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HU Credits:
2
Degree/Cycle:
2nd degree (Master)
Responsible Department:
German Language & Literature
Semester:
2nd Semester
Teaching Languages:
English
Campus:
Mt. Scopus
Course/Module Coordinator:
Prof MICHAEL FISCH
Coordinator Office Hours:
thursday from 12.30 to 14.00
Teaching Staff:
Prof MICHAEL FISCH
Course/Module description:
Myths are not untruths, which for example have to be unmasked. Rather, myths express the self-confidence of a society and they are the narrative basis of the symbolic order of a state. Myths are constantly changing. There are risks in a myth-hostility, because the deficit of myths in today’s Germany has its price, and this consists in the absence of large narratives that can generate confidence and courage and accompany and secure political reforms. This has surprising consequences, such as a lack of political myths and structural conservatism seemingly go hand in hand. The causes for a fixation on "fantasies in the airfield" - Heinrich Heine in the book of the songs from the year 1827 - became a Dorado of the political mythography, because until 1871 myths and symbols were the only expressions of the belated nation.
Traditional myths such as the Doomsday, Olympus or Prophecy appear in german-language literature of the 20th century as well as myths from everyday contexts such as from the Blue Flower (Novalis) to the Black Flower (Stefan George) or the German Forest and the longing for nature. Myths form a living unity of poetry, philosophy and religion into contemporary literature. Despite its focus on Romanticism as a particularly mythophile epoch, modern poetry continues to obey mythology. For example Thomas Brasch, Volker Braun, Hubert Fichte, Durs Grünbein, Peter Hacks, Peter Handke, Michael Köhlmeier, Günter Kunert, Heiner Müller, Christoph Ransmayr, Stefan Schütz, Botho Strauß and Christa Wolf make use of numerous myths in their texts.
Course/Module aims:
Overview of the history of German myths in literature and culture.
Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
Introduction to the interpretation of narrative texts, overview of the reception and production of the history of traditional myths in literature and culture.
Attendance requirements(%):
Open to all students (Language skills in German desired).
Teaching arrangement and method of instruction:
Communicative method, discussion of topics and texts, application of theory to practice.
Course/Module Content:
Overview of the history of myths in literature and culture and development of a theory for its understanding.
Required Reading:
The texts are posted on the Moodle platform. Each week, extensive academic texts (in German) have to be read and understood.
Additional Reading Material:
Herfried Münkler: Die Deutschen und ihre Mythen. Reinbek: Rowohlt 2010.
Course/Module evaluation:
End of year written/oral examination 0 %
Presentation 0 %
Participation in Tutorials 0 %
Project work 0 %
Assignments 0 %
Reports 0 %
Research project 100 %
Quizzes 0 %
Other 0 %
Additional information:
The lecture is especially aimed at students in the new German Master-Program of the HUJI (Faculty of Humanities)
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