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2013/14 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

GERM3100 W. G. Sebald and the Politics of Literature

20 creditsClass Size: 14

Module manager: Helen Finch
Email: h.c.finch@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2013/14

Pre-requisite qualifications

Successful completion of Level 2 German

This module is approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module will introduce students to the works of one of the greatest German writers of the twentieth century, W. G. Sebald. Students will study a selection of his most famous texts in seminars before moving on to work on an independent Sebald project of their own in the second semester, for which they will research and gather their own materials. It ties in to research being conducted in German Studies at Leeds, in particular research into Holocaust remembrance and Dr. Helen Finch’s research on W. G. Sebald.

Objectives

This module examines the work of the German writer W. G. Sebald. Focussing on three key texts, it allows students to approach his work from the positions of historiography, literature, visual culture and politics.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module students should be able to:
- demonstrate their knowledge of the works of the German writer W. G. Sebald;
- analyse these texts using theoretical approaches taken from the fields of historiography, literary analysis, visual culture and politics;
- situate their understanding of this work in German debates about the representation of the past and memory.

Skills outcomes
On completion of this module, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate a deepening of their knowledge, gained at Level 2, of concepts and approaches to the study of German literature in a historical and socio-political context
- Read and analyse long and complex texts in the German language
- Appropriately use analytical vocabulary to respond to those texts
- Locate and form independent judgments on scholarly texts
- Formulate their own project question in response to the set texts.

Syllabus

This module examines a number of key texts by W. G. Sebald, which may include or others in the first semester.

In the second semester, students will select additional material of their choice from Sebald’s other writings for their final independent project.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Mini Conference	4	3.00	12.00
Seminar	5	2.00	10.00
Tutorial	1	0.50	0.50
Private study hours			177.50
Total Contact hours			22.50
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

Students will read primary material. Students will prepare in-class presentations. They will research and assemble the materials for their own Sebald project from one of four specified approaches (history, literature, visual culture, politics & memory).

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

In-class presentations ensure that students actively engage with the subject matter during the semesters as well as in the summative literature review and essay assessments.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Literature Review	2,000 words	30.00
Essay	4,000 words	70.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Students will write their own project titles, in conjunction with the course tutor.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 24/03/2014

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