Politics and the Psyche:
Modern Austrian Literature and Culture
This course introduces students to modern Austrian literature and culture, from Viennese Modernism around 1900 to transcultural writing in the present. It is organized around a number of engaging writers, texts, and themes. Multilingualism, language criticism, memory politics and other significant topics will be addressed. Literary texts are in German; class discussion will be conducted in German and English. Readings include prose and poetry by a diverse group of engaging writers, past and present: Ingeborg Bachmann, Elfriede Gerstl, Joseph Roth, Arthur Schnitzler, Veza Canetti, Ruth Klüger, Eva Menasse, Stefan Zweig, Elias Canetti, Tonio Schachinger, Faika El-Nagashi and Mireille Ngosso. Recommended level of preparation: German 301, 302 or 303. Required: German 203 or equivalent. Course grade is based on class work, reading journals, a team project, a midterm, and a final exam essay.