Course finder

<< return to browsing

Semester 2

The Third Reich in Literature and Testimony (Ordinary) (ELCG09005)

Course Website

http://www.selc.ed.ac.uk/german/undergd.html

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 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

Students will read German-language texts by perpetrators and victims of the Nazi genocide, exploring the ways in which writers positioned themselves, or were forced to position themselves, in relation to their experiences. Students will assess the different ways in which these texts have been interpreted in the post-war world.

Course Description

The course is designed to encourage students to consider witness texts from different angles, comparing perpetrator and victim perspectives and understanding the influence of language, genre and context in memory texts. In the first half of the semester, we look at two well known texts, one by a perpetrator and one by a victim, looking closely at the context of composition and investigating the contrasting narrative strategies. In the second half, we explore different statements by the same witness, a written text, a recorded trial testimony, and an extract from Lanzmann's Shoah, asking questions about how the framing of a testimony affects the way in which events are narrated. Assessment is by essay, group presentation and pass/fail participation. Participation will consist of ALGs developing themes from the classes and working towards their group presentations at the end; they will also regularly review the work of the other groups and compare results. The aim is to develop a resource of material, references and questions to help the others. The module uses Learn as the basis for ALG work. The student presentations can be synchronous via Teams or asynchronous if necessary. The synchronous sessions will work either f2f or online. If synchronous activity becomes impossible, the synchronous sessions can be redesigned as ALG activity, with groups addressing specific questions and monitoring each other's work. Primary texts: Short clips of Abraham Bomba testimony for week 1, Rudolf Höß: Kommandant in Auschwitz, Ruth Klüger: weiter leben, Filip Müller: Sonderbehandlung / trial testimony / extract from Shoah.

Assessment Information

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

view the timetable and further details for this course