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For German Studies School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies enquiries please contact: t: +44 (0)115 846 8466 German Studies w: www.nottingham.ac.uk/enquire Module information

www.nottingham.ac.uk/german School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies Department of German Studies Department of German Studies www.nottingham.ac.uk/german www.nottingham.ac.uk/german ______

Introduction Get in touch

This booklet is intended for prospective students of German and/or Dutch at The Contact us For international student enquiries, please School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies contact: University of Nottingham. You have probably already looked at our website which Trent Building, The University of Nottingham, The International Office gives some information about the courses we offer. We find that prospective students University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD t: +44 (0)115 951 5247 t: +44 (0)115 84 68466 f: +44 (0)115 951 5155 are often interested to find out more about the modules taught in the Department, and e: [email protected] e: [email protected] so we have compiled a more detailed list of some of the modules we teach. Please be w: www.nottingham.ac.uk/clas w: www.nottingham.ac.uk/international aware that in any one year, the selection of optional modules will vary; however, there will always be a range across the different fields of German Studies represented in our Department. If you study German as a single honours subject, then you will select Join the conversation optional modules to a value of 40-80 credits each year in addition to your core modules, depending on whether you’re a beginner and whether you opt to take You can also reach us via our social media channels – join the conversation online for events, alerts and modules outside the Department. If you study German in combination with another content related to our courses and departments. You can also share your undergraduate journey to The University of Nottingham with the hashtag #MeantToBe subject or subjects, you will select optional modules to a value of 20-40 credits each year in addition to your core modules. UoNCulturesLanguagesandAreaStudies

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Year 1 – let’s go!

Take a look at our Year 1 website designed especially for our Freshers. You’ll find hints, tips and stories from former newbies as well as information on what to do before, during and after your arrival. Your academic journey at Nottingham starts here – it’s #MeantToBe!

www.nottingham.ac.uk/clas/yearone

The University of Nottingham has made every effort to ensure that the information in this brochure was accurate when published. Please note, however, that the nature of the content means that it is subject to change from time to time, and you should therefore consider the information to be guiding rather than definitive; normally a selection of the optional modules listed will be available in any given year. You should check the University’s website for any updates before you decide to accept a place on a course.

Degree programmes related to the Department of German Studies:

Single Honours R220 German | German with Dutch

Joint and Combined Honours R900 Modern Languages RT21 German and Contemporary Chinese Studies QR32 German and English RV21 German and History RV25 German and Philosophy RL22 German and Politics RP29 International Media and Communications Studies and German R9N1 Modern Languages with Business (MLB) 74Q9 Modern Languages with Translation (MLT) T900 Modern Language Studies (MLS) R906 Modern European Studies (MES)

Related Combined Honours degrees from other Schools/Departments L1R2 Economics with German M1R2 Law with German and German Law

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Modules from the Department of German Studies:

Year 1

Core Modules (depending on your degree programme): R21100 German 1 R21200 German 1 – Beginners R21300 Introduction to German Studies Optional Modules: R21103 Reading German Literature I R21208 Hitler and the Third Reich R21124 Culture and Society in the Low Countries R21118 Linguistics: Sounds of German R21203 Reading German Literature II (Drama) R21206 Deutschland Heute R21125 History of the Low Countries R21119 Reading German Culture: Images of Berlin R21120 Introduction to German Film Studies LK11DA / LK11DB Dutch 1a and Dutch 1b

Year 2

Core Modules (depending on your degree programme): R22100 German 2 R22200 German 2 – Beginners Optional Modules: LK22DA / LK22DB Dutch 2A and Dutch 2B R22204 Stories of War, Revolution and Globalisation R22248 Reason and its Rivals from Kant to Freud R22257 The Life and Demise of the GDR R22227 Introduction to Literary Translation R22143 Writing in Exile R22265 Meaning and Context in Modern German R22146 The New German Cinema R22145 Rundfunk und Fernsehen in Deutschland R22247 Fremdsprachen lernen und lehren R22254 From Runes to ROFL: Language Change in the Germanic Languages R22252 Onverwerkt Verleden: The Second World War in Modern Dutch Fiction R22266 From Bourgeois Wife to New Woman: Sex & Gender in Modern Germany

4 Final Year

Core Module: R23100 German 3 Optional Modules: R23123 / R23124 Translation and Linguistic Exchange R23255 Twentieth Century German Theatre: From Avantgarde to Virtual World R23272 The Language of Social Media R23266 Dutch 3 AA3002 Communicating and Teaching Languages for Undergraduate Ambassadors R23263 / R23264 Dissertation in Low Countries Studies R23278 Language and Genre in German R23128 Geschichte und nationale Identität nach dem Holocaust R23138 Culture and Society in the Weimar Republic R23142 / R23143 German Studies Dissertation R23243 Mythology in German Literature R23238 ‘Heimat’ in the German Cinema R23246 German Colonialism: History, Literature, Memory

