Module description
Drawing on theoretical work from the field of Memory Studies, the module examines the city of Berlin as the paradigmatic scene of German history in the twentieth century. The course engages with Berlin as a city in flux and in constant negotiation with its multiple pasts and conflicting identities. Units focus on Berlin during such eras as the Weimar Republic in the 1920s, an era of extreme economic deprivation and political instability on the one hand, and of intense cultural activity and creativity, on the other. Further case studies consider the ruined capital's status in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, treating regime changes throughout the twentieth century, the Third Reich, the four Allied occupiers, the two post-war German states, and the unified Germany of the 1990s. Students will learn about key historical events and cultural trends during the weekly seminars, which each focus on a case study that treats a particular cultural artefact or group of artefacts drawn from the domains of literature, the visual arts, film and historical monument. As well as examining different ways in which these artefacts can be read as the products of a given historical era, students will be asked to consider their critical potential. In particular, students will consider the complex endeavour to memorialise acts of atrocity, where Berlin and its sites of memory will be understood to stand at the symbolic centre of twentieth century German crimes. The reunified city's contemporary status as site of transnational migration will further be examined through a range of multilingual texts that engage with the city as a migratory setting.
Assessment details
Coursework: 1000-word analysis (25%), Coursework: 3000-word coursework essay (75%)
Educational aims & objectives
The module will:
- consider a wide range of cultural artefacts drawn from the domains of literature, architecture, film and historical monument.
- introduce students to major socio-historical events in modern Germany.
- give students insight into significant theoretical work from the field of Memory Studies.
- enable students’ analytical engagement with primary sources and promote their critical evaluation of works of secondary literature.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students will be able to demonstrate analytical, intellectual and transferable skills appropriate to a Level 5 module. In particular, they will have:
- a detailed knowledge of the case studies.
- a good knowledge of theories of memory.
- thorough understanding of key events in modern German history.
- an ability to engage critically and creatively with primary and secondary literature.
- an ability to compare and contrast a wide range of cultural artefacts across a range of different media.
Teaching pattern
Two hours per week
Suggested reading list
The below is an indicative list of set reading only. The course outline and readings remain subject to change to allow tie in with contemporary developments and potential author visits or other events. The final list of set reading will be confirmed via KEATS at the start of term.
Books:
Brian Ladd, The Ghosts of Berlin: Confronting German History in the Urban Landscape (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997); ISBN-13: 978-0226467627
Sharon Dodua Otoo, Synchronicity (Münster: edition assemblage, 2015); ISBN-13: 978-3942885959
Herta Müller, Reisende auf einem Bein (Fischer Taschenbuch, 1995); ISBN-13: 978-3596187782
- English translation: Travelling on One Leg (Northwestern University Press, 2010); ISBN-13: 978-0810127067
Menekşe Toprak, ‘Valizdeki Mektup’, in Valizdeki Mektup (Istanbul: YKY: 2007)
- German translation: ‘Der Brief im Koffer’, trans. by Koray Yılmaz-Günay, Stadtsprachen Magazin (2017): http://stadtsprachen.de/text/der-brief-im-koffer/
- English translation: ‘The Letter in the Suitcase’, trans. by Yasemin Yildiz, Massachusetts Review, 58:3 (2017), 429-41
https://massreview.org/sites/default/files/04_58.3Toprak.pdf
Film:
Wolfgang Staudte, Die Mörder sind unter uns (1946)
- English translation: The Murderers are Among Us (First Run Features 2002)
Hito Steyerl, Die leere Mitte (1998)
- English translation: The Empty Center