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2016/17 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

GERM2400 Gender, Culture and Representation in German History 1871-2000

20 creditsClass Size: 10

Module manager: Dr Ingrid Sharp
Email: i.e.sharp@leeds.ac.uk

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

Year running 2016/17

Pre-requisite qualifications

German 1030 or A-Level equivalent active knowledge of written and spoken German.

This module is approved as a discovery module

Module summary

This module aims to provide students with a good grasp of the terms of the debate, of how gender can be used as a tool of historical enquiry and of how constructions of gender and sexuality affect and are affected by historical events. They will have a good understanding of the assumptions made about the role and nature of the sexes in 19th and 20th Century Germany and of the extent to which ascribed gender differences limited women's access to social and economic resources. The major focus of this module will be representations of gender at key points in German history, representations which will be explored both as works in their own right and in relation to the overall aim of the module.

Objectives

At the end of this module, students will have a good grasp of the terms of the debate, of how gender can be used as a tool of historical enquiry and of how constructions of gender and sexuality affect and are affected by historical events. They will have a good understanding of the assumptions made about the role and nature of the sexes in 19th and 20th Century Germany and of the extent to which ascribed gender differences limited women's access to social and economic resources.

The major focus of this module will be representations of gender at key points in German history, representations which will be explored both as works in their own right and in relation to the overall aim of the module.

Skills outcomes
On completion of this module, students ability to understand and produce written and spoken German and to express their ideas at an appropriate level will be enhanced.They should be able, in the format of oral discussion/presentation and in written assignments/examinations,

- to demonstrate that they have deepened their knowledge, gained at Level 1, of basic concepts and approaches to the study of contemporary German society politics and culture;
- to analyse and discuss a wide range of texts and views;
- to analyse and apply secondary sources.
- to use secondary and primary sources to formulate and present a cogent and coherent analysis of relevant historical events or cultural production.

Syllabus

Theoretical discussions in the past decades have demonstrated that gender and sexuality are important categories of historical analysis with traditional ideas of gender difference acting as a key organizing concept of institutions and practices in culture and society. In Western culture, the concept of gender is informed largely by binary thinking which positions male and female as opposites whose pairing is "natural" and analogous to a variety of other dualisms: mind:body, intellect:body; reason:irrationality, and so forth. Biological theories of difference, which continue to play a large part in constructing relations of gender, are largely concerned with male and female reproductive roles, reducing gender relations and physical, emotional, and intellectual characteristics to questions of genetics or reproductive fitness. Early campaigns to improve the position of women tended to leave separate sphere ideology intact and privilege the experience of women as mothers over all other areas of female activity. The two World Wars had a major effect on concepts of gender identity and gender roles, while the period of division of Germany between 1949 and 1989 allowed attitudes to gender, difference and sexuality to develop in distinct and ideologically determined ways.
This module explores the construction and representation of gender roles and ideas about sexuality in European society from the Unification of Germany in 1871 to the present day and examines how gender is structured and represented in a variety of arenas including art, literature, film, the media, law, and popular culture.
The module will be conducted entirely in German.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Seminar	20	1.50	30.00
Private study hours			170.00
Total Contact hours			30.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

6 hours per seminar (120)
25 hours for exam preparation
25 hours for essay preparation.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

This will be carried out by unassessed student-led seminars.
The class is taught and examined in German, using source materials in the target language. It is therefore appropriate and in line with current practice to consider this when determining the overall assessment load.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	2,000 - 2,500 words in German to be submitted by the first day of examinations in semester 2	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc)	2 hr 00 mins	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 23/03/2015

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