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Semester 1

Identity and Self in Contemporary German Literature (Level 9 - Ordinary) (ELCG09017)

Subject

European Languages and Cultures - German

College

CAHSS

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

3

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

In order to be eligible to take 3rd/4th Year Options, Visiting Students should have the equivalent of at least two years of study at University level of the appropriate language(s) and culture(s).

Course Summary

This option introduces students to literary renegotiations of questions of identity and self in contemporary German-language novels. Students will closely study two selected novels over four weeks respectively. Each novel will be accompanied by critical reading which will help students engage with and also reflect more widely on notions of gender, sexuality, race, class, the body, belonging, and postmigration that are at the core of the selected novels in an informed and critical way.

Course Description

Academic description: Over the past few years, German literature has seen a growing number of novels that consciously engage with and renegotiate questions of identity and self. In this course students will closely study two selected novels. Each novel will be accompanied by critical reading which will help students engage with notions of gender, sexuality, race, class, the body, belonging, and postmigration that are at the core of the selected novels in an informed and critical way. Although this course is primarily designed to develop further student's critical reading skills and analytical thinking, it also invites students to draw wider conclusions from their reading and to reflect on identity and self in relation to other cultural production and current debates. Course outline: The course focuses on two novels. After an introductory session, we will spend 4 weeks on each of the novels respectively. The first three weeks will focus on specific themes and concepts that the novel suggests whereas the fourth week will be dedicated to activities during which students will consolidate their learning and have the opportunity to ask wider questions about the issues/concepts at hand, in literature but also in German society more broadly: a student-led roundtable discussion after the first novel and a class discussion led by the tutor after the second novel where we will revisit (some of) the points we discussed in the roundtable discussion, now in comparison to the second novel, and thereby also trace the student's learning process. In the process, we will look into the debates that have shaped the German cultural, social and political landscapes in recent years. The final session will draw our discussions together and prepare students for the final essay. Student learning experience: The course is taught in 10 two-hour seminars over one semester. A dossier is provided in advance of the course with points for discussion and other important information that will be helpful for the class discussion. Students will listen to brief presentations on the texts and their contexts when appropriate, but most of the class will centre on workshop-based discussion. As one of the key teaching methods is student-led learning, which encourages learners to exercise initiative, responsibility and independence, and manage their learning activities and work with others, students are encouraged to form Autonomous Learning Groups to discuss the primary and secondary texts before each class. Every week one of the ALGs will be asked to report back to the class on their discussions and to explain relevant terms in the form of a brief presentation. These mini-presentations, though not formally assessed, will inform the student-led roundtable discussion and the tutor-led class discussion mentioned above. Students will be asked to prepare material and discussion points/questions in advance to both discussion sessions. Students will sum up their thoughts after the roundtable discussion in an assessed reflective paper and write an essay which will be due after the completion of the course. The language of instruction and delivery of this course is a combination of German and English. We will discuss students' preferences in the first seminar.

Assessment Information

Written Exam 0%, Coursework 100%, Practical Exam 0%

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