German Media (307-0-1)

Instructors

Xan Holt

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-319: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

Over the past decade in particular, modes and venues of media consumption have changed drastically, resulting, among other things, in the decline of the newspaper industry amid a boom in social media applications. In this course, we will treat German-language media (e.g., print and online newspapers, TV, podcasts, TikTok) as a case study to explore our changing relationship to media and our contemporary ways of accessing information of local, national, and global significance. In doing so, we will follow current political and cultural debates in Germany, including: responses to the Israel-Hamas war and the war in Ukraine by the German government and German citizens; the potential banning of Germany's far-right AfD party; worries and excitement about the possibilities of generative Al; and current climate initiatives and activism. There will be ample room for student suggestions as well as for discussions of current events that are not yet foreseeable.

Learning Objectives

- get acquainted with the German media landscape and with topics that are currently at the center of media attention; - develop and strengthen the ability to read and analyze contemporary German media and discuss them in class

Teaching Method

Seminar

Evaluation Method

Attendance
Class participation
Group work
Paper, final
Papers
Presentations
Readings

Class Materials (Required)

N/A

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression