This course will examine major cultural, social and political events that have shaped contemporary Germany over the past two decades. As Chancellor Angela Merkel’s final term nears its end with this year’s federal elections, the course will analyze many of the watershed moments that shaped her chancellorship, such as the refugee crisis of 2015-2016, the financial crisis of 2008, the Energiewende and, most recently, the global pandemic. In drawing upon a variety of genres such as newspaper articles, opinion pieces, essays, films, and academic scholarship, we will discuss topics related to globalization, climate change, national identity and citizenship, cultural memory, social protest, migration and integration, and contemporary politics.

This course aims at developing advanced literacy abilities of summarizing, interpreting, and presenting substantial arguments in professional and academic settings. The instructor will provide all required texts and materials. (Tessa Wegener)

All course materials will be made available on the course’s Canvas site.