“The course offers a very wide variety of modules to study each year, some which link to one another and others which offer the opportunity to do something completely different – all I have found extremely interesting. I spent my Year Abroad in Hamburg as Language Assistant in a primary school which can only be described as one of the best experiences I’ve ever had!” Sarah Horton, BA German

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Year 1 modules

Highfields Lake with Trent Building in the background, University Park

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German 1 (R21100)

Credits 20 Assessment Mixed Delivery Lectures - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Tutorials - 2 per week, 1 hour duration

Building on the four skill areas of A-level work (writing, reading, listening and speaking), this module aims to develop students’ command of German towards the level required in year 2. It consolidates students’ understanding of grammatical structures, and improves their spoken and written German. We will work with authentic texts and media (including journalistic articles, poems and short stories, videos, clips from TV programmes in German, news items). You will have three contact hours each week including oral classes, and will be assessed in a variety of different exercises including an oral exam, a listening comprehension test, essay writing, translation into English, grammar exercises and a presentation in German.

German 1 – Beginners (R21200)

Credits 40 Assessment Mixed Delivery Tutorials - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Seminars - 5 per week, 1 hour duration

This module is designed to take students from ab initio level (absolute beginners) to a level of written and aural comprehension, writing and speaking skills commensurate with the A2 level in the European reference framework for language qualifications. At the end of the module, students should be able to comprehend and respond to texts on a range of cultural and every day topics and engage in everyday social conversation. You’ll have 6 contact hours per week on this intensive beginners’ module, working on reading comprehension, grammar, listening exercises, speaking skills, and writing short texts such as emails and (in the second semester) essays. We follow a structured course and use a textbook, but you’ll also be working with authentic texts from the very first week of German classes, which will help you develop a more extensive vocabulary and show you just how fast you’re progressing.

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Introduction to German Studies (R21300)

Credits 20 Assessment 2 hour exam (50%); 1,500 word essay (50%) Delivery Lectures - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Seminars - 1 per week, 1 hour duration

This is the core module for first year students of German. We look at the history of German and introduce you to the linguistic study of the language, and at a range of themes and styles in German literature linked to key areas of German and Austrian culture (such as gender relations, migration, and race). Further topics address the study of German film, and German history from ancient times through to the present but with a focus on recent history since German reunification in 1990. The module gives students insight into the different areas of teaching in the Department and also the skills to explore these areas in more depth in subsequent modules.

Reading German Literature I (R21103)

Credits 10 Assessment 1,500 word essay (100%) Delivery Lectures - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Seminars - 1 per week, 1 hour duration

In this module we study two shorter narratives and a number of poems in depth, providing you with an overview of key literary developments between the 18th century and the present. Authors studied currently include Goethe, Annette von Droste- Hülshoff, Rainer Maria Rilke, Arthur Schnitzler, and Ingeborg Bachmann. Classes combine detailed textual analysis with discussion of the literary, cultural and historical contexts of the works we study. This is therefore both an introduction to literary history and methodology and to German and Austrian cultural history.

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Hitler and the Third Reich (R21208)

Credits 10 Assessment 1hr 30mins exam (100%) Delivery Lectures - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Seminars - 1 per week, 1 hour duration

Although the Third Reich is very well researched, it still raises many questions: How could Adolf Hitler gain so much power? How could a whole nation ‘fall’ for the Nazi ideology? Why the Jews? In this module we will aim to deal with these and other questions about the time between 1933 and 1945. We will discuss and research its politics as well as its society and culture. We will consider questions relating to the function of propaganda, press, youth and women’s organisations, as well as the role of films, art and literature. Theoretical writings on fascist ideology will provide us with relevant background knowledge and we will work with original German materials such as documents, newspapers, photos, posters, films and speeches.

Culture and Society in the Low

Countries (R21124)

Credits 10 Assessment Essay (100%) Delivery Lectures - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Seminars - 1 per week, 1 hour duration

This module introduces students to the cultural, social, political and economic landscape of the Netherlands and Belgium, focusing on a number of key aspects that make the Low Countries unique in Europe. These include ethical and social issues such as the Dutch policies on drugs, prostitution and euthanasia, immigration and multiculturalism in the Low Countries, the Dutch political landscape and its monarchy, the Belgian political landscape and the relationship between Flanders and Wallonia, the Dutch language in relation to other Germanic languages such as German and English, and Dutch and Flemish folk traditions such as Sinterklaas.

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Linguistics: The Sounds of German (R21118)

Credits 10 Assessment 1hr 30mins exam (100%) Delivery Lectures - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Seminars - 1 per week, 1 hour duration

This module investigates the sounds of German and how they can be described accurately (“phonetics and phonology”). Students learn to transcribe German using the notation of the International Phonetic Association. We look in particular at aspects of German pronunciation that are hard to master because they are different to English or similar to French. We will also look at how foreign words (including English words) are integrated into the German sound system, and at regional variation in spoken German. Developing accurate listening and transcription skills will form a major part of the module, as will improving your own pronunciation.

