Minne as a cultural phenomenon in the Middle Ages
(interdisciplinary event with the Department of History)
The courtly culture of the High Middle Ages is inconceivable without the staging of minne. Equating it with our modern concept of 'love' falls short of the mark. Rather, the term 'Minne' is a cipher that conceals a multi-layered concept of cultural practice that flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries. Literary sources in particular bear witness to this - and at the same time are themselves an expression of cultural behaviour.
In the exercise, we will use the reading of Middle High German texts of various genres to examine the many facets of the phenomenon of 'Minne', locate it in cultural history and illuminate the interrelationship between literature, culture and contemporary historical realisms.
Co-operation project with the Forum Mittelalter of the University of Regensburg
Regular courses on literature as a cultural-historical source for historians, primarily for the Master's programme "Cultural History of the Middle Ages".
WS 22/23: When is a man a man? A cultural-historical reading course on concepts of masculinity in Middle High German texts
Men can be many things: emotional, aggressive, power-conscious, God-fearing, courtly and gallant, fearful, empathetic, instinct-driven, brave, helpless. But when is which behaviour appropriate? In the early and high Middle Ages, many areas of thought and life (e.g. theology, philosophy, medicine, jurisprudence, politics, literature) were concerned with gender roles and thus also with concepts of masculinity. The textual construction of masculinity plays a central role in reflecting on and analysing historical gender cultures. Despite their own conditions and possibilities, literary texts offer a particularly rich field of investigation for role patterns that have become words - as well as for the narratively constituted social and political problem contexts.
In this exercise, we will look at different concepts of masculinity by reading a wide range of Middle High German texts and examine, among other things, the (supposed?) connection between biological constitution and social role as well as the function of the corresponding concepts of masculinity.
WS 21/22: The king weeps. A cultural-historical reading course on the representation of emotionality in Middle High German texts (Wed 12-14).
Joy, anger, fear, shame, grief, envy or the emotional-spiritual complex of compassio, which is specific to the culture of the Middle Ages - emotions are not only socially but also linguistically mediated phenomena. Accordingly, working with texts plays a central role in reflecting on and analysing historical cultures of emotion. Despite their own conditions and possibilities, literary texts offer a rich field of investigation for emotions that have become words - as well as for the narratively constituted social and political problem contexts.
In this exercise, we will analyse socially and functionally differentiated emotional cultures (courtly, monastic, political, religious) by reading various Middle High German text excerpts and jointly explore the dimensions of meaning of the "narrated" emotions. In doing so, we will also deal with questions about the continuity and alterity of emotions in medieval texts compared to comparable concepts of emotion in the present.
A willingness to read Middle High German texts extensively is a prerequisite!
A reader with the relevant text excerpts will be available from mid-September.
past projects
Practical relevance in the teacher training programs
For students on teacher training programs, a stronger practical focus is being sought at seminar level: Increased cooperation with didactics and with teachers at Regensburg grammar schools.
In the past academic year, a grammar school teacher was invited to two medieval studies seminars. They each organised a seminar session on the topic of "Medieval literature in schools". Examples of applications and specific teaching projects were presented.
action-orientated literature lessons using the example of the Song of the Nibelungs as a whole text in year 7 at grammar school (Dr Markus Rostek, teacher at Untergriesbach grammar school).
-Integrative German lessons using the example of the Song of the Nibelungs in year 7 (teacher Anita Früchtl, M.A., Goethe-Gymnasium Regensburg).
-January 2012: Guest lecture by Prof. Dr Ina Karg, University of Göttingen: "ich will dich list ê lêren". A successful medieval novel in today's German classroom.
In Dr Sonja Emmerling's seminars, students can choose topics relating to the above-mentioned complex of topics for seminar papers in addition to conventional literary studies topics. If required, these papers are jointly supervised by the ÄdL and didactics departments.
The University of Regensburg supports this increased practical relevance through the newly founded school network "dialogUS", which aims to intensify cooperation between schools and the university in the area of teacher training programs.
Gender competence certificate
From the 2011/2012 academic year, students of all subjects will have the opportunity to acquire an additional qualification in "Gender Competence". In order to obtain the certificate, students must attend two theoretically orientated introductory courses on the subject of "Gender Studies" as well as a thematically relevant interdisciplinary seminar. The ÄdL will also take part in this seminar.