GERM 260 - Developments in German Literature

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

Topic for 2025/26b: Narrating Crises: Lessons from Young Adult Fiction in German-Speaking Culture. The past few years have been marked by drastic change, especially in technology and politics. While these challenges often feel unique to our time, they are, in many ways, not unprecedented. This course examines narratives that grapple with key moments of crisis in the German-speaking world from the Weimar Republic to today, with a focus on young adult protagonists. Heavily targeted by propaganda in Nazi Germany, young people were powerful agents of change throughout the 20^th century. Over the course of the semester, we use an interdisciplinary approach to examine how young people were shaped by traumatic events and, more importantly, how they have shaped our understanding of the German-speaking world until today. In addition to analytic papers on films, literary texts, and memoirs, students also have the possibility to explore the topic through creative writing assignments. All readings, discussions, and compositions in German. Anna Mayer.

Prerequisite(s): GERM 230 and GERM 240 or permission of the instructor.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS