Acoustic Ecology Acoustic ecology is the study of sounds in relationship to life and society. An interdisciplinary field, it explores the social, cultural, scientific, and ecological aspects of the sonic environment.  In this seminar  we will gain auditory literacy by experiencing the world through sound (e.g., noise, speech, music). Topics will include the impact of noise on society; the urban experience through sound (especially Berlin and New York); aural architecture; production and reception of speech; representations of sound in literature and the visual arts; and even emotional responses to certain songs. Sources include texts by neuroscientists, literary scholars, linguists, anthropologists, musicologists, and others; music, and films.

Beginning German Continued This course is a continuation of GRMN 0101. Increased emphasis on communicative competence through short oral presentations and the use of authentic German language materials. Introduction to short prose writings and other documents relating to contemporary German culture. Five class meetings per week.

Beginning German Continued This course is the intensive continuation of GRMN 0101 which will further the development of your language skills in an immersion-like environment, and will include bi-weekly cultural readings in English. Classes meet for two hours each morning, then lunch at the language tables, in addition to afternoon and evening activities (e.g. film screenings). Completion of this course is a prerequisite to enrollment in GRMN 0103.

Beginning German Geared toward quick and early proficiency in comprehension and free expression. Grammatical structures are practiced through group activities and situational exercises (e.g., role-playing games and partner interviews). Active class participation by students is required and will be counted toward the final grade. Since this is an integrated approach, there will be laboratory assignments but no special drill sections. Classes meet five times a week. Students take GRMN 0102 as their winter term course.

German Linguistics (in German) This course simultaneously presents an overview of the major subfields of linguistics as they apply to the German language and a discussion of how today's Standard German evolved. We will pay attention to important concepts in phonetics/phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. In addition to these theoretical and descriptive aspects, we will discuss sociolinguistic issues such as language and gender and regional variations within Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Luxemburg. Lectures and discussions will be conducted in German.

German in Its Cultural Contexts The course invites students to explore social and cultural developments in Germany from 1871 to the present day from a historical perspective. We begin by examining Germany’s birth as a nation state and end by looking at recent events in today’s reunified Federal Republic. The course aims to lay the foundation for a critical understanding of German culture in its contemporary global context. Writing the biographies of fictional Germans throughout the semester, students will follow the radical changes in German society during the (long) twentieth century and gain an understanding how ‘ordinary’ people in Germany might have lived. A montage of written and visual materials will expose students to elite, mainstream, and marginal cultures alike. Taught in German. (Formerly GRMN 0310)

Sounds and the City: German Urban Cultural History of the 20th and 21st Century In this course, we will seek to understand the cultural history of  20th and 21st century Germany by examining its soundscapes. Analyzing recordings of selected events, we will discuss how history can be portrayed as an acoustic experience.  Sound profiles of city spaces before, during, and after World War II and the Cold War will illustrate sound's impact on German society and its ability to create utopian/dystopian spaces. This line of inquiry invites us to rethink noise, silence, language, identity, power, and-considering the history of recording technologies-the nature of knowledge itself. We will consider works by literary scholars, historians, anthropologists, and musicologists.

Florence Feiereisen

Reviews and ratings for Florence Feiereisen at Middlebury College.Florence Feiereisen teaches Acoustic Ecology, Beginning German Continued, Beginning German and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Florence Feiereisen good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

This course was interesting for one class. After that, it became extremely repetitive. Also very harsh grading for a first year seminar class. Way too much emphasis on citations and bibliography's as well. Feireisen will take off a lot of points if you just forget to indent your bibliography. 

I've really enjoyed taking this course. Florance is very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject, and she teaches with a lot of enthusiasm. The homework worksheets can be quite time consuming and difficult, but she grades them fairly, and any reading goes very quick. 

This class is definitely a big time commitment and you have to be willing to put in the work. However, the structure works and you can clearly see the benefits from it. Florence is one of my favorite professors I've had, she is so fun and kind and genuinely cares about her students and their success. She is fair and understanding. 