Reading German Literature II (Drama) (R21203)

Credits 10 Assessment 1,500 word essay (100%) Delivery Lectures - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Seminars - 1 per week, 1 hour duration

This German drama module introduces students to three key pieces of theatre in the German language, all of which in some way challenge prevailing social, political and aesthetic norms. We will read Georg Büchner, Woyzeck (1837); Frank Wedekind, Frühlings Erwachen (1891); and Bertolt Brecht, Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder (1939). Lectures will provide historical background and outline approaches to interpreting the plays, and essay tutorials will develop your essay writing technique in preparation for the assessed written work. In seminar classes we will discuss critical approaches to and key aspects of the plays (e.g. characterisation, dialogue, dramatic structure, social and political comment).

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Deutschland Heute (R21206)

Credits 10 Assessment 1hr 30mins exam (80%); poster presentation in German (20%) Delivery Lectures - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Seminars - 1 per week, 1 hour duration

This module studies the development of Germany (and the former German Democratic Republic) since the Second World War. We will focus particularly on the political, economic and social changes after reunification; political institutions in contemporary Germany; current debates in German society, education and media; and aspects of German culture.

History of the Low Countries (R21125)

Credits 10 Assessment 1hr 30mins exam (100%) Delivery Lectures - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Seminars - 1 per week, 1 hour duration

This module examines the most important periods and events in the history of the Low Countries from the late Middle Ages to the early twentieth century. We will start with the Burgundian era of the Flemish Masters and the turbulent times of the Dutch Revolt, when the countries now known as Belgium and the Netherlands were separated for the first time. We will then move on to the Golden Age of the Dutch Republic, when the expanding Dutch empire brought untold economic and cultural riches to the young nation. The module will finish with an overview of the long nineteenth century, when the two nations of the Low Countries were briefly reunited, before separating once again after the Belgian revolution of 1830. We will conclude with a discussion of developments that continue to shape the societies of the Low Countries to this day.

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Reading German Culture: Images of Berlin (R21119)

Credits 10 Assessment 1,500 word essay (100%) Delivery Seminars - 1 per week, 2 hours duration

This module introduces students to German cultural studies. We will analyse short literary and popular texts (including film) which reflect life in the metropolis, chosen for their representative status in relation to key phases of German historical and social development in the 20th century (the 1920s, the immediate post-war period, post- unification Berlin). In exploring cultural representations of urban life the module will introduce key questions of cultural studies: how do textual perceptions of the ‘big city’ reflect attitudes towards relationships conditioned by class, gender and race?

Introduction to German Film Studies (R21120)

Credits 10 Assessment 1,500 word essay (100%) Delivery Lectures - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Seminars - 1 per week, 1 hour duration

This module will provide an introduction to the history of German film-making, focusing on some of the most significant films from the silent period (Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari), the late Weimar Republic (M), Nazi Germany (Triumph des Willens) and the post-unification period (Good Bye Lenin!). We will study the development of film styles over the past century and discuss the films’ narratives in relation to developments in German society. The module will also introduce critical tools for the analysis of visual media and discuss a variety of critical approaches in Film Studies.

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Dutch 1a and Dutch 1b (LK11DA / LK11DB)

Credits 10 Assessment LK11DA: 2 hours exam (80%); oral exam (20%) LK11DB: 2 hours exam (50%); oral exam (30%); listening exam (20%) Delivery Seminars - 2 per week, 1 and 2 hour(s) duration

Single and join honours students of German on the post-A level German programme are able to take modules in Dutch language as part of their German allocation of modules. These modules assume no prior knowledge of the language. They introduce the basic structure of the language through topics relating to social and everyday life in the country. Each session will consist of a variety of activities arising from the themes and structures which underpin the course programme. The four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking are covered together with a study of the grammar involved in using the language at this level.

“Being involved with Dutch opens up great opportunities - I've met so many new people through the inter-university 'Dutch days' and studying it alongside German gives you a unique cultural perspective!” Hannah Campbell, BA German with Dutch

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Year 2 modules

A student works in the Study/Social Space, 15 Trent Building School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies Department of German Studies www.nottingham.ac.uk/german ______

German 2 (R22100)

Credits 20 Assessment 1hr 30mins exam (30%); two portfolios of language work (20%); 2 hour exam (30%); oral exam (20%) Delivery Seminars - 2 per week, 1 hour duration Tutorials - 1 per week, 1 hour duration

This module will consolidate students’ proficiency in the four skill areas of German 1 (writing, reading, listening and speaking) and develop these further. Working on texts from newspapers and other sources, we will discuss translation issues, grammatical structures, linguistic analysis and textual comparison, oral presentation, and essay and CV writing. The module will use texts that cover a broad range of general, journalistic and academic topics, as well as those that will help to prepare you for work or study during your year abroad.

