Module description
German authors from Hartmann von Aue to the present have engaged repeatedly and extensively with what it means to be human. This module centres around different ways of exploring and interrogating the limits of human subjectivity through time. With a focus on human encounters and interactions with the natural world, animals, objects and the supernatural we ask how and why German authors from the Middle Ages to the present day define, challenge and deconstruct what it means to be human. How are models of humanity and humanism challenged by non-human perspectives and theories of the non-human? To what extent is selfhood perceived to be confined within the body? In what ways have writers and thinkers imagined what lies beyond human selfhood? How is an understanding of what it means to be human conditioned by historical or social context?
These – and other related questions – will be discussed through four overarching thematic strands, which will come into focus in different ramifications in individual one- or two-week units: 1. the human and the natural world; 2. human and animal; 3. human and supernatural; 4. the human in a world of objects and things. These strands will be refracted through different historical moments and social contexts in the course of the module, encouraging students to explore and contrast a range of approaches as well as to make connections between them. Throughout the module primary texts will be read in conjunction with both theoretical writings and contemporary works on the history of ideas. Students will be introduced to a variety of critical approaches, including posthumanism, ecocriticism, animal studies, thing theory and queer theory. They will study a variety of primary texts, from medieval to contemporary, organised in one- or two-week units.
The module will be organised in weekly 2-hour seminars, which will be led by a range of staff in the German Department (depending on staff availability). All seminars will be research-led, drawing on research interests of staff members, as well as facilitating and encouraging the independent research of students. Seminars will be interactive and discussion-based, and all students will be asked to give one 15-minute presentation during the course. These presentations will be formative and students will receive one-to-one feedback from the course leader.
Assessment details
4000 word essay (100%)
Educational aims & objectives
- to give students a sound and wide-ranging knowledge of literary texts originally written in German that engage with the nature and limits of humanity
- to encourage students to reflect on the conceptualization and limits of humanity throughout time
- to give students the critical tools to develop their own interpretations of a wide range of material
- to contextualize different discourses on the limits of the human through reference to relevant texts on the history of ideas
- to introduce students to a range of theoretical approaches that explore human subjectivity and its limits
- to give students the skills to work across different periods and develop comparative arguments
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will:
- have a deep and systematic knowledge of primary texts and theoretical approaches that interrogate the limits of human subjectivity
- have a deep and systematic knowledge of the questions that are asked in literary and theoretical contexts about the boundaries of human subjectivity
- be able to reflect critically on German literary texts from a range of historical periods
- have the advanced skills necessary to develop their own interpretations of literary and critical material in discussion and in writing, resulting in a piece of independent research
- have developed creative and flexible approaches to dealing with complex material
- be able to communicate complex and specialized ideas effectively, both orally and in writing
These outcomes will enable students to develop a range of transferable skills vital both for future research and for the workplace. The ability to evaluate and explain complex materials, to work effectively both alone and in a group, and to undertake an independent piece of research are all skills that will be invaluable to the students’ futures.
Teaching pattern
two hours per week