30619 - German Language (LM)

Learning outcomes

Students gain in-depth knowledge of linguistic and discursive aspects of the German language, from both a synchronic and diachronic perspective, including its applications in textual analysis and translation. Through practical exercises, their communication skills in all areas, both active and passive, progress towards level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference, enabling them to effectively interpret the socio-linguistic and cultural codes of those involved in a communicative relationship.

Course contents

Course Structure

The course will be held during the second semester and consists of the following teaching activities:

1. 60 hours of lectures, taught by the course instructor.
2. 36 hours of language classes, taught by Dr Christiane von Stumpfeldt, native-speaker language instructor.

Regular attendance and active participation in all teaching activities are strongly recommended.

Students who are unable to attend classes are encouraged to contact the instructors by email.

Learning Outcomes of the Lectures

Upon successful completion of the lecture component, students will:

• be familiar with and able to use the terminology required for the analysis of literary texts;
• have acquired a solid understanding of the principal theories and methodologies of literary analysis;
• be able to apply these analytical approaches to Sebald's work and to broader questions concerning memory, history, and representation in contemporary literature.

Language Classes: The language classes are shared by the Master's Degree Programmes in DIPI and LMCP and are therefore closely connected to the content of the lectures. They focus on the development of written and oral proficiency in German, the consolidation of grammatical and lexical structures (including a contrastive Italian–German perspective).

 

Lecture topic: 

Memory, History and Identity in Austerlitz by W. G. Sebald

W. G. Sebald (1944–2001) is widely regarded as one of the most important German-language writers of the second half of the twentieth century. Born in Bavaria and later based in the United Kingdom, where he taught German literature at the University of East Anglia, Sebald devoted his work to the themes of memory, exile, historical trauma, and the enduring consequences of the wars of the twentieth century. His writing is distinguished by its unique combination of fiction, essay, autobiography, historical documentation, and photography, resulting in an innovative literary form that challenges the conventional boundaries of the novel.

Published in 2001, Austerlitz is considered one of the most significant works of contemporary European literature. Through the story of Jacques Austerlitz, a Jewish child rescued through the Kindertransport and raised without any knowledge of his origins, Sebald explores fundamental issues such as individual and collective memory, the Holocaust, identity, exile, and the complex relationship between history and testimony. The novel demonstrates how the past continues to shape the present and how the recovery of memory is a fragmented, difficult, and never fully completed process. Austerlitz is therefore not only a novel about the search for one's origins but also a profound reflection on European memory and the ethical responsibility of preserving the traces of history.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• understand the central themes of the novel;
• analyse the distinctive features of W. G. Sebald's literary style;
• reflect on the relationship between individual and collective memory;
• interpret the role of photography, architecture, and travel in the construction of memory.

Course Contents

The course will address the following topics:

• W. G. Sebald: life, intellectual profile, and major works;
• the publication of Austerlitz (2001) and its critical reception;
• the encounter between the narrator and Jacques Austerlitz;
• the search for personal origins and identity;
• the Kindertransport and the separation from Austerlitz's family (this topic will be complemented by a guest lecture delivered by Prof. Eva Thüne);
• Austerlitz's journey through Belgium, England, Prague, Paris, and Theresienstadt;
• memory and forgetting: memory as reconstruction, the relationship between personal recollection and European history, gaps in memory, and the return of the past;
• identity and trauma: displacement, exile, the search for one's personal history, childhood trauma, and the role of language;
• Sebald's narrative technique and the function of photographs in the novel;
• recurring symbols and motifs, including railway stations and travel, libraries and archives, architecture as a repository of memory, and Walter Benjamin's concept of the aura.

 

Readings/Bibliography

Course Texts / Bibliography

1. Lectures:

Primary Texts

- Sebald, W. G. Austerlitz. Frankfurt am Main: Fischer Verlag, 2001.

- Sebald, W. G. Austerlitz. Italian translation by Ada Vigliani. Milan: Adelphi Edizioni, 2002 (and subsequent editions).

Secondary Literature

- Öhlschläger, Claudia, and Michael Niehaus (eds.). W. G. Sebald-Handbuch. Leben – Werk – Wirkung. Stuttgart: J. B. Metzler, 2017.

This handbook is the standard reference work on Sebald's oeuvre. It includes essays on the author's biography, individual works (including Austerlitz), major themes, narrative techniques, and the critical reception of his writings.

Additional bibliographical references will be provided at the beginning of the course and throughout the semester

2. Language Classe

 The language classes will use the following textbooks:

- Akademie Deutsch B2+ (Hueber Verlag)

- Akademie Deutsch B2+ Zusatzmaterial (Hueber Verlag)

Students are expected to obtain both volumes before the beginning of the course.

 

Teaching methods

Both the lectures and the language classes are designed to be interactive and require the active participation of students. They include individual as well as group activities aimed at developing linguistic competence and enhancing language awareness through collaborative learning and interaction within the group.

Assessment methods

Assessment 1. Lecture Component

Assessment for the lecture component consists of:

• An oral presentation (Referat), delivered in German during the semester. Students will receive guidance in selecting a topic and preparing their presentation.
• A two-hour written examination. The use of both bilingual and monolingual dictionaries is permitted.

Students who do not attend the lectures are required to take the written examination and submit a seminar paper (Seminararbeit) in German (5–10 pages). The topic of the paper must be agreed upon with the course instructor well in advance.

2. Language Classes

Assessment for the language classes consists of a written examination testing the lexical and grammatical structures characteristic of the text types covered during the course. Further information about the examination will be provided during the semester.

Students attending the language classes may also give a short individual oral presentation (Kurzreferat) during the final part of the course. The Kurzreferat will be awarded bonus points, which will be added to the score obtained in the written examination.

Further information about the final language examination will be provided in due course.

Important Information

In order to complete the course successfully, students must take and pass both assessment components (the lecture component and the language component). Students may choose the order in which they complete the two assessments.

The final course grade is calculated as follows:

• Lecture component: two-thirds (2/3) of the final grade;
• Language component: one-third (1/3) of the final grade.

Students may decline the final grade. In this case, all assessment components must be retaken, including the oral presentation (Referat) for the lecture component.

To have the final grade officially recorded, students must request grade registration by email to [mailto:eva.vitzmanetti@unibo.it] within three days of receiving the last partial grade.

The examination syllabus is valid until the Winter Examination Session 2028 (January–February 2028).

Teaching tools

Virtual portal

Students with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) or Temporary/Permanent Disabilities

Students with specific learning disorders (SLD) or temporary or permanent disabilities are encouraged to contact the University's dedicated support service as early as possible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it ) as well as the course instructor, so that appropriate strategies can be identified to facilitate attendance and/or examination preparation.

Requests for reasonable accommodations must be submitted no later than 15 days before the examination date by emailing the course instructor and copying either [mailto:disabilita@unibo.it] (for students with disabilities) or [mailto:dsa@unibo.it] (for students with specific learning disorders).

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) may be used as a support tool for independent study, for example to deepen understanding of course topics, produce summaries, or engage in self-assessment activities.

However, the use of AI during in-person examinations is strictly prohibited. Any unauthorized use of AI during an examination constitutes a violation of the University's academic integrity regulations.

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Office hours

See the website of Eva Elisabeth Susanne Vitz Manetti