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Home , Irmgard Keun, Juli Zeh

Department of Classics, Modern Languages & Linguistics

Faculty of Arts & Science

Fall 2017 Term Dates: September 5th to December 4th, 2017 Final Exam Dates: December 6th to December 20th, 2017 (NOTE: Travel arrangements should not be made until after the Final Exam Schedule has been posted.)

Course: GERM 450/2-A Day & Time: Tue & Thu 16:15-17:30 Location: H-529

Professor: S. Bronner Email: [email protected]

Office Hours: Tue & Thu 17:35-18:30 Office Ext.: 5226 Office Location: FB-1030.07

Required Text: No material needs to be purchased.

Grading System for the Department of Classics, Modern Languages & Linguistics (In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University’s control, the content and/or evaluation scheme for this course is subject to change.)

A+ A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- F/FNS

93-100 89-92 86-88 82-85 79-81 76-78 72-75 69-71 66-68 62-65 59-61 55-58 0-54

This course investigates the changing literary and social roles of German Calendar Description of the Course: women from the 18th to the 21st century. Selected readings of women’s

literary and cultural productions will also illustrate the history of gender GERM 450 coding from the period of Empfindsamkeit to the fin de siècle. In addition to German Women Writers Across the Ages examining cultural artifacts, such as novels, plays, screen scripts, paintings (3 credits) and advertisements, the course also offers an insight into the Women’s movement (both in Eastern and Western Germany). An introduction to main concepts of gender theory provides the basis to analyze the variety of gender identities and representations. The language of instruction is English, and no prior knowledge of the is required. Advanced-level students — i.e. students placed at the 300 level or higher in German language courses — must do the readings and submit their work in German.

Important Term Dates: Last day to drop courses (DNE): September 18, 2017 (According to the Undergraduate Last day to add courses: September 18, 2017 Calendar) Last day to discontinue courses (DISC): November 6, 2017

Holidays – Thanksgiving Day: October 9, 2017 Make-Up Day for Thanksgiving Day: December 5, 2017 First day of the Examination period: December 6, 2017 Last day of the Examination period: December 20, 2017

Important Notes: 1. It is the Departmental Policy that auditing courses is not permitted.

2. Assignments should be handed in during class time or during your professor’s office hours. When circumstances necessitate it and you cannot make it to class, please email your assignment to your professor.

Plagiarism:

The Department of Classics, Modern Languages and Linguistics upholds the University’s principles of academic integrity and expects its students to understand and follow the regulations of the Code of Conduct (Academic).

http://www.concordia.ca/students/academic-integrity/code.html

All students are advised to consult the website the following website on academic integrity and information concerning plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct:

http://www.concordia.ca/students/academic-integrity.html

Ignorance of these regulations is not a viable excuse for transgressing the Code of Conduct (Academic). Violations of the Code of Conduct (Academic) can result in a variety of sanctions which include, among others, a failure of your assignment, a failure in your course or additional mandatory credits.

The most common offense under the Code of Conduct Academic is plagiarism which the Code defines as “the presentation of the work of another person as one’s own or without proper acknowledgement.” This could be material copied word for word from books, journals, internet sites, professor’s course notes, etc. It could be material that is paraphrased but closely resembles the original source. It could be the work of a fellow student, for example, an answer on a quiz, data for a lab report, a paper or assignment completed by another student. It might be a paper purchased through one of the many available sources. Plagiarism does not refer to words alone – it can also refer to copying images, graphs, tables and ideas. “Presentation” is not limited to written work. It also includes oral presentations, computer assignments and artistic works. Finally, if you translate the work of another person into French or English and do not cite the source this is also plagiarism.

In simple words: Do not copy, paraphrase or translate anything from anywhere without saying from where you obtained it!

