German Course Descriptions

Final Year B.A. Students

2021-22

Year Coordinator: Professor Hans-Walter Schmidt-Hannisa Room: AMB2007, Telephone: 492239, email: [email protected] . Consultation time: Tuesday 2.00-3.00 p.m. (during term time) and by appointment. Entry requirements: A pass in Second Arts German or its equivalent, for example in the case of visiting and exchange students. Students registered for the B.A. International must also have achieved a satisfactory academic performance during their year abroad. Compulsory Modules: Students are obliged to take all six modules on offer. All modules have the value of 5 ECTS. Essay Guidelines: All essays which form part of the assessment of any module within the BA German programme must adhere to the format and the referencing system laid out in the department’s essay guidelines, available on the departmental website (Section: Undergraduate Programmes). Please note: All announcements can be changed if deemed necessary. For further details, please check our Departmental website: www.nuigalway.ie/german

Important Dates

Academic Year 2021-2022

2021 Semester 1 teaching period Monday 6th September to Friday 26th November Study week Monday 29th November to Friday 3rd December Semester 1 exams Monday 6th December to Friday 17th December Christmas Holiday Saturday 18th December

2022 Semester 2 teaching period Monday 10th January to Friday 1st April Easter break Good Friday 15th April to Easter Monday 18th April Field Trips Monday 4th April to Friday 8th April Study Week Monday 11th April to Friday 15th April Semester 2 Exams Tuesday 19th April to Friday 6th May Autumn Repeat Exams Tuesday 2nd August to Friday 12th August (9 days of exams)

Bank Holidays: Monday 25th October 2021 / Thursday 17th March 2022 / Monday 2nd May 2022 / Monday 6th June 2022 / Monday 1st August 2022

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Semester 1 All modules are compulsory.

Module Components

GR341 I

GR337 German Cultural Studies I Extended Essay 60% Students have to do both components. Enlightenment 40%

GR338 German Cultural Studies II Literatur und Kritik 50% Students have to do both components. Märchen 50%

Semester 2 All modules are compulsory Module Components

GR342 German Language II

GR339 German Environmental disasters 50% Cultural Studies III Masterpieces of Students have to do both components Contemporary German Cinema 50%

GR340 German German Theatre Production 100% Cultural Studies IV

3 Semester I

GR341 German Language I (5 hrs. per week)

GR341 German Language I (5 hrs. per week) Lecturers: Simone Klapper, Gabriele Behrens Course description: Intense language tuition developing oral, aural and writing skills to a high standard. One class per week is reserved for translation – English into German. Students will be enabled to  understand the main ideas of complex oral and written communication on both concrete and abstract topics  interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes interaction with native speakers possible without strain for either party  produce clear, detailed written texts on a wide range of subjects  express complex ideas and opinions about a broad range of topics  translate appropriately from English to German and from German to English  understand the grammatical structures of the German language  train presentation skills in German Prerequisites: Successful completion of Second Arts German language or equivalent. Assessment and examination: Continuous Assessment 40%, written exam 30%, oral exam 15%, translation 15%. Please note: All assignments must be handed in on time and will not be accepted later unless medical certificates are provided. Core Texts: Szilvia Szita, Susanne Raven und Anne Buscha: Erkundungen Deutsch als Fremdsprache C1: Integriertes Kurs- und Arbeitsbuch. Deutsch als Fremdsprache. 2. veränderte Auflage. Leipzig: Schubert-Verlag 2016. ISBN: 978-3-941323-25-4 Other course material and handouts will be provided via Blackboard.

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GR337 German Cultural Studies I Extended Essay 60% Enlightenment 40%

GR337 Enlightenment (1 hrs. per week) Lecturer: Hans-Walter Schmidt-Hannisa Course description: The 18th century was the age of Enlightenment. It was shaped by philosophical ideas (René Descartes: “I think therefore I am”), the emergence of new forms of critical thinking, the scientific revolution, a new interest in the individual, the rise of modern psychology, new esthetical values and the earthquake of the French Revolution (“Liberté, égalité, fraternité”). In many respects, the enlightenment laid the foundations for modernity. The first part of the course will introduce students to the major ideas and tendencies of the epoch, with a focus on philosophy, anthropology, and literature. In the shorter second part we will discuss the relevance of enlightenment and its tradition of critical thinking in the 20th and 21centuries. Teaching and learning methods: The module requires regular and active student participation. It will be lecture-based but also provide opportunities for discussions in small groups. Methods of assessment and examination: In-class-test Core texts: Texts and excerpts by Johann Gottlieb Krüger, (Nathan der Weise), Karl Philip Moritz, Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Prometheus), Immanuel Kant (Was ist Aufklärung?), Theodor W. Adorno (Dialektik der Aufklärung). All texts will be made available on blackboard.

