Detailed information on each task and assignment will be provided on the LMS under ASSIGNMENTS and you will receive reminders before every deadline. All tasks and assignments are to be submitted via the LMS in the ASSIGNMENTS section.

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This is both a learning task and an assignment!

You will be asked to post an answer to the prompt question by Thursday of each week at 5:00 pm. If you can make a second or third post in response to your peers' posts by Friday at 5:00 pm, THAT'S GREAT!! Let's exchange and discuss ideas!

The first post will be graded, the second won't be.

In these posts, you will be asked to engage with the weekly readings (both the novels and the theory).

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After reading Monika Maron's Flugasche (1981) you will be asked to write a 3-5 pages letter to either the author or the protagonist of the novel.

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After reading Gudrun Pausewang's Die Wolke (1987) OR Christa Wolf's Störfall. Nachrichten eines Tages (1987), you will be asked to write a book review and share it with your peers via the LMS.

You will be asked to engage with both books in the discussion board entry, and so to read your peers' reviews!

***A learning task will precede the reading of book #2:
You will have to do some research on the two proposed books and submit a short paper (2 pages max.) explaining your choice. Be prepared to convince me!

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Everything will take place on our LMS page. Make sure you keep an eye on it, I highly recommend you turn on your LMS-notifications so that you don't miss anything!

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Here is the semester schedule (including the weekly reading list and tasks, as well as assignments deadlines):

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Grade Breakdown:

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You will find a detailed weekly reading list on the LMS.

All novels are available to purchase via several online retailers. May I suggest purchasing e-Books for fast delivery...
Please note that you are expected to read these in German.

All secondary readings are available as online sources (journals articles and/or e-Books) via the university's library website.  Let me know ASAP if you have troubles accessing them.

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This course is designed like a book fair or book contest. Let's call it the GER3XX-Book-Contest!

You will read three novels over the course of the semester and will learn to think critically about them and get a glimpse of what it is like to be a literary critic!

You will all be invited to vote on what you think is the best book we have read in the course! I will count the votes and announce the winner during the last week of the semester. :)

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After reading Judith Schalansky's Der Hals der Giraffe: Bildungsroman (2011), you will be asked to write a book review.

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After reading the three novels, you will be asked to cast your vote by submitting a short paper explaining your choice.

I will count the votes and announce the winner of the GER3XX-Book Contest! :)

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You will be asked to write a short research paper on the book of your choice. In this paper you will be asked to engage with the theory seen during the semester.

You will be provided with a list of possible research questions. If you wish to come up with your own question, make sure to get my approval! In any case, you will have to notify me in advance of your research topic.

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You will need an internet connection to sign in to the LMS. Our course will be very low-tech, but if there is a will to "meet" and discuss the readings a little bit more, we could add an optional Book-Club-Discussions parameter to the GER3XX-Book-Contest via zoom.

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This course is proudly paper-free! :)

**There is s certification for green courses at U of T, which I would sign up for if I were to teach this course.

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Most of the course will be taught in English (we will definitely add a little bit of German here and there!).

The primary readings will be in German.  You are therefore asked to have completed at least GER200 by the time you start this course. You will be expected to reference these works in German in your tasks and assignments.

You are asked to write one assignment in German.

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Some book reviews might be anonymized and used as examples/aids for the choice of books in subsequent years.

This will only be done with your written permission.