Important Links:

Understanding Academic Performance http://www.concordia.ca/students/academic-performance.html

Student Services http://www.concordia.ca/students/your-services.html

Tutoring http://www.concordia.ca/students/success/learning-support.html

Writing Assistance Program https://www.concordia.ca/students/success/learning-support/writing- assistance.html

Access Centre for Students with http://www.concordia.ca/offices/acsd.html/ Disabilities

Advocacy and Support Service http://www.concordia.ca/offices/advocacy.html/

Concordia Counselling and Development http://www.concordia.ca/offices/cdev.html/

Concordia Library Citation and Style http://library.concordia.ca/help/howto/citations.html/ Guides

Financial Aid & Awards http://www.concordia.ca/offices/faao.html/

Health Services http://www.concordia.ca/students/health.html/

Undergraduate Calendar http://www.concordia.ca/academics/undergraduate/calendar/current.html

Week 1 September 5 Introduction ______°° What is Women’s Literature? °° September 7 Definitions; Complications; Discussion ______°° Thinking about Feminism I – Introduction to Feminist Discourse °° Week 2 September 12 Text: Feminism Reader: Introduction September 14 Text: Feminism Reader: Introduction ______°° Embedded in the Male Canon? - Karoline von Günderrode – Poetic Fragments °° Week 3 September 19 Text: Karoline von Günderrode: Poetic Fragments September 21 Text: Karoline von Günderrode: Poetic Fragments ______°° Who is Speaking? The Male Politics of Visibility and Authorship – Annette von Droste-Hülshoff °° Week 4 September 26 Text: Annette von Droste-Hülshoff: Joseph. A Crime Story September 28 Text: Annette von Droste-Hülshoff: Joseph. A Crime Story ______°° The Ideal Woman, a Male Fantasy - Lou Andreas-Salomé °° Week 5 October 3 Text: Lou Andreas-Salomé: The Human Family: Stories October 5 Text: Lou Andreas-Salomé: The Human Family: Stories [Text: Rosa Luxemburg’s Letters]

° Thinking about Feminism II – Bridging theory and action ° Week 6 October 10 Text: Julia Kristeva: Psychoanalysis and the Polis Text: Lou Andreas-Salomé: The Human Family: Stories October 12 Text: Lou Andreas-Salomé: The Human Family: Stories ______°° Love, Sex, Power & Class in the Weimar Republic - Imgard Keun: The Artificial Silk Girl °° Week 7 October 17 Text: : The Artificial Silk Girl October 19 Text: Irmgard Keun: The Artificial Silk Girl ______

°° Politics, Body & Sexuality

° Thinking about Feminism III – Sex & Gender ° Week 8 October 24 Text: Judith Butler: Subjects of Sex/Gender/Desire Text: Verena Stefan: Shedding October 26 Text: Verena Stefan: Shedding [Text: Ulrike Meinhof: Writings] °° Sex, Arts & Neurosis – “The Piano Teacher” °° Week 9 October 31 Film: Michael Haneke/: The Piano Teacher November 2 Film: Michael Haneke/Elfriede Jelinek: The Piano Teacher ______°° German Fräulein-Pop I – : Summerhouse, later °° Week 10 November 7 Text: Judith Hermann: Summerhouse, later November 9 Text: Judith Hermann: Summerhouse, later

Week 11 November 14 Text: Judith Hermann: Summerhouse, later November 16 Text: Judith Hermann: Summerhouse, later ______Week 12 November 21 Exam Review November 23 FINAL IN-CLASS EXAM ______°° German Fräulein Pop II °° Week 13 November 28 Film: Frauke Finsterwalder: Finsterworld November 30 Film: Frauke Finsterwalder: Finsterworld ______

A selection of authors you might want to include in your FIPs: Enlightenment - ca. 1750-1870: , Sophie von La Roche, Caroline de la Motte Fouqué Around 1900: Vicki Baum, Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Annette Kolb, Else Lasker-Schüler 20th Century: Ilse Aichinger, , Marie Luise Kaschnitz, , , Rosamunde Pilcher, , , Judith Kerr Contemporary authors: , Julia Franck, Ulla Hahn, Herta Müller, Charlotte Roche, , Verena Roßbacher, Fräuleinwunder (Female Pop Literaure): Julia Franck, Judith Hermann Mariana Leky, Alexa Hennig von Lange, Zoë Jenny, Juli Zeh und Ricarda Junge

A little orientation:

German Literary Periods

Classicism Modernism East-German Lit Sturm u. Drang Naturalism Post-War Sensibility Realism Exile Literature Enlightenment Vormärz Postmodernism Baroque Biedermeier Dada Austria & Switzerland Renaissance Romanticism Expressionism West German Lit

1550 1650 1725 1775 1825 1875 1925 1975 1500 1600 1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000

Source: literaturwelt.com

Extended Course Description:

