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Academic Year 2004/2005

Berlin-New York-Hollywood: A Cultural History of German Exile
GERM 269 SP
Crosslistings:
AMST 190

This course focuses on the condition of exile. It takes as its main example "one of the largest and most dramatic mass migrations to this country in the twentieth century," namely, that of some 130,000 German-speaking refugees who arrived between 1933 and 1945. The course will examine several of the most significant areas that were influenced by this vital cultural shift: the American academy (e.g., the New School and the Institute for Social Research); the film industry ("Weimar on the Pacific," as Hollywood was sometimes called); and, more generally, the political and cultural debates concerning the "German Question," i.e., what to do with Germany after the war. We will explore how the exiles viewed their role and how they viewed the interplay between American and German culture.

MAJOR READINGS

Theodor W. Adorno, MINIMA MORALIA: FRAGMENTS OF A DAMAGED LIFE
Mark M. Anderson, ed., HITLER'S EXILES: PERSONAL STORIES OF THE FLIGHT FROM NAZI GERMANY TO AMERICA
Hannah Arendt, THE JEW AS PARIAH
Bertolt Brecht, JOURNALS, 1934-55
Anthony Heibut, EXILED IN PARADISE: GERMAN REFUGEE ARTISTS AND INTELLECTUALS IN AMERICA
Thomas Mann, DOKTOR FAUSTUS
Screenings include films of Fritz Lang, Otto Preminger, Edgar Ulmer, and Billy Wilder.

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Several short essays, one presentation, active participation.

COURSE FORMAT: Seminar

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

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

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-21-2005

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