Module information for incoming Erasmus and Exchange students interested in modules in German Studies.
Language Modules for non-native speakers of German
German language modules are offered by the Centre for Modern Languages.
Language Modules for those originating from German-speaking countries
Advanced German Translation for Native Speakers 09 12799/800 (20 credits, Semester 1 & 2)
This module offers German native speakers the opportunity to improve their translation skills. It combines practice and training in translation both into and from German with revision of English grammar.
Learning outcomes - by the end of the module the student should be able to: demonstrate an enhanced ability to translate from German to English; show an increased awareness of general issues of translation methodology; Demonstrate an enhanced ability to write fluently and cogently in English.
Assessment - Continuous assessment
Further information: Robert Evans (R.J.Evans.GET@bham.ac.uk)
Non-language modules in German Studies
First-Year Modules
Texts in Context: 20th and 19th Century 09 08857/60 (20 credits Semester 1 & 2)
The module covers a selection of texts from the twentieth and nineteenth century
Assessment - One essay of 2000 words (40% each) plus one 3hr examination (60%).
Further information: Dr. Nigel Harris: n.w.harris@bahm.ac.uk
Modern Germany: History & its Images 09 14945/46 (20 credits Semester 1 & 2)
In Semester 1, this module offers an overview of German social and political history from the end of the Second World War up to the present and of the reflection of that history in various media (particularly film). The second semester focuses on the period from 1815 to 1945.
Assessment - One essay of 2000 words (40% each) plus one 2hr examination (60%).
NB: This module is not suitable for those originating from German-speaking countries.
Further information: Dr.Joanne Sayner (j.sayner@bham.ac.uk)
German Linguistics Past and Present (20 credits, Semester 1 and 2)
The module consists of two components, each taught in one semester: ‘German Linguistics Past’ and ‘German Linguistics Present’:
German Linguistics Past: This component will trace the development of the German language from its earliest Indo-European Germanic origins up to the end of the Old High German period (circa 1100 AD)
German Linguistics Present: This component introduces key concepts of modern linguistics, including corpus linguistics, and the main areas of sociolinguistics, applied to the contemporary German language.
Assessment - Two assessed essays of 2000 words – one based on each semester’s work. Essays are equally weighted (50% each).
Further information: Robert Evans (R.J.Evans.GET@bham.ac.uk)
Second-Year Modules
Texts in Context: From the Middle Ages to the 'Ages of Goethe' 09 16474 (10 credits, Semester 1 )
This module offers a survey of German literature from the medieval period and the eighteenth century together with a close examination of selected literary texts.
Assessment - One essay of 2,500 words
Further information: Dr.Elystan Griffiths (e.griffiths@bham.ac.uk)
Introduction to German Cinema (10 credits Semester 1)
This module will offer an overview of German cinema history. Topics covered will normally include the early flowering of German Cinema in the Weimar Republic, German cinema under National Socialism, the cinematic production of the divided Germany and contemporary German film. At each stage, films will be related to their cultural and political context as appropriate.
The course will be structured around a series of key films, but key movements in German cinema will also be discussed as appropriate. A key focus of the course will be the analysis of cinematic techniques, and students will be expected to develop their knowledge of relevant technical vocabulary.
Assessment - 2500 word essay in English
Warning!
Some of these films contain scenes of nudity and violence. If you think you may be offended by such material, you may not want to opt for this course!
Further information: Dr.Elystan Griffiths (e.griffiths@bham.ac.uk)
Bühne und gesellschaftlicher Alltag (20 credits)
The aim of this course is to deepen students’ understanding of social contexts and cultural life in post-1945 Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Students should be able to reflect upon and deepen the cultural awareness acquired in this course during their year abroad. During the first semester, students will have a weekly one-hour class covering the history of German theatre after 1945. In the second semester, there are fewer group meetings and students will work mainly independently on a group project dealing with a chosen aspect of contemporary German, Austrian or Swiss society or culture.
Assessment
For Semester 1: (1) one essay in German of 1000 words (50%)
For Semester 2: (2) one week after the first group meeting with the tutor students have to hand in a draft of the project in German (200 words per student) (10%) (3) one presentation in German of 10-15 minutes, to be accompanied by a handout in German outlining key points (300 words per group member), plus a list of key vocabulary in German and bibliography (40%)
NB: This module is not suitable for those originating from German-speaking countries.
Further information: Katharina Glöckel (k.glockel@bham.ac.uk ) and Dorothee Sachse (d.sachse@bham.ac.uk )
Wirtschaftsdeutsch 09 19485 (20 credits, both semesters)
The course provides an introduction into economic aspects of contemporary Germany and German culture. It should enable students to function appropriately in standard settings which they are likely to encounter on company visits or during internships. Students should be able to research topics in print and e-media, describe aspects of their topics both orally and in writing, listen to radio or TV broadcast and write notes, summaries, letters, e-mail, and interpret standard situations.