German 2 – Beginners (R22200)

Credits 20 Assessment Two 1hr 30mins exams (40%); listening comprehension (10%); presentation in German (10%); language portfolio (15%); 200 word essay in German (10%); oral exam (15%) Delivery Lectures - 1 per week, 1 hour total Seminars - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Tutorials - 2 per week, 1 hour duration

This module will build on the skills acquired in the first year intensive beginners’ language module. Your skills in writing, reading, listening and speaking will be consolidated and developed further. We will work with authentic texts and media (including journalistic articles, poems and short stories, videos, clips from TV programmes, news items) and focus on both academic and non-academic registers. You will have four contact hours each week, and will be assessed in a variety of different exercises. The module will help you work towards your year abroad, and will use texts that develop your knowledge of Germany and Austria.

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Dutch 2a and Dutch 2b (LK22DA / LK22DB)

Credits 10 Assessment LK22DA: 2 hours exam (80%); oral exam (20%) LK22DB: 2 hours exam (50%); oral exam (25%); listening exam (25%) Delivery Seminars - 2 per week, 1 and 2 hour(s) duration

Post-A level students of German may continue with Dutch, building on the level achieved in the first year of study. Level 2 Dutch assumes a basic knowledge of the language at approximately GCSE standard. These modules revise and develop basic structures. The four skills of reading, listening, speaking and writing are expanded to enable participation in discussions with reasonable fluency and accuracy. The module prepares students taking Dutch as part of their degree for the year abroad spent in the Netherlands or Belgium, with increasing use of the target language and emphasis on working with authentic Dutch materials.

Stories of War, Revolution and Globalisation (R22204)

Credits 10 Assessment 2,000 word essay (90%); presentation (10%) Delivery Seminars - 1 per week, 2 hours duration

Building on the introductions to literary study in year 1, this second-year module combines the detailed discussion of some key stories (Novellen) from the 19th century with a closer look at the manifold ways in which German literature engages with European and world history between 1789 and 1914. Historical themes include the French Revolution, the memory of Napoleon, and the impact of industrialisation and colonial globalisation in the 19th century. Authors include Joseph von Eichendorff (the quintessential German Romantic poet), Wilhelm Hauff (one of the first modern professional writers), and Wilhelm Raabe (a leading representative of German Realism).

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Reason and its Rivals from Kant to Freud (R22248)

Credits 10 Assessment 2,000 word essay (100%) Delivery Lectures - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Seminars - 1 per week, 1 hour duration

In this module we will examine a selection of theoretical approaches to modernity, beginning with Kant’s assertion of individual reason as the founding stone of enlightened social organisation. We will move on to examine how Marx and Engels, Nietzsche and Freud all interrogated Kant’s position in their work.

Our discussions will touch on issues such as the nature of the individual subject, different assessments of the social, political or moral contract, and views as to the role of culture, as well as competing ideas of the status of reality as based in social conditions or the product of the will, drives, or ideology.

The Life and Demise of the GDR (R22257)

Credits 10 Assessment 2,000 word essay (90%); presentation (10%) Delivery Seminars - 1 per week, 2 hours duration

This module investigates the developments in GDR society over four decades of communist rule and considers social changes in Eastern Germany after the demise of the GDR. We will examine the basic principles of communist ideology that the Socialist Unity Party attempted to legitimise in the GDR as the only viable alternative to fascism, and how this ideology was enforced in every domain of society. We will also look at how people negotiated their lives within these officially imposed ideological structures, exploring a range of individual responses from conformism to non-conformism and opposition. Finally we will look at how a new kind of “public authority” during the Wende period in the GDR triggered the disintegration of communist power structures.

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Introduction to Literary Translation (R22227)

Credits 10 Assessment Translation project (90%); presentation (10%) Delivery Seminars - 1 per week, 2 hours duration

The module provides an introduction to literary translation from German into English. Poetry, prose, and drama will all be investigated and students will identify and analyse key issues, including the problems of cultural difference and historical distance, by comparing different translations of the same original text. Students will practise their literary translation skills by translating a set short poem and summarising their translation strategy. At the end of the module students will compose their own translation of a literary text of their choice. Students will improve their understanding of the linguistic and cultural differences between English and German, develop enhanced translation skills, and gain insights into literary texts.

Writing in Exile (R22143)

Credits 10 Assessment 2,000 word essay (100%) Delivery Seminars - 1 per week, 2 hours duration

This course introduces novels and stories by exiled German and Austrian authors written between 1933 and 1947. Some of the texts we will read provide insights into everyday life at the beginning of the Nazi period and reflect questions of collaboration and resistance under conditions of increasing political terror and antisemitism. The texts we will read which were written in the 1940s deal with experiences of the war and the Holocaust. The module combines the close study of texts with an investigation of the varying conditions and modes of writing under persecution in different countries of exile.

