German literature and literaryhistory

The course is offered as a freestanding course. Together with the courses TY1118, TY1119 and TY1116, this course corresponds to the introductory course TY1110.

The course deals with some central literary works in German 20th- century literature. The students are introduced to the history of German literature and provided with tools for analysing literary texts. The course primarily examines how literature processes human history. Special focus is placed on questions about the difference between historiography and literary narration and what importance literature can have for understanding and analysing historical and contemporary events. The student trains his/her reading comprehension and his/her vocabulary through the reading of literary texts in the original language and improves his/her productive language proficiency through oral and written presentations.

On successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• describe and reflect on differences between historiography and literary narration;
• describe different problems in the historical development of German 20th-century literature;

Competence and skills

• orally and in writing on the basis of given questions analyse the seminar texts with the help of basic literary terminology, methodology and literary knowledge;
• demonstrate an ability in reading and listening comprehension, conversation/oral and interaction at a level that corresponds to B1-B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages;

Judgement and approach

• critically reflect on the reference material used in the course and on his/her own learning process;
• on the basis of the course content, critically reflect on the importance of the acquired knowledge for the surrounding society and on humans' responsibility for how this knowledge is used.

The course is given either as an on-campus course or as an online course. The teaching on the on-campus course includes lectures and seminars. The teaching on the online course includes web-based activities on a virtual learning platform and web-based seminars.

Language of instruction: German and Swedish

To what extent the student has achieved the aim of the course is tested partly continuously during the course through oral and written presentations, partly through a written home assignment as well as through an oral final examination of the seminar texts. For components of assessing type, compulsory attendance applies.

A student who has failed a course item is eligible for a retake exam/assignment. In connection with written assignments, supplementary assignments may be offered in order for the student to achieve a Pass grade. Such a supplementary assignment should be done within the stipulated time (normally five working days after the result has been posted). Otherwise a Fail grade will be reported.

A student who has completed an exam/assignment with a passing grade is not eligible for a retake for the purpose of receiving a higher grade. Nor may a student withdraw a test/assignment once it has been submitted for the purpose of avoiding receiving a grade for the work.

If a student, who has been failed twice on the same course component being examined, wishes to change examiner before the next examination, a written application shall be sent to the department responsible for the course, and shall be granted, unless there are special reasons to the contrary (Chapter 6, Section 22, Higher Education Ordinance).

If a student has received a recommendation from the University of Gothenburg regarding study support for students with disabilities, the examiner may decide, in the case where this is compatible with the learning outcomes for the course, and provided no unreasonable resources are required, to give the student an adjusted examination or an alternative form of examination.

In case the course has been discontinued or undergone any larger changes the student is guaranteed access to at least three additional examination sessions (including regular examination sessions) within the time of at least one year. The same applies to placements and professional placements (VFU), although this is restricted to just one additional examination session.

The grading scale comprises: Pass with Distinction (VG), Pass (G) and Fail (U). The requirement for the grade of Pass with distinction on the whole course is a Pass with distinction on at least 50% of the total number of credits on the course

The students are given the opportunity to make a written evaluation of the course. The results of the evaluation are published digitally.

The course may be included in a Bachelor's Degree with German as the main field of study but not together with the introductory course in German, TY1110, or the TY1115 course.

In case the student follows the web-based specialisation of the course, the student is expected to have access to a computer with Internet connection as well as a headset with a microphone and headphones.

Equality aspects should be taken into consideration in content, literature, teaching and evaluation.