INSTITUTIONS, HISTORY AND CULTURE OF THE FIRST LANGUAGE OF CHOICE - GERMAN LANGUAGE
- Overview
- Assessment methods
- Learning objectives
- Contents
- Full programme
- Delivery method
- Teaching methods
- Contacts/Info
Sufficient knowledge of the Italian language (written and oral)
The examination consists of a written test and an oral test, both of which are designed to test the knowledge acquired and the ability to personally rework the topics covered in class and during self-study. The written test, consisting mainly of closed-ended questions, covers module A, while the oral test covers modules B and C. It is necessary to pass the written test in order to take the oral test. The final mark is determined by the average of the written and oral examination marks.
Further specific information on the final examination will be provided at the beginning of the course and made available on the e-learning platform.
The lecturer considers positively the knowledge of the notions acquired and the ability to organise them discursively, the critical reasoning on the study, the depth and relevance of the analysis and the quality of exposition.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The course aims to provide basic information and knowledge about the three German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), particularly with regard to aspects of geography, history, administrative institutions as well as language and culture. This knowledge will then be deepened from an intercultural perspective in order to foster a critical understanding of and interaction with German culture and its aspects.
A further monographic part of the course will be aimed at deepening specific topics related to the cultural landscape of German-speaking countries through the reading of literary and essayistic texts.
EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the course the student will be able to
- move through the geography of German-speaking countries
- trace the salient stages in the history of German-speaking countries
- identify the fundamental characteristics of the political, social and cultural order of German-speaking countries
- recognise the cultural differences between Italy and Germany
- mediate in order to settle possible intercultural conflicts
- understand, contextualise and comment on literary and essayistic texts on specific topics related to the culture of German-speaking countries (“Vergangenheitsbewältigung”, “Gastarbeiterliteratur”).
The course will be divided into three modules.
Module A
Module A will deal with the analysis of historical, socio-political, linguistic and cultural aspects of the three German-speaking countries. Particular attention will be paid to areas such as the historical development from the origins to the present day, the geographical configuration, the administrative, political and social sphere, customs and traditions, as well as the linguistic and cultural-literary development and situation.
Module B
Module B will examine fundamental aspects of intercultural communication, enriching the theoretical basis with concrete examples drawn from intercultural relations between Italians and Germans.
Module C
Module C will focus on the so-called “question of the German guilt” and the process of Vergangenheitsbewältigung (confrontation with the past) implemented in Germany following the National Socialist dictatorship, the Second World War and the Shoah. Through an analysis of various texts (essays and excerpts from philosophical and literary texts) and films, different approaches to the complex topic of German guilt and responsibility and its reworking in Germany from the immediate post-war period to the present day will be shown, highlighting trends and significant aspects. Thanks to this analysis, it will also emerge how the process of reworking the past and guilt has taken place in Germany and Austria in different ways and at different times. Finally, the themes of Gastarbeiterliteratur and transnational literature will be explored through the analysis of texts by authors who use German as their “adopted” language.
The extended programme will be uploaded on the e-learning platform.
Lessons in Modules A, B and C will be predominantly frontal and will prepare students for independent study at home; active participation in class discussion will however be encouraged and will form an integral part of the lessons. With particular regard to Module C, the lessons will consist of reading and commenting in class on passages of essayistic and literary texts.
The lectures will be supported by the projection of slides that will later be made available to students on the course’s e-learning platform, also used to integrate the lessons with some interactive activities.
Where relevant to the subject of study, current news from German-speaking countries will be commented in class with the possible support of sources such as newspaper articles, television reports and material from the web.
The course makes use of an e-learning platform. The slides and materials published on the e-learning platform are (unless otherwise stated) an integral part of the programme. It is therefore necessary to register for the course on the e-learning platform from the beginning of class.