Summer 2003

HIS f306N • Cul/Hist/Nation in German Film-W

Course Description

Hitler, Oktoberfest, Volkswagen, Autobahn, Nazis, Bismarck, DaimlerChrysler, Dirk Nowitzki, Run Lola Run, Rammstein… We all have contact with Germany every day. But have you really thought about the country behind all of that? Why is Germany such an economic power in Europe? What was behind Nazi ideology, and how could the Holocaust happen? Was Hitler really not German? What led to the division of Germany into East and West, and how is it today? What was behind the RAF that terrorized West Germany, and how was it different from today’s terrorists? Why are there so many U.S. soldiers in Germany? Is it true that the US and Germany did not have a peace treaty until 1990? These are just a few questions we will answer in this course.

In this course, we will find out exciting things about Germany. We will explore German culture and history after World War I, and see how German films deal with them in an artistic environment. You are going to realize the stories behind films and will understand foreign films better than you used to. Since those films were produced in a culture that differs significantly from the United States’, viewer discretion is advised at all times! Germany’s turbulent history - as we are going to see - shaped Europe and contributed to the present state of a continent without political borders and a single currency. Overall, we will discover a Germany that has been looking for a national identity by crossing borders in political and cultural ways.

Grading Policy

Discussion and active class participation 20%, Quizzes 20%, Short reading and writing assignments 10%, Final Exam 20%, Final Project 30%,

Consisting of Paper proposal (about 1 page) 5%, First draft (3-4 pages) 10%, Final Paper (8-10 pages) 15%

Texts

Orlow, Dietrich. A History of Modern Germany: 1817 to Present 5th ed. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 2002, available at the Co-op Bookstore Class Reader, available at Paradigm Copies

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