GERM 500A Introduction to German Studies Research Methods/GERM 531 Special Topics: Memory Cultures

This course will provide students with an introduction to the essential methodologies of German studies through the analysis of how we construct, maintain, use, forget, and erase memory. Looking at the memory culture that has emerged around East Germany since 1989, students will explore a selection of sites and practices of memory and memory-making. Topics will include narratives of remembering (literature, film, television, and comics), the physical spaces of memory (memorials and museums), and the objects of memory (furniture, fashion, and food culture). Primary texts will be supplemented with interdisciplinary secondary literature to foster students’ critical engagement with East German memory culture(s) and include theory from memory studies, museum studies, cultural studies, comics studies, visual culture studies, and film and media studies. Lastly, this course will integrate practical instruction on graduate studies to support students in developing the strategies they will need to succeed in graduate school, while practicing the various genres of academic writing essential to our field.