In each session, students will discuss current events from German-speaking countries and receive materials and historical information to deepen their understanding of German culture and thought. The class will read, discuss, and analyze classic German novels as well as contemporary and historical texts. The group will discuss the First and Second World War, as war trauma remains an important aspect of German literary, political, and social culture. The instructor will provide occasional grammar exercises to help students improve their conversation and critical argumentation in speech and writing. German language competency required to enroll in C1 Conversation Group: Understanding: The language learner should be able to understand conversations about daily routines and specific topics such as travel, health, and diet, and follow the news on TV and radio. Speaking: The language learner should be able to talk about daily routines and specific topics, and contribute to almost any kind of discussion. Reading: The language learner should be able to read any kind of article in newspapers and any kind of book. Writing: The language learner should be able to write any kind of essay, email, or letter. Grammar: The language learner should be able to correctly apply most grammatical structures with generally correct sentence structure, and be familiar with subjunctive II in past tense, subjunctive II in past tense with modal verbs, and causal conjunctions. Grammatical questions may be discussed in class, though the C1 Conversation class is not primarily designed to focus on grammar instruction.