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Meaning and Context in Modern German (R22265)

Credits 10 Assessment 2,000 word essay (100%) Delivery Lectures - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Seminars - 1 per week, 1 hour duration

This module offers an introduction to the “how’s” and “why’s” of meaning in the German language. We will first examine the principles informing the study of meaning (semantics), and the contexts that give rise to meaning (pragmatics) in the German language, e.g. rules of politeness. An overview of lexical and grammatical meaning will enable us to look at the relationship between words and consider ambiguity. We will also discuss the relationship between human cognition – how our brains work – and meaning in language. The second half of the module will examine how the context of linguistic utterances is responsible for the construction of meaning. We will consider contexts responsible for speakers’ use of modal particles (ja, doch, aber, bloß). We then examine how speakers can convey certain meanings without stating them explicitly (implicature). Finally, we will look at how all the contextual factors affecting language usage play a role in how speakers of German express politeness and impoliteness.

“What I love the most about studying English and German joint honours is the freedom that I have within the subjects to study and learn what I want; there is a huge variety of modules run by very knowledgeable and engaging lecturers, so the course is very flexible and will suit just about anyone. It doesn’t just have to be about language or literature – I’ve studied both in both languages, as well as lots of culture and history!” Vivialyn Joynson, BA English and German

“The number of different aspects of German history, culture, and language that you explore in the course is amazing and was definitely something that helped me decide to choose Nottingham.” Hannah Ridler, BA German

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The New German Cinema (R22146)

Credits 10 Assessment 2,000 word essay (90%); presentation (10%) Delivery Seminars - 2 per week, 1 hour duration Screenings – 4 of two hours duration

Between the mid-1960s and the mid-1980s West German cinema rose to new national and international success due to the work of a number of young directors who were seen as representatives of a “New” German cinema. Their films were often visually innovative and also confronted controversial issues in contemporary German society and recent German history. Topics include the role of outsiders and women in German society, the development of postwar German identity and the impact of American influences on post-war culture.

We will pay particular attention to the individual styles of different directors (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders) as well as their common thematic preoccupations. The analysis will aim to situate the “New German Cinema” within the contexts both of the film industry and of contemporary social and political developments.

Rundfunk und Fernsehen in Deutschland (R22145)

Credits 10 Assessment 2,000 word essay (90%); presentation (10%) Delivery Lectures - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Seminars - 1 per week, 1 hour duration

This module aims to study the role of broadcasting media (radio and television) in Germany. It will investigate the development and cultural and economic functions of those media in German society and analyse the relationship between public and commercial broadcasters. We will study a range of programming formats (news, infotainment and magazines, soaps, quiz shows) and discuss a variety of critical approaches to understanding modern media. Intercultural issues will be explored through comparisons with British television.

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Fremdsprachen lernen und lehren (R22247)

Credits 10 Assessment 2,000 word essay (100%) Delivery Lectures - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Seminars - 1 per week, 1 hour duration

This module introduces students to some major theories of how languages are learned and to some approaches to how languages can be taught, particularly focusing on German and English. We will consider the differences between first and second language acquisition; whether there is a “best” age to learn a foreign language; why some people learn languages more easily than others; and some particular problems for English-speaking learners of German and German-speaking learners of English. The module will appeal to anyone with an interest in linguistics, as well as to those who might be considering teaching on the Year Abroad or in the future.

From Runes to ROFL (R22254)

Credits 10 Assessment 1hr 30mins exam (90%); presentation (10%) Delivery Lectures - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Seminars - 1 per week, 1 hour duration

This module is an introduction to the history of the German and Dutch languages. We will investigate the major sound changes that distinguish Dutch, German and other Germanic languages like English from the rest of the Indo-European language family (which includes French, Greek, Russian and many other European languages). We will then look at the process by which Dutch and German went their separate ways, ultimately emerging as two separate standardised languages. We will also look at how the Germanic languages are developing today. By the end of the module, you will be able to explain why Dutch, German and English are similar, but also how and why they differ. This module is for students of German and/or Dutch.

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Onverwerkt Verleden: The Second World War in Modern Dutch Fiction (R22252)

Credits 10 Assessment 2,000 word essay (100%) Delivery Seminars - 1 per week, 2 hours duration

This module will investigate narratives of the Second World War and its aftermath in the Netherlands and Belgium. We will read two novels, The Assault (1982), by the Dutch author Harry Mülisch (1927-2010) and Marcel (1999), by the Flemish author Erwin Mortier (1965-). We will look at the historical background of the novels as well as their literary form, and analyse how they reflect both historical and contemporary attitudes to the Second World War in the Low Countries.

