Cultural problems of the countries of the region - Germany 3224-D2PKKRNIE
The purpose of the class is to show the peculiarities of German culture to the 20th centuries, the factors that shape its specificity and those that determine its complexity and heterogeneity. The various aspects of culture are discussed by the prism of selected problems, phenomena and processes of society, national, ethnic, ethnolinguist, literary, artistic and ideological, perceived here in terms of their influence on the shape of culture. All of these shots are to be adopted as a source of the anthropological perspective of the categories and methods of description and analysis of the cultural planes in question. The issues raised are also presented in the context of problems characteristic of the whole of Central and Eastern Europe.
The student in the course develops his research skills, learns to acquire knowledge independently, using the support of a scientific supervisor.
The following topics will be discussed during the classes:
1. Middle Ages (Romanesque, Gothic art)
2. Early Modern Period (ca. 1450–1600): Humanism and Reformation
3. Baroque in Germany
4. Enlightenment in Germany
5. Sturm und Drang
6. Weimar Classicism
7. Romanticism
8. Young Germany
9. 19th Century (Realism, Naturalism)
10. Turn of the Century. Early 20th Century (Symbolism, Expressionism)
11. Weimar Republic (1918-1933)
12. Period of National Socialism (1933-1945)
13. After 1945 – German Democratic Republic
14. After 1945 – Federal Republic of Germany
15. German Reunification
Student workload includes:
Classroom participation – 30 hours (1 ECTS)
Preparing for classes – 30 hours (1 ECTS)
Preparation for the oral exam – 30 hours (1 ECTS)
Course coordinators
Mode
Learning outcomes
Knowledge: the graduate knows and understands:
- at an advanced level the specificity of various anthropological models of culture (traditional, noble, bourgeois, mass), evaluates the processes of their transformation and interrelationships, and interprets their manifestations in the symbolic and semiotic domains, including culture, art, literature, and the historical contexts of Germany (K_W03)
- at an advanced level, the student comprehensively investigates the history and contemporary realities of Germany, synthesizes historical issues, concepts, and ideas concerning the demarcation of Central and Eastern Europe as a region, and assesses cultural processes and phenomena in relation to social and political changes (K_W04)
- at an advanced level, the student examines the formation of national, religious, socio-political, and economic relations in the Central and Eastern European context (K_W06)
- at an advanced understanding of the broadly understood intercultural context; has knowledge of humans as entities constructing social structures and cultural products, and is aware of the principles of their functioning (K_W07)
- at advanced level understanding of the principles governing the operation of cultural institutions and national heritage, and is familiar with contemporary cultural life and its entanglements in political and social discourses in Germany (K_W10).
Skills: the graduate is able to:
- search for, select, analyse and use necessary information from various sources (K_U01)
- independently formulate and critically assess research questions, select and apply appropriate qualitative and/or quantitative research methodologies, and conduct supervised research projects within cultural studies and cognate disciplines focused on Central and Eastern Europe (K_U02)
- develop their research skills, independently acquire knowledge with the support of a research supervisor; skillfully formulate thoughts, and present research results in the form of oral or written statements (of various types) (K_U03)
- conduct a critical analysis of cultural products specific to a given era in the development of Germany; recognize different types of cultural products of Central and Eastern European countries, analyze them, distinguish different perspectives on the development of culture, being aware of the existence of differences in cultural identities and context (K_U05)
- independently prepare a written and oral statement in Polish and a foreign language on selected topics in the field of literature and present the results of their work to the group (K_U08).
Social competences: the graduate is prepared to:
- critical assessment of existing knowledge, continuous learning and supplementing acquired knowledge and skills (K_K01
- effective communication and living in society, including in a culturally diverse society, working in a team, coping with typical professional situations, verifying one's views through factual discussion and evaluating one's knowledge (K_K02)
- participating in cultural life, enjoying its various forms, as well as initiating activities in society and presenting tasks in an accessible form, including using information technology (K_K05).
Assessment criteria
I. The organization of classes:
1) Attendance at all classes, covered by the plan, shall be compulsory.
2) It is not possible to have a resit if the reason of failing the credit was noncompliance with the requirement to participate in them. In such a case a student can be conditionally registered in an successive stage of study and can repeat the failed course.
3) In case of 30 hours in semester, 2 absences without justifying are acceptable. Missed classes must be made up in accordance with the requirements of the lecturer. The requirements are provided by the lecturer during the first class.
II. Assessment Criteria:
The final grade is composed of:
Substantive participation in classes (25%)
Presentation on a topic assigned by the lecturer (25%)
Final oral statement (50%)
Grading system:
99 – 100% - 5 (excellent)
93 - 98% - 5 (very good)
87 - 92% - 4,5 (fairly good)
77 - 86% - 4 (good)
71 - 76% - 3,5 (satisfactory plus)
60 - 70% - 3 (satisfactory)
Bibliography
Czarnecka M., Historia literatury niemieckiej. Zarys, Wrocław 2011.
Karolak Cz., Kunicki W., Orłowski Hubert, Dzieje kultury niemieckiej, Warszawa 2006.
Kempna-Pieniążek Magdalena, Marzyciele i wędrowcy : romantyczna topografia twórczości Wernera Herzoga i Wima Wendersa, Centrum Studiów Niemieckich i Europejskich im. W. Brandta, Wrocław 2013.
Kitchen M., A history of modern Germany 1800-2000, Blackwell Publishing, Malden, Oxford 2006.
Mazur Z., Orłowski H., Wagińska-Marzec M., Kultura zjednoczonych Niemiec. Wybrane problemy, Poznań 2013.
Muenkler Herfried, Mity Niemców, Warszawa 2013.
Słownik współczesnej kultury krajów języka niemieckiego. T. 1 / pod redakcją Krzysztofa Ruchniewicza, Marka Zybury, Wydawnictwo Nauka i Innowacje, Poznań 2019, oraz T. 2, wyd. Poznań 2021.
Spory o Biedermeier, red. J. Kubiak, Poznań 2006.
Source texts and studies will be verified on an ongoing basis by the lecturer.