Teaching

The province of Québec occupies a special position on the American continent as a francophone nation and thus as an exception culturelle. In addition to Francophones and Anglophones as well as members of various Premières Peuples, immigrants from all over the world make up the internal diversity of the modern country of immigration. It is therefore not surprising that national and cultural self-determination in the field of tension between transnational localisation and internal negotiation is particularly virulent and controversial in Québec. Québec defines itself through its history - its roots in a double French and British colonisation with its conflicts between the European founding nations as well as various phases of cultural contact, cultural conflict and the colonial domination and assimilation of the autochthonous peoples. It refers to the national specificity, the European heritage and discusses its anchoring in the divided space of America. Since the 1960s, these places of remembrance have been joined by those that reinvent Quebec as a future-oriented, modern and inclusive social project, integrating histories of migration, flight, exile and diaspora as well as integration achievements and the arrival of newcomers from the 1980s onwards. Conflicts and challenges of multicultural and intercultural coexistence are not left out, but the texts often contribute performatively to the goal of an integrative society. In the 21st century, the voices of autochthonous creative people are also being heard more and more, demanding that the crimes of colonial history be dealt with, that social disadvantage and marginalisation in the present be compensated for and that their cultural traditions be valued equally.

The lecture is intended as an introduction to the history, society and culture of Québec in the 20th and 21st centuries, with the various identity narratives and their dialogue forming a common thread. The lecture places a special focus on the contribution of narrative literature, literary film adaptations as well as feature films and documentaries to nation-building and the negotiation of places of memory, identities and social concepts. Guest lectures are also planned to complement the programme.

At the same time as the tutorial, we recommend attending the lecture on Spanish (and Latin American) literary history from the 19th to the 21st century, which is offered in the winter semester.

While the lecture places the texts of the state examination canon in historical, ideological and literary-historical contexts, the exercise serves the students' own practical examination of the text under the guidance and supervision of the exercise instructor, especially on the basis of the tasks of the state examination exams of previous years.

The course is based on the canon for the state examination according to the new LPO I, which will be used from the autumn 2025 examination date.
As the canon will change in autumn 2025, we will also have the following 2 new topics on the schedule and will pay particular attention to them:
Federico García Lorca: La casa de Bernarda Alba; La zapatera prodigiosa (edition: Cátedra base)
Cristina Rivera Garza: El invencible verano de Liliana (edition: Random House)

The canon for drama and poetry also includes the following works, which have been under review for some time: Góngora, Sonetos amorosos (Castalia edition, ed. Biruté Ciplihauskaité, 118-162); Bécquer, Rimas; Gabriela Mistral, Tala/Lagar (Cátedra edition); Calderón, La vida es sueño, El gran teatro del mundo, La dama duende and José Sanchis Sinisterra, ¡Ay , Carmela!
The following works are relevant for narratives: Fernando de Rojas, La Celestina; Emilia Pardo Bazán, Los Pazos de Ulloa; Rafael Chirbes, En la orilla; Miguel de Unamuno, En torno al casticismo; Jorge Luis Borges, El Aleph, Ficciones.

The first session deals with the expectations of the exam and exam preparation techniques. The remaining hours will be devoted to working together on old state examination papers, covering all 12 topics. A more detailed programme can be found under G.R.I.P.S. before the start of the lecture.

All literary texts are to be read before the start of the lecture period, as there is still plenty of reading work to be done to work out the background and contexts anyway!

In the exercise for project seminar 36110, we will broaden our view of the valorisation of cultural heritage to include the surroundings of Regensburg and the city of Munich. Together with a project group of students from Québec, accompanied by Dr Strätling, we will look at the nation-building of Bavaria in the 19th century and the architectural heritage it left behind (Kelheim Liberation Hall, urban development of Munich). We will also discuss the relevance of intangible cultural heritage in the form of customs.

The programme includes two mandatory study days: one on intangible cultural heritage in the form of customs (Thursday, 2 July), where we will listen to experts on the topic, and a second (Saturday, 4 July), where we will present the results of the world heritage project from the project seminar to the Québecers and hear them present UNESCO world heritage projects from Québec.

In addition, two excursions will be offered together with the Québecers, one to Munich (Monday 29 June) and a second to Kelheim and Weltenburg Abbey (Friday 3 July). You will be required to take part in one of the excursions, for which you must register in advance. You can take part in a second excursion voluntarily (after binding registration). The costs of the excursion will be covered by funds from the Franco-German University. You will receive the programme for the excursions at the beginning of the lecture period in the summer semester.

Two short presentations must be prepared for the exercise: one for the selected excursion and one for the study day on world heritage on Saturday. The presentations / handouts are to be archived in the seminar portfolio. Depending on the number of participants, you will work in a small group or individually.

In this seminar we will focus on the history, culture, religions, conflicts and difficulties as well as the challenges of Haitian culture to define, build and defend its identity after centuries of French colonialism. The case of Haiti is unique as it was the first free "black" nation in the world after the end of the War of Independence in 1804. Since then, Haiti has opened a new chapter in its identity and cultural history, going through different phases, all of which are reflected in its literature. In this seminar, we will analyse literary works, especially essays, poems and stories, in order to learn about the culture and the importance of the search for and affirmation of Haitian identity