Strategies for teaching 18th-century German texts in the context of program building

Elena Pnevomidou’s essay “The Potential of Drama Pedagogy and Peer-Assisted Learning for Teaching 18^th-Century German Literature in the L2 Classroom” uses a student production of Gotthold Ephraim Lessing’s Nathan der Weise as a case study of upper-division language learning at the University of Victoria. Performative explorations of basic emotions probe the psychological depth and complexity of characters, while also emphasizing micro-level textual analysis. Friederike von Schwerin-High’s section “18^th-Century Plays in the German Drama Survey Course” describes an upper-division course at the Claremont Colleges that connects students with foundational, updatable classic German plays. Close, lexically-driven readings of original scenes alternate with explorations of multimedia retellings. Analyzing power, aesthetics, class and gender representations in dramas, the course was recently approved to fulfill a speaking-intensive general education requirement. Jeffrey L. High’s essay “On the Importance of 18^th-Century Literature: Recruitment, Opportunity, Retention and the Pursuit of Happiness” examines the critical role of 18^th century texts in program-building. Age-of-Schiller authors are the subject of both upper-division German courses at CSULB and general education and honors course offerings in English. The authors’ complex, nuanced humanistic arguments foster intensive academic activities and a lively scholarly community.