GERM 232 - Writing the City: The Urban Experience from Expressionism to New Objectivity

FC ARHU CD

4 credits
A city in the times of crisis: how can it be represented in literature, art, and film? To answer this question, we will focus on Berlin of the Weimar era (1918-33). This was a period of political upheavals and drastic social changes that began with the emergence of the new democracy and ended with the rise of national socialism. We will explore literary and artistic reflections of the most topical aspects of life in the modern metropolis: from the everyday absurdities and anxieties to the fight against the historical inequalities. Class readings and discussions will cover works of different genres: writings by Benjamin, Brecht, Kafka, and others; films, music, and visual artworks. This course meets at the same time as GERM 332, which is the intermediate-and-above version of this course. Readings in German or English. Other class activities will include discussions and group work in English.