Department of European Studies & Modern Languages, Unit Catalogue 2007/08 |
EU30058 German national option G8: Gender und Transformatsionsprozesse in Deutschland |
| Credits: 6 |
| Level: Honours |
| Semester: 1 |
| Assessment: ES67CW33 |
| Requisites: |
| Before taking this unit you must take EU20042 |
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Aims & Learning Objectives: This unit aims to study of processes of significant social change in contemporary German society from the perspective of gender; to examine in particular the impact of processes of social transition and transformation on the identity, social position and opportunities of women both as citizens affected by institutional and structural reform and as agents of change. More specifically, the unit aims: * to familiarize students with feminism as a critical framework of references for the study of German politics and society; * to compare and contrast the position of women in East and in West Germany during three periods of significant social change and transformation; the immediate post-war period, the late 1960s, and the late 1980s; * to examine issues such as the withdrawal of the welfare state, economic and political reform, changing patterns of employment, technological advance, mobility of labour and patterns of migration through the prism of gender. Learning objectives: students who complete this unit successfully will be able to: *demonstrate good understanding of feminism as a critical framework of reference for the study of processes of social change in Germany; * demonstrate good understanding of the interrelationships between gender, identity, and society on the basis of three 'case studies' in the history of German society; * explain the interrelationships between ideology, social and institutional framework, and economic system in the former two Germanies and the position of women within these two states; * identify the potential and the limitations of social movements such as the women's movement as agents of significant and lasting social change; * conduct an investigation into major processes of transition and transformation in Germany since unification from a gender-based perspective that is historically precise and differentiated; * draw firm conclusions about the extent to which significant social changes such as the division of Germany and German unification may be said to have disadvantaged women in particular. Content: A comparative analysis of the goals, achievements and limitations of the women's movement as a social movement in the old Federal Republic with women's position in the former GDR will provide the background against which current debates about reform and redefinition within the women's movement in Germany will be examined. In the light of this historical perspective and of more recent developments in the new Federal states opportunities and perspectives for women's political participation and the development of strategies for social and institutional reform will be examined. The unit will cover topics such as: The first German women's movement, its goals, achievements and objectives; women in Nazi Germany and in the post war period of reconstruction and consolidation; impact, opportunities and perspectives of the new women's movement in the 1960's; a comparative analysis with women's position in the former GDR; the 'Wende' and Germany's unification process; the period of transition and transformation since 1990; counting the cost and identifying perspectives and strategies for the future. Taught in German. |