Prison Writing in Germany: Fiction and Reality (VS1) (U04459)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : LLC-4-U04108

This course investigates non-fictional writing by those with experience of prison in Germany and fictional writing about the prison experience. We shall ask what the function of writing for prisoners is, from the Nazi period onwards - what are the writers trying to achieve when they record their experience? - and how authentic fictional accounts of prison for young offenders are, by comparison with real-life experience, which we shall study in recent interviews conducted with young offenders. On a broader level we shall be questioning the idea of crime and punishment in the social and political context.

? Keywords : German prison writing

Entry Requirements

? This course is only available to part year visiting students.

? This course is a variant of the following course : U04108

? Pre-requisites : Honours entry. Also open to visiting students with fluent German and a background in literary studies

? Special Arrangements for Entry : In place of the summer exam taken by full-year students, students will give a presentation in class and submit an essay of 3,000-3,500 words.

? Costs : Cost of primary texts for the course.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

European Languages and Cultures - German, (School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, Schedule G)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 4th year

? Delivery Period : Semester 1 (Blocks 1-2)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Tutorial	Tuesday	16:10	18:00	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

The course intends to sharpen understanding of prison writing and prison literature. Students will develop their knowledge of the connections between literature and society, between fiction and non-fiction, and between writing and identity. They will be encouraged to reflect on the purpose of imprisonment and on the meaning of crime and punishment in a social and literary context.