Learning outcomes

At the end of this course, students will be able to analyse various and unknown literary texts from the perspective of the debates held in class on the subject of literature of exile and with reference to the theoretical notions developed throughout the course. The course will use articles and theoretical references to deal with works of German-language literature and to identify the various treatments of the same subject, the evolution of ideas as well as the aesthetic choices of the authors. The course also aims at the acquisition of the B2/C1 language level according to the CEFR criteria (for students whose mother tongue is not German).

Goals

• Analysis of texts from different periods on a specific theme in order to understand and describe the evolution of ideas and aesthetic choices

• Through oral presentations by students, development of oral and written skills in German

• Deepening of research and scientific writing skills through analysis and discussion of scientific articles

• This course aims at the acquisition of level B2/C1 according to the CEFR*. For native speakers of German, it will aim to develop their writing and stylistic skills.

    *https://www.coe.int/fr/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages

Content

Babylon Berlin & co. German Crime Fiction in the international context
 
As shown by the success of crime novels on the bestseller lists and the many detective series, the theme of crime and the criminal character have fascinated us since the dawn of time. Crimes and criminals are at the heart of many literary texts from all over the world.
 
After a general introduction, the aim of the course will be to analyse how these crimes and criminals are treated in a series of international texts from the late eighteenth century to the present day. We will begin with Friedrich Schiller's Der Verbrecher aus verlorener Ehre, then discuss texts such as Edgar Allan Poe's The murders of the Rue Morgue, Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment and Vicky Baum's Menschen im Hotel, before concluding with  Volker Kutscher's crime fiction and the successful series Babylon Berlin. 
 
While a central aspect of this course will be to study the way in which these texts tell the story of crime and represent the criminal, it will also look at notions such as fault, atonement and punishment. Are we criminal by nature, as Cesare Lombroso thought? Or how do we become criminals? Are all criminals guilty? And what about legal systems? These are the kinds of (still relevant) questions that literary texts will get us thinking about.

Exercices

The exercises will help the students to prepare the content of the course and their oral presentation.

Teaching methods

An interactive course which aims at the exchange of ideas and discussion between students. The course is accompanied by compulsory exercises that help the student to prepare for the lecture and the oral presentation.

Participation in any activity organised by the department as part of this course is considered compulsory.

Assessment method

• Each student will prepare a oral presentation on a work from a list that will be distributed in the first class. This presentation will count for 1/3 of the final grade. In this work, the use of AI will be approached at the level of the production of written texts which will serve as a basis for the oral presentation.

• The assessment in June will consist of a written exam which will count for 2/3 of the final grade. In this written exam, the student will be asked to analyse unknown texts and to answer general questions related to the texts treated in the course.  The use of AI will not be accepted in this phase of the evaluation.

• Access to the written examination is conditional on the preparation and presentation of the presentation during the year.

Sources, references and any support material

  • Friedrich Schiller: Der Verbrecher aus verlorener Ehre. Studienausgabe, hg. v. Alexander Košenina, Stuttgart: Reclam 2014. 
  • Theodor Fontane: Grete Minde. Nach einer altmärkischen Chronik, hg. v. Helmuth Nürnberger, München: dtv 2012.
  • List of suggested books (from the 20th century) for student presentations.
  • PowerPoint presentations and supporting documents will be made available to students via WebCampus.

Language of instruction

German