Students are required to attend a weekly one-hour class and work independently in their own time (3hrs a week), often by using aural sources on the German WebCT site or in the language labs.
Assessment: Continuous 4 assessments, weighted equally: 1 essay in German (300-400 words), 1 class test (30 mins), 2 oral tests (20 mins each) (1 in German, 1 interpreting test) practising the oral skills acquired
NB: This module is not suitable for those originating from German-speaking countries.
Further information: Dr. Ruth Whittle (R.Whittle@bham.ac.uk)
Old High German Language and Literature 09 12999 (10 credits, Semester 1)
This course provides an introduction to the language and literature of the Old High German period (circa 750-1100AD). The course will cover a variety of linguistic issues (e.g. Umlaut in Old High German, the dialects of Old High German), as well as looking at some of the most famous literary works of the period (e.g. the Hildebrandslied and the Ludwigslied).
The module will be taught in weekly seminars (two hours per week) and you will have the choice of being assessed either by means of a 2500 word essay on one of the topics (either linguistic or literary) covered in the course or by a translation and linguistic commentary exercise on a passage of Old High German (the skills necessary for this exercise will be taught early in the course).
The only textbook you will need to buy for this course is W. Braune and E. Ebbinghaus, Althochdeutsches Lesebuch (17th edition, Tübingen, 1994): Sections XXV, XXV111, XXXV1 (current cost around £15).
Further information: Robert Evans (R.J.Evans.GET@bham.ac.uk)
Thomas Mann 09 04619 (10 credits, Semester 2)
This course (two hours per week) aims to provide an overview of Mann’s methods and concerns as a writer. It gives practice in the interpretation of complex texts and traces the development of the author. In addition to representative examples of Mann’s fiction, the course also makes reference to his cultural and political essays.
Assessment: One essay of 2,500 words.
Further information: Dr. Malcolm Spencer
Cultures of Protest and Terror in West Germany, 1967-1977 09 24732 (Semester 2, 10 credits)
The module will explore the history, politics and cultural memory of the West German student movement and its violent offshoot, the Red Army Faction, during the period 1967-77.
Materials studied will include contemporary media reports and terrorist manifestos as well as a range of cultural phenomena associated with protest and terrorism in West Germany in this period, such as documentary and feature films and (semi-)fictional writings by Heinrich Böll, Bernhard Schlink and others.
Assessment: one essay of 2500 words.
More information: Dr Nicholas Martin (n.c.martin@bham.ac.uk)
Kafka (10 credits, Semester 2)
This module provides an introduction to Franz Kafka’s fiction. The texts discussed throughout the course range from short stories such as Wunsch, Indianer zu werden – a mere six lines of prose – to Kafka’s longer stories (Die Verwandlung). Written during different periods of Kafka’s life, these texts will allow you to explore the variety and complexity of this author’s writings.
The first two weeks of this course will be taken up by introductory sessions on Kafka’s life and writing, as well as some of the major themes in his texts and critical approaches to his work.
Assessment: 2,500 word essay (100%)
More information: Dr Sania Reddig (s.reddig@bham.ac.uk)
Knights, Maidens and Priests 09 23922 (Semester 2, 10 credits)
The module will study some short works from the medieval and early modern periods of German literature: Hartmann von Aue’s Der arme Heinrich, Der Stricker’s Der Pfaffe Amis, and poems or short pieces by Mechthild von Magdeburg, Oswald von Wolkenstein, and Martin Luther. These will be analysed as literary texts, but also as sources of information about and criticism of medieval culture and society. Particular emphasis will be placed on themes relating to the three social groupings named in the title; and hence the problematic but fruitful relationship between religious and secular perspectives and stereotypes will be an especially important recurring theme.
Assessment: one essay of 2500 words.
More information: Dr Nigel Harris (n.w.harris@bham.ac.uk)
German Political Parties and Party Government 09 13037 (10 credits, Semester 2)
Although the German constitution explicitly states that the political parties are only one of many participants in the political 'Meinungsbildnugsprozess', the practice looks quite different. Indeed, political parties have become the predominant force in German politics. They are the backbone of the German political system. This module attempts to analyse the German version of party government and the eminent role that parties play in public life in order to understand German politics and democracy. It aims to give a comprehensive introduction to the major issues concerning the working of the 'Parteienstaat' and 'Parteiendemokratie'. It will look at the development of the party system since 1945, examine the role and functions of parties, study the major political parties and analyse the current debate about the future of party government.
Assessment: essay of 2,500 words.
