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HU Credits:
2
Degree/Cycle:
2nd degree (Master)
Responsible Department:
Cont. German Studies:politics, Soc.&Cult
Semester:
1st Semester
Teaching Languages:
English
Campus:
Mt. Scopus
Course/Module Coordinator:
Dr. Tobias Ebbrecht Hartmann
Coordinator Office Hours:
Monday, 12-14 (online, by prior appointment)
Teaching Staff:
Dr. Tobias Ebbrecht Hartmann
Course/Module description:
The course introduces the impact of memory on post-war German and European culture and society. Particularly in Germany, memory cultures, especially those related to the Nazi past, have a significant impact on national self-perception. Similarly, the European Union adopted politics of memory as central aspect of constructing a sense of shared but contested European identity. The course evaluates central chapters of Germany’s and Europe’s coming to terms with the past. We will focus on various memory concepts as well as layers of memory and discuss new challenges for memory culture in the digital age.
Course/Module aims:
Students independently explore different forms of memory culture in Europe and different European countries. The aim is to show that memory cultures are dynamic and conflictual and are connected at different levels. Various ways of dealing with difficult pasts are taught, as are resonances between memories of different historical events and experiences.
Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
• knowledge of the theoretical and conceptual foundations of memory cultures;
• understanding of how to deal with difficult histories in a European context
• links and relational connections between national memory cultures and different forms of memory;
• critical reflection on the significance of remembrance for current conflicts and disputes;
• analysis of forms and media of memry.
Attendance requirements(%):
80%
Teaching arrangement and method of instruction:
The course is a self-learning online course, which is divided in three modules, an introduction and a conclusion. The sessions are synchronized with the weeks of the semester. However, the course lets you choose the time when you want to learn and how fast you want to go. Each module consists of four videos and a key text (a theoretical article connecting more generally with the theme of the module).
Course/Module Content:
1) Introduction: Cultures of Memory – From Communicative to Cultural Memory
MODULE 1: COMING TO TERMS WITH THE NAZI PAST IN GERMANY
2) From Communicative Silence to Grammar of Exculpation
3) Politics with the Past in the GDR
4) Repercussions from the Past
5) Post-Unification Memory Culture
MODULE 2: EUROPEAN HOLOCAUST MEMORY
6) Contested Memories and Negative Founding Myths
7) From the first Victim to Contested Memories in Austria
8) Politics of Memory in France
9) Poland’s Conflicting Memories
MODULE 3: LAYERS OF MEMORY CULTURES
10) Transnational, Traveling and Multidirectional Memory
11) Commemorating Victims of Right-Wing Extremism
12) Memories of Terrorist Violence
13) (Post-) Colonial Memory
14) Conclusion: Post-Pandemic Transforming Memory Cultures
Required Reading:
Assmann, A. (2015) “Transformations of Holocaust Memory: Frames of Transmission and Mediation.” In: Holocaust-Cinema in the Twenty-First Century: Memory, Images, and the Ethics of Representation. Ed. Oleksandr Kobrynskyy and Gerd Bayer. New York: Wallflower, 2015. 23-40.
Assmann, J. (1995). “Collective memory and cultural identity.” New German Critique 65, 125- 133.
Ebbrecht-Hartmann, T (2021) “Commemorating from a distance: the digital transformation of Holocaust memory in times of COVID-19.” Media, Culture & Society 43:6, 1095-1112. DOI:10.1177/0163443720983276.
Erll, A (2011). “Travelling Memory.” Parallax, 17:4, pp. 4-18.
Judt, T. (1992). “The Past is Another Country: Myth and Memory in Postwar Europe.” Daedalus 121:4, 83-118.
Additional Reading Material:
A comprehensive reading list will be provided on the Moodle course page.
Grading Scheme :
Essay / Project / Final Assignment / Home Exam / Referat 60 %
Submission assignments during the semester: Exercises / Essays / Audits / Reports / Forum / Simulation / others 40 %
Additional information:
Course requirements:
• Active contribution to forum discussions
• Midterm assignment: literature review of the key articles from the three modules (5 Pages, 12 pt., Double Space); online submission deadline: 7 January 2025 (40%)
• Final assignment: home exam; online submission deadline: 2 March 2025 (60%)
• Seminar papers (25-30 Pages, 12 pt., Double Space) can be written in the course, an abstract, research question and draft bibliography has to be submitted until 8 January 2025. Submission deadline for the seminar paper is 6 April 2025.
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