Practically every student of German at Marquette takes German 3500 on the short story.  Taught by Prof. John Pustejovsky, the course combines literary analysis and reflection on one's vocation, following the guidelines of the Manresa Project.  Included here are introductions to both aspects of the course, beginning with the "interpretive brief" as a method of literary analysis.

1.1  Statement of the question
After choosing an interpretive question (and not an evaluative or factual question), explain why the questions matters in the context of analyzing the story.

1.2  Statement of the argument

In one to two sentences, state how the text provides answers to the interpretive question.

1.3  Elements of the argument
What pieces of the text are plausible in demonstrating your argument is true.

2.0 Arguing the elements with evidence from the text
       Show why each element of the argument is true, when viewed within the context of the story. Provide accurate and articulate questions in German, accompanying them with explanations in light of the argument.

3.0 Summary of your argument and evidence
        How does the evidence ultimately support the argument? Not a repetition, this section demonstrates how the evidence all comes together in the statement of the argument.

4.0 Reflection on Manresa at Marquette goals of the course.
 

Think of Manresa as a starting point for identifying your potential: you are beginning a journey and each day you travel, every encounter with another person, every decision you make form the road you’re on.

The nature of German 3500 as a Manresa course is to prompt student thought about vocation and the issues surrounding it. The course looks at human relationships as a form of vocation to which all of us are called. The course rests on the premise that the concept of “human nature” is a lived reality, and is anything but abstract. We will look at essential human relationships during some of the most troubled years of our times. By focusing on family, work, faith, marriage, political and ethical choices, we will see how stories reflect the world in a dynamic fashion and make it livable for us. The course will show how it’s possible for divine love to permeate all relations, even in relationships shaped by war, the moral vacuum of Nazism, the depersonalizing nature of work during the post-war economic redevelopment, and the social change of the past three decades.