German 302/001: Contemporary German Literature: WWII and Beyond

Spring 2011, Buchanan D 217

Classes: M/W/F 2:00-3:00pm Dr. A. Beringer, Dep’t of CENES

Office Hours: M/W 3:00-4:00pm Office: Buchanan Tower 217
Email: aberinge@interchange.ubc.ca
Description
This course examines texts written during and after the Second World War by male and female,
German, Swiss and Austrian authors. Central to the course are questions of coping with the
recent past, what in German is called “Vergangenheitsbewältigung.” In light of this we will pay
particular attention to topics such as identity, home-coming, guilt, compliance, freedom and
memory. The course loosely follows a chronological outline, beginning with texts that
problematize the immediate aftereffects of the Second World War and ending with texts that
foreground this war’s enduring psychological and multi-generational effects. In addition to texts,
the course includes a couple of films and some visual representations contemporary with the
texts. Texts and discussion in English.

Required Texts (available at the UBC bookstore)

Borchert, Wolfgang. The Man Outside.
Böll, Heinrich. The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum.
Frisch, Max. The Arsonists.
Grass, G. Crabwalk.
Müller, H. Land of Green Plums.
Orsten, E. From Anschluss to Albion.

Readings not listed above will be made available.

Readings and Assignments

You are expected to come to class with the assigned readings completed. Our classes will be a
combination of lecture and discussion. In order to facilitate discussions, you will sometimes be
divided into groups (these will change throughout the semester). Some classes will begin with a
short reading quiz. These quizzes are primarily intended to get your thoughts about the text/film
flowing and should help you to make the transition from your previous class to ours; secondarily,
these quizzes will also verify that you are up-to-date in your work. These quizzes cannot be
made up—if you are late or absent, you will get a zero.
There are a couple of films in this course. Given that each class is only 50 minutes, the films
will be available for you to view on your own (details TBA). Film viewing is considered
homework.
You will write one shorter and one longer paper in this course. Papers are due at the start of class
on the due date; for each 24 hour period or part thereof that you paper is late, your grade
decreases by one grade step: A-B+. There is a midterm and a final exam.

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Grade
Attendance, In-class quizzes,
Assignments and Participation 10% daily
Shorter Paper 15% Jan. 31 or March 16
Midterm 25% February 23, 2010
Longer Paper 20% April 1, 2010
Final 30% TBA

Grading Criteria:
80%-100% (A- to A+)
68%-79% (B- to B+)
50%-67% (D to C+)
0%-49% (F) Inadequate performance: little or no evidence of understanding of the subject
matter; weakness in critical and analytic skills; limited or irrelevant use of the literature. (Source:
Faculty of Arts website)

Attendance
An attendance sheet will be available for each class. It is your responsibility to sign it. Lateness
will affect your grade.

Other Information
Plagiarism (www.arts.ubc.ca/arts-students/plagiraism-avoided.html):
“According to the UBC Calendar, plagiarism is “a form of academic misconduct in which an
individual submits or presents the work of another person as his or her own” (44). Simply put,
plagiarism is taking the words or ideas of another person, and submitting them without the
proper acknowledgement f of the original author.”
Please make sure that you are accessible by email.

Late Assignments/Missed Tests/Exams

Unless there are serious extenuating circumstances, make-up test/exams will not be given. Late
work will be treated as described above.

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Reading Schedule
I. The End and the Beginning: Men Returning Home
Week 1
1/5 Introduction
1/7 No class. Read Borchert’s The Man Outside for Monday.

Week 2
1/10 Borchert, The Man Outside
1/12 cont’d.
1/14 Short Stories by Borchert: “The Kitchen Clock”; “Rats do sleep at Night”

Week 3
1/17 Borchert, “Generation Without Farewell”; Lyric: Eich, “Inventory”
1/19 Celan, “Deathfugue”
1/21 Günter de Bruyn, “Someday He Really Will Come Home”

II. In the Middle: Women and Children

Week 4
1/24 Wolf, “Tabula Rasa”; Brecht, “Germany”
1/26 Langgässer, “In Hiding” and “Spring 1946”
1/28 Seghers, “The Reed”

Week 5
1/31 Film Discussion: “Germany Pale Mother”
First optional due date for shorter paper
2/2 Orsten, “From Anschluss to Albion”
2/4 cont’d.

Week 6
2/7 Group 47
2/9 Bachmann, “Among Murderers and Madmen”
2/11 cont’d.
**FEBRUARY 14-19 READING BREAK**

III. Freedom and Control

Week 7
2/21 Das Wirtschaftswunder
2/23 Böll, The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum
2/25 MIDTERM

Week 8
2/28 Böll
3/2 Müller, Land of the Green Plums
3/5 cont’d.

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Week 9
3/7 cont’d
3/9 cont’d.
3/11 Christa Wolf, “What Remains”

Week 10
3/14 cont’d.
3/16 Film Discussion: “The Lives of Others”
Second optional date for shorter paper

IV. Memory
3/18 Frisch, The Arsonists

Week 11
3/23 cont’d.
3/25 cont’d.

Week 12
3/28 Grass, Crabwalk
3/30 cont’d.
4/1 cont’d.
Long Paper due

Week 13
4/4 cont’d./ Lyric: Brecht, “To Those Born Later”
4/6 Catch up/Review/Feedback
**FINAL EXAM TBA**

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