York University, 2019-20

AP/GER 1790 9.0 and AP/HUMA 1190 9.0A

NATIONALISM, AUTHORITY AND RESISTANCE:

PERSPECTIVES ON
GERMAN CULTURE AND SOCIETY
Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics
Main Office: South 561 Ross Building (416-736-5017)

Course Meetings

Lecture Tuesday 14:30–16:30 DB 0006 (Mueller)

Tutorial 1 Friday 10:30–12:30 R S127 (O’Regan)
Tutorial 2 Tuesday 16:30–18:30 R S127 (Lurkhur)
Tutorial 3 Thursday 16:30–18:30 R S127 (O’Regan)
Tutorial 4 Friday 12:30-14:30 R S127 (O’Regan)

Course Team

Karen Lurkhur (Tutorial leader)

Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics
Ross S523A, lurkhur@yorku.ca
Office hours: Wednesdays 11:30am-1:30pm

Gabriele Mueller (Course director)

Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics
Ross S524, gmueller@yorku.ca
Office hours: Tuesdays, Thursdays 1:00-2:00pm or by appointment

Keith O’Regan (Tutorial leader)

Humanities and Writing Department / N806, koregan@yorku.ca
Office Hours: Fridays, 8:30-10:30, and by appointment

Germany might exemplify the problems, conflicts, and possibilities of the modern world better
than any other single state. It has careened from an open democracy to brutal dictatorship, been
united, divided, and united again in a little over 100 years, embraced the rational optimism of the
Enlightenment and the racism of Nazi Germany culminating in the Holocaust. This course
examines cultural representations of contemporary and historical Germany from an
interdisciplinary perspective. Examining cultural, political and social discourses, we will consider
the tensions that have characterized "Germany" historically and in the present day through the lens
of texts that include e.g. literature, film, art, journalistic and political writing. Particular attention
will be paid to: Nationalism and multiculturalism, authority and resistance, competing visions of
democracy or freedom, religion and rationalism, the role of Germany in Europe and the world, and

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 the effect of the past on contemporary German society.

NOTE: The course is offered entirely in English and assumes no knowledge of German. It also can be
chosen to fulfill degree requirements in the European Studies program and is a first-year general
education course.

Please refer also to the Moodle site for the course and the official course website, which
includes links to important official information on:
● York’s Academic Honesty Policy and Procedures / Academic Integrity Web site
● Religious Observance Accommodation
● Student Code of Conduct
● Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities inc. alternate exam and test
scheduling
● Grading Scheme and Feedback Policy.

Grading Scheme

Participation and Attendance in Lectures and Tutorials 20%

0%
Timely preparation, active participation in class, and ongoing engagement with the course
material are crucial for your progress and success in the course. It is vital that you attend all
classes and submit assignments on time. In order for the lectures and tutorials to be
informative and beneficial for all, it is necessary for students to have read all assigned texts
in advance and to be willing to make positive contributions to the work of the class.

Given the importance that lectures have in making sense of readings and historical events
and maintaining the flow of discussion beyond the tutorial rooms, your final grade for
participation will be reflect lecture attendance, preparation for and participation in tutorials.
A percentage of the participation grade will be based on your clicker responses in lectures
and occasional mini-quizzes in tutorials.

Library Assignment 10%

As a foundations course, the course seeks to help you develop your skills in researching
and writing. The written work in the course reflects this aim. The first written assignment,
which follows a library tutorial, is a library assignment. It also functions as a kind of
“diagnostic assignment” that allows your tutorial leader to assess the qualities of your
research and written work and develop a plan with you for further strengthening your skills.

Fall Assignment 10%

Building on the research skills developed for the library assignment, for this assignment you
will research, analyze and discuss a text studied in class. This assignment will move you
towards the final essay by asking you to consider further questions and topics to explore, and
by encouraging you to extract important information from a scholarly text.

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Fall Test 15%
At the end of the first term, during the last lecture of the class, there will be a test
designed to test your knowledge of key course material. The test will cover all texts
examined in the first term as well as the historical and political information presented in
lectures. You will be informed of the format of the test two weeks in advance.

