Undergraduate Course: The Third Reich in Literature and Testimony (ELCG10025)
Course Outline
School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
Summary | Students will read German-language texts by perpetrators and victims of the Nazi genocide, exploring the ways in which writers positioned themselves, or were forced to position themselves, in relation to their experiences. Students will assess the different ways in which these texts have been interpreted in the post-war world. |
Course description |
The course is designed to encourage students to consider witness texts from different angles, comparing perpetrator and victim perspectives and understanding the influence of language, genre and context in memory texts. In the first half of the semester, we look at two well known texts, one by a perpetrator and one by a victim, looking closely at the context of composition and investigating the contrasting narrative strategies. In the second half, we explore different statements by the same witness, a written text, a recorded trial testimony, and an extract from Lanzmann's Shoah, asking questions about how the framing of a testimony affects the way in which events are narrated.
Assessment is by essay, group presentation and pass/fail participation. Participation will consist of ALGs developing themes from the classes and working towards their group presentations at the end; they will also regularly review the work of the other groups and compare results. The aim is to develop a resource of material, references and questions to help the others
The module uses Learn as the basis for ALG work. The student presentations can be synchronous via Teams or asynchronous if necessary. The synchronous sessions will work either f2f or online. If synchronous activity becomes impossible, the synchronous sessions can be redesigned as ALG activity, with groups addressing specific questions and monitoring each other's work.
Primary texts:
Short clips of Abraham Bomba testimony for week 1
Rudolf Höß: Kommandant in Auschwitz
Ruth Klüger: weiter leben
Filip Müller: Sonderbehandlung / trial testimony / extract from Shoah
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
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Co-requisites | |
Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Only open to German Honours Students. |
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand and reflect critically on approaches to testimonial and literary writing arising from the Third Reich and the Holocaust.
- Read and analyse texts using theories of witnessing, autobiography and memory in historical context, assessing the theories critically, and show a clear appreciation of the features of texts by victims and perpetrators.
- Produce clear, well organised and critically reflective work, which develops arguments both critically and systematically with the use of relevant emphases, subsidiary points, and examples.
- Demonstrate clear communication, presentation and interaction skills, reflecting on the usefulness of materials for fellow students.
- Exercise autonomy and initiative, taking responsibility for the work of others in group work.
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Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
Keywords | DELC Third Reich |
Contacts
Course organiser | Prof Peter Davies
Tel: (0131 6)50 3632
Email: Peter.J.Davies@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Ashley Stein
Tel: (0131 6)50 4465
Email: Ashley.Stein@ed.ac.uk |
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