[ Wesleyan Home Page ] [ WesMaps Home Page ] [ WesMaps Archive ] [ Course Search ] [ Course Search by CID ]
Academic Year 2003/2004

Fascinating Fascism: Cinema and the Third Reich, 1933-1945
GERM 251 SP

This course will survey the German cinematic output during the Third Reich, 1933-45. It will take into account films that were made specifically for propagandistic purposes and those for entertainment. We will also examine several films made in Hollywood, many of them by German and Austrian émigrés, that respond to National Socialism. Among the chief concerns of the course are: defining the principles of fascist aesthetics; analyzing the careers of key figures (e.g., Leni Riefenstahl); coming to terms with the cinematic allure that Nazism has had over time. The course will include readings in film criticism and cultural history of the period.

MAJOR READINGS

Films by Veit Harlan, Fritz Hippler, Fritz Lang, Leni Riefenstahl, Detlef Sierck (Douglas Sirk) and others.

Detlev J.K. Peukert, INSIDE NAZI GERMANY
Eric Rentschler, THE MINISTRY OF ILLUSION: NAZI CINEMA AND ITS AFTERLIFE

A course reader

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Mid-term exam, film journal, final exam.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

Participants in the course should have a general interest in German history and culture. Attendance required. Course fee: $45.00.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: HA GERM    Grading Mode: Student Option   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-19-2004

Contact wesmaps@wesleyan.edu to submit comments or suggestions. Please include a url, course title, faculty name or other page reference in your email

Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459