Target Level: B1-B2, C1-C2
Description: The following is a course description and reading list from a German literature course I developed and taught in Winter 2020. The class was a 200-level seminar in German.
Course Description: Are natural disasters ever really natural? In this course, taught in German, we will consider works of literature, poetry, visual art, and film that depict disaster. Focusing on disaster as the site of interaction between humans and the environment, we will explore and discuss the impact of modern technology, contemporary environmental issues, and the concept of disaster in the shadow of war. Thinking in terms of environmental justice, we will also consider who is impacted by such disasters and in what ways. The primary texts we read will lead to discussion of disasters, scales, types of experience, survival, resilience, and the role of literature as cultural discourse. To supplement our readings in German, secondary sources in English will add critical and historical contextualization
Course Goals: In addition to critically analyzing texts in terms of how authors construct catastrophes, you will gain reading skills and expand comprehension by reading texts of increasing length. To serve this goal, you will learn to identify text genres and types to prepare you for comprehension. You will also be encouraged to make connections between texts and with secondary and theoretical works in class and in written assignments that build from discussions. A further objective is that you will be able to read and analyze literary works in relation to their historical context. Building on short response papers, you will hone skills of reading and interpretation with thoughtfully written literary analysis in carefully structured papers. You will craft thought-provoking discussion questions for the class and participate in a writing workshop. The hybrid final project combines your interpretive skills with reflections on genre.
Reading List:
- Adorno, Theodor: “Die Idee der Naturgeschichte”
- Amery, Carl: “Der große blinde Fleck”
- Beck, Ulrich: Weltrisikogesellschaft
- Benjamin, Walter: “Erdbeben von Lissabon”
- Benjamin, Walter: “Über den Begriff der Geschichte”
- Brecht, Bertolt: “An die Nachgeborenen”
- Dürrenmatt, Friedrich: “Der Tunnel”
- Fontane, Theodor: “Die Brück am Tay”
- Frisch, Max: Der Mensch erscheint im Holozän
- Haslinger, Josef: Phi Phi Island, Ein Bericht
- Haushofer, Marlen: Die Wand
- Hermlin, Stefan: “Die Vögel und der Test”
- Heym, Georg: “Der Krieg”
- Hoddis, Jakob van: “Weltende”
- Hohler, Franz: “Die Rückeroberung”
- Kant, Immanuel: “Von den Ursachen des Unglücks, welches die westliche Länder von Europa gegen das Ende des vorigen Jahres betroffen hat”
- Kleist, Heinrich von: Das Erdbeben in Chili
- Lasker-Schüler, Else: “Abschied”
- Lasker-Schüler, Else: “Versöhnung”
- Lichtenstein, Alfred: “Nebel”
- Maron, Monika: Flugasche
- Pölsler, Julian (dir.): Die Wand
- Tawada, Yoko: “Die Ruhe im Sturm”
- Tawada, Yoko: “Fukushima 24”
- Trakl, Georg: “In den Nachmittag geflüstert”
- Wolf, Christa: Störfall
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Additional theoretical and background texts in English were also included.