Name:
Dr. Lihi Nagler
Email address:
lihi.nagler@gmail.com
Course title:
Imagining Germany - German Cinema after the Reunification
Track:
B-Track
Language of instruction:
English
Contact hours:
48 (6 per day)
ECTS-Credits:
4
Course description
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the (re)birth of a united Germany, topics such as
the new role of Berlin as the symbol of unification, what/who is “German”, collective memory
in a former divided society, and the role of the past in the present repetitively appear in
German feature films. Those films play a central cultural role in re-writing an imagined history
of German past and in shaping stylized images of the present.
This course invites students to critically study filmic representations of Germany after the
“Wende” (reunification). The course will focus on five topics: Hollywood vs. National Cinema,
Representations of Nostalgia to East Germany, The Red Army Fraction as a Cinematic
Obsession, Multiculturalism and Migrant Cinema as well as The Coming to Terms with the
Nazi Past especially in contemporary comedies. These themes exemplify how German
cinema in the last 25 years has been coping with the past and the present of a reunited
Germany. We will discuss how “New Germany’s” culture is affected by American cultural
products and how central stations in the German past such as the Nazi regime and the socalled “German Autumn” are being “(re-)written” in order to create (new) German narratives.
Discussing Germany’s present with topics such as the filmic images of immigration to the
country, the “inner-immigration” of many of the former east-Germans, as well as the (counter)
narratives of migrant cinema and the so called “Berlin School”, will allow us to better
understand the acute social complexities that Germany faces today.
The first goal of the course is to introduce a number of key ‘post-wall’ German films from the
1990s to the present. The second goal is to enable the students to acquire knowledge of
socio-cultural discourses relevant to a deeper understanding of the filmic representations.
The students will be requested to work in groups and to present their analyses in class. The
third goal is to use the unique opportunity to visit Berlin sites which are related to the course,
such as filming locations and the Museum for Film and Television.
By the end of the course the students will gain more knowledge on contemporary Germany,
its cinema and its up-to-date public discourses. They will be able to better understand how
the filmic style and content work together in order to create political meanings. Furthermore,
the students will enhance their skills to critically analysis a visual text and to comprehend the
inter-influences between filmic representations and public discourses.
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Student profile
This course is open for anyone with an interest in cinema and film in general and German
cinema in particular.
Prerequisites
The course assumes no prior knowledge of German, German films or films studies in
general. Students must be able to speak and read English at an upper intermediate level.
Course requirements
Attendance and participation in class, chairing of one discussion in class, completion of one
field trip report as well as one term paper.
Grading
Attendance and participation: 20%
Chairing one discussion in class: 20%
Field Trip Report: 20%
Term Paper: 40%
Reading
A course Reader will be provided on the first day of class.
Course schedule
Date
Program*
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Introduction: How to view a film?
A short background on the history of German cinema.
“Berlin” – How might we understand the attention
given to Berlin in contemporary German cinema?
Films: Schwarzfahrer (Pepe Danquart, 1993), Run
Lola Run (Tom Tykwer, 1998)
Friday, July 29, 2016
Hollywood vs. National Cinema
What is “National Cinema”? What is the role of
“Hollywood” in productions and discussions of
contemporary German cinema?
Film: Goodbye Lenin (Wolfgang Becker, 2003)
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
East Germany: Dealing with the past and present
Nostalgia to East Germany (Ostalgie). Filmic
depictions of problems with reintegration.
Film(s): Several film clips
Field Trip: Museum for Film and Television
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Friday, August 5, 2016
The Red Army Fraction as a Cinematic Obsession?
What was the Red Army Fraction and why did it
become a cinematic obsession in the last two
decades. The images of the terrorists as celebrities.
Film: The Baader Meinhof Komplex (Uli Edel, 2008)
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Multi Culturalism and Migrant Cinema
How does German cinema deal with immigration to the
country? How do second and third generation
immigrants challenge ideas of national identity?
Several film clips.
Film: Head-On (Fatih Akin, 2004)
Friday, August 12, 2016
Coming to Terms with the Nazi Past?
How has the German image of the Nazi past been
portrayed since the reunification of East and West
Germany? We will especially focus on comedies on
the Nazi period and Hitler as a “film star”.
Film: My Führer (Dani Levy, 2007)
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
“The Berlin School”
What are the so called Berlin School films? What kind
of images of life in contemporary Germany do these
films provide? A short discussion on the director
Christian Petzold and how his films represent many of
the topics that were discussed in class.
Film(s): several film clips.
Field Trip: Walking tour to filming locations and/or a
viewing of a new German film relevant to the course in
one of Berlin’s classical cinemas.
Friday, August 19, 2016
Wrap Up Session & The Future of German Cinema
Course Summary & Thinking about the future of
German Cinema.
*Class excursions may differ depending on the summer’s offerings. Dates and subjects for field trips may be
adjusted due to the availability and confirmation of the appointments.
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