Undergraduate Course: Goethe and Schiller (Ordinary) (ELCG09011)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 9 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course focuses on a selection of works by Goethe and Schiller which led them to become the most iconic German writers of their time and beyond. The first bestseller novel in Germany was Goethe's Die Leiden des jungen Werther (1774) and it broke the mould with its controversial theme of suicide. He presents a sentimental, emotional and self-destructive tragic hero as an alternative to heroic masculinity. Both their respective first plays, Goethe's Götz von Berlichingen (1773) and Schiller's Die Räuber (1781), question the place of the "warrior" hero in a modern society. Goethe's knight Götz nobly clings on to the old chivalric ways at the dawn of the modern era of civil justice around the year 1500 in Germany, whereas Schiller's Karl Moor is a new configuration of a deviant tragic hero with vices. Schiller rejects the Aristotelian dramatic tradition by arguing that the suffering of a criminal can be as tragic as that of a virtuous man. Both tragedies gave voice to major changes in German theatre which embraced the spirit of Shakespeare and address the struggle of the self to achieve autonomy. These two plays focus on free will, free action and emancipation from social restrictions. We will also discuss how Schiller develops his ideas on freedom in Über die ästhetische Erziehung des Menschen (1795), an anthropology which concentrates on the aesthetic development of mankind and evolution. This philosophical work reflects on the idea that a cultural and aesthetic education leads to moral and physical freedom. In the final part of the course, you will study the first part of Goethe's most famous work, Faust (1808) -- a "must" for students of German Studies. This will round off our discussion of the effects of education on the individual. The Faustian drive is a desire for the experience and knowledge of the world that knows no boundaries and is uncompromising in its longing for the experience of totality. |
| Course description |
Syllabus
Week 1: Goethe: Götz von Berlichingen (1773)
Week 2: Goethe: Götz von Berlichingen (1773)
Week 3: Goethe: Die Leiden des jungen Werther (the revised second edition of 1787)
Week 4: Goethe: Die Leiden des jungen Werther
Week 5: Schiller: Die Räuber (1781)
Week 6: Schiller: Die Räuber (1781)
Week 7: Schiller: Über die ästhetische Erziehung des Menschen (1795)
Week 8: Schiller: Über die ästhetische Erziehung des Menschen (1795)
Week 9: Goethe, Faust I (1808)
Week 10: Goethe, Faust I (1808)
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | Essential course texts |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Advanced knowledge of spoken and written German and the ability to study German literature in the original language. Ideally, university level German literature courses. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2014/15, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
One coursework essay: 2- 2,500 words (50%)
One examination: 1 hr 30 mins exam (50%) |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 1:30 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key literary and philosophical texts by Goethe and Schiller
- develop skills in analysing literary texts
- develop presentation skills
- develop essay writing skills, critical thinking and constructing arguments
- develop research skills
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Eleoma Bodammer
Tel: (0131 6)50 3639
Email: Eleoma.Bodammer@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr David Warnock
Tel: (0131 6)50 3646
Email: David.Warnock@ed.ac.uk |
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