WesMaps - Wesleyan University Catalog 2019-2020       Summer Session       Winter Session       Home       Archive       Search
CS92PROD
Forward, Without Forgetting: The GDR in Literature and Film

GRST 302
Spring 2020
Section: 01  
This course may be repeated for credit.
Crosslisting: COL 291
Certificates: Civic Engagement, Civic Engagement Minor

In 1949, postwar Germany officially split into two separate countries with the formation of the German Democratic Republic. Also known as East Germany, the GDR was isolated from the Western world for four decades, and it developed its own, equally rich, literary and cinematic cultures. By looking at a range of textual and visual sources, students will engage critically with ways of understanding this "other" Germany and its distinctive cultural expressions, ideology, and history, including the role of the government and the Stasi. The course also explores phenomena like the "Ostalgie" and retro-chic that manifested themselves after the Fall of the Wall in 1989. The readings include short stories, songs, and excerpts by and among others: Wolf Biermann, Johannes Becher, Günther de Bryn, Stefan Heim, Rainer Kunze, Brigitte Reimann, Claudia Rusch, Susanne Schädlich, Maxi Wander, Christa Wolf. Participants will view and discuss films and TV series produced before and after unification.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA GRST
Course Format: SeminarGrading Mode: Student Option
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: GRST213
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (CIVI-MN)(GRST-MN)(GRST)
Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above

Last Updated on APR-19-2024
Contact wesmaps@wesleyan.edu to submit comments or suggestions. Please include a url, course title, faculty name or other page reference in your email ? Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459