Literary Responses to the Holocaust (in English) Can the Holocaust be described in words? Can images represent the horrors of Auschwitz? In this seminar we will explore the literary and artistic representations of the Shoah and its legacies, their mechanisms, tensions, and challenges. We will approach the issues of Holocaust representations by considering a significant array of texts that span genres, national literatures, time, narrative and poetic styles, and historical situations. Readings will include texts on witnessing, memory, post-memory, and trauma by authors such as Art Spiegelman, Hans J. Massaquoi, Primo Levi, Ruth Klüger, Nora Krug, Paul Celan, Sherman Alexie, and Hannah Arendt. 3hrs. sem.

Intermediate German GRMN 0201/0202 is a culture-based intermediate language sequence that focuses students' attention on intercultural aspects of language acquisition, vocabulary expansion, reading and writing strategies, and a review of grammar. It moves from a focus on issues of individual identity and personal experiences to a discussion of Germany today (GRMN 0201), explores national identity in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and supplies an overview of cultural history, literary achievements, and philosophical traditions in the German-speaking world

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.

Holocaust Refugees in the Global South In this course we will undertake an interdisciplinary exploration of often underrepresented experiences of the forced migration ofHolocaust refugees to colonial locations during the Second World War. Our study of global refugee transit experiences in places like Shanghai, India, South Africa, Kenya, South America, Mauritius, and the Caribbean will reveal entanglements between occupied Europe and the colonial world that significantly shaped Holocaust refugee trajectories. This course employs interdisciplinary approaches, blending (diasporic) historiography with literary and postcolonial studies and delving into personal narratives. It seeks to uncover nuanced dimensions of the refugee experience, challenge Eurocentric perspectives and established victim/perpetrator binaries and examine complex forms of “implication.” Course materials are in English, but students with linguistic competency are encouraged to analyze documents in other languages. This course is part of the Axinn Center for the Humanities’ Mellon Foundation Public Humanities Initiative.

Colonial Legacies: Namibia and Germany In this course we will first learn about the history of German colonialism in (Southwest) Africa, including the 1904 Herero/Nama genocide, and then will move on to the challenges and obstacles in working through, acknowledging, and commemorating the colonial past in Germany and Namibia (in scholarship, public memory, diplomatic relations; activism). We will go on a 14-day trip to Germany (Bremen, Hamburg) and Namibia (Windhoek, Swakopmund) for a place-based, intercultural learning experience. There, we will explore (visible and invisible) colonial legacies and sites of colonial memory, and (through meetings with scholars of (post-)colonialism, museum practitioners, and activists) learn about ongoing conflicts stemming from colonialism and stakeholder’s strategies to find solutions. No longer accepting applications.

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.

Colonialism, Exoticism, Race In this course we will examine Germany’s short era of colonialism (1894-1918) and its long-lasting legacies. We will examine concepts of “race” as they have existed since the 18th century as categorizing terms referring to humans. We will also discuss examples of exoticism, the fascination with and representation of cultures perceived as foreign or different, e.g. during “Karneval” in German culture. Through our analysis of literary and non-literary texts, interviews, photography, documentaries, films, museum exhibitions and many other materials, we will gain an understanding of race politics and exoticisms during the colonial period, under the National Socialist regime, in post-war and in post-reunification Germany. (GRMN 0202 or placement exam) 3hrs. sem.

Advanced Writing Workshop The goal of this course is to train students to present their thoughts, ideas, and arguments in correct, coherent, and effective writing. Students will expand their active vocabulary and aim for a consistently high level of grammatical accuracy through daily homework assignments focusing on advanced-level linguistic structures. In addition to a thorough review of major grammatical structures, some class time will be used for creative, structured, or contemplative writing practice. Grammar topics will be covered within the context of writing, through targeted teaching of linguistic structures.

Literary Responses to the Holocaust (in English) Can the Holocaust be described in words? Can images represent the horrors of Auschwitz? In this seminar we will explore the literary and artistic representations of the Shoah and its legacies, their mechanisms, tensions, and challenges. We will approach the issues of Holocaust representations by considering a significant array of texts that span genres, national literatures, time, narrative and poetic styles, and historical situations. Readings will include texts on witnessing, memory, post-memory, and trauma by authors such as Bernhard Schlink, Art Spiegelman, Hans J. Massaquoi, Primo Levi, Ruth Klüger, Nora Krug, Paul Celan, Sherman Alexie, and Hannah Arendt. 3hrs. sem.

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.

Memory Matters In this course, we look at Holocaust memory cultures that have evolved in the US and Germany and at the processes that have shaped our collective imaginations of the Shoah across time, space and genres. Students will develop critical awareness of the power of stories and the importance of memory work in all of our lives. They will also reflect on their own roles in the transmission of memory and the formation of collective and national memory cultures. We will examine documentary and feature films, read survivors' testimonies and fictional accounts, comics, poetry, theoretical and historical reflections, and examine monuments, counter-monuments and commemorative sites.

Exiles, Refugees and Migrants from/in Germany In this course we will study experiences of exiles, refugees, and migrants and their escapes both from and to Germany. We will focus on two time periods: 1933 to 1945, when people fled persecution from Nazi Germany, and the “refugee crisis” in Germany between 2015 to 2018. Using literary texts, letters, autobiographies, films, current news coverage, and documentaries, we will place flight narratives in their historical contexts, follow escape routes across borders, study post-flight lives of refugees in their reception countries, and learn about international refugee and asylum politics. Taught in German

Contemporary Germany & Sustainability (In German) Already known as the country of poets and thinkers, Germany is becoming a land of ideas for sustainability and environmental innovation.  In this course we will take a closer look at the origins of the German environmental movement and explore the three major components of sustainability–economy, society, and environment–in contemporary Germany. We will draw on political, literary, and scientific texts, films, works of art, and online resources while making frequent comparisons with global developments. Texts include Quaschning's Trash Sorters, Muesli Eaters, and Climate Protectors: We Germans and our Environment, and Wagenhofer’s We Feed the World. (GRMN 0202 or placement) 3 hrs lect./disc.

Natalie Eppelsheimer

Reviews and ratings for Natalie Eppelsheimer at Middlebury College.Natalie Eppelsheimer teaches Literary Responses-Holocaust, Intermediate German, Beginning German Continued and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Natalie Eppelsheimer good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

A lot of homework that consisted of readings/videos but that was the only tiring thing about this course. Prof Natalie is so kind and a great teacher. 1 midterm (easy) and 1 final group project that she gave us a lot of time to complete. It's not hard to get a good grade if you participate and take a few notes on the readings. You learn a lot in this course and I strongly recommend if you're interested in immigration/holocaust 

Beginning German was great! Natalie clearly had a passion for teaching students, and was always very considerate of our learning styles. She sometimes cold calls, so make sure that you are actively engaged in class. It is also important to do any outside readings, since CONNECT assignments are phased out in 103. Good luck!

Professor Eppelsheimer is awesome -- she cares deeply about the course material and student engagement, so she is always looking for feedback and ways to improve (ex: we got to choose what geographical case studies we wanted to study, and got to have input on our participation grades). That said, she is also looking for commitment in return, so details and thinking deeply are important, but as long as you engage with the reading and homework, it's a great class! I learned a lot about the Holocaust that had never been covered in previous history classes.