From Bourgeois Wife to New Woman: Sex & Gender in Modern Germany (R22266)

Credits 10 Assessment 1hr 30mins exam (80%); group poster presentation (20%) Delivery Lectures - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Seminars - 1 per week, 1 hour duration

This module focuses on three periods in the history of the German-speaking lands: 1. the emergence of modern bourgeois gender roles in the nineteenth century & the women’s movement around 1848; 2. the fin-de-siècle, with a particular focus on gender and sexuality in Viennese society; 3. the Weimar Republic, exploring the myth and reality of the so-called ‘New Woman’. Drawing on a range of political, theoretical and literary texts and visual material, the module considers the interrelation between social and economic developments, gender roles and notions of masculinity and femininity.

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Final Year modules

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School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies Department of German Studies www.nottingham.ac.uk/german ______

German 3 (R23100)

Credits 20 Assessment Translation exam (20%); group presentation (20%); oral exam (20%); 1hr 30mins essay exam (20%); language portfolio (20%) Delivery Seminars - 3 per week, 1 hour duration

This advanced German language module will further enhance students’ practical command and effective understanding in writing, reading, listening and speaking. Working with the support of native speakers, we will use seminar time to engage in class discussions as well as work on texts and practise writing skills in a variety of registers. Students are encouraged to reflect on their year abroad. We will also work on translation skills in this module. Classes will use a variety of authentic German texts to develop students’ translation skills towards professional standards for translation into English.

Translation and Linguistic Exchange (R23123/R23124)

Credits 10 Assessment 3 hour exam (100%) Delivery Seminars - 1 per week, 2 hours duration

This optional module offers in-depth discussion of grammatical, lexical and idiomatic aspects of German and English as well as issues of translation, register and cultural difference. It will be taught primarily through the medium of translation, both from and into German, using a variety of texts and passages on a range of topics and in a range of registers. Regular practical work in small groups of native speakers of both target languages will not only instigate an intellectual discussion of linguistic and translation issues as such but will also offer an opportunity to explore each language from at least two cultural perspectives. Nottingham students will work with exchange students from Germany and/or Austria in this module.

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Twentieth Century German Theatre: From Avant-garde to Virtual World (R23255)

Credits 20 Assessment 2 hour exam (60%) or 3,000 word essay (60%); 2,000 word essay (40%) Delivery Seminars - 1 per week, 2 hours duration

This module looks at how German-language theatre has responded to the challenge of new forms of media. We will draw on theoretical writings on the theatre and will reflect on such issues as agency and identity, the nature of historical material, the status of the audience and the challenge of new technologies. These questions will be applied to a five formally innovative plays – two barely more than 10 pages long, one called ‘Offending the Audience’, another in which 10,000 feet of film footage were used in the premiere, one a harrowing portrayal of the events of Holocaust, and one a ‘Big Brother’-style live soap opera, put on over seven weeks in its premiere. The plays are: Ernst Toller’s Hoppla, wir leben! (1927), Peter Weiss’ Die Ermittlung (1965), Peter Handke’s Publikumsbeschimpfung (1966), Heiner Müller’s Die Hamletmaschine (1977), and René Pollesch’s world wide web-slums (2000).

“My first six months were spent working as a teaching assistant in a small town in North Bavaria. Living in a small place, I could easily integrate into the local community. Working as a teacher I have improved my confidence and presentation skills. I then moved to Heidelberg, a beautiful, historic town to discover life as a student in Germany. The huge student community meant there was never a dull moment. If I could do it again, I would.” Olivia Gowie, BA German

“Studying a language at beginners’ level has definitely been challenging, but it’s been a great choice. The course is intense, but you quickly notice improvement and I managed to survive 9 months living and working in Germany, which was great fun! It has been great to complement this with French which I studied at A Level, and continue to enjoy.” Lauren Dumper BA Modern Languages (French and German; beginners’ German pathway)

27 School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies Department of German Studies www.nottingham.ac.uk/german ______

The Language of Social Media (R23272)

Credits 20 Assessment 1,500 word essay (35%); 3,500 word essay (65%) Delivery Seminars - 1 per week, 2 hours duration

The aims of this linguistics module are twofold: on the one hand, we will investigate the nature of language use in various social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, chat rooms, email, texts); on the other hand, we will experiment with using social media as a means of gathering reliable quantifiable data on actual everyday language use. We will also focus on the challenges that the analysis of the language used in social media presents to linguistic theory. Several aspects of linguistics will be investigated in detail, including pragmatics, morphology and syntax, sociolinguistics, borrowing, and language change. You will conduct your own original research throughout the module, using social media as a source of linguistic data.

Dutch 3 (R23266)

Credits 20 Assessment 1hr 30mins exam (25%); translation project (25%); essay in Dutch (25%); oral exam (25%) Delivery Tutorials - 1 per week, 2 hours duration

This module is compulsory for students taking German with Dutch, French with Dutch, or studying Dutch as part of a combined honours degree. The module is also available as an optional module to students of German who have taken Dutch language in their first two years of study. Dutch 3 will enable students to consolidate the language skills acquired on their year abroad and/or in the second year and to further improve their proficiency in written and spoken Dutch with the support of a native speaker. Working with texts and class discussions are the key features of this module, and project work, which could include a translation project, is also undertaken.

