- UCAS course code
- PW30
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Course unit details:
Weimar Culture? Art, Film and Politics in Germany, 1918-33
Unit code | GERM20261 |
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Credit rating | 20 |
Unit level | Level 2 |
Teaching period(s) | Semester 1 |
Available as a free choice unit? | Yes |
Overview
In his classic study of Weimar Culture (1969), Peter Gay makes a startling assertion: ‘The Republic created little; it liberated what was already there’. This course unit assesses if this was the case by examining the major currents in German art, film, music, architecture and photography between the November Revolutions and the Nazi ‘seizure of power’, when political and social instability was accompanied by great artistic and intellectual creativity. It reveals a complex and fascinating picture of an era in which Germany was briefly the laboratory of the modern world.
Aims
To develop knowledge and understanding of German history, particularly of the Weimar Republic
To develop critical thinking and higher order conceptual reasoning and analytical skills
To develop advanced skills of written and verbal communication
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this course unit, students will have developed:
knowledge and understanding of German history (see below)
a range of intellectual skills (see below)
a range of practical skills (see below)
a range of transferable skills (see below)
a range of employability skills (see below)
Knowledge and understanding
On successful completion of this course unit, students will have a knowledge and understanding of:
the principal movements and figures in German art, film, music, architecture and photography between 1918 and 1933
the key themes and forces that shaped German society in the Weimar era
basic historical methods
Intellectual skills
Critical thinking – capacity to abstract, analyse and make critical judgements
Synthesis and analysis of data and information
Critical reflection and evaluation
Expression – able to make a reasoned argument for a particular point of view
Decision-Making – able to draw reasoned conclusions
Practical skills
Using library, electronic and online resources
Essay writing and exam technique
Transferable skills and personal qualities
Information Retrieval – ability independently to gather, sift, synthesise and organise material from various sources (including library, electronic and online resources), and to critically evaluate its significance
Presentation – present information, ideas and arguments, orally and in writing, with due regard to the target audience
Literacy – the capacity both to make written presentations using appropriate language for a target population and to collect and integrate evidence to formulate and test a hypothesis
Time Management – ability to schedule tasks in order of importance and work to deadlines
Improving own Learning – ability to improve one's own learning through planning, monitoring, critical reflection, evaluate and adapt strategies for one's learning
Employability skills
- Other
- On successful completion of this course unit, students will be able to: manage time and work to deadlines participate constructively in group activities assess the relevance and importance of the ideas of others present information, ideas and arguments, orally and in writing, with due regard to the target audience demonstrate powers of analysis
Assessment methods
Assessment task | Weighting within unit |
48 hour open-book examination | 75% |
Group presentation as part of a student-led seminar | 25% |
Resit Assessment
48 hour open-book examination |
Feedback methods
Comments made during class discussion regarding the relevance and coherence of student responses/participation in discussion
Comments on seminar presentation
Advice on revision and exam preparation given in Week 12
Post-exam feedback if required
Recommended reading
Set text:
Weitz, Eric, Weimar Germany: Promise and Tragedy (Princeton and Oxford: Princeton U.P., 2007)
Recommended texts:
Bessel, Richard, Weimar Germany (London: Arnold, 2003);
Bingham, John, Weimar Cities: The Challenge of Urban Modernity in Germany, 1919-1933 (London: Routledge, 2007);
Bookbinder, Paul, Weimar Germany: The Republic of the Reasonable (Manchester: M.U.P., 1997);
Burns, Rob (ed.), German Cultural Studies. An Introduction (Oxford: O.U.P, 1995);
Bullivant, Keith (ed.), Culture and Society in the Weimar Republic (Manchester: M.U.P, 1977);
Durst, David, Weimar Modernism: Philosophy, Politics and Culture in Germany 1918-1933 (Lanham: Lexington Books, 2004);
Gay, Peter, Weimar Culture. The Outsider as Insider (London: Penguin, 1969);
Kolinsky, Eva & van der Will, Wilfried (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to Modern German Culture (Cambridge: C.U.P, 1998);
Lacqueur, Walter, Weimar: A Cultural History 1918-33 (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1974);
McElligott, Anthony (ed.), Rethinking the Weimar Republic: Authority and Authoritarianism, 1916-1936 (London: Arnold, 2005);
Peukert, Detlev, The Weimar Republic (London: Penguin, 1991);
Willett, John, The New Sobriety. Art and Politics in the Weimar Period (London: Thames & Hudson, 1978);
Williams, John Alexander (ed.), Weimar Culture Revisited (New York: Palgrave, 2011).
Study hours
Scheduled activity hours | |
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Lectures | 11 |
Seminars | 22 |
Independent study hours | |
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Independent study | 167 |
Teaching staff
Staff member | Role |
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Matthew Jefferies | Unit coordinator |
Additional notes
Please check your ‘My Manchester’ timetables for days/times.