This year, German 317 will explore German cultural history through its mythological, archetypal, literary, intellectual and military heroes.

What is a hero? Why have certain types of heroes taken center stage a various junctures in German cultural history? What role did these various heroes play in the formation of a literary tradition and in forming the German nation?  What values do these heroes appeal to? What are the links between heroes and masculinity? Explore German civilization through the lens of its multiple and varied heroes.