A Tale of Three Generations

Subject 126-477 (2009)

Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2009. Search for this in the current handbook

Credit Points: 12.50
Level: 4 (Undergraduate)
Dates & Locations:

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2009:

Semester 1, - Taught on campus.
Pre-teaching Period Start not applicable
Teaching Period not applicable
Assessment Period End not applicable
Last date to Self-Enrol not applicable
Census Date not applicable
Last date to Withdraw without fail not applicable


Timetable can be viewed here. For information about these dates, click here.
Time Commitment: Contact Hours: A 2.5-hour seminar per week
Total Time Commitment: 2.5 contact hours/week , 6 additional hours/week. Total of 8.5 hours per week.
Prerequisites: Pre-requisites for enrolment in German Honours level course.
Corequisites: None
Recommended Background Knowledge: None
Non Allowed Subjects: None
Core Participation Requirements:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Coordinator

Assoc Prof Alison Lewis

Contact

Alison Lewis
lewisa@unimelb.edu.au
Subject Overview: This subject will examine how the legacy of two German dictatorships and a failed revolution in 1968 is figured in the stories of the children. It will cover the narratives of the children of Nazi perpetrators and East German functionaries, as well as the stories of their grandchildren, and those of the children of leftist activists of the generation of '68. Students will encounter the ways generations of contemporary writers deal with the historical experiences and political ideals of their parents; how the legacy of the past is passed on in the form of a transgenerational debt or trauma. On completion of the subject students should have acquired an in-depth understanding of the interrelationships between the representation of gender, history and identity in contemporary German prose and a detailed textual knowledge of the novels under consideration.
Objectives:
  • have acquired an in-depth understanding of the interrelationships between the representation of gender, history and identity in contemporary German prose;
  • have gained a detailed textual knowledge of the novels under consideration;
  • have gained a critical appreciation of the various ways the historical experiences of different postwar generations and the legacy of their parents are encoded in contemporary fiction;
  • have developed a grasp of the conceptual issues relating to transgenerational debt, trauma and Vergangenheitsbewältigung, as well as a knowledge of the historical periods under consideration.
Assessment: A 1200-word class paper 30% (due during semester) and an essay of 4000 words 70% (due at the end of semester).
Prescribed Texts:
Breadth Options:

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.
Fees Information: Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Generic Skills:
  • have acquired skills in research, critical thinking and contextualising information;
  • also have developed skills in communicating knowledge intelligibly through oral presentations and essays in German.
Notes: This subject is taught in German. Formerly available as 126-084. Students who have completed 126-084 are not eligible to enrol in this subject.
Related Majors/Minors/Specialisations: German
German
German

Download PDF version.