| Kommentar |
ECTS Points: 5
Language requirements: min. English B2
Much of Berlin’s population and economic growth during recent decades has been driven by an influx of young persons, from both elsewhere in Germany and from across the world. The city is globally renowned for its vibrant, youthful culture; its diversity; and the excitement of new possibilities in a place where history looms large.
This course uses the theme of youth to explore Berlin’s (and more broadly, German) culture and history. In other words, it provides a chance to learn about Berlin, to understand German history, and to reflect on different (and changing) forms of youth culture and the student experience.
This course proceeds chronologically, from around 1800 to the present. It adopts an interdisciplinary approach, including articles by professional historians, works of literature, the visual arts, film, and music. It includes recent research on topics such as pop culture, childhood, families, generations, the sociology of universities, and counterculture. It explores the diversity of everyday life in Berlin and analyzes how children, students, and young professionals have been shaped by and challenged assumptions about nationality, race, gender, sexuality, class, religion, and politics. It roots all these topics in the ever-changing fabric of Berlin, encouraging us not only to better understand the society in which we live and the urban spaces we inhabit, but to see the city as a dynamic space, shaped by people both like and unlike ourselves.
Tuesday class meetings from October 16, 2018 until January 15, 2019. The last four sessions of the semester will be replaced by three excursions, tentatively planned for the weeks of October 29, November 26, and December 3, and which total 3 SWS, 3 SWS, and 2 SWS, respectively. |
| Literatur |
Students should be prepared to obtain copies of the following books:
- Heinrich von Kleist’s play, The Prince of Homberg [Der Prinz von Homburg] – may be available out of copyright, depending on the edition
- Walter Benjamin’s Berlin Childhood around 1900 [Berliner Kindheit um neunzehnhundert]
- Christopher Isherwood’s Goodbye to Berlin
Furthermore, they should make arrangements to view the following films:
- The Lives of Others [Das Leben der Anderen]. Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2007.
- Good Bye, Lenin! Directed by Wolfgang Becker. 2003.
The following books are strictly optional, but provide an overview of Berlin or German history for
those wishing to learn more:
- Blackbourn, David. History of Germany, 1780-1918: The Long Nineteenth Century, 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell, 2002.
- Fulbrook, Mary. A History of Germany, 1918-2014: A Divided Nation. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2014.
- Ladd, Brian. The Ghosts of Berlin: Confronting German History in the Urban Landscape. Chicago: University of Chicago, 2018.
- Large, David Clay. Berlin. New York: Basic Books, 2001.
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