German Women Writers across the Ages

This course investigates the changing literary and social roles of German women from the 18th to the 21st century. Selected readings of women’s literary and cultural productions will also illustrate the history of gender coding from the period of Empfindsamkeit to the present. In addition to examining cultural artifacts, such as novels, plays, film scripts, paintings and advertisements, the course also offers an insight into the Feminist movement. An introduction to the main concepts of gender theory provides the basis to analyze the variety of gender identities and representations that are central to feminist theory. Drawing on thought-provoking texts and visual artifacts, GERM 450 offers a diverse view of life in German-speaking countries from the perspective of women authors based on selections from literary and historical works, commentaries, and interdisciplinary materials, which highlight important cultural movements. The historical, philosophical and sociological background of the works will be taken into consideration as important determinants of the art of major periods of German cultural history. The language of instruction is English, and no prior knowledge of the German

language is required. Advanced‐level students — i.e. students placed at the 300 level or higher in German language courses — must do the readings and submit their work in German.

As students progress through this course, they will strengthen their analytic and interpretive skills. They will engage with key questions that have animated - and continue to animate - theoretical discussions among scholars and critics on issues related to authorship, gender, and sex. Through working in teams on a multidimensional project students will also learn to look beyond their own discipline, establish intellectual connections to other discourses, and productively review their peers’ projects.

Assignments In addition to the readings, students are required to complete the following written assignments: Attendance and Participation Regular attendance is crucial to your achieving the goals of this course. Students’ participation grade will be lowered if they have more than two unexcused absences. Absences are excused for illness and for family emergencies. However, students need to inform me at least 2 hours before the beginning of class if they will not be able to attend. If a student has an excused absence, they are still responsible for the material covered in the missed session. Students are expected to complete the assigned reading for each session, and to read thoroughly and thoughtfully, so that they will be able to talk about the assigned text in class. They are expected to be actively engaged in classroom discussions, and to contribute regularly to the scheduled online discussions. Do not worry about making mistakes; mistakes are part of the learning process. Excellent participation is not error free; it is frequent, meaningful, and demonstrates that you are prepared for class and fully engaged in classroom activities and assigned readings.

Feminist Inspiration Project Students will work in teams to produce one FIP over the course of the term. Feminist Inspiration Projects are a specific form of alternative interdisciplinary and creative multimedia responses to class material (RRPs), which are documented online. FIPs focus on the relationship between aspects of the readings (fictional & theoretical) and one or more cultural objects relevant to the subject at hand. These team projects are to provide a broader understanding of the text as a cultural artifact that communicates with other discourses and the “outside world“. Hence, the FIP must always include an interdisciplinary aspect (i.e. interview, art piece, from areas such as film, science, philosophy, politics, technology, architecture.) Learning about women in the arts and reflecting upon feminism includes questions of sex and gender but also other discourses, such as race, colonialism, politics, philosophy, class etc. Ideally, FIPs aim at bridging the gap between theory and practice, text and life. The project can, for example, result in a plan for a mini-exhibition, inspired by course readings, a documented political action within the university, a documented artistic reaction, or an event plan to enhance the university’s intellectual life and create awareness. A crucial aspect of the FIP is the reflection on the cultural artifact’s "political potential". Although it might not be ‘political’ at first glance, according to Jacques Rancière every literary text or piece of art has a deep impact on the human apprehension- apparatus, the social order, and ultimately, on the behavior of human beings. Aesthetics as a mode of world-perception is intrinsically linked to politics by its capacity to divide the visible from the invisible, the permitted from the prohibited, and the people embedded in a society from those who are excluded. Students are encouraged to select their own objects, in consultation with me. All FIPs must include visual and/or audiovisual elements.

Peer Reviews, Comments In order to test students’ comprehension and to facilitate discussion, they will comment on their peers’ Feminist Inspirations Projects. Students will also come up with at least one question/thought/reaction for each Response and post them to an online forum. The peer reviews offer the possibility to creatively and academically engage with the readings and projects of fellow students. Aside from constructive criticism comments can consist of suggesting additional readings, ideas, video material, art pieces, newspaper articles, and other related cultural artifacts.

Final essay Students will write a final in-class essay

Grading: Attendance and Participation 30% Peer-Reviews, Comments 15% Final in-class essay 20% Rhizomatic Response Project 35%