GERM 308 - German Cultural History: Failed and Successful Revolutions

This course prepares students with intermediate German language skills for upper-level courses in German Studies through advanced language instruction combined with the study of political, social, and aesthetic topics in the cultural history of Germany and related countries, from the cultural revolutions of the Enlightenment to the peaceful protests in East Germany and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Major events in this itinerary include the Wars of Liberation against Napoleon (1813-1815); the 1848 European revolution; the industrial revolution; the unification of Germany (1870/1871); the economic and philosophical critiques offered by socialism and feminism; the modernist cultural and aesthetic revolution, and in particular the Jugendstil in Vienna at the turn of the 20th century; imperialism and the two World Wars surrounding the rise and fall of the Weimar Republic (1918-1933) by Nazism; and the subsequent division of Germany into four zones and, later, two countries, up until its reunification. In addition to historical sources and visual art, we shall read a literary text and watch a film relating to the life on the East side of the Berlin Wall (1961-1989). Three hours per week plus one hour of intensive language practice. The course is conducted in German; all readings, writing, presentations, etc. are in German. Prerequisite(s): GERM 204 or permission of instructor. Fall semester. (4 Credits)