Check out the trailer for this class:
https://vimeo.com/1077415425/a5c1af6910

Germany, like the United States, is a multi-cultural society and the materials examined in German 223 focus on this aspect of German culture and society, challenging you to engage with relevant contemporary issues connected to the creation of (national) identity. We study German positions on race/ethnicity, class, religion, and the like as we explore the way migration and immigration have inflected more traditional positions on these subjects. We discuss both dominant cultural values and the varieties of cultural inflections within Germany, reflecting on both the continuities as well as the changes within the literary, social, and political narratives used for the creation of a (national) identity in Germany. You will gain insight to how countries other than the United States address cultural differences, xenophobia, and the continuously evolving question of (national) identity. Through a select core of critical readings we will analyze the impact of cultural forms (books, films, etc.), on the shaping of identity. We will thus gain an appreciation for the politics of artistic representation, and learn to recognize the ways in which a nation or region’s culture may function both as a site for social control and social change.

FULFILLS: Arts & Letters, Global Perspectives, Global Context requirements.

REQUIREMENTS: Discussion board, midterm, final.