Description:
Saudade, fika, wabi-sabi. Probably every language has a few words that are claimed to be “untranslatable”. When it comes to German, you have likely heard of Schadenfreude (the pleasure derived from another person's misfortune), maybe of Waldeinsamkeit (the positive feeling of being alone in the woods), or Torschlusspanik (the feeling of stress when you realize you might be missing out on something in your life). Another strong candidate is Heimat, referring to a certain emotional attachment of a person to a particular place or region of origin. “Homeland” probably comes closest to the word in English, but yet it does not quite have the same meaning, and comes nowhere close in cultural significance. In the cultural history of Germany the concept was so prevalent at times,that it even inspired its own genres: Heimatkunst, Heimatliteratur (in particular the Heimatroman), and most notably the Heimatfilm.
Using Heimat as a common thread, this course will travel both the cultural and political history of German speaking countries by means of a variety of media. We will investigate the roles Heimat played in the medical discovery of “nostalgia” (first diagnosed by a Swiss doctor in 1688), in the German Romantic period, in the rise of German nationalism, in the post-war Germanies, and in the German environmentalist movement – as well as the role it continues to play in contemporary German society.
Visiting canonical, critical, and pop cultural sites of interest, we will not only learn much about Germany, Germans, and their Heimat, but also ask ourselves what Heimat means for each of us, and what it could mean, or could have meant, for Americans then and now.
The course and most of the readings will be in German. Periodically, however, we will read excerpts from scholarship in English, and all film material will be subtitled. The German texts will either be short or abridged, allowing us to read a number of renowned authors in the original while focusing on context, discussion, and language practice.
Sample readings:
- Marc Crépon,“Heimat”, in: Cassin et al., Dictionary of Untranslatables: A Philosophical Lexicon (2014)
- Celia Applegate, A Nation of Provincials. The German Idea of Heimat (1990), selections
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Prometheus (1774)
- Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (1838–1961)
- Friedrich Nietzsche, Der Freigeist (1884)
- Franz Kafka, Heimkehr (1920)
- Walter Benjamin, Ich packe meine Bibliothek aus (1931)
Sample films:
- Leni Riefenstahl, Triumph des Willens (1935)
- Werner Herzog, Stroszek (1977)
- Wolfgang Becker, Good Bye, Lenin! (2004)
Grading:
- Class participation 20%
- Homework (reading, writing, and research assignments) 25%
- In-class presentation 20%
- Two quizzes 10%
- Final paper 25%