Module: German Literature & Society

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	German Literature & Society
Module Code	GER1032 (ITS: GE426)
Faculty	SALIS	School	Humanities & Social Sciences
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	5

Description

This course will examine social and cultural issues represented in literature and film in modern Germany.

Learning Outcomes

1. Identify key ideas and experiences that have played a key part in modern German social and political history.
2. Analyse the representation of such issues in major works of modern German literature and film
3. Discuss the contributions made to cultural debates in modern Germany by leading authors and film-makers
4. Relate specific literary-filmic genres and modes of discourse to the historical context in which they were produced.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Seminars	24	students present on the topics discussed
Independent Study	101	preparation and revision of classwork
Total Workload: 125

Section Breakdown
CRN	10769	Part of Term	Semester 1
Coursework	0%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	Y
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Christina Krug	Module Teacher

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Essay	A written paper on specific topic or author/film-maker	70%	Sem 2 End
Presentation	Class presentation on a different topic	20%	Week 8
Performance evaluation	Evaluation of participation in class	10%	Sem 2 End

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Indicative Description
The module will focus on themes portrayed in individual works, rather than on periods or movements, covering a range of historical contexts. This will facilitate comparative analysis . In the course of the semester three of the following topics will be discussed in discussion of both literature and film: the post-war experience, ideology and class division, gender and sexuality, minorities and intercultural relations, technology and modernity, youth and generational conflict; the Holocaust and Germany today. The class will be conducted in English and German

selected reading
Selected works will include some of the following: H.-U. Treichel, Der Verlorene; C. Hein, Der Tangospieler; P. Süskind, Die Geschichte von Herrn Sommer, B. Schliink, Der Vorleser; D. Dörrie, Liebe, Schmerz; M. Durzak (ed.) Erzählte Zeit. 50 deutsche Kurzgeschichten

Indicative Reading List

Books:

W. Jacobsen & A. Kaes (eds.): 1993, Geschichte des deutschen Films, Metzler, Stuttgart/Weimar,
A. Kaes & M. Jay (eds.): 1994, The Weimar Republic Sourcebook, Univ. of California, Berkeley,
H. Watanabe-O'Kelly (ed.): 1997, The Cambridge History of German Literature, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge,
B. Murdoch: 2006, The Novels of E.M. Remarque: sparks of life, Rochester N.Y.,
I. Rogoff (ed.): 1990, Themes and Problems in German Modernism, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge,
T.J. Reed: 1974, Thomas Mann: the uses of tradition, Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford,
Thomas Elsaesser: 1996, Fassbinder's Germany: history, identity, subject, Rodopi, Amsterdam,

Articles:
None

Other Resources

None