. GR337 Extended Essay Lecturers: Hans- Walter Schmidt-Hannisa (co-ordinator) Supervisors: D. Byrnes, M. Schrage-Früh, A.Ryan, H.-W Schmidt-Hannisa, A.Musolff, Tina Pusse. Course description: Writing the Extended Essay is an opportunity for students to thoroughly familiarise themselves with an aspect of German, Austrian or Swiss cultural life/ history and to present it well in both written and oral form. The topic must be related to an area covered in any of the modules students chose either in Galway or during the Erasmus year. The focus of the essay should be one work or a small number of works (literature, art, film, music etc.). Students must discuss their choice of topic with, and have it approved by one of the supervisors (listed above) at an early stage. Once the topic has been approved, a proposal (not less than 400 words) is to be submitted. It must contain a provisional bibliography including at least five sources which are not web pages. Three of them

5 should be written in German. Please submit the proposal (10% of total mark) by Friday, 1 October 2021 to Geraldine Smyth ([email protected]). Workshops: Workshops will be organized at the start of term to offer guidance and support to students. These will be announced in Lecture. Attendance at these workshops is obligatory. Important note: All essay must be in line with the rules and principles laid out in the Guidelines of the Extended Essay available on the German Discipline website. Deadline for submission of the essay: 6 December 2021. A Viva (15% of total mark) in which students must discuss selected topics of their essays, will be held in January 2022.

GR338 German Cultural Studies II

Literatur und Kritik 50% Märchen 50%

GR338 Literatur und Kritik (1 hr. per week) Lecturer: Simone Klapper Course Description: and film have a long tradition of “Gesellschaftskritik” (social criticism) in which authors criticise social issues, politics, ideologies and contemporary debates in their society. The aim of this course is to introduce students to a number of modern and contemporary texts which critically reflect on current political and societal issues. This will involve considering key topics such as: racism and remembering the victims of racist violence, the critique of neoliberal consumerism, the effects of the “Wende” on East , environmental destruction and the state’s treatment of migrants. The texts deal with current debates in a critical manner and invite readers to question dominant media discourses, political debates and social structures that discriminate others. We will read modern and contemporary texts by , Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Clemens Meyer, Özlem Dündar, Wladimir Kaminer and Dmitrij Kapitelman. Teaching and learning methods: The module requires regular and active student participation. Methods of assessment and examination: End of term essay, active participation Core texts: Ingeborg Bachmann (Reklame), Hans Magnus Enzensberger (Fremder Garten), Clemens Meyer/Thomas Stuber (In den Gängen), Wladimir Kaminer (Sebastian und die Ausländerbehörde), Dmitrij Kapitelman (Das Lächeln meines unbekannten Vaters/Eine Formalie in Kiew), Özlem Dündar (türken, feuer); Handouts will be provided in class and via Blackboard.

6 GR 338 Märchen: The German Fairy Tale through the Ages (1 hr. per week) Lecturer: Jakob Summerer Course description: Evil witches, honorable knights, malicious stepmothers and cunning animals continue to populate the cultural landscape of the Western world. While the magical, black-and-white world of the fairy tale is nowadays most often encountered in the animated films produced by DreamWorks, Pixar and Disney, the roots of this genre and its conventions lie much deeper in time. In this seminar we will trace its evolution in the German literary tradition and students will be introduced to a selection of German fairy tales published between the 18th and the 21st centuries. Our focus will be on the “Volksmärchen” and “Kunstmärchen” of the Romanticists, the feminist fairy tales of the 19th century, the “Antimärchen” and socialist fairy tales of the German and Austrian Modernists, and the satirical “Märchenparodien” of the Postmodern era. The main goal will be to become acquainted with the defining stock characters, plotlines, settings and formal aspects of this genre and explore how these textual elements were re-used, manipulated, questioned and parodied through the ages. Other points of interest will be the social function that these texts performed in their socio-cultural contexts (transportation of ideas related to morality, gender roles, social criticism, national identity etc.) and in how far they can be read as reflections of historical events and social change. This course will be student-centered, which means that your active participation will be key. You will be expected to regularly work in groups, discuss and interpret sources, as well as prepare a short presentation (5-10 min). Methods of assessment: Essay 70 %, Short Presentation 30% Core Texts: All texts will be provided via Blackboard. We will read short tales by Jacob and , Louise Dittmar, Hedwig Dohm, , Oskar Maria Graf and Walter Moers.

