Gender – ideas about masculinity, femininity, and relationships between women and men – is a central factor shaping cultural representations. Transgressions of familiar gender "roles" through practices such as cross-dressing can reflect a culture's fascination with, but also concern about, larger processes of political or social change. This course examines texts from three key moments in modern German history, reflecting on how ideas of gender have changed or stayed the same over time. We will investigate gender representations in Weimar Classicism around 1800, examining excerpts from canonical authors such as Lessing and Goethe, before moving on to media and literary representations from Germany's Weimar Republic (1918-1933), a period often described in terms of "crisis" and "decadence." Finally, we will examine gender in the German present, using film as a platform for thinking about how representations of gender transgression continue to shape popular culture and ideas about "identity" in significant ways. Students who have completed this course will demonstrate advanced levels of spoken and written expression that accord to the conventions of academic German, in addition to substantial discipline-based research skills.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:- Analyse, critique, and undertake in-depth research on literary representations in German from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries
- Analyse, critique, and undertake in-depth research on visual representations of gender from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries
- Demonstrate advanced reading comprehension skills in German through engagement with a wide range of literary, visual, scholarly, and popular culture materials
- Demonstrate an advanced level of spoken German, including highly developed skills in formal class presentations that integrate current discipline-based research
- Demonstrate an advanced level of written German, including in German academic writing and analysis that integrates current discipline-based research
Indicative Assessment
Close analysis in German of a literary text/s, 1500 words (25%) [LOs 1, 3, 5]Research essay in German, 2,500 words (45%) [LOs 1, 2, 3, 5]
Oral class presentation in German, 20 minutes (recorded) (20%) [LOs 1, 2, 3, 4]
Class participation, including online activities (Wattle) and readings to be completed outside of class (10%) [LOs 1, 2, 3].
In response to COVID-19: Please note that Semester 2 Class Summary information (available under the classes tab) is as up to date as possible. Changes to Class Summaries not captured by this publication will be available to enrolled students via Wattle.
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:a) 40 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 2 hours class per week, and 16 hours of in-class film viewing (8 films during the semester), and
b) 90 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Preliminary Reading
Johann Wolfgang Goethe, "Die natürliche Tochter" (Reclam Universal-Bibliothek)
Irmgard Keun, "Das kunstseidene Mädchen" (Ullstein 2002)
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $3570 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $5460 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
