Information Literacy Curriculum Grant Application
The Department of German

Course name: German 267, Introduction to German Literature
Faculty: Susan Figge, Professor of German, & Mareike Herrman, Assistant Professor of German
Librarian: Damon Hickey, Director of Libraries

Building on the successful project undertaken by our former colleague Lisabeth Hock in 2000-2001, the German Department at the College of Wooster is applying for an Information Literacy curriculum development grant to accomplish the following goals:

1. Redesign the course German 267, Introduction to German Literature, as an information literacy course.
   The course will be taught by Susan Figge in the spring semester, 2002. German 267 is one of two gateway courses for the major. The other is German 260, Introduction to German Culture, the grant-funded course taught by Lisa Hock in spring 2000. German majors must select one of these two courses, depending on whether they will pursue a German Studies or a German literature track in the major. Since Junior Independent Study projects are handled on an individual rather than a seminar basis in the German Department, the information literacy components in these courses must lay the groundwork for successful research in both the Junior and Senior required Independent Study experiences. At the same time they must incorporate a focus on writing. In German 267 information literacy assignments will be closely coordinated with writing assignments.

   General goals for German 267: Students should

   • practice close reading and critical analysis of literary texts
   • understand better different critical approaches to literary analysis
   • learn about main genres and epochs of German literature
   • develop research skills in topics related to German literature
   • improve their writing and speaking skills

   Information literacy goals for German 267: Students should learn

   • how to locate and use German reference sources essential for reading and understanding German literary texts: dictionaries, encyclopedias, literary handbooks
   • how to use Consort, Ohio Link, and World Cat
   • how to use German literature data bases
   • how to locate and use sites dedicated to specific authors, literary epochs and movements and general German literary history
   • how to locate and use on-line library catalogues and literary archival catalogues or materials in Germany and Austria
   • how to evaluate sources when using the web for research.

2. Create a web-based departmental Independent Study and Information Resources Handbook
   The Handbook should help students to

   • pose good research questions (in interaction with information resources)
   • develop effective search strategies (deciding where to look, given search tools available)
   • find pertinent information resources in both print and on-line formats (with direct links to electronic resources)
   • evaluate information resources.

   Wooster students writing I.S. within the German program may be German, German Studies, Comparative Literature, or Cultural Area Studies majors. A number of students with majors in International Relations and Business Economics also do a significant component of work in German and incorporate German materials into their Independent Study projects. An on-line Independent Study and Information Resources Handbook will be flexible and accessible for this broad group of students.

   Because our students generally spend all or part of the junior year in Germany or Austria on a variety of international programs, they undertake the Senior Independent Study project with widely divergent preparation in basic research skills and sometimes with minimal experience in upper-level department courses at Wooster. Many students, in fact, write their Junior Independent Study off campus. The electronic Handbook will be a valuable and readily accessible tool for our students abroad, regardless of resources immediately available to them. At the same time, these same students are likely to encounter and use new electronic or other resources, which they in turn will share with us and which may be incorporated into the Handbook--new and useful on-line catalogues or information sites connected to museums, for example.

   Finally we anticipate that the Handbook, which should be of particular assistance to students writing Independent Study projects, will also help students in all departmental courses and courses beyond the German Department develop search strategies and find resources for assignments and projects on German language, literature and culture.

3. Develop and incorporate information literacy goals and research experiences into courses at all levels from Intermediate German 201 through Senior Independent Study.
   This aspect of the project accompanies the Department's reconsideration of its current curriculum and will accompany the creation of the Handbook.

Timeline

October-December, 2001:

• Design German 267, Introduction to German Literature as an information literacy course
• Create web page for the course with information literacy links

October-December, 2001:

• Department will formulate initial information literacy goals for courses at all levels.

January-May, 2001:

• Susan Figge will teach German 267.
• Susan Figge and Mareike Herrmann will design and create the web-based German Department Independent Study and Information Resources Handbook.

We would be happy to provide any additional information required by the committee, and we would welcome any suggestions or comments you may have. Thank you for your consideration of our proposal.

Richard Figge, Chair, Professor of German
Susan Figge, Professor of German
Mareike Herrmann, Assistant Professor of German

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