Module description
This module will appeal to students with interests in modern culture and politics. It focuses on recent works of German-language literature written by multilingual authors and examines issues of migration, displacement, cultural and linguistic identity. It introduces students to a significant body of writing with its roots in mass-migration and labour recruitment after World War Two that, in recent years, has become increasingly diverse in the context of a globalized age of transnational migration, heightened mobility and new communication technologies, where languages co-exist and interact in new constellations. A theoretical framework will permit appreciation of the relationship between forms of language and constructions of cultural identity, encouraging detailed analysis of the texts’ frequently innovative linguistic character. By focusing on multilingual German-language writers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the module permits in-depth understanding of ways in which their texts challenge, deconstruct and develop our understanding of forms of language and discourse, as well as of written and oral culture, against a socio-historical background of shifting national boundaries and transnational movement. By writing of life in different places and between different languages, these authors will further be seen to explore the subjective implications of physical displacement in a world of globalized experience, mass movement and instant communication.
Assessment details
One 4000 word essay in English (100%)
Educational aims & objectives
The texts covered will include a range of literary works by significant modern authors, as well as well-known essays from the field of critical and cultural theory. By the end of the module, the students will be able to demonstrate a detailed understanding of the relationship between forms of language and constructions of cultural identity. They will be able to translate this understanding into sophisticated analytical and critical responses, both in class discussion and in written coursework, grounded in close literary analysis and reference to critical theory.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students will be able to:
- analyse how cultural forms and movements are shaped by and respond to socio-historical circumstances.
- demonstrate a high level of familiarity with and understanding of a range of multilingual works of modern German literature.
- demonstrate a high level of understanding of selected theoretical writings on multilingualism and cultural identity.
- analyse the complex textual strategies employed by writers in engaging with different languages in their literary works.
- demonstrate sophisticated skills in the close reading of literary and theoretical texts within their socio-cultural and political context.
- demonstrate clear skills in applying literary and critical theory in order to develop and sustain these close readings.
- present their views in a sophisticated and independent manner through class presentations and in written form by planning, researching and writing a substantial piece of written coursework.
Teaching pattern
2-hours per week
Suggested reading list
- Tomer Gardi, Broken German (Vienna: Droschl, 2016); ISBN-13: 978-3854209799
- Sharon Otoo, ‘Herr Gröttrup setzt sich hin’ (2016); PDF provided
- Sharon Otoo, Adas Raum (Frankfurt a.M.: Fischer, 2021); ISBN-13: 978-3103973150
- Emine Sevgi Özdamar, Der Hof im Spiegel (Cologne: Kiepenhauer & Witsch, 2001); ISBN-13: 978-3462030013
Students are expected to purchase those texts on the core reading list. Given this module’s focus, its convener makes efforts to include contemporary works in the context of potential author visits or other events. For this reason, the complete core reading list will be confirmed at the start of term.