Dr Graham Bartram    

Germ 205: The Weimar Republic: Culture and Society in Germany 1918-1933 (1)

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Course description

This course introduces you to the social and economic upheavals of one of the most turbulent periods of German history, and examines the interactions between socio-political trends and the modernist innovations of Weimar culture, including the Bauhaus, the poetry of Bertolt Brecht, and the war novel

Aims of the course

By the end of the course, you should have deepened and extended your knowledge of

a) the most significant social and political changes that affected German society in the period 1918-1933

b) some of the main artistic and cultural tendencies — particularly Expressionism and Neue Sachlichkeit — of Weimar Germany

c) a (limited!) selection of key works of literature from the Weimar era.

Using this knowledge, you should be able to

a) compare and evaluate different historical explanations for for the collapse of Weimar’s democracy in 1933

b) discuss the notion of cultural ‘periods’, with particular reference to social, ideological and cultural developments in the 1920s

c) analyse the symbolic and narrative structures and stylistic techniques of individual works of literature from the Weimar era; and

d) discuss the different ways in which our interpretation of these individual works is related to our understanding of their broader social and cultural context.

Course Schedule

• Michaelmas Term Monday 4.00 Lonsdale (Bowland North) C132; Friday 4.00 Bowland North B4
• Click on 'Schedule' above for a brief outline of the course
• One course work essay of c. 2500 words to be submitted by Monday of Week 11 at the latest

Course Material

• syllabus
• Preparation: (ie. any detailed information about preparation for given week)
• Handouts: (i.e. any downloadable handouts/slides etc.)
• Bibliography/Filmography

Assessment

General description

• Coursework essay titles
• Projects
• Seminar Presentations
• Examination information

Links

• Course Noticeboard
• General Student Information
• DELC Essential Guide for Students - information about deadlines, penalties for late submission, marking criteria, cover sheets for submitting work

Course Home | Schedule | Course Material | Assessments | Course Links