28 School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies Department of German Studies www.nottingham.ac.uk/german ______

Communicating and Teaching Languages for Undergraduate Ambassadors (AA3002)

Credits 20 Assessment 3,000 word essay which will give a reflective account of the planning and delivery of the teaching project Delivery Practical - 2 hours contact in a school Seminars - 1 per fortnight, 2 hours duration

This module is part of the nationwide Undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme (UAS) which works with universities to provide academic modules that enable students to go into local schools to work as teaching assistants and to act as role-models. (For more information on the scheme please check uas.ac.uk). Students split their time between the university-based support seminar and their allocated school, where they will work in the language department as a language assistant. This may require them to provide one-to-one tuition or small group teaching or extra-curricular activities in the context of the school’s language provision. Students will develop and deliver a special (teaching) project and will be supported in their activities by the module convenor, the education specialist on campus, and their contact teacher at the school. Typically there will be a fortnightly seminar on campus and 7 half-days spent at school.

This module is especially suitable for students with prior experience as a language assistant during the year abroad.

“I was lucky enough to go to Austria, France and Germany. I spent 6 amazing weeks in Innsbruck mountain climbing, swimming in lakes – oh and tutoring adults English. I was then a language assistant in two primary schools in Bordeaux where I really established myself since the placement was 7 months long. I finished in Berlin as an Assistant Translator and Project Manager where I have never worked so hard in my life. But without this, I would not have landed my graduate job!” Charli Brewerton BA Modern Languages (French and German; beginners’ German pathway)

29 School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies Department of German Studies www.nottingham.ac.uk/german ______

Dissertation in Low Countries Studies (R23263 / R23264)

Credits 10 Assessment 4,000 word essay (100%) Delivery 2 seminars (1 hour duration) plus regular consultations with the supervisor

Students of Dutch all write a dissertation in Low Countries Studies in the final year and may choose to write two. Writing a dissertation in Low Countries Studies involves the in-depth study of an individual research topic, and will normally relate to a module taken in the second year of the degree. Students will have regular supervision meetings with a designated tutor. Possible topics include linguistics (e.g. the use of Anglicisms in Dutch), as well as the history, culture and society of the Low Countries. The dissertation may be written in English or Dutch, and is 4,000 words if written in English, and 3,000 words if it is written in Dutch.

Language and Genre in German (R23278)

Credits 20 Assessment 1,500 word essay (35%); 3,500 word essay (65%) Delivery Seminars - 1 per week, 2 hours duration

Different contexts of speech and writing give rise to different registers, or genres, of texts. As the sociocultural and stylistic requirements of these registers change, so too do the lexical and grammatical features associated with them. In this module, we will examine how the language of scientific writing and correspondence has changed since the Early Modern period. We will define concepts such as ‘Register’, ‘Genre’, ‘Textsorte’, and ‘Fachsprache’, as well as seeing what lexical and grammatical features are subject to change when genre changes. We will then see how increased specialisation has led to linguistic changes in scientific writing. We will also examine the development of correspondence discourse, taking particular note of the linguistic changes brought about by Computer Mediated Communication (CMC).

30 School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies Department of German Studies www.nottingham.ac.uk/german ______

Geschichte und nationale Identität nach dem Holocaust (R23128)

Credits 20 Assessment One 2 hour exam (50%) plus one 2,500 word essay (50%) OR two 2,500 word essays (50% each) Delivery Seminars - 1 per week, 2 hours duration

This module will examine historical, political and philosophical approaches to the concept of national identity between divided and post-unification Germany concentrating on the changing relationships between the articulation of conventional patriotism and self-critical reflection on National Socialism. We will read texts ranging from the 1980s “Historikerstreit” to the diverging public and academic responses to Daniel Goldhagen’s bestselling book Hitler’s Willing Executioners (1996) and will consider other examples of the shifting attitudes, both public and academic, to the memory of the Holocaust and the role it plays in constituting the contemporary German nation.

Culture and Society in the Weimar Republic (R23138)

Credits 20 Assessment Two 2,500 word essays (45% each); presentation (10%) Delivery Seminars - 1 per week, 1hr 30mins duration

The Weimar Republic (1919-1933) was one of the most fascinating and culturally productive periods of German history, but it was equally riven by crises and violent conflicts. Weimar culture reflected and responded to these developments, experimenting with new media and exploring topical issues through earnest realism as well as satirical attacks.

A wide range of materials (literary texts, poetry, reportage, films, photographs, aesthetic and political programmes) will be studied to analyse key features of the period. Topics will include the impact of the Great War, changing gender roles, the rise of unemployment and political violence, mass culture and everyday life.

