Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

Language requisite: German A-level or equivalent standard.

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

In consonance with the overall aims of the degrees offered in the SML: to introduce students to German history, culture and society from the beginnings of the German Nation up to contemporary times and to develop their comprehension of spoken German as well as their presentation skills.

Outline Of Syllabus

The following items will be covered:
- Die Reichsgründung
- Industrialisierung
- Die Arbeiterbewegung
- Der Erste Weltkrieg
- Die Weimarer Republik
- Der Aufstieg der Nationalsozialisten
- Politik im Dritten Reich
- Juden im nationalsozialistischen Deutschland
- Widerstand gegen den Nationalsozialismus
- Kapitulation und Teilung Deutschlands
- Unterschiedliche Entwicklungen in West und Ost
- Wiedervereinigung
- Aktuelle Entwicklungen in Deutschland

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

By the end of the module, students will have gained a detailed insight into the political, economic, cultural and social developments in Germany during the period covered. They have some understanding of the most important factors that have influenced the course of German history and can place more current developments in the historical-social context.

Intended Skill Outcomes

Lectures will be held in German to improve the students' listening comprehension. Seminars and group work may be partly in English, but the source material will mainly be in German so that reading comprehension and analysis of historical paintings, political speeches, political cartoons, statistics and photographs can be practised as historical sources. Students will learn specific vocabulary and how to present historical topics orally and in writing in German.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The lectures are used to impart facts, set out problems, and suggest solutions, as well as to allow students to practice their listening comprehension and widen their vocabulary. In particular they will outline the main developments, give insights into the major factors affecting German history, and give an indication of the problems which can be encountered in the use of the sources. The seminars will allow students to focus in detail on specific aspects of the module, to work in groups and to give presentations in German, so deepening their knowledge and understanding as well as practising key skills.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Students will be asked to write a critical commentary that compares and contrasts two historical sources (one textual, one visual) that they have looked at in class. This should be situated in relation to broader historiographical scholarship. Sources will be provided in the original German, as appropriate.
This assessment develops students’ skills of critical analysis and writing skills. It encourages them to engage directly with historical sources and to engage with broader historiographical scholarship in a critical way. These skills will be developed further in semester 2 and required in the end of module exam.

The first section of the exam (30% of the exam grade) requires students to analyse an historical source that has been discussed in class in the second semester. This will be provided in the original German as appropriate, and may be either a short written extract or an image.
The second section of the exam (70% of the exam grade) includes questions that require essay-style responses. Students will answer one question. Questions will relate to materials and topics discussed in the module as a whole.

General Notes

N/A