German Expressionism (327-0-1)
Instructors
Erica Suzanne Weitzman
847/467-1849
1880 Campus Drive, Kresge Hall, Rm 3333
Office Hours: Tues, 3:30-5:30 PM and by appointment
Meeting Info
Kresge Centennial Hall 2-410: Mon, Wed, Fri 3:00PM - 3:50PM
Overview of class
This class will look at the rise and fall of German Expressionism in literature, visual art, and film from the late nineteenth century to the ascent of the Third Reich. We will discuss how the artistic and technical innovations of Expressionism reflected distinctive political, philosophical, and social ideas and conditions of Germany in the years just before and in the wake of the first World War, looking closely at the aesthetics of this short-lived but influential movement and its political and social repercussions. We will also consider certain themes and issues that Expressionist art particularly addressed, including: urbanization and cosmopolitanization; capitalism and inequality; war and trauma; portrayals of extreme states such as violence, ecstasy, and mental illness; sexuality, desire, and the representation of women; horror and the occult; the role of ethnic and cultural minorities; the appeal of the exotic; and the exploration of new or marginal psychological realities.
Registration Requirements
Three 200-level courses in German (at least one in literature)
Learning Objectives
LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR FOUNDATION LITERATURE AND ARTS
This class offers an overview of the both epoch-making and definition-resistant movement of German Expressionism in literature, visual art, film, and thought. The primary aim of the course is for students to understand the complexity and indeed disunity of this movement and the ways in which it evolved, from the early twentieth century up to its violent suppression under Nazism, in relation to the interpretations and motivations of its practitioners as well as to the different uses to which its signature ideas and images were put.
Students will learn about the historical and social contexts out of which German Expressionism arose, in particular, the rapid technological modernization and demographic and social changes of German-speaking countries in the first two decades of the twentieth century. Students will also learn about the cultural and social shifts that occurred during and in the wake of the First World War and how this affected the German-speaking world in general, and Expressionism as both ideology and art form in particular. Students will consequently be able to understand the complex relationship between aesthetic practices and social phenomena, and be able to contextualize ideas about art as well as artistic products in relation to their historical emergence.
On the example of German Expressionism, students will understand and appreciate concerns relating to modernist or avant-garde movements in art and cultural production generally, and learn about the various motivations, hopes, and dreams behind early twentieth-century calls for a revolution in artistic form. Students will also learn about the decisive development of early German cinema, and be able to track the changes in content, function, and reception that occur in the shift between genres, media, and technological possibilities.
Students will learn about the so-called "Expressionism debate" of the 1930s and beyond, in which Expressionism's relationship to a then-nascent fascism was at issue, and will be able to formulate a cogent and founded position in regard to this debate as well as to the larger political implications of Expressionism as an artistic and cultural movement, with an eye towards the complexities of artistic form and the relationship of art to politics more generally.
ADVANCED EXPRESSION
All of the class discussion, readings, and writing assignments for this course are in German, at an advanced level. Through written assignments in analytical close reading, supplemented by creative assignments, students will gain greater facility in written German, and develop a more sophisticated understanding of both the German language and the protocols of expository writing in general. Students are furthermore required to discuss all their written work with one another in peer-review workshops and to submit revised versions of all mid-term assignments, ensuring that their ability to correctly and fluidly express themselves in the German language improves steadily throughout the quarter.
Teaching Method
seminar
Evaluation Method
Attendance
Class participation
Papers
Peer assessment
Presentations
Class Materials (Required)
All texts will be made available as PDF files through Canvas. Links to films will be provided during the course of the quarter.
Class Attributes
Advanced Expression
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area