Civic Responsibility and Places of Remembrance: Historical Consciousness in Germany and Beyond
GRST 294
Spring 2025
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
COL 194 |
The Holocaust, Germany's STASI terror, resistance to dictatorships, debates about Germany's war memorials, and colonial history come to mind when we think of 20th-century Germany. In this seminar we will pursue the questions: What do we remember? How do we remember? What are places of remembrance, how are they created, and what functions do they have in our society and for us personally? The term "places of remembrance" comes from the French (lieux de mémoire, literally, places of memory). This term was coined by the French historian Pierre Nora. For him, places of remembrance are not only material places, but also the so-called 'immaterial' places such as people, data and concepts that are anchored in people's collective memory and have an identity-forming function. In relation to Germany, places of remembrance can be specific places (like Weimar) or memorial sites (the Auschwitz concentration camp), but also buildings (Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin), monuments (Bismarck Monument in Hamburg), people (e.g., names of people on street signs), events (Fall of the Wall), customs (Christmas) or symbols. The French sociologist Maurice Halbwachs, who was murdered at Buchenwald, described memories as a connective structure. They connect people socially and temporally. But not only individuals, also societies, nations and cultures remember (= collective memory). According to Halbwachs, crystallization points or places of memory are needed for this process. Like pieces in a mosaic, these form the identity of a culture, a nation, or a society. Their meaning and their perception can change over time. Some things can also be forgotten, but places of remembrance can help us avoid forgetting. With this caveat in mind, we want--among other things--to explore, discuss, and present "places of remembrance" and the role of memory culture in Germany and beyond. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA GRST |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Major Requirement for: None |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
The readings will include excerpts from the writings of Aleida Assmann, Michael Rothberg, Saul Friedländer, Britta Shilling as well as from autobiographies of different authors. Films will include: Measures of Men, The Nasty Girl, The White Rose, The Lives of Others, The SS-Man and the Girl.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Assignments will include discussion moderation, one paper, and a final project consisting of a paper and PowerPoint or similar presentation. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
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| Instructor(s): Bork-Goldfield,Iris Times: ..T.R.. 01:20PM-02:40PM; Location: TBA |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 16 | | SR major: 3 | JR major: 3 | | |
| Seats Available: 16 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 2 | JR non-major: 3 | SO: 3 | FR: 2 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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