German literature comprises the written works of the German-speaking peoples. The study of “German literature and culture” should not only provide a concise historical survey of German literature, but also give an understanding of the cultural developments of German-speaking countries.
This course aims to examine literary texts produced in German-speaking countries in their aesthetic value and as powerful instruments to understand the culture of these countries.
By the end of this course you should have:
- Acquired an understanding of German history and culture
- Developed an ability to read and analyse fictional texts
- Developed an ability to understand social, historical and political factors that have influenced the German culture
1. Didactic Unit: 36 hours frontal lecture in Italian, reading text in German
2. Didactic Unit: 18 hours frontal lecture in Italian, reading texts in German
Attendance is not obbligatory, but heartily recommended
1. Didactic Unit: If Hitler comes back: the literary text as an instrument to cope with a past which is coming back
Who was Adolf Hitler really? How was it possible, that he subjected at first Germany and then a great part of Europe? Might something similar happen again? Such questions concern not only modern historians. A German author tells us of Hitler waking up 2011 in a vacant lot in Berlin: the “greatest leader of all time”, the Führer is back and Germany is ready to cope with him.
2. Didactic Unit: At the roots of German culture: Martin Luther and Frederick the Great
Some characteristic features of German culture will be explained through historical personalities as Martin Luther and Frederick the Great.
At the beginning of the course students must have this book
Timur Vermes, Er ist wieder da, Köln, Bastei Lübbe, 2012 o altra edizione più recente (Taschenbuch-Ausgabe € 9,99)
Other readings will be made available on the webcourse
ROBERTO DE POL (President)
JOACHIM HANS BERND GERDES
SERENA SPAZZARINI
oral exam
An exam, the length of which varies according to the programme, held by the professor responsible for the course, during which the level of the student’s knowledge will be assessed according to the following criteria:
a) ability to read, translate and comment on and contextualise critically excerpts from texts examined during the course, plus other supplementary texts read and prepared autonomously, see the list which can be downloaded from the professor’s website, the course on aulaweb and can also be consulted on the notice board outside the professor’s office;
b) ability to respond in Italian and German to questions on topics covered during the course and on supplementary texts prepared for the examination, as well as possibly developing an autonomous critical discourse.