31 School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies Department of German Studies www.nottingham.ac.uk/german ______

German Studies Dissertation (R23142 / R23143)

Credits 10 (R23142); 20 (R23143) Assessment 4,000 word essay (R23142); 7,000 word essay (R23143) Delivery Seminars - 1 per week, 1 hour duration Tutorials - 1 per week, 30mins duration

This module involves in-depth study of a topic in German Studies, and will normally relate to a second year German module. Teaching will consist of regular individual consultations with a designated tutor. Possible topics could include linguistics (e.g. the use of Anglicisms in German), the cinema of a particular period, history (e.g. the Weimar Republic, the GDR), theatre, literature, gender studies, Heimat, society and culture. The dissertation may be 10 or 20 credits, depending on what is most appropriate for the student’s individual programme of study. A 10 credit dissertation is 4,000 words in length, and a 20 credit dissertation is 7,000 words. Dissertations may be written in English or in German.

Mythology in German Literature (R23243)

Credits 20 Assessment Two 2,500 word essays (50% each) Delivery Seminars - 1 per week, 2 hours duration

We are surrounded by materials from and references to ancient mythology: we talk about the Oedipus complex, we name spaceships Apollo and powerful detergents Ajax. Literature, in particular, uses ancient mythology as a rich source to describe powerful emotions, cunning politics or psychological drama. This module will explore how selected German writers combine ‘old’ mythology with a ‘new’ message. We will focus on Medea, the powerful wife of Jason who – according to the Classical myth - kills the sons she loves to hurt Jason whom she hates. We will look closely at how the myth is used, changed and reinvented in German texts written between 1926 and 1998. We will consider theoretical writings on mythology and also look at the reception of the Medea myth in paintings, film, theatre and music.

32 School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies Department of German Studies www.nottingham.ac.uk/german ______

‘Heimat’ in the German Cinema (R23238)

Credits 20 Assessment One 2 hour exam (50%) plus one 2,500 word essay (50%) OR two 2,500 word essays (50% each) Delivery Seminars - 1 per week, 2 hours duration

Heimat is an expression of German identity that encompasses the political and the psychological. It is a discourse which has been appropriated for a variety of different purposes by a wide range of different political and cultural traditions. This module will explore the cultural and historical contexts of the concept of Heimat through the study of films ranging from the 1920s/30s mountain films, to the immensely popular Heimatfilme of the 1950s, and films which criticized the concept of Heimat in the 1960s/70s. We discuss related theoretical issues, such as the question of the alien within the Heimat and the gendering of Heimat. We will also evaluate the political and cultural implications of the 1980s revival of the Heimat genre, before looking at how film-makers today are engaging with the Heimat genre.

German Colonialism: History, Literature, Memory (R23246)

Credits 20 Assessment 2,500 word essay (45%), presentation (10%), AND EITHER 2 hour exam (45%) OR another 2,500 word essay (45%) Delivery Seminars - 1 per week, 2 hours duration

Although Germany only had overseas colonies between 1884 and 1918, German, Austrian and Swiss involvement in European colonial history permeates literature and culture to the present day. This module uses a number of literary texts – short novels, stories, poems – written between c. 1800 and the present to look at a range of themes in German postcolonial studies: e.g. the exotic fascination with Africa; slavery and Afro-German history; anti-colonialism and the post-imperial nostalgia for Germany’s lost empire; political anti-imperialism and anti-racism; the German writing of African immigrants; and the rise since the 1990s of a critical postcolonial memory of Germany’s often forgotten colonial history.

33 Your Year Abroad

Whether you started German as a beginner or already had an A level in German, you will have a variety of options for your third year abroad in Germany or Austria. You might be an assistant teacher as part of the British Council scheme, or you could be a student at one of our partner universities, or you could be working as an intern with a private company. We currently have university exchanges in Berlin, Bremen, Freiburg, Germersheim, Heidelberg, Jena, Magdeburg, Tübingen, and Vienna. Students have undertaken work placements with logistics companies, manufacturing companies, international banks and insurance companies, publishers, translation agencies and NGOs. Students of Dutch currently choose from a placement in the Netherlands or Belgium. We currently have university exchanges in Amsterdam and Groningen (Netherlands) and Leuven (Belgium). You’ll receive lots of help, support and advice from our dedicated year abroad team as you plan a year abroad which will suit you and is appropriate to your degree.

Where will your Year Abroad take you? Check out our Instagram hashtag #uongoingplaces to see what current students are doing.

34 School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies Department of German Studies Department of German Studies www.nottingham.ac.uk/german www.nottingham.ac.uk/german ______

Introduction Get in touch

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www.nottingham.ac.uk/clas/yearone

© The University of Nottingham 2016. All rights reserved. 2 35 For German Studies School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies enquiries please contact: t: +44 (0)115 846 8466 German Studies w: www.nottingham.ac.uk/enquire Module information