Course: WWII and Trauma in Literature and Film

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Course title WWII and Trauma in Literature and Film
Course code KGER/KDSVT
Organizational form of instruction Lecture + Seminary
Level of course Master
Year of study not specified
Semester Winter and summer
Number of ECTS credits 5
Language of instruction German
Status of course Compulsory-optional
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Lecturer(s)
  • Jičínská Veronika, Mgr. Ph.D.
Course content
1. Introduction: Literature and film, text and visual medium 2. Representing the Shoah (Rothberg/Levi), representing trauma (Bond/Craps) 3. Representing the Shoah: Arnošt Lustig, Tma nemá stín (1958) [Finsternis wirft keine Schatten] (1997) 4. Jan Němec, Démanty noci (1964) 5. Trauma and collective identity: Jurek Becker, Jakob der Lügner (1969) 6. Frank Beyer, Jakob der Lügner (1974) 7. Memory and Nostalgia: Ota Pavel, Smrt krásných srnců (1964); Der Tod der schönen Rehböcke (2008)/ Karel Kachyňa, Smrt krásných srnců (1986) 8. Historical Reflections: Bernhard Schlink, Der Vorleser (1995)/ Stephen Daldry, Der Vorleser/The Reader (2008) 9. The Reader: reception and controversy 10.-11.Final discussion: Trauma and history (Caruth)

Learning activities and teaching methods
unspecified, unspecified, unspecified, unspecified, unspecified, unspecified
Learning outcomes
The aim of the course is to familiarise students with selected films or literary works and their film adaptations dealing with the theme of World War II and trauma. The course has an intercultural and intermedia focus: Czech (Lustig) and German (Becker, Schlink) texts from the 1950s to 1990s are discussed, taking into account representation of the Shoah and historical trauma in literature and film, and different cultural identities and historical positions. Students will also gain insight into theoretical approaches to trauma as an individual, cultural, and historical phenomenon, which - together with memory, cultural memory and collective identity - is the subject of contemporary trauma studies.
The student - understands the basic concepts of intermediality and intertextuality - understands the concepts of cultural identity - understands the concepts of trauma in the context of cultural memory and identity
Prerequisites
none

Assessment methods and criteria
unspecified
To receive credit - active participation in class discussions - the student knows the discussed texts and films - in-class presentation - short final paper
Recommended literature


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester