Course: German Cultural Studies: History - Lecture

» List of faculties » FIF » KGN
Course title German Cultural Studies: History - Lecture
Course code KGN/KP14
Organizational form of instruction Lecture
Level of course Bachelor
Year of study not specified
Semester Winter and summer
Number of ECTS credits 3
Language of instruction German
Status of course Compulsory-optional
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Course availability The course is available to visiting students
Lecturer(s)
  • Voda Eschgfäller Sabine, Mgr. Dr.
Course content
The lecture examines Dada as a literary and artistic movement and its place within European culture in the first half of the twentieth century. Particular attention is paid to the emergence of Dada at the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich, its spread to other European centres, and the specific forms the movement assumed in the German-speaking countries. The course covers the historical and cultural contexts of the First World War and the interwar period, the principal representatives and centres of Dada, its relationship to modernity, politics, and mass culture, and its connections with other avant-garde movements. The lecture explores Dadaist practices in literature, the visual arts, collage, photomontage, typography, performance, and sound poetry. It also includes the interpretation of selected literary, visual, and performative works and an assessment of Dada's influence on the subsequent development of twentieth-century art and literature. Course materials consist of resources prepared by the lecturer and made available in Moodle, particularly presentations, handouts, extracts from primary texts, and reproductions of selected works of art. These are supplemented by audiovisual materials, scholarly articles, and chapters from recommended secondary literature.

Learning activities and teaching methods
Lecture
  • Homework for Teaching - 12 hours per semester
Learning outcomes
The aim of the lecture is to introduce students to Dada as a major literary and artistic movement of the first half of the twentieth century and to place it within the broader context of European interwar culture. Particular attention is paid to the emergence of Dada in Switzerland, its spread to the German-speaking countries, and the specific forms it developed in different cultural centres. Students gain an overview of the principal representatives, poetics, media, and artistic practices of Dada and become familiar with its manifestations in literature, the visual arts, typography, performance, and sound poetry. The lecture also examines Dada's relationship to the First World War, modernity, politics, mass culture, and other avant-garde movements. The course develops students' ability to interpret selected literary and visual works and to assess the significance of Dada for the subsequent development of twentieth-century art and literature.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to characterise the fundamental features of Dada and explain the historical, social, and artistic circumstances of its emergence and dissemination. They will be familiar with the principal centres, representatives, media, and artistic practices of the Dada movement and will be able to place its various forms within the contexts of the First World War and European interwar culture. Students will be able to identify characteristic poetic and visual techniques of Dada in literary, visual, and performative works, interpret selected texts and artworks in relation to their historical context, and explain Dada's relationship to modernity, politics, mass culture, and other avant-garde movements. They will also be able to assess the significance of Dada for the subsequent development of twentieth-century art and literature.
Prerequisites
The course is intended for students enrolled in German Studies programmes as well as for other interested students at Palacký University. A basic knowledge of European history, culture, and art in the first half of the twentieth century is advantageous but is not a prerequisite for completing the course. German language proficiency at approximately B2 level is expected for work with selected primary and secondary texts.

Assessment methods and criteria
Mark, Oral exam

Students prepare for the examination on the basis of the lecture content, the materials available in Moodle, and the assigned primary and secondary texts. The course is completed with an individual oral examination lasting approximately 20 minutes. During the examination, students demonstrate their knowledge of the main topics covered in the course, their ability to place Dada within the historical, cultural, and artistic contexts of the First World War and the interwar period, and their familiarity with selected literary, visual, and performative works. Attendance at lectures is not compulsory.
Recommended literature
  • Mittelmeier, Martin. DADA. Eine Jahrhundertgeschichte. München. 2016.
  • Philipp, Eckhard. Dadaismus. Einführung in den literarischen Dadaismus und die Wortkunst des ?Sturm?-Kreises. München. 1980.
  • Schäfer, Jörgen. Dada Köln. Max Ernst, Hans Arp, Johannes Theodor Baargeld und ihre literarischen Zeitschriften. Wiesbaden. 1993.


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): German Philology (2019) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): German Philology (2019) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): German for Translators and Interpreters (2019_24) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): German for Translators and Interpreters (2019) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): German for Translators and Interpreters (2019) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): German Philology (2022) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): German Philology (2019) Category: Philological sciences - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -