Übung (for incomings): Introduction to German History: Boundaries of Belonging – German Society in the 20th Century (Kurs A)

Dozent:innen: Franziska Kaiser
Kurzname: German History
Kurstyp: Übung

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches

Participants
- All incoming students from all academic fields are welcome
- History students from abroad are also invited to join the team
- No specific requirements, just interest in the overall topic and historical work
- Ability to read scientific texts in English.

Anwesenheitspflicht

Engagement
- Regular attendance
- Preparation reading and active participation in seminar discussions
- Development of a seminar portfolio
- One classroom presentation to kick-off seminar discussion

This is a special course bringing together students who do not study history to get to know Germany better from a historical perspective. It is not a lecture. In fact, good discussions and results will largely depend on active participation and sharing of different views.
Preparing the sessions properly and getting a good grasp of the reading materials will be key.

Empfohlene Literatur

Recommended Literature:
The course is based on selected sections of the following books:
- Mary Fulbrook, A History of Germany 1918–2014: The Divided Nation, Fifth Edition. Chichester 2021.
- Peter C. Caldwell/Karrin Hanshew, Germany Since 1945. Politics, Culture, and society: London et al. 2018.
- Jan Plamper, We are all migrants. A history of multicultural Germany, Cambridge 2023.
- Helmut Walser Smith (ed.): Oxford Handbook of Modern German History, Oxford et al. 2011.
- etc.

Inhalt

The seminar explores the boundaries of belonging in German society during the 20th century. In the first part, we will focus on National Socialism: How was the "Volksgemeinschaft” constructed, imagined and experienced, and which mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion shaped everyday life under dictatorship? What role did persecution and violence play in defining who was considered an insider or outsider? How did German society after 1945 come to terms with these crimes, and what boundaries of belonging persisted in the aftermath of dictatorship?
In the second part, we will turn to postwar Germany and the era of labor migration in the Federal Republic. How did the arrival of “guest workers” from the 1960s onwards challenge established ideas of national identity? In which ways were migrants included in or excluded from German society? What debates and conflicts arose around issues of belonging, cultural difference, and integration?
The seminar is open to incoming students from all academic disciplines and levels. Together we will discuss how the boundaries of belonging were drawn and redrawn in 20th-century Germany, and how they shaped both historical experiences and contemporary debates.

Zusätzliche Informationen

Further information:
An excursion is planned on January 5, 2026 to the Osthofen Concentration Camp Memorial. For further Information see: https://www.gedenkstaette-osthofen-rlp.de/en/osthofen-concentration-camp.

Credit points:
The number of ECTS can be adjusted individually depending on the requirements of the home university.
- 5 ECTS active participation in class + class portfolio + exam
- 2 ECTS active participation in class + class portfolio, no exam

Termine

Datum (Wochentag) Zeit Ort
03.11.2025 (Montag) 14:15 - 15:45 00 121 (K5) Übungsraum
9139 - Am Kisselberg
17.11.2025 (Montag) 09:00 - 11:00 00 131 (K6) Übungsraum
9139 - Am Kisselberg
17.11.2025 (Montag) 11:00 - 16:00 Veranstaltung findet ab 11 Uhr gemeinsam mit Kurs B im Stiftungshaus statt
12.12.2025 (Freitag) 09:15 - 15:45 00 161 (K9) Übungsraum
9139 - Am Kisselberg
05.01.2026 (Montag) 09:00 - 14:00 Exkursionstag in Osthofen
09.01.2026 (Freitag) 09:15 - 11:45 02 601 Seminarraum
1137 - Georg-Forster-Gebäude (Sowi)