Deutschland "Multikulti": Expressions of Germany's Cultural Diversity
GRST 335
Spring 2020 not offered
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That Germany is an ethnically and culturally homogenous country is a myth cultivated by the Nazis. Germany's position in the center of Europe has made its geographical and cultural identity fluid and the make-up of its population diverse at least since the Migration of Peoples (ca. 200--800 CE). Adding to the ethnic and cultural mix were influxes of Jews during the Middle Ages and later; the incursions of armies from all over Europe during the Thirty Years' War; the 17th-century immigration of French Huguenots to Prussia; the redrawing of borders after both world wars; marriages and liaisons between black GIs and German women after WWII; and, during the labor shortage that followed World War II, the arrival of guestworkers from southern and eastern Europe and Turkey, many of whom ended up staying. Refugees also came from Eastern Europe during the Soviet era and during the Bosnian War, and for certain people not motivated by political or economic oppression Germany has proved an attractive destination. In this course we will focus on works of fiction and non-fiction by immigrants or descendants of immigrants, all of whom write in German, whether as their first or second language. Among the topics we explore will be homesickness; interactions with the bureaucracy; use of and perspectives on language; questions of citizenship and identity, assimilation, and integration; cultural misunderstandings; and encounters with bigotry and xenophobia. The experiences of Afro-Germans and the most recent immigrants from the Middle East and Africa will receive particular attention. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA GRST |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: GRST213 |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (COL)(GRST-MN)(GRST) |
Major Readings:
Wladimir Kaminer, DIE REISE NACH TRULALA
Yoko Tawada, WO EUROPA ANFÄNGT
May Ayim, FARBE BEKENNEN
Emine Sevgi Özdamar, MUTTERZUNGE
Gert Schramm, WER HAT ANGST VORM SCHWARZEN MANN? MEIN LEBEN IN DEUTSCHLAND
Sherko Fatah, ed., WEG SEIN, HIER SEIN: TEXTE AUS DEUTSCHLAND
Short texts and poems by authors such as Sasa Stanisic, Abbas Khider, Terézia Mora, Que Du Luu, Sudabeh Mohafez, Rafik Shami, Vladimir Vertlieb, Alina Bronski, Hilde Domin, and others
Films by Rainer Werner Fassbinder and others
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Examinations and Assignments:
Bi-weekly response papers
3 short papers to be submitted in draft form, then revised
Final project that may be expository or creative in nature |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Regular attendance and participation in class discussion required.
All readings, writing, and discussion in German. |
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