COURSE INFORMATION

course description | grade distribution | required texts | course policies

Class Time: W 4:00 - 6:30 pm
Room: Eads 103
Instructor: Lutz Koepnick
Email: koepnick@wustl.edu
Office: Ridgley 328 / Danforth Hall 1933
Telephone: 935-4350 (Ridgley) / 935-8288 (Danforth)
Office Hours: M 1:30 - 2:30 (Ridgley) / Tu 11 - 12:30 (Danforth; call 5-8288 for building access when at main entrance)
Library Guide: http://libguides.wustl.edu/weimarcinema
COURSE DESCRIPTION

German cinema during the Weimar Republic has gained international reputation for the distorted images and haunted narratives of its expressionist filmmakers,  the uncompromising visions and dystopian fantasies of its auteur directors, the artistic interventions of its avant-gardists  and the political commitments of its realists. Like Weimar culture in general, Weimar cinema was a crucible of formal and social experimentation, a site of modernist departures  wedged between the decline of the Wilhelminian Reich and the rise of the Nazi period . This seminar explores some of the most important films produced in Germany between 1918 and 1933 and locates them in their artistic, cultural, and historical context. Aside from discussing the work of such directorsas Fritz Lang, Leni Riefenstahl, Walter Ruttmann, and Robert Wieneas case studies to explore the contested course of Weimar film history and culture, this seminar also serves as a theoretically informed introduction to the critical study of film and visual materials in general.  Discussions and readings in English. Undergraduates with permission of instructor only.

GRADE DISTRIBUTION
  • 1 essay (15-20 pages in length): 30%
  • 2 presentations: 40%
  • Attendance and participation: 30%
REQUIRED TEXTS

Materials marked "ARES" in the course schedule are available from the Automatic Reserve System at Washington University. Login and password to be announced in class.

All other books are available for purchase at the Washington University Bookstore

  • Lotte Eisner: The Haunted Screen: Expressionism in the German Cinema and the Influence of Max Reinhardt. ISBN-10: 0520257901 / ISBN-13: 978-0520257900

  • Thomas Elsaesser: Weimar Cinema and After: Germany's Historical Imaginary. ISBN-10: 041501235X / ISBN-13: 978-0415012355

  • Thomas Elsaesser: Metropolis (BFI Film Classics). ISBN-10: 0851707777 /  ISBN-13: 978-0851707778

  • Noah Isenberg, Ed: Weimar Cinema: An Essential Guide to Classic Films of the Era. ISBN-10: 0231130554 / ISBN-13: 978-0231130554

  • Anton Kaes: M (BFI Film Classics). ISBN-10: 0851703704 /  ISBN-13: 978-0851703701

  • Siegfried Kracauer: From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of the German Film ISBN-10: 0691115192 / ISBN-13: 978-0691115191

  • Eric Weitz: Weimar Germany: Promise and Tragedy. ISBN-10: 0691140960 /  ISBN-13: 978-0691140964

  • David Robinson: Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (BFI Film Classics). ISBN-10: 0851706452 / ISBN-13: 978-0851706450

  • RECOMMENDED: David Bordwell / Kirstin Thompson: Film Art: An Introduction.  ISBN-10: 0071286446 /  ISBN-13: 978-0071286442

 
COURSE POLICIES

Class participation is an important aspect of this class, and excessive absences will therefore aversely affect the final grade

Course evaluations will be available at the end of the semester at: evals.wustl.edu

Policy on Pass/Fail Grading Option:
Students who take Comparative Literature courses under the Pass/Fail option must receive a grade of C- or better in order to qualify for the Pass on their final grade.

Grade Requirement for Major and Minor:
Only courses taken for a letter grade count toward the major and minor in Comparative Literature.

Academic Integrity: Students are bound by the University policy on academic integrity in all aspects of this course.  All references to ideas and texts other than the students' own must be so indicated through appropriate footnotes, whether the source is a book, an online site, the professor, etc.  All students are responsible for following the rules outlined in the document regarding the University academic integrity policy: http://www.wustl.edu/policies/undergraduate-academic-integrity.html

Special accommodations for students with disabilities. Students seeking disability-related accommodations and guidance from the University must contact the Center for Advanced Learning Disability Resources, Cornerstone (DR) upon enrollment or once diagnosed.  Unlike high school students, college and graduate students are expected to identify themselves and to make specific requests for accommodations by notifying DR. Eligibility for accommodations is determined on an individual basis. Requests must be supported by professional documentation and must be renewed each semester. DR will guide students (undergraduates, graduate students, and prospective students) through each step of this process. Instructors will maintain strict confidentiality regarding disability issues and related accommodations, and will refer students directly to http://disability.wustl.edu/.