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2010/1 Module Catalogue
 Module Code: GER1016 Module Title: MODERN HISTORY OF THE GERMAN-SPEAKING COUNTRIES
Module Provider: Language & Translation Studies Short Name: LIG105
Level: HE1 Module Co-ordinator: SALLER C Ms (Lang & Trans)
Number of credits: 10 Number of ECTS credits: 5
 
Module Availability

All year
Assessment Pattern

Unit(s) of Assessment
Weighting Towards Module Mark( %)
Written assignment of 800 words, end of Semester 1
25%
10 minute Group presentation, Semester 2
25%
Two hour unseen examination, end of Semester 2
50%
Qualifying Condition(s)
A weighted aggregate of 40% is required to pass the module

Module Overview

This is a Level 1module for German. It is taught in the target language, over Autumn and Spring semesters, one contact hour per teaching week. Attendance is compulsory.
Prerequisites/Co-requisites
A Level German or equivalent
Module Aims

The module aims to introduce students to the history of the German-speaking countries from the middle of the 19th century to the year 2000. The approach will be thematic and will aim to provide students with an understanding of the major lines of continuity and development in German and Austrian history which have influenced the emergence of the modern states of Germany and Austria in their forms after the Second World War.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students will
  • be able to follow lectures in German and take coherent notes;
  • have acquired a foundation of historical knowledge of the development of the German-speaking world;
  • be able to identify and analyse the significance of key events and key figures in the development of the German-speaking countries;
  • have acquired the necessary skills to read, understand and interpret both historical texts and texts about history;
  • understand the relevance and value of the study of history within the study of modern languages;
  • be able to conduct independent research on given topics;
  • be able to express their views coherently in writing on matters relating to German history;
  • have developed communicative skills through group presentations and class discussions.
Module Content
The following topics will be discussed:
  • Key concepts of the 19th century: Liberalism, Nationalism, Socialism
  • The revolution of 1848, its antecedents and aftermath
  • Austro-German relations in the light of the foundation of the German state
  • Germany and Austria-Hungary and the outbreak of the First World War
  • The Treaty of Versailles and its repercussions
  • The inter-war states of Germany and Austria
  • National Socialism in its German, Austrian and European context
  • Holocaust/genocide during the National Socialist regime
  • German/Austrian resistance during the Third Reich
  • The division of Germany after the Second World War
  • The two German states and the Cold War
  • The history of the Berlin Wall
  • Political changes in East and West (1970-89)
  • German unification
Methods of Teaching/Learning

One contact hour per teaching week in Autumn and Spring semesters. Classes will be organised into lecture and discussion sessions. Students will be required to read on each of the weekly topics.
Selected Texts/Journals
Breuilly, John, Austria, Prussia and Germany 1806-1871, London: Pearson Education Limited, 2002.
Bushell, Anthony, Austria 1945-1955, Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1996.
Fulbrook, Mary, A Concise History of Germany, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993 (reprinted).
Deutscher Bundestag (ed.), Der Deutsche Bundestag im Reichtagsgebäude, Deutscher Bundestag, Referat Öffentlichkeitsarbeit, 2003.
Dirlmeier, Ulf et al (eds.), Kleine Deutsche Geschichte, Stuttgart: Reclam, 1995.
Geiss, Imanuel, Die deutsche Frage, 1806-1990, Mannheim: B.I.-Taschenbuchverlag, 1992.
Fest, Joachim C., Hitler. Eine Biographie, Frankfurt/Main, Ullstein, 1989.
Haffner, Sebastian, Anmerkungen zu Hitler, Frankfurt am Main: Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, 2003 (reprinted).
Weber, Jürgen, Kleine Geschichte Deutschlands seit 1945, Munich: dtv, 2002.
Stratenschulte, Eckart D., Kleine Geschichte Berlins, Munich: dtv, 2001.
Parkes, Stuart, Understanding Contemporary Germany, London and New York, Routledge, 1997.

August, Oliver, Along the wall and watchtowers. A Journey Down Germany’s Divide, London: Flamingo, 2000.
Last Updated

24.5.10