Module overview
This module will introduce you to the social, political and cultural history of Vienna and Berlin in the 20th century, German using a wide range of sources which will include literature, film and architecture.
Topics covered may include the following:
- The emergence of Vienna and Berlin and modern metropolises
- Modernist culture in Vienna and Berlin
- Jewish life in Vienna
- The post-war division of Berlin and its aftermath
- The legacy of the the Holocaust in post-war Berlin and Vienna
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- The main developments within the urban life of Vienna and Berlin during the long twentieth century
- Techniques for analysing a variety of cultural artefacts
- The variety of ways in which modernity affected the inhabitants of Vienna and Berlin in the early twentieth century
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Select, synthesise and focus information from a range of sources
- Identify concepts and data relevant to the task in hand
- Apply knowledge and understanding and analysis critically to different topics
- Formulate and clarify critical questions
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Use libraries, archives, learning resources and ICT to access relevant information
- Use ICT to produce documents and other material using a computer
- Exercise independence and initiative
- Communicate effectively and confidently in English
Syllabus
The module will broadly be divided into two parts: “Cityscapes” and “The shadow of the past” which roughly correspond historically to the early years of the 20th century and the later post-war era. Under each of these subheadings specific issues relating to society, politics and culture in Vienna and Berlin will be discussed in two to three sessions each.
Topics covered may include the following:
- The emergence of Berlin and Vienna as modern metropolises
- Modernist culture in Berlin and Vienna
- Jewish life in Vienna
- The post-war division of Berlin and its aftermath
- The legacy of the Holocaust in post-war Vienna and Berlin
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include
- lectures
- seminars
- independent study
- group discussion
- one-to-one tutorials
Type | Hours |
---|---|
Seminar | 12 |
Independent Study | 126 |
Lecture | 12 |
Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Günther Bischof (1997). Austrian Historical Memory and National Identity. New Brunswick: Transaction.
Judith E. Berman (2006). Holocaust Agendas, Conspiracies and Industries? Issues and Debates in Holocaust Memorialization. London: Valentine Mitchell.
Brian Ladd (1997). Ghosts of Berlin. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Paul Cooke (2005). Representing East Germany since Unification: from Colonization to Nostalgia. Oxford: Berg.
Nick Hodgin (2011). Screening the East: Heimat, Memory and Nostalgia in German Film since 1989. New York and Oxford: Berghahn.
Steven Beller (1989). Vienna and the Jews, 1867-1938: A Cultural History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Iain Boyd-Whyte and David Frisby (eds) (2012). Metropolis Berlin: 1880-1940. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.
Andrea Reiter (2013). Contemporary Jewish Writing: Austria after Waldheim. New York: Routledge.
Bill Niven and Chloe Paver (eds) (2010). Memorialization in Germany since 1945. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Essay | 50% |
Text analysis | 30% |
Group presentation | 20% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Text analysis | 30% |
Individual Presentation | 20% |
Essay | 50% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Essay | 70% |
Individual Presentation | 30% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External