Further Information: Dietmar Wozniak (d.wozniak@bham.ac.uk)
Final-Year Modules
Comparative Germanic Philology 09 12817/18 (20 credits Semester 1 & 2 )
This module will explore the comparative linguistics of the earliest Germanic languages, with particular reference to the Proto-Germanic parent language and Gothic
Assessment: 3 hour written exam in May (60%) plus an assessed seminar paper of 4000 words (40%)
Further information: Robert Evans (R.J.Evans.GET@bham.ac.uk)
From the Stasi to the Sandmännchen: Remembering the GDR in the United Germany 09 24260 (Semesters 1& 2, 20 credits)
This course will study the social, political and cultural processes of remembering the German Democratic Republic in the united Germany. We will look at socio-political debates surrounding the history and memory of the GDR (e.g., concepts of totalitarianism and nostalgia), and the production of cultural artefacts (e.g., museums, literature, film and autobiography) in this context. We will study the interaction between individual memory, different remembering communities and the creation of ‘official’ narratives about the past. Our analysis will be grounded in memory and media studies theory, as well as political and social science approaches to the legacy of state socialism.
Assessment: 3-hour written exam in May (60%) plus an assessed seminar paper of 4000 words, normally in English (40%).
Further information: Dr Sara Jones (s.jones.1@bham.ac.uk)
The German Language and National Identity 09 24731 (Semesters 1& 2, 20 credits)
This module will examine the German language in the context of German history, politics and ideology over the last five hundred years. It will explore how, throughout the country’s turbulent political history, ideas about language have been closely bound up with ideas about nationhood and identity. The module will consider how the language has been used as a political instrument in different contexts, and the extent to which politics and ideologies have influenced the language itself.
The first part of the module will focus on the period before 1900 and will explore how the emergence of modern German was linked to efforts to establish a national culture and a single, unified German state. Topics covered in this first part will normally include the impact of Martin Luther and the Reformation, ‘Kulturpatriotismus’ in the baroque era, the so-called ‘flowering’ of the national language and national literature in the age of Goethe, and the role of language in relation to the first German unification.
The second part of the module will focus on the period since 1900 and will explore the role of language in the context of the two World Wars, the Cold War, and German reunification. Topics covered in this second part will normally include linguistic xenophobia in and after the First World War, the discourses of nationalism and internationalism in the Weimar Republic, the language in and of National Socialism, attempts at linguistic denazification after 1945, the linguistic division of Germany 1949-89 and its legacies today, and current debates concerning renewed linguistic purism.
Assessment: 3-hour written exam in May (60%) plus an assessed seminar paper of 4000 words, normally in English (40%).
Further information: Dr Hilary Brown (h.j.brown.1@bham.ac.uk) and Bill Dodd (w.j.dodd@bham.ac.uk)
Governance and Political Culture 09 20861/62 (20 credits, Semester 1&2)
Germany defines itself as a parliamentary democracy based on the rule of law, social justice and federalism. What does that actually mean in the theory and practice of the Federal Republic? How is Germany governed and have the underlying cultural conditions for a successful democracy been met? The course aims to provide an overview and an analysis of Germany’s system of government taking the main aspects of parliamentary politics and political culture into account. Whilst the emphasis is firmly on post war Germany (Federal Republic of Germany), regular chronological and thematic excursions into German history will be made reaching back to the first German parliament of the Frankfurt St Paul’s church in 1848. Germany’s long and unfinished journey from a “Staatskultur” to a model resembling more that of a civic culture (“Zivilgesellschaft”) will be traced. The country’s special development (“Sonderweg”) will be studied by means of comparisons with other democracies, esp. the UK. There will be room and scope for current affairs and topical debates.
The role, function, changes and key developments of the German parliament as well as the governance of Germany will be analyzed in the context of an increasingly changing world. The direct and indirect constituents of parliamentary politics (government / executive, MPs, parties and party system, civil service, electorate and citizens, lobbyists and pressure groups, citizens’ action groups, constitutional court and judiciary, the increasing role of the media) will all be examined along with key concepts (federalism, party whip [“Fraktionszwang”], working parliament vs debating chamber, parliamentary and extra-parliamentary opposition).
Is German democracy fit and ready for the challenges of the 21st century? The German concept of consensus democracy will be analysed and challenged whilst alternative systems of government (presidential system, majoritarian / adversarial democracy) are debated.
Assessment: Either a 3 hour written exam in May (60%) plus an assessed seminar paper of 4000 words (40%) or a dissertation of 8000 words and viva (100%).
Further information: Dietmar Wozniak (d.wozniak@bham.ac.uk)
The Politics of Remembering: Germany and the Nazi Past (1945-1970) 09 19488/89 (Semester 1&2, 20 credits)
This module will study different patterns of remembrance in East, West and reunified Germany dealing with Nazism.
Assessment: Either one 3hr written exam (60%) plus a seminar paper in English of 4,000 words (40%) OR an 8,000 word dissertation including viva in English (100%)
Further information: Dr. Joanne Sayner (J.Sayner@bham.ac.uk )