Winter Essay 25%

In the second term, you will be assigned a longer paper (8-10 pages, typed, double spaced;
3000– 4000 words). The winter essay is designed to make use of the skills that you have
developed in the first half of the course (library research, close reading, textual analysis) and
apply it to the broad themes and ideas of the course. This is a research essay and will ask you
to engage with key course readings coupled with a focus on library investigation.

Winter Test 20%

As in the first term, there will be a test scheduled for the end of the second term, during the
last lecture of the class. This test will focus heavily on second term material, but many of the
key ideas discussed in the first term will be present in the second. You will be informed of
the format of the test two weeks in advance.

NOTE: Papers and assignments are due when indicated on the course outline. The instructors are
not obliged to accept papers/assignments handed in late. If accepted, late papers/assignments will
receive a reduced grade.

Due dates:
Library Assignment: October 8 – 10%
Fall Essay: November 12 – 10%
Fall Test: Dec 3 (in lecture) – 15%
Winter Essay: March 3 (in lecture) – 25%
Winter Test: March 31 (in lecture) – 20%

If illness or some other emergency prevents you from attending class when a test or exam is
written, you must contact the instructor as soon as possible, but in any event prior to the return
of the marked tests.

How to avoid problems, and what to do if they arise:

The best way to avoid problems in any course is to read carefully, attend regularly, and
participate actively. If you experience problems with the work of the course, or if for some
reason you must miss classes or cannot hand in a paper on time, the best idea is to speak to the
instructor. It is a lot easier to make special arrangements if the instructor knows what is going on
(and the instructors are more likely to feel disposed to do so, if informed in good time).

Another potential problem area is plagiarism. We shall be discussing plagiarism (and how to
avoid it) in class. However, you are responsible for being aware of the definition and
consequences of plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty as listed in the

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Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies section of the York University Undergraduate
Calendar. The consequences of a conviction for plagiarism can be severe. So once again, if in
doubt, please ask. Please note that “… a student accused of academic dishonesty may not drop
or be deregistered from the course in question until a final decision is reached. Students may not
drop courses in which they have been penalized for academic dishonesty.”

You will be required to purchase one book for the course (in paperback, available at the
York University Bookstore). All other mandatory readings are listed in the syllabus and
available for download on the Moodle site of the course.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, The Sorrows of Young Werther

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 Schedule of Lectures, Readings and
Tutorials
Important: Please note that this is only an abbreviated version of our schedule. For complete
information on the readings, assignment and deadlines, as well as university regulations
and policies pertaining to the course, please refer to the Moodle course website.

Part 1: Constructing Germany and the German Nation

Sept. 10: Introduction: Resistance, domination, opposition … what does it all mean?
Themes, goals and approaches of the course
Short intro to German history including a film screening of Your Job in Germany
Tutorials: Intro to the course, discussion of the film

Sept. 17: The Enlightenment: Nation, Racism and Xenophobia

Examination of the rise of the Enlightenment and the opposition to religious
intolerance
Readings:
 Lessing, Nathan the Wise (Moodle)
 Kant, What is Enlightenment?
(Moodle)
Tutorials: Discussion of Readings

Sept. 24: Romanticism: Resistance to Enlightenment and Birth of Nationalism

Reflections on an opposition to the Quantification of Life
Readings:
 Goethe, Sorrows of Young Werther (Bookstore)
 Goethe, Prometheus (Moodle)
Tutorials: Discussion of Readings and Library Assignment explained

Oct. 1: Nationalism and Emancipation

Nationalism, Liberalism, Socialism
Readings:
 Heine, excerpts from Germany: A Winter’s Tale (Moodle)
 Marx, The Communist Manifesto (excerpt) (Moodle)
Tutorials: Library Tours

Oct. 8: Militarism, Gender and Authority

Tradition and Modernity in Imperial Germany
Readings:
 Heinrich Mann, excerpt from The Loyal Subject (Moodle)
 Twain, excerpt from A Tramp Abroad (Moodle)
Tutorials: Discussion of Readings
Library Assignment due
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Oct. 14 – Oct. 20: READING WEEK, there will be no lecture, tutorials or office
hours

Oct. 22: War and its Discontents

The First World War and its Aftermath
Film Screening of Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari
Reading:
 Jeffrey Verhey, War and Revolution (pages 243-245, 261-263)
Tutorial: Discussion of film and reading

