The Life and Demise of the GDR
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| MLAC2133 | Modern Languages and Cultures | 2 | 10 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- MLAC2133
- School
- Modern Languages and Cultures
- Level
- 2
- Credits
- 10
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
This module investigates social developments in GDR society over four decades of communist rule and social changes in Eastern Germany after the demise of the GDR. Students will be introduced to the ideological principles which that the Socialist Unity Party attempted to legitimize in the GDR as the only viable alternative to fascism for a modern society. We will then look at how this ideology was enforced through state authority in every domain of society. Based on contemporary texts (e.g. GDR propaganda, GDR writers and other intellectuals) we will further examine how people negotiated their lives within these officially imposed ideological structures, exploring a range of individual responses from conformism to non-conformism and opposition. Finally we will look at a new kind of public authority during the Wende period in the GDR, which triggered the disintegration of communist power structures, and the subsequent changes in East German society.
Target Students
Available for Second Year UG Students of German and Liberal Arts, Exchange and Subsid students.
Classes
- One 2-hour seminar each week for 12 weeks
The School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies operates an attendance policy. The details of this policy can be found in the student handbook on Workspace and in module handbooks.
Assessment
- 100% Coursework 1: One 1,500 - 1,800 word essay
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
By looking at a variety of contemporary texts (e.g. GDR propaganda, GDR writers and other intellectuals) students will develop a critical understanding of the complex relationship between political, social and cultural structures in the GDR. Students will gain awareness of the different ways in which people interacted with these structures and the impact this had on people in East Germany after the fall of the GDR.Learning Outcomes
a) Knowledge and understanding:
Students will develop knowledge of key aspects of GDR history and a critical understanding of how people responded to the officially imposed ideology on a scale that ranges from conformism to doubt, and from non-conformism to opposition. They will also gain awareness of the complex interplay between the GDR past and the post-Wende present and how this affected East German society after 1989. (A2).
b) Intellectual skills:
Students will gather, process and evaluate information from a variety of paper, audio-visual and electronic sources in English and German (B1), reflect critically and judge in the light of evidence and argument (B2), understand concepts and ideas and relate them to the problems of analysing GDR society (B3), identify and describe questions and problems (B4), apply techniques and concepts appropriate for the analysis of political and historical materials (B6)
c/d) Professional practical and transferable skills:
Students will develop their skills of reading and interpreting sources of different registers in German and English at a high level and objectively assessing information of political and theoretical content.(C3) They will develop their ability and confidence in communicating ideas and arguments effectively in English, both written and in oral presentations. (D1; D2; D4) Working independently and in groups to prepare topics and texts, they will be able to develop their presentation and essay writing skills. (D1; D2; D3; D4) They will have the opportunity to assess their own progress, strengths and weaknesses. (D6) Students will be expected to organise and manage working time, schedule tasks and meet deadlines (D7) Students will need to use IT effectively both as a means of communication and as an aid to learning. (D8)