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Nov 22, 2024
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College Bulletin 2015-2016 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
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GMST 020. Introduction to German Studies: Topics in German Literature and Culture
This course serves as the introduction to the interdisciplinary field of German studies. What is German “culture,” how has it been defined, which narratives, theories, and events have shaped the national imaginary from the 18th century to today? Students will develop speaking and writing skills through short assignments and presentations intended to familiarize them with the vocabulary of literary and cultural analysis in German. Topics change every year.
Topic for Fall 2015: Liebe, Begehren und Geschlechterbeziehungen in Literatur und Film (Love, Desire and Gender Relations in German Literature and Film)
This course will investigate representations of love, desire and the relations between the various genders in literature and film of the German-speaking world. We will engage with both canonical and non-canonical works ranging from the 18th to the 21st century that will provide you with an overview of the different genres (novel, short story etc.) as well as the different epochs (Romanticism, Expressionism, Modernism, Post-Modernism etc.). How are these works and their conceptions of love, gender and desire a reflection of Germanic cultures? More specifically, how do these conceptions of gender relations and romantic love shift from Romanticism to Post-Modernism? What social, cultural and national developments do these changes reflect? We will examine texts by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Peter Altenberg, Arthur Schnitzler, Carl Sternheim, Ingeborg Bachmann, May Ayim and Antje Rávic Strubel. Moreover, we will also read a few key theoretical texts (in English) and examine films that address the intricate interplays between gender, desire, and love in light of their respective German-speaking nation states of the 20th century such as Konrad Wolf’s Solo Sunny (1980). Via our engagement with these works, you will gain speaking and writing skills focused on introducing you to the vocabulary of literary and cultural analysis in German through short essays, discussion questions and presentations.
Prerequisite: placement test score or GMST 008 .
Humanities.
1 credit.
Fall 2015. Bettray.
Fall 2016. Bettray.
Catalog chapter: Modern Languages and Literatures: German Studies
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/german-studies
Access the class schedule to search for sections.
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