Department of European Studies & Modern Languages, Unit Catalogue 2008/09 |
EU20727 Multikulturelles Deutschland |
| Credits: 6 |
| Level: Intermediate |
| Semester: 2 |
| Assessment: EX67CW33 |
| Requisites: |
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Aims: Migration, culture, intercultural, multicultural, transnational, transcultural: these concepts relate to complex debates in Germany's cultural and political landscape since 1945 about immigration, labour migration and political asylum. This unit examines this history by asking: how did Germany become a country of immigration? Why did it take until the late 1990s for Germans to define themselves as a country of immigration and how did developments in this area relate to the process of nation building? Which were the main waves of immigration between 1945 and the introduction of new legislation pertaining to citizenship and immigration early in the new millennium? How did German political elites manage social and cultural tensions arising out of the need for integration of its non-native population? How has national identity changed since the end of WWII, and do Germans today think of themselves as a multicultural society? How has migration and immigration been reflected in German culture? More importantly still, what contributions have immigrants and settlers with migratory backgrounds in Germany made to German culture? The unit aims to answer these questions by studying in detail the history of immigration, asylum, and settlement in post-war Germany and by relating this to developments in the area of national identity, citizenship and culture.
Learning Outcomes: On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to: * show understanding of concepts such as national identity in relation to culture; * have an awareness of processes of exclusion and othering in relation to issues of migration and immigration in Germany since the 1960s; * show understanding of key debates in German politics and culture about issues of ethnicity and migration and relate these to representations of these issues in selected texts, articles, and films; * analyse and evaluate Germany's complex history in the area of immigration and integration with a special focus on the developments between the 1960s and today. Skills: Skills in critical analysis, conceptual thinking, precision in the use of written and spoken language, exercise of independent judgement, reasoned argument, teamwork and the planning/conduct/reporting of qualitative research are developed and assessed in this unit. Language skills are developed in this unit. Content: The unit will begin with an overview of post-war migration in Germany with particular emphasis on key developments and shifts in government policy and legislation from the 'Wirtschaftswunder' of the 1950s to European integration, German unification and the growing pressures of gloablisation. It will introduce students to key concepts such as national identity, ethnicity, hybridity, and diaspora, and chart Germany's difficult and complex journey from a country that discouraged immigration and highlighted ideas of monoculture to today's multicultural, multiethnic, pluralistic and dynamic society which enjoys an increasingly diverse and differentiated culture. The following topics will be covered in lectures and seminars: * Aspects of national identity in Germany before and since 1989 * Germany as a 'non-immigration' country * The history of immigration in Germany * The cultural construction of 'self' and 'other' and processes of 'othering' * Culture and migration in German literature and films * Culture and migration in Turkish-German writing and cinema Key films and texts to be studied will be: extracts from Günter Wallraf, Ganz unten (1985), short poems by Nevfel Cumart and Adel Karasholi, Emine Sevgi Özdamar's short story 'Schwarzauge und sein Esel (Black Eye and his Donkey) (1996), extracts from Yade Kara, Selam Berlin (2003), as well as extracts from Wladimir Kaminer's Russendisko (2002) and Feridun Zaiimoglu's Kanak Sprak (1995). Films to be studied: Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Angst essen Seele auf (1974), Tevfik Baser, 40 qm Deutschland (1985), Anno Saus, Kebab Connectionn (2005), and Angelina Maccarone, Fremde Haut (2000). |