Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Seminar | 20 x 1 Hour Seminars |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | 1 x 2,000-word essay | 30% |
| Semester Assessment | Student presentations | 20% |
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours written examination | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Resubmit all failed or missed elements | 50% |
| Supplementary Exam | 2 Hours Resit the exam if failed or missed | 50% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. participate in social debates concerning the study of National Socialism, German-speaking refugees and history and memory in Germany and Austria
2. show understanding of the historical background of the region
3. show understanding of German and Austrian literature and culture from the 1930s to 2000
4. demonstrate skills in comparative analysis and to show familiarity with historical 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 presentations - and in written form - through essays.
Aims
This course aims to familiarise students with questions of German, Austrian and European history and culture and its representation within literature and film from the 1930s to 1990s. It will give students a broad understanding of the most important aspects concerning German-speaking refugees from National Socialism in their historical, socio-economic and political context. It will explore the themes of National Socialism, exile, memory, gender and the changing nature of national identity. It will also give students a basic understanding of literary analysis and an understanding of different genres, i.e. the novel, the short story, the diary and the memoir (and film).
Brief description
The course studies the history, culture and literature of German-speaking refugees and their representation in 20th and 21st century Germany and Austria. Thematically, it will cover aspects such as national identity, exile, gender, memory and memorialisation.
Content
1. National Socialism
2. History of German-speaking Refugees
3. Exile Literature
4. Gender and Exile
5. The Post-war Experience
6. Memory in Literature and Film
Weekly Classes
Week 1 - Historical and Contextual Overview of the National Socialist Period in Germany (lecture and seminar)
Week 2 - History of German-speaking refugees (two seminar)
Week 3 - The exile author Anna Gmeyner (lecture and seminar)
Week 4 - Exile Literature 1 - Anna Gmeyner, Manja (two seminars)
Week 5 - Gender and Exile - Anna Gmeyner, Manja (two seminars)
Week 6 - Exile Literature 2 - Hermynia Zur Muhlen, 'Wien, 12. Marz 1938' (lecture and seminar)
Week 7 - The Postwar Experience - Hilde Spiel, Ruckkehr nach Wien (lecture and seminar)
Week 8 - Memory 1 - The Kindertransport Experience: Marion Charles Ich war ein Glueckskind (two seminars)
Week 9 - Memory 2 - Marion Charles Ich war ein Glueckskind (two seminars)
Week 10 Memory 3 and Revision - The Kindertransport Experience: Melissa Hacker (film): My Knees Were Jumping (two seminars)
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 and history as academic subjects. |
| 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 filmic representations in their political/historical contexts 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