82-426: Topics in German Literature and Culture
This class will focus on the impact globalization has had on the German people since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. It is precisely due to Germany¿s reunification more than fifteen years ago that Germany lends itself extremely well to such an investigation: Not only did a people that had been separated and divided for forty years come together again as one nation, but specifically the downfall of socialism opened the way for the uninhibited intrusion of globalization into the East. Thus, East Germany became a microcosm of the globalizing trends found in the rest of the world, offering the rare possibility of studying the emergence of globalization from day one. We will explore the term globalization by looking at definitions of both American and German scholars and compare our findings with other terms such as ¿internationalization¿ as well as ¿Americanization.¿ Since globalization is usually used synonymously with the term Americanization to describe the growing colonization of the world by American consumer products, a rather hedonistic lifestyle, and fierce capitalism, we also want to examine the negative as well as positive stereotypes linked to American influences. How are American consumer products perceived among the German population? Other topics that will be explored in depth are: the globalization of the Holocaust and Germany¿s drive for ¿normalisation;¿ multiculturalism in German society; the German advertising industry and their use of Americanisms; the changing face of the German literary market; globalization in recent German film; and East Germany¿s relationship to globalization after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Prerequisite: Completion of 82-325 or approved equivalent.
| A | TR | 01:30 pm - 02:50 pm | PH A19A | Eichmanns |