7 Semester II

GR342 German Language II (5 hrs. per week)

Lecturers: Simone Klapper, Aine Ryan Course description: This course continues the intense language tuition from semester 1, developing oral, aural and writing skills to a high standard. One class per week is reserved for translation – German into English. Prerequisites: Level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages Learning objectives: The level to be reached on completion of the course corresponds to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages level C1, i.e. that students can • understand demanding, longer texts in German • express themselves fluently and spontaneously • use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes • produce clear, well-structured, detailed texts on complex subjects

Methods of assessment: Continuous Assessment Continuous 40%, Oral Exam 15%, written exam 30%, Translation 15% Please note: All assignments must be handed in on time and will not be accepted later unless medical certificates are provided. Core texts: Szilvia Szita, Susanne Raven und Anne Buscha: Erkundungen Deutsch als Fremdsprache C1: Integriertes Kurs- und Arbeitsbuch. Deutsch als Fremdsprache. 2. veränderte Auflage. Leipzig: Schubert-Verlag 2016. ISBN: 978-3-941323-25-4 Other course material and handouts will be provided via Blackboard.

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GR339 German Cultural Studies III Environmental Disasters in German Literature 50% Masterpieces of Contemporary German Cinema 50%

GR339 Environmental Disasters in German Literature (1 hr. per week) Lecturer: Tina-Karen Pusse Course description: Extreme weather, wildland fires, nuclear fallout or even the extinction of humans: Narratives and images of the planet’s destruction – “ecocollapse” – are abound in our current culture. While they are very present in American fiction or Hollywood Cinema it is often forgotten that these narratives are not only a contemporary phenomenon but can be found throughout all historical periods. Mankind had a complex and problematic relationship with nature long before the present time of big data, hyper-industrialisation and globalisation. This course will explore cultural and literary representations of eco-collapses such as earthquakes, floods, and landslides in German Literature from 1750 to the present day. Questions that will help us with our investigation are: What is new (and what is not new) about the rhetoric of collapse in contemporary culture? How do fear, the perception of risk, and the globalisation of environmental threats inform literary, artistic, and cultural production? What are the respective roles of science, politics, and art in representing and addressing environmental crises? Whose claims are more “valid”, meaningful, and/or effective? Learning Outcomes: Students will learn to engage with literary texts as professional readers, to discuss their ideas with others, to access and to consult the library as well as online resources in a structured, efficient way, and to present their findings in oral and written form. Assessment: 40% attendance with active participation, including a short 5 -10 minutes presentation, 60% take home essay. Core texts will be provided on blackboard.

GR339 Masterpieces of Contemporary German Cinema (1 hr. per week) Lecturer: Hans-Walter Schmidt-Hannisa Course description: In this course students will discuss selected German films produced between 1970 and the present day – films representing a broad range of genres such as comedy, drama, and documentary. The focus will be both on analysing the cinematic language and aesthetical aspects of the films, and on exploring their cultural and

9 historical significance. For example, films such as Volker Schlöndorff’s Die Blechtrommel or Rainer Werner Faßbinder‘s Die Ehe der Maria Braun are epic comments on crucial episodes of German history, whereas Fatih Akin’s Gegen die Wand highlights the life of Turkish immigrants. All films provide insights into different aspects of German history, society, and lifestyles. Assessment: Essay Core texts: Apart from the films mentioned above, the course programme will include Werner Herzog: Aguirre; Tom Tykwer: Lola rennt; Edgar Reitz: Die andere Heimat: Chronik einer Sehnsucht; Wolfgang Becker: Good Bye, Lenin!; Wim Wenders: Das Salz der Erde; Nicolette Krebitz: Wild; Nora Fingscheidt: Systemsprenger. Screenings will be organised for films which are not available online.

GR340 German Cultural Studies III German Theatre Production 100%

GR340 German Theatre Production (2 hrs. per week) Lecturer: Gabi Behrens, Hans-Walter Schmidt-Hannisa Course description: The German Department has a long tradition of bringing a German Play to the stage. The aim of this course is to prepare a popular German drama which will be performed in the Bank of Ireland Theatre in March 2022. Students will contribute to the performances in various ways, as actors, stage hands, lighting technicians, prompters, make-up artists, programme editors, costume designers etc. Final BA German students who choose this course will be assessed as detailed below. However the production is open to all students of German. Participating in the performance of a play is an excellent way to improve rhetoric and language skills, but is also a valuable exercise in management and organization. In addition, students will acquire a deeper understanding of a work of literature. Teaching and learning methods: The project requires regular and active student participation. Due to the practical nature of this course, a repeat option cannot be offered. Attendance and active participation are essential. Language of instruction: German Methods of assessment and examination: Contribution to the performance 60%, written work 40%. Core texts: To be announced.

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