Unit information: Christa Wolf in 2009/10

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Unit name Christa Wolf
Unit code GERM30050
Credit points 20
Level of study H/6
Teaching block(s) Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director Dr. Debbie Pinfold
Open unit status Not open
Pre-requisites

None
Co-requisites

None
School/department Department of German
Faculty Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

Christa Wolf (b. 1929) remains one of the best known and perhaps most controversial authors of the former GDR. She has been feted as a critical voice from within the system, but, following the publication of Was bleibt (1990), she was also reviled as a privileged Staatsdichterin who nonetheless wished to present herself as a victim of the regime. This unit will consider a representative selection of Wolf’s works as a means of tracing major developments in GDR writing. It will also consider the much wider social and aesthetic debates in which Wolf has been involved and especially the experimental quality of her work which has made her voice distinctive well beyond the GDR. The course will be taught through seminar discussions for which students will prepare in advance with the aid of worksheets; students will also be expected to deliver oral presentations based on their own reading and research.

Aims:

  • To introduce students to the work of one of Germanys most significant contemporary writers
  • To build on / complement other German department units
  • To develop students skills in critical analysis and independent research
  • To develop students ability to present their ideas in a structured form, both orally and in writing.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will:

  • Have a clear overview of Wolfs work and both the GDR and the wider contexts which inform it
  • Be able to engage critically with specialist literature on the subject
  • Develop their capacity for independent research, critical analysis and discussion
  • Develop their ability to present their ideas in a structured form, both orally and in writing.

Teaching Information

The unit will be taught mainly through seminar discussions for which students will prepare with the aid of regular worksheets. Students will also be expected to deliver short oral presentations based on their own reading and research.

Assessment Information

(i) One essay of c. 3,000 words (50%)

(ii) One two-hour examination, consisting of an essay and a commentary on set texts (50%).

Reading and References

  • Christa Wolf, Die Dimension des Autors: Essays und Aufs�tze, Reden und Gespr�che 1959  1985 (Aufbau)
  • Christa Wolf, Auf dem Weg nach Tabou: Texte, 1990-1994 (dtv)
  • Wolfgang Emmerich, Kleine Literaturgeschichte der DDR, revised and expanded edition (Aufbau, 2002).

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