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School of Modern Languages & Cultures: Department of German

Sex and Identity in German Cultures

About this Module

The module examines constructions of sexuality and gender in a variety of textual and visual material. The course will focus on such topics as Gender in Theory and Practice around 1800;  Identity and Gender in the Fin de Siècle; From Protest to Performance: Gender after 1945. By the end of the module, students will be familiar with a range of key works in word and image, drawn from various epochs of German cultural history, in which questions of gender and sexuality are central. They will be able to situate these works in their historical, social and cultural context, and to analyse the means by which gender identity is constructed and subverted. They will also have acquired the necessary skills to conduct this analysis in the target language.

Topics running in 2012-13:

From Protest to Performance: Gender after 1945 (Term 1)

Gender in Theory and Practice around 1800 (Term 2)

Teaching and Learning

Most teaching and all assessment of this module will be in German. The module will consist of two components. The main part of each component will involve plenary sessions and seminars. Seminars, conducted in German, will be structured around student presentations in German, followed by questions and discussion also in German. Assignments will consist of one guided commentary in German for each of the two components of the module. Support will be offered to help you to prepare presentations and summative assessed work.  This module will be capped at 40.  Attendance will be monitored in all teaching sessions.

Summative Assessment

  • 2000-word guided commentary I in German (50%)

  • 2000-word guided commentary II in German (50%) 

Recommended Texts

Term 1:

  • Elfriede Jelinek: Die Liebhaberinnen (1975)
  • Irmtraud Morgner: Gute Botschaft der Valeska in 73 Strophen (1974)
  • Ingeborg Bachmann: Undine geht (1961)
  • Peter Handke: Wunschloses Unglück (1972)

Term 2

  • Gotthold Ephraim Lessing: Emilia Galotti
  • Heinrich von Kleist: Marquise von O...
  • Joseph von Eichendorff: Das Marmorbild

  • E.T.A. Hoffmann: Der Sandmann

Co-ordinator:

Dr Caitríona Ní Dhúill (caitriona.nidhuill@durham.ac.uk), Room A9, Elvet Riverside I (terms 1 and 3)
Dr Claudia Nitschke (claudia.nitschke@durham.ac.uk), Room A26, Elvet Riverside I (term 2)