Media of literature and cultural mediation

Teacher(s)

Roland Hubert;

Language

Deutsch

Prerequisites

An introductory knowledge of German literature and a good proficiency in German (advanced level, B2 + in terms of the Common European reference framework).

Main themes

This course focuses on the active transmission of German-language literary and/or theatrical texts in their particular historical and cultural context, using analytical methods to favour communicate about those texts, orally and in writing.  
Based on a thematic and corpus that will vary from year to year, it will take an all-encompassing look at both the canonical text itself and its contemporary adaptations, for example in the cinema or in graphic novels.  
Questions of content will always be addressed in their interaction with writing and creation processes . 

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

Master a particular issue of German literature in its cultural context and both from a diachronic and synchronic perspective, in relation to the present day. They will also have developed specific skills relating to the communication of contents, for example by writing lively reviews or critiques relating to the themes covered.

This learning unit contributes to the development and command of the following skills and learning outcomes of the ELAL programmes (ELAL learning outcomes): 1.1; 1.2; 1.4; 1.5; 2.1; 2.7; 4.1; 4.3; 5.1; 5.3; 5.6; 6.1

Content

This year, the course/seminar will focus on so-called ‘intercultural’ literature (interkulturelle Literatur) and post-migration literature, i.e. texts written by authors of foreign descent who were born or arrived at a very early age in Germany and German-speaking countries. This literature has undergone significant development since the 1980s, to the point where it now represents an important societal phenomenon. Practising in particular the genre of the family or intergenerational novel, these literary voices forge links and/or bring together different points of view in our European societies, which are increasingly marked by cultural diversity.
This German-language literary production was initially a marginal phenomenon that was attempted to be defined by the terms Migrantenliteratur or even Gastarbeiterliteratur, but today it encompasses all forms of literature with multiple identities that characterise today's German society, which has become ‘plurinaitonal’: German-language literature of Turkish, Arab or Persian origin, but also from Eastern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. On a theoretical level, we will focus on the themes of exile and migration, as well as the relationship to otherness and foreignness, especially since ‘the other’ has also become, over the generations, ‘a part of ourselves.’
Authors studied: Fatma Aydemir, May Ayim, Shida Bazyar, Olga Grjasnowa, Dinçer Güçyeter. Several sessions will be devoted to films about interculturality, such as those by Fatih Akin, from a specific didactic perspective.

Teaching methods

Preparation of the analysis in small groups with the teacher.
Part of the seminar will be organised around inviting a post-migration author to Louvain-la-Neuve as part of a “Literary Lunch”, which will be integrated into the teaching unit.

Evaluation methods

Oral exam based on a preliminary written report.

Bibliography

Littérature primaire: Une sélection d'oeuvres à convenir avec les étudiant·es et qui sera annoncée dans le courant du premier quadrimestre lors d'une séance d'information. 

Littérature secondaire: Chiellino, Carmine (Hrsg.), Interkulturelle Literatur in Deutschland. Ein Handbuch, Weimar, Metzler, 2007; Müller-Funk, Wolfgang, Theorien des Fremden, Tübingen, Francke Verlag, 2016; Hodaie, Nazli / Hofmann, Michael (Hrsg.), Postmigrantische Literatur. Grundlagen, Analysen, Positionen, Berlin, Metzler, 2024

Faculty or entity

> ELAL