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HU Credits:
4
Degree/Cycle:
2nd degree (Master)
Responsible Department:
cont. german studies:politics, soc.&cult
Semester:
2nd Semester
Teaching Languages:
English
Campus:
Mt. Scopus
Course/Module Coordinator:
Dr. Tobias Ebbrecht-Hartmann
Coordinator Office Hours:
Wednesday, 10:00-12:00
Teaching Staff:
Dr. Tobias Ebbrecht Hartmann
Course/Module description:
Throughout the course of history the city of Munich as well as other parts of the Federal State of Bavaria were fundamentally shaped by political turmoil, revolts and the outbreak of political violence. The 20th century as a “century of violence” in particular still affects ongoing political and cultural life in Germany. The memory of political turmoil, ideological collisions and terrorist attacks left significant traces in the landscapes of German cities. Besides Berlin the Bavarian capital Munich might be one of the most shattered metropolises in contemporary Germany. Events such as the “Bavarian Soviet Republic” in 1919, Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch in 1923, Munich’s characterization as “Capital of the Nazi Movement” during the 1930s and 1940s, postwar terrorist attacks such as the hostage crisis during the Olympic Games in 1972 and the bomb attack on the Oktoberfest in 1980 and two murders of the National Socialist Underground in 2001 and 2005 create a fabric of ‘resonating violence’. Munich’s neighboring Franconian metropolis Nuremberg was similarly shaped by the experience of political violence. Once, during the 1930s, the city hosted huge Nazi party conferences. Today the former convention center, fragmented ‘brutality in stone’ (Alexander Kluge), hosts a museum. After the war Nuremberg was place of several trials against Nazi perpetrators. In 1973 the radical left wing terrorist group “Revolutionary Cells” targeted the ITT Corporation, in 1979 a member of the Red Army Faction was arrested in Nuremberg. Between 2000 and 2009 the NSU committed three brutal murder and several bomb attacks in the city.
The study excursion will explore different cultural, historical and geographical traces of this troubling history.
Course/Module aims:
The study excursion attempts to encounter the troubled history of Munich and Nuremberg and to introduce a multitude of partly conflicting memories within German history and political culture.
Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
• explore German 20th century history through the micro-history of a city/region
• communicate knowledge about political violence in Germany,
• individually work on particular research topics and present this research to the group,
• encounter everyday life in Germany and explore different layers of memory.
Attendance requirements(%):
100%
Teaching arrangement and method of instruction:
We will visit various places of memory in the Bavarian capital Munich and Franconia's metropolis Nuremberg. The tour will include remarkable memorials, monuments and museums, including historical exhibitions and famous art collections, and is based on presentations prepared by the student participants.
For preparation the course “German Social History in the 20th Century” (Fall semester) is recommended. Parallel to the study excursion students are required to attend the course “Terrorism and Political Violence in German Public Memory and Visual Culture” (Spring semester).
Course/Module Content:
Layers of History – Traces of Violence: A Visit to the Munich City Museum
Troubling Memories and challenging Legacies: Munich City Walking Tour
Nazi Legacies I - NS-Documentation Center
Nazi Legacies II - Visit of historical places
Art and Terror –Haus der Kunst
Commemorating Resistance - “Weiße Rose” Memorial
Topography of Terror - Visit to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site
Jewish Past and Present – The Jakobsplatz as Memory Place
Resonating Violence – Commemorating Terrorism
Terror- and Memoryscapes – Visit to Fürstenfeldbruck
Protest, Culture and Modernity – Pinakothek der Moderne
Hidden Memories of Terrorism – Visit to Englischer Garten
Brutality in Stone – Visit to the Documentation Centre Nazi Party Rally Grounds
Political Violence on Trial – Visit to the Memorium Nuremberg Trials
Continuity of Political Violence – Visit to the NSU Memorial
A Forgotten Attack – Visit to the Theresienwiese
Attacking Pluralism and Democracy – Visit to the NSU Memorial
Present Challenges – Visit to a Refugee’s Home
Required Reading:
Wistrich, R. S. (1995). Weekend in Munich: Art, propaganda and Terrror in the Third Reich. London: London : Pavilion Press, 1995.
Schiller, K., & Young, C. (2010). The 1972 Munich Olympics and the making of modern Germany. Berkeley: Berkeley : University of California Press, 2010.
Brockmann, S. (2006). Nuremberg: The imaginary capital. Rochester, NY: Rochester, NY : Camden House, 2006.
Olaf Sundermeyer. Rechter Terror in Deutschland: Eine Geschichte Der Gewalt. München: Beck, 2012.
A full reading list will be provided at the beginning of the semester.
Additional Reading Material:
Course/Module evaluation:
End of year written/oral examination 0 %
Presentation 40 %
Participation in Tutorials 0 %
Project work 60 %
Assignments 0 %
Reports 0 %
Research project 0 %
Quizzes 0 %
Other 0 %
Additional information:
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