Self-Paced Online Literary Voices: Death & Apocalypse Course

Explore literary visions of the end of the world across centuries of German literature and culture.

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About GERM 406: Literary Voices: Death & Apocalypse

GERM 406: Literary Voices – Death & Apocalypse invites you to explore how people have envisioned the end of the world and the meaning of death across German and Germanic texts. Covering sources from Jewish and early Christian apocalyptic traditions to medieval prophecies, Reformation debates, Romantic visions, and 20th-century reinterpretations, this online, self-paced course examines literature, myth, religion, and culture on both personal and cosmic scales. No prior knowledge of German is required; readings are in English translation.

We’ll analyze the influence of Jewish, Christian, Greek, Roman, and Germanic traditions on apocalyptic thought and see how these motifs were reinterpreted in the Middle Ages, the Reformation, Romanticism, Wagner’s operas, and modern literature.

Course Topics Include:

• Jewish, Christian, Greek, and Roman sources of apocalyptic thought

• Germanic myth, heroic legend, and medieval prophecy

• Reformation-era polemics, astrology, and visions of Antichrist

• Romantic reinterpretations of apocalypse

• Richard Wagner and cultural mythmaking

• Twentieth-century apocalyptic visions

What You’ll Learn

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Compare and interpret apocalyptic motifs across cultures and historical periods

• Evaluate competing perspectives in medieval, Reformation, and modern German thought

• Argue persuasively about cultural preservation, translation, and interpretation

• Connect apocalyptic themes to contemporary global contexts

• Engage with primary sources, artifacts, and scholarly debates

Who Should Enroll?

• Students majoring in German, Englihs, Compoarative Literature, Philosophy, Religious Studies, or Cultural Studies

• Humanities majors needing an upper-level elective or world literatures course

• Learners interested in apocalyptic themes across history and culture

• General education students looking for an engaging online humanities course

What is required to take this online course?

McGinn, Bernard. Visions of the End: Apocalyptic Traditions in the Middle Ages. 2nd ed. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998. ISBN 978-0231-112574

How long will it take to complete the Literary Voices: Death & Apocalypse course?

You have up to 9 months from your enrollment date to complete 15 lessons, which include reading assignments, lectures, supplementary content, and assignments. You will write three essays (50 points each) and create two presentations (50 points each) and a set of test questions (50 points).

• Lesson 1: Jewish sources of German apocalypticism
• Lesson 2: Foundational New Testament texts
• Lesson 3: Sources from Greek and Roman antiquity
• Lesson 4: Older Germanic texts
• Lesson 5: The high Middle Ages and women prophets
• Lesson 6: Antichrist and the Last World Emperor
• Lesson 7: The Angelic Pope and imperial propaganda
• Lesson 8: Joachim of Fiore and central European texts
• Lesson 9: The fifteenth century
• Lesson 10: Reformation polemic and Renaissance astrology
• Lesson 11: Radical prophets and confessional visions
• Lesson 12: The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
• Lesson 13: Romantic visions
• Lesson 14: Richard Wagner and the fate of the gods
• Lesson 15: The apocalypses of the twentieth century

How will the course appear on my transcript?

You may enroll at any time and have up to 9 months to complete this online course. The credits earned will be recorded on your UND transcript based on the date you registered for the course. It will appear on your transcript in the same way as a course taken during a regular semester. There is no indication that the course was taken online or that you completed it at your own pace. 

Consult the table on our How Enroll Anytime Courses Work page for a current listing of Enroll Anytime Registration Dates and the semester information that will appear on a UND transcript.

Why Take Online Classes at UND?

Here are a few reasons why you should take an online enroll anytime course at UND:

• Great customer service – Our registration team is ready to answer questions quickly so you can focus on your coursework.
• Affordable – UND's enroll anytime courses are priced at North Dakota's affordable, in-state tuition rate.
• Accredited – UND is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
• Easily transfer credits – Transferring credits is always at the discretion of the institution to which the credits are being transferred. In general, credits from schools/universities that are regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission transfer to other regionally accredited institutions. UND's online courses appear on your UND transcript in the same way as other courses.

Flexible 100% Online Course

You'll take this online course at your own pace. Some students thrive in this environment, while other students may struggle with setting their own deadlines. If you have successfully taken an independent study or correspondence course previously, UND’s enroll anytime courses may be right for you. Still not sure? Take our online quiz to help determine if online enroll anytime courses are right for you.

Course information including tuition, technology requirements, textbooks, lessons and exams is subject to change without notice.