Module manager: Stephan Petzold
Email: s.petzold@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
GERM2100 Victims and/or Perpetrators? Remembering the Nazi past in Germany
This module is approved as a discovery module
The past continues to occupy a prominent and often contested place in German-speaking societies, in particular the experiences of the world wars, genocide, empire and colonialism as well as National Socialist and communist dictatorships. This module examines the different ways in which the legacy and memory of different pasts have shaped the German-speaking world in the 20th and 21st centuries and how these memory cultures have changed over time. The focus will mainly be on Germany but may include aspects of Austrian, Swiss and other memory cultures. Students will study how collective memories emerged, were contested and changed through a range of different examples, including debates among intellectuals, political rhetoric, representations in film, memorials and popular culture. Particular emphasis will be placed on the wider significance of memory cultures for political and cultural developments in German-speaking societies. This module is taught through English, no knowledge of German is required. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
The aims of this module are:
- to examine German memory cultures in the 20th and 21st centuries
- to explore the links between memory and national identity to explain the contested and controversial nature of collective memory
- to analyse a variety of different practices and sites of memory, including film, trials, political rhetoric, media, literature
- to use memory culture as an analytical tool for understanding developments in German history and society more generally
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Demonstrate knowledge of key developments and debates in German memory culture
2. Analyse the wider political and cultural significance of memory cultures through an awareness of how the present is shaped by memory and how the future is imagined through the past
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
3. Gather, evaluate critically and synthesise information and perspectives from a range of sources.
4. Demonstrate creativity in generating and presenting ideas in imaginative and original ways
5. Tailor and communicate academic ideas and debates in an accessible manner to a specific non-academic audience
6. Work productively in a team towards the achievement of shared goals and outcomes through contributing positively and constructively.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervision | 2 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Lecture | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Seminar | 10 | 1.5 | 15 |
| Private study hours | 179 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 21 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Students will receive feedback on two formative assignments: (1) a short source review written for a non-academic audience, (2) a substantive group project proposal for the public engagement project.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Public engagement project | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
For a resit, students will complete an individual public engagement project of a smaller and more manageable scale than a group project.
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 24/04/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team