Oct. 29: Weimar I: 1918-1929

German Society Post-World War 1
Readings:
 Remarque, excerpts from All Quiet on the Western Front (Moodle)
 Hermann, This is the New Woman (Moodle)
 Egon Erwin Kisch, The Racing Reporter, Preface (Moodle)
Tutorials: Discussion of readings, Fall Essay assigned

Nov. 5: Weimar II: 1929-1933 - Germany in Crisis

The End of the Weimar Republic
Readings:
 Brecht: Threepenny Opera (excerpt)
 Brecht: Germany, Pale Mother (Moodle)
Tutorials: Discussion of readings

Nov. 12: National Socialism I

National Socialist Society and Structures
Readings:
 Wolf, Patterns of Childhood (excerpt on Moodle)
 Feuchtwanger, letter March 20, 1935 (Moodle)
 Klemperer, excerpt from diary (Moodle)
Tutorials: Discussion of Readings,
Fall Essay due

Nov. 19: National Socialism II

The Holocaust and the War
Readings:
 Wiesel, The Watch (Moodle)
 Celan, selected poems (Moodle)
 Himmler, excerpt from 1943 speech (Moodle)
Tutorials: Discussions of Readings

Nov. 26: Resistance to National Socialism

Students and Opposition to Nazism
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Film Screening of Sophie Scholl
Readings:
 The White Rose leaflets (Moodle)
Tutorials: Discussion of Film and Readings, Test prep

Dec. 3: Fall Term Test

Test will be during the regular lecture period in the classroom
Tutorials: No tutorials this week

Part II: Germanys and the Post War Era

Jan. 7: Dealing with the War

Germany 1945-1949
Recap of first term and Introduction to the second term
Readings:
 Wolfgang Staudte, The Murderers Are Among Us (Film,
available through York Library website)
 Langgässer, In Hiding (Moodle)
Tutorial: Discussion of film

Jan. 14: Establishing Two German States

Divided Germanys and a Cold Peace
Readings:
 Excerpts from the Basic Law and the GDR constitution (Moodle)
 Wolfgang Borchert, The Man Outside (Moodle)
Tutorials: Winter Essay assigned, Discussion of Readings

Jan. 21: The German Democratic Republic, 1950s - 1980s

Society and Culture in the GDR
Readings:
 Thomas Brasch “Flies on Your Face” (Moodle)
 Maxi Wander, excerpt from Good Morning, Beautiful
(Moodle)
Tutorials: Discussion of Readings

Jan. 28: 1968 and New Social Movements

Radical Alternatives and Terrorism in the FRG
Readings:
 Alfred Andersch, “Jesuskingdutschke” (Moodle)
Tutorials: Discussion of Readings

Feb. 4: The Fall of the Berlin Wall and Unification

Readings:
 Volker Braun, poem Property (Moodle)
 Leipzig in the Fall, documentary, available through York Library website
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  Excerpts from speeches by Christa Wolf and Christoph Hein during demonstration
on November 4
Feb. 11: Germany after Unification – Political Structures, Challenges, Debates
Readings:
 Ilja Trojanow/ Juli Zeh, Attack on Freedom, excerpt (Moodle)

Feb. 17-23: READING WEEK (NO LECTURE, TUTORIALS OR OFFICE HOURS)

Feb. 25: Unification on Screen

Film Screening of Good Bye, Lenin!
Readings:
 Jana Hensel, After the Wall, excerpt (Moodle)
Tutorials: Discussion of Film

Mar. 3: Migration & Citizenship in Germany

Racism, Belonging and a United Germany
Readings:
 May Ayim, Black Atlantic (Moodle)
 Zafer Senocak, The One and the Other Child
 CBC Radio show on Zafer Senocak and Alina Bronsky
Tutorials: Discussion of Readings

Winter Essay due in Lecture

Mar. 10: Germany within the EU and the World

Germany within a Changing European Landscape – political and economic factors
Readings:
 Speech by Heiko Maas
Tutorial: Discussion of readings

March 17: Environmental concerns

and Movements
Readings:
 tba
Tutorial: discussion of readings

March 24: The Presence of the Past – Memory Culture since 1990
Readings:
Bernhard Schlink, The Presence of the Past (Moodle)
Tutorials: Discussion of readings, review

March 31: Winter Term Test (in lecture)

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Tutorials: No tutorials this week