GM3LNI: The German Language and National identity

Module code: GM3LNI

Module provider: Languages and Cultures; School of Humanities

Credits: 20

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Melani Schroeter, email: m.schroeter@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s): BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST TAKE GM2L4 OR TAKE GM2L3 OR TAKE GM2L2 (Compulsory)

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

A shared language is central to a sense of a shared identity among members of a social group. Students will be familiarised with developments in German history, particularly how Germany developed into a nation state. We will explore how deeply debates about the German language were embedded in this process. We will investigate how debates about language continue to reflect issues with national identity to the present day under changing political and social developments. Students will gain an understanding of the processes of standardisation and codification of language within broader political and social developments. We will look at discourse about the uses (and misuses) of German, exploring how and why language matters when a shared sense of identity is at stake. We will link views on what a language should (not) be like and how it should (not) be used with political and regulatory demands.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of different periods in German history
2. Examine and categorise a variety of thematic aspects in discourses about the German language
3. Combine historical knowledge and thematic analysis to synthesise how debates about German are shaped by historical and political developments
4. Appraise the way in which language is positioned in providing a sense of shared identity for Germans/within Germany and compare arguments made about German at different points in time

Module content

This module introduces students to the role of language in perceptions of and debates about national identity. We will start our exploration at the end of the Thirty Years’ War in 1648, when early reflections about the state of Germany as well as about using the German language for poetry and learned writing began, alongside an increasing use of German in formal and official contexts and an increasing codification of the language in the form of grammars and dictionaries. We will trace developments such as increasing levels of literacy and schooling, an expanding public administration requiring written records (as well as literacy) and an expanding public sphere sustained initially by print and later other media and consider what they mean for the use and development of German. We will look at debates reflecting the role of the German language in providing a sense of shared identity across the various German-speaking territories prior to the advent of the first modern German nation state in 1871. We will link the emergence of the latter to refreshed efforts to standardise the German language and to avoid borrowing from other language. We then consider post-war reflections of linguistic manipulation by the Nazi regime and arguments about a change in language use seen as required for a fresh start in the new post-war German states. A further crucial stage to consider in this respect is the German division between 1949-1990, sparking worry in West Germany about divergences in the use of German in East and West, while East Germany endorsed divergence as a sign of an own, separate identity. We will consider why another campaign against borrowed words was started after unification in the 1990s.  Last but not least, the use and role of German also feeds into debates about the integration of immigrants into German society. We will both trace recurring arguments over time, but also appreciate the specific circumstances under which debates about the German language are triggered. We will regard national identity as a construct and critically reflect to what extent there is or there can be such a thing as a collectively shared ‘national identity’. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The course will follow a chronological development from the 17th century to the present and look at selected notable texts from debates about German as a standard language, perceptions of language as sustaining a shared sense of identity. There will be a mixture of interactive lectures and student-led seminars. Focussed seminar discussions are based on students’ preparation of primary material and/or reading of secondary literature. Students will acquire important background information from the interactive lectures and will be guided to undertake independent work in preparation of seminar discussions and assignments. Students may also undertake an academic placement, through which they will learn how to apply the knowledge and skills gained in studying for this module in a professional context outside the University.

Study hours

At least 30 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Students may hand in a draft outline of their commentary for formative feedback.

Reassessment

Additional costs