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Lecturer(s)
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Voda Eschgfäller Sabine, Mgr. Dr.
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Course content
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The seminar examines selected topics in Austrian cultural history of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries within the context of the Habsburg Monarchy and the German-speaking countries. Particular attention is paid to the reigns of Maria Theresa and Joseph II, the Enlightenment and religious tolerance, the formation of Austrian patriotism, the Baroque conception of the human being, the Biedermeier and Vormärz periods, and the cultural transformations of the second half of the nineteenth century. The individual topics are explored through literary texts, contemporary journalism, historical sources, and visual and audiovisual materials. The seminar includes work with texts by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Franz Grillparzer, and Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, extracts from Enlightenment journalism, and cinematic representations of selected historical events and figures. Emphasis is placed on the joint analysis of materials, academic discussion, and the critical comparison of contemporary sources with their later cultural interpretations. Course materials consist of worksheets, textual extracts, assignments, and supplementary materials prepared by the lecturer and made available in Moodle. Depending on the topic, these are supplemented by scholarly texts, visual sources, documentary and feature films, and links to additional materials available online.
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Learning activities and teaching methods
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Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming), Work with Text (with Book, Textbook), Group work
- Homework for Teaching
- 13 hours per semester
- Homework for Teaching
- 14 hours per semester
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Learning outcomes
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The aim of the seminar is to introduce students to selected topics in Austrian cultural history of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and to examine their historical, social, political, and literary contexts. Particular attention is paid to the reigns of Maria Theresa and Joseph II, the Enlightenment, the formation of Austrian patriotism, the Biedermeier and Vormärz periods, and the cultural transformations of the Habsburg Monarchy during the nineteenth century. Students gain an overview of major cultural phenomena, figures, texts, and media of the period. The seminar develops their ability to analyse literary texts, historical sources, journalism, visual materials, and cinematic representations of historical events, to place them within their respective cultural-historical contexts, and to critically assess the ways in which Austrian history and culture were later interpreted and represented.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be familiar with the principal topics of Austrian cultural history in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and will be able to explain their historical, social, political, and literary contexts. They will be able to characterise major cultural phenomena, figures, texts, and media of the period and place them within the context of the Habsburg Monarchy. Students will be able to analyse and interpret selected literary texts, historical sources, journalistic materials, visual sources, and audiovisual materials. They will be able to formulate and defend their own interpretations in academic discussion and critically assess the ways in which Austrian history and culture were later remembered, interpreted, and represented.
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Prerequisites
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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 eighteenth- and nineteenth-century European history and culture 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, historical sources, and audiovisual materials, as well as for active participation in seminar discussions.
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Assessment methods and criteria
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Oral exam, Student performance, Analysis of Creative works (Music, Pictorial,Literary)
Students prepare continuously for each seminar topic on the basis of assigned texts, worksheets, and other materials made available in Moodle. They participate actively in the joint analysis of sources and in academic discussion and complete the assigned coursework tasks. The seminar concludes with an individual oral discussion lasting approximately 15 minutes. During the discussion, students demonstrate their familiarity with the principal topics covered during the semester, their ability to place the cultural phenomena and sources discussed within their relevant historical contexts, and their ability to formulate well-supported conclusions. To receive credit for the course, students must attend the seminar regularly and come prepared, participate actively in class, complete the assigned tasks by the specified deadlines, and complete the final oral discussion. No more than two unexcused absences are permitted.
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Recommended literature
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Bellabarba, Marco. Das Habsburgerreich 1765-1918. München. 2020.
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Judson, Pieter M. Habsburg. München. 2017.
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Nusser, Peter. Eine Sozial- und Kulturgeschichte. Band II: Vom Barock bis zur Gegenwart. Darmstadt. 2013.
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Vocelka, Karl. Österreichische Geschichte. München. 2019.
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Vocelka, Karl. Österreichische Geschichte. München. 2024.
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Zöllner, Erich. Geschichte Österreichs. Von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart. Wien. 1984.
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