Instructor: Dr. Deborah Janson
Office and Phone: G-17 Chitwood, 304/293-5121, X 5507
E-Mail: djanson@wvu.edu
Office hours: M 11:30-12:30, MW 11:30-1:30, and by appointment

Course Description:

In this course we will examine works of literature and film produced since 1989 that address social and political changes leading to or resulting from unification, or that reflect the experiences of "minority" writers and foreigners in Germany. In so doing, we will familiarize ourselves with the diverse cultural and political factors that influence writers whose aesthetic production in turn helps shape contemporary German society. Our readings and discussions should increase participants' knowledge about contemporary Germany and strengthen participants' interpretive abilities, while the semester project will provide the opportunity to conduct sustained research that may result in original literary scholarship.

Required texts:

-Ika Hügel-Marshall, Daheim Unterwegs: Ein deutsches Leben (Orlanda Frauenverlag, 1998)
-Olaf Georg Klein, Plötzlich war alles ganz anders (Köln: Kiepenheuer & Witsch, 1994)
-Monika Maron, Animal Triste (Frankfurt am Main: Fischer TBV, 1997)
-Peter Schneider, Extreme Mittellage (Rowohl, 1992)
-Alev Tekinay, Nur der Hauch von Paradies (Brandes und Apsel, 1993)
-Christa Wolf, Medea (Luchterhand 1996)

Recommended texts:

-Wolfgang Emmerich, Kleine Literaturgeschichte der DDR, 2^nd ed., (Leipzig: Kiepenheuer, 1996)
-Joseph Gibaldi, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 4^th ed. (New York: 1995) -articles on reserve

Course Evaluation:

    Participation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20%
    Diskussionsleitung . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20%
    Referat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20%
    Semester Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40%

Attendance: We will miss you if you are not here, and besides that, if you are absent for (almost) any reason in excess of 1 class period, your final course grade will be lowered by 1 percentage point per absence.

Participation: Participation in class discussion requires close and careful reading of the texts. You are expected to read each text thoroughly and conscientiously, to bring to class your ideas, questions, and interpretations, to prepare answers to the questions on hand-outs when they are provided to guide your reading, and to listen to and consider carefully and considerately what others say. Each person's full participation in class discussion is essential to making this course an intellectually stimulating and rewarding experience for everyone.

Diskussionsleitung: You will lead the discussion on a selected work for half of one class period (or for the entire period, if you prefer). At the end of the class preceding yours, you should provide a list of questions that will help guide our reading. At this time you might also want to explain briefly the work's context and which aspects you would like us to focus on. You will probably want to begin your Diskussionsleitung by providing background information about the text's genesis and its author's life, as well as a summary of important points, both those you have discovered yourself and those discussed in secondary literature. You will then lead the discussion based on the questions you have given us and the other important points you have discovered. 

As part of this component it is required that you read several works of secondary literature about the text you are discussing, not counting articles in reference works such as The Oxford Companion to German Literature. Knowing how inadequate Wise Library can occasionally be, you will need to search for relevant material early in the semester so that you can avail yourself of the Interlibrary Loan Service, should you need to. It should be clear from your presentation what secondary texts you have read, perhaps by disputing or affirming the positions taken in them. My evaluation of your performance will be based on evidence of effort, accurate and insightful scholarship, and an interesting and informative presentation that involves all class members.

Referat: This component provides us with the opportunity to expand our knowledge concerning recent German literature beyond the texts required for this course. You should present a 30-45 minute report on a topic relevant to the course topic, either on a book not read for class that has been written since November 1989, or on a political or literary-historical development that has influenced post-Wende thinking. Works of literature you may wish to report on include the following: 

          Volker Braun, Der Wendehals
          Thomas Brussig, Helden wie wir
          Günter de Bruyn, Vierzig Jahre
          *Brigitte Burmeister,Unter dem Namen Norma
          *Friedrich Christian Delius, Die Birnen von Ribbeck
          Peter Ensikat, Ab jetzt geb ich nichts mehr zu
          Günter Grass, Ein weites Feld
          *Kersten Hensel, Tanz am Kanal
          *Wolfgang Hilbig, Ich
          Helga Königsdorf, Im Schatten des Regenbogen; *1989: Oder ein Moment Schönheit
          *Erich Loest, Nikolaikirche
          Manfred Krug, Abgehauen
          *Emine Sevgi Oezdamer, Das Leben ist eine Karawanserei
          *Robert Schneider, Dreck
          Helga Schutz, Vom Glanz der Elbe
          Annette Simon, Ein Versuch, mir und anderen die ostdeutsche Moral zu erklären

          (*indicates texts I own that you can borrow)

Semester Project: The project will consist of four parts: an abstract of your proposed research paper, in which you state your thesis and how you will proceed (due March 1); a list of works cited plus the first two pages of your paper (due April 5); a 10-minute report about your topic (given as part of the "wrap-up" on April 26); and the completed research paper (due April 28). These different components will be graded. The first three components will be worth 5% each and the completed research paper 25%. You will have the opportunity to rework the first two components for a higher grade, if desired. The project must reflect familiarity with and include references to secondary literature on your chosen topic and it must be written according to the style guidelines presented in the MLA Handbook, including use of parenthetical documentation and a list of works cited. Papers should use standard size font (10 or 12 cpi), one-inch margins, and double-spacing, and should be 15-18 pages in length.

Start thinking now about a topic you would like to research-it can be on the topic of your Diskussionsleitung or other material discussed in class, or on other texts and topics belonging to the period under study, including the topic you chose for your Referat.

Our reading schedule will proceed approximately as follows:

January 19: Introduction
January 26: Klein, Plötzlich war alles ganz anders
February 2: Schneider, Extreme Mittellage+ poems by May Ayim D
February 9: Wolf, Medea (bis Teil 6) D
February 16: Wolf, Medea R
February 23 Viewing of "Nikolaikirche" 
March 1: Maron, Animal Triste (bis "Wie das Wetter...", bei mir, S. 126) D
March 8: Maron, Animal Triste R
March 15: Tekinay, Nur der Hauch von Paradies (bis S. 91) D
March 22: Tekinay, Nur der Hauch von Paradies R
Spring Break
April 5: Viewing of "Das Versprechen"
April 12: Hügel-Marshall, Daheim Unterwegs (bis 72) D
April 19: Hügel-Marshall, Daheim Unterwegs R
April 26: Project Reports; Wrap-up R

Please reread this syllabus frequently throughout the semester to remind yourself of what is coming up.

I. From German Life and Letters 50:2 April 1997; a volume titled "GDR Writers since the 'Wende'":

• Soldat, Hans-Georg. "Die Wende in Deutschland im Spiegel der zeitgenössischen deutschen Literatur." 133-54.
• Herhoffer, Astrid. "'. . . und heimatlos sind wir doch alle': Sinnverlust und Sinnstiftung in älterer und neuerer ostdeutscher Literatur." 155-64.
• Alldred, Beth. "Two Contrasting Perspectives on German Unification: Helga Schubert and Brigitte Burmeister." 165-81.
• Rock, David. "Christoph Hein und Jurek Becker: Zwei kritische Autoren aus der DDR über die Wende und zum vereinten Deutschland." 182-200.
• Tate, Dennis. "Günter de Bruyn: The 'gesamtdeutsche Konsensfigur' of Post-Unification Literature?" 201-13.
• Hilton, Ian. "Heinz Czechowski: Die überstandene Wende?" 214-26. 

• Paul, Georgina. "Schwierigkeiten mit der Dialektik: Zu Christa Wolfs Medea. Stimmen" 227-40.