GERMAN 322: Introduction to Cultural Studies: Cultures of Memory in Germany and Beyond
Professor Jason Groves (he/him) / jagroves@uw.edu / Office Hours by appointment in person or over Zoom
Through readings in literature, film, visual art, and music, this courses explores how individuals and communities in Germany relate to German history, as well as how the memory of the past informs the imagination of the future. In a word, this class will explore cultural memory in Germany (and beyond) through the fields of memory studies and cultural Studies, the latter being a field that asks how “culture” became a central concept in contemporary life. The course readings invite us to adopt a relational approach to cultural memory in Germany, which is to say, they ask us to reflect on practices of cultural memory in the U.S. while considering those in Germany. The course ends with a survey of recent debates concerning multidirectional memory and the future of Germany’s memory discourses.This course is taught in English and there are no prerequisites. German language texts will be available for those interested.
Credit: Unsplash/Bekky Bekks