| Unit name | Effi Briest and her Afterlives |
|---|---|
| Unit code | GERM20048 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Debbie Pinfold |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of German |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
What is it about Theodor Fontane’s novel Effi Briest (1895) that has made it irresistible to film directors in both the Third Reich and the German Democratic Republic, to one of the most prominent directors of New German Cinema, and to a twenty-first century feminist director? This unit enables you to study over a century of German cultural history through the prism of a single story: that of the seventeen-year-old heroine Effi Briest, who is married off to her mother’s former suitor in an attempt to secure social advancement and subsequently embarks on an affair with fatal consequences. It will include close analysis of both literary text and film material and will enable you to explore big questions about media transfer and adaptation, the representation of women figures in nineteenth-century and more contemporary texts, and the exploitation of canonical texts for ideological purposes.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This optional unit builds on the foundational knowledge of German history, literature and film that you acquired in year 1 and allows you to pursue your interests in specific eras in more detail. It will further develop your proficiency and confidence in the German language by asking you to engage with sophisticated authentic texts, supported by translation where necessary; the fact that the novel is available in translation makes the unit suitable for post-ab initio students. It enables you to study an example of the Realist novel, a significant cultural phenomenon in nineteenth-century Europe, and to engage with adaptation theory, thus laying foundations for units on similar topics in adjacent disciplines in the School of Modern Languages and beyond. Finally, the unit will develop your powers of critical analysis, your scholarly ‘voice’, and your ability to communicate your subject-specialist knowledge with non-specialist audiences in both oral and written form.
An overview of content
In the first half of the unit we undertake a detailed study of Fontane’s Effi Briest, a novel of adultery famed in equal measure for its realist depiction of the stifling social codes of nineteenth-century Prussia and for the spontaneous, youthful protagonist who is ultimately crushed by them. In the second half of the unit we consider five highly distinctive film adaptations of the work, including works from the Third Reich and the GDR, a Heimatfilm, a classic of New German Cinema, and a feminist reimagining of Effi’s story.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
You will apply your previously acquired knowledge of German history and culture to films which have received relatively little scholarly attention and so produce independent critical analyses of the works as a subject expert. You will work in teams and independently to articulate your knowledge and arguments about these works to a non-specialist audience, orally and in writing. You will thus not only develop effective communication skills and the ability to engage with broad audiences, but you will also acquire greater confidence in your scholarly ‘voice’.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
Effi Briest is a canonical novel which the unit director first read as a student in the 1990s; at that time, most of the secondary literature available to support her interpretation was written by male scholars. Subsequent generations of scholars and students, including the #metoo generation, have read the text very differently. This unit therefore takes an explicitly student-centred and discussion-based approach from the very beginning, proceeding largely from the questions you contribute to pre-seminar Padlets. The independent understanding of the novel you achieve by this means is a pre-requisite for exploring the very different approaches taken to Fontane’s work by directors of different eras and political persuasions; as the films have attracted relatively little scholarly attention in comparison with the novel, you are again encouraged to develop your own independent analyses through pre-seminar Padlets and seminar discussion. This discussion-based teaching enables you to develop confidence in your own analyses and scholarly ‘voice’ and flows naturally into two summative assessment tasks where you present yourself as a subject expert, articulating your arguments to a non-specialist educated audience.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
You will prepare for weekly teaching on the novel and film adaptations by responding to prompts on Blackboard and contributing questions and comments to pre-seminar Padlets. You will also have the opportunity to watch and provide feedback on your colleagues’ presentations on individual film adaptations and to receive peer feedback on your own presentation.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Examples of the assessment formats will be provided on Blackboard.
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. GERM20048).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
