History of German Film (228-0-20)

Topic

Fascism in Film

Instructors

Anna Parkinson
847/467-5173
1880 Campus Drive, Kresge Hall, Rm 3321, Evanston
Office Hours: By appointment

Meeting Info

University Library 5322: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

What do we mean when we say that a film is fascist? Indeed, what is fascism? In this course we will explore the fascist-era cinema of Germany under the National Socialist regime (1933-1945). We will examine Nazi-era films made under the auspices of Joseph Goebbels' Ministry of Propaganda, along with pertinent essays and historical documents. A brief historical overview and an introduction to basic terms for film analysis will provide students with a foundation for critical analysis of the films in their cultural context. Considering contemporary and historical essays on fascism alongside the films should inform how we define fascist aesthetics of these moving-images. Topics to be considered include: youth and fascist ideology; constructing the exalted "Führer" (leader) to mobilize list community; "Volk," nation, "Aryan" racial "sciences", gender roles, and ethnicity; the key role of anti-Semitism in political mobilization and the consequences; propaganda and spectacle; visual pleasure, entertainment, and distraction; media and fascism; filmic representations of war and the home front, and colonial fantasies including "Lebensraum" (the raison d'être for Nazi invasion and expansionism); and post-fascist visual culture. Approaches to these films include aesthetic cinematic analysis; examining these films in their historical context and cultural milieu; similarities/differences between international film genres. We will pursue the critical analysis of common terms including fascism, propaganda, and aesthetics. Students should emerge from this course with a deeper understanding of the powerful role that visual culture plays in politics and be able to articulate the tenacious afterlife of fascism in art and memory, and its potential futures.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze films using technically appropriate terms and concepts.
• Develop interpretative skills through visual analysis of the form and content of films.
• Elaborate a critical approach by interpreting and writing about films in their specific cultural contexts.
• Explore a select body of significant films made in fascist Nazi Germany (1933-1945).
• Understand and critique central discourses on the relationship between cinema and fascism through to post-unification Germany.
• Articulate different and interrelated representations of national, gendered, ethnic, sexual, and "racial" identity.
• Hone writing and speaking skills through a series of discussion questions and analytical papers.

Evaluation Method

Attendance
Class participation
Discussion section
Exams
Homework
Papers
Peer assessment
Presentations
Quizzes
Readings
Writing assignments

Class Materials (Required)

• Dagmar Herzog, The New Fascist Body. Wirklichkeit Books, 2025. ISBN: 978-3948200206
• Jason Stanley, How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them. Random House Publishing Group, 2020. ISBN: 978-0525511854

Class Attributes

Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area