Module Information

Module Identifier
GE27110
Module Title
Short Prose in German
Academic Year
2017/2018
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1

Course Delivery

Delivery Type Delivery length / details
Seminar 14 x 1 Hour Seminars
 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment 1 x 1,500-word essay  30%
Semester Exam 2 Hours   written examination  70%
Supplementary Assessment Resubmit all failed or missed elements  30%
Supplementary Exam 2 Hours   Resit the exam if failed or missed  70%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

1. participate in debates concerning German literature
2. show understanding of the historical background of the region
3. show understanding of German and Austrian culture from the 1920s to 2000
4. demonstrate skills in comparative analysis and to show familiarity with cultural analysis and literary criticism
5. engage critically with a variety of scholarly material including monographs and specialised articles
6. present their findings in a logical, organised and scholarly fashion both orally - through debates and non-assessed short presentations - and in written form - through essays

Aims

This course aims to familiarise students with questions of genre, literary and cultural criticism regarding the German-language short story and other forms of short prose in the 19th, 20th and 21st century. It will give students a broad understanding of the most important aspects of genre in its literary, historical, socio-economic and political context. The students will apply literary and cultural theory to their own analysis of the primary texts.

Brief description

The course studies short prose texts in German from the 19th, 20th and 21st century and examines issues of genre, literary and cultural theory and history.

Content

This module is structured around the following topics:
Week 1 - The Genre of the Short Story in German (lecture and seminar)
Week 2 - Short Prose and Literary Theory (lecture and seminar)
Week 3 - War and the Short Story I (lecture and seminar)
Week 4 - War and the Short Story II (seminar)
Week 5 - Short Prose and Gender (lecture and seminar)
Week 6 - The Short Story and History (seminar)
Week 7 - Surreal Short Prose (seminar)
Week 8 - The Short Story and the Marginal (seminar)
Week 9 - The Postmodern Short Story (seminar)
Week 10 - Summary (lecture and seminar)


Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number n/a
Communication Students will develop oral communication in seminars and student presentations; written communication will be developed in assessments in English.
Improving own Learning and Performance Students will be able to assess their own progress week by week through their increased understanding of the issues raised and the skills developed.
Information Technology Students will use on-line journals and source collections; delivery of course materials and information via e-learning system.
Personal Development and Career planning Students will acquire transferable skills such as the ability to create and deliver presentations; in-depth acquaintance with literature as an academic subject.
Problem solving Students will select appropriate reading material; developing evaluative analysis and critical skills and formulating a detailed argument.
Research skills Students will analyse literary and cultural theory in its political/historical context and synthesize information in an evaluative argument.
Subject Specific Skills Students will acquire German vocabulary; slang expressions; a variety of German language from different periods of history.
Team work Students will participate in debates and group presentations in seminars.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 5