This course examines key concepts, theories, and methodologies of the ‘politics of gender’ as played out in the history of Berlin from the 19th to the 21st centuries. We will explore how gender and sexuality influence various facets of life and are therefore important analytical categories in any academic discipline. Every session will focus on a different subject area, such as science, literature, film, and how it intersects with the field of gender studies. The course is also structured along a historic axis, and looks at the politics of gender as it is played out in Berlin’s history during successive periods – Prussia, the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, WW II, the post- WW II period with West Germany and the GDR, unified Germany/contemporary Berlin. Comparing Berlin to Paris and St. Petersburg will give further insights into the way place and time shape the cultural constructions of gender and sexuality and vice versa. We will ask, how gender roles are made and how they can be undermined. The course uses an interdisciplinary approach and students explore theoretical concepts and ideas by using the city of Berlin as a classroom.
Prerequisites:
None
Attendance policy:
Regular class attendance is mandatory. Unexcused absences will negatively affect the grade for participation. Excessive absenteeism will negatively affect the final grade. Field trips are part of class.
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course students will have knowledge of major concepts and topics of politics of sexuality and gender; they will develop an understanding of historical contexts of gender issues. In addition, students will learn important gender studies methodologies that are also relevant for their major (and minor) fields of research, e.g. analyzing complex relationships, seeing things from more than one perspective, breaking down dichotomies, going beyond preconceived notions and addressing topics in an open and innovative manner.
Method of presentation:
Discussions, Presentations, Field trips, Film screenings. Moodle will be used to enhance students' learning experiences.
Required work and form of assessment:
(percentage of final grade in parentheses)
- a midterm exam (15%)
- a final exam (20%)
- participation (reading and homework 15%, discussions 15%)
- 3 presentations (15%)
- a term paper (5-7 pages, 20%)
Presentations:
Each student will present a concept, a place and a biography that deal with gender, including preparing questions that lead into discussion. For each presentation, please make a handout (1 page) for your fellow students, the biographies should come together in the Moodle-glossary.
Term paper: The term paper can be an essay, an interview or a journal.
(For each genre: 5-7 pages, incl. a meaningful title, references where applicable, a concise introduction and conclusion. Please contact me in advance with your ideas.)
Essay on a gender topic of your choice - not a research paper, rather an article for an interested academic public/"New York Times"-style. Include a clear thesis. Catch the reader’s attention with sth. unusual and make sure you arrange your arguments to the intended effect.
Interview with a person relevant to Gender politics in Berlin or someone with interesting experiences in that field, also a fellow student or host; (please give reasons for your choice and evaluate the answers given. Include a personal comment).
Journal of your (gendered) experiences of the cities visited. This can relate to your overall experiences of the semester or of a shorter period: for example" Gendered encounters in Paris and Barcelona"; ""Men and Women in Berlin Cafes", "a week with my host family"… Pictures, drawings, quotes welcome!
content:
SESSION 1: Course Introduction – Gender Making History
Places and Personalities for a Gendered History of Berlin
SESSION 2: Prussia’s Pink Brains – Gender and Science/Academia
TOPIC: Gender as topic of scientific research and as structuring element in Academia; The Struggle for University Admission in Berlin, Paris and St. Petersburg.
Required Reading:
Patricia M. Mazón: "’Our Universities are Men’s Universities’. The Debate Over Women’s Admission 1865-1900". In: Mazón: Gender and the Modern Research University. The Admission of Women to German Higher Education, 1865-1914, Stanford 2003, 85-95, 106-114.
Student discussion of gender structure and –issues within their field of study.
Questions: What were the main arguments against women’s admission to the universities and who fought against them? Where do you come across gender as a factor in your field of study/academic life?
SESSION 3: Imperial Germany/Weimar Republic – History of Sexuality
TOPIC: TransGender; Transsexuality; §175
Required Reading:
Hirschfeld, Magnus. "Selections from The transvestites: the erotic drive to cross-dress." In The transgender studies reader, edited by Susan Strykerand Stephen Whittle, 28-39.
Jens Richard Giersdorf: "Why does Charlotte von Mahlsdorf curtsy? Representations of National Queerness in a Transvestite Hero." In: GLQ (Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies) 12:2 (2006), 171-196.
Questions: How did Hirschfeld define transsexual and how is it defined today? How did Hirschfeld’s work become socially important?
SESSION 4/5: "I am my own Wife" – Transgender Existence under three political Systems
EXCURSION to Charlotte von Mahlsdorf’s Home and Museum Recommended: Charlotte von Mahlsdorf: "I am my own wife" (in the library)
Questions: How was transgender existence treated by the Weimar Republic/ National Socialism/GDR? In what respect can Transsexuality be seen as subversive?
SESSION 6: 1920s …The "New Woman" and "the male gaze" – Gender and Urban Space
TOPIC: Propriety and the Public Sphere; Berlin as Sin City-Paris as City of Women?
Required Reading:
Ankum, Katharina von, ed. Women in the metropolis: gender and modernity in Weimar culture. Intro and: Gleber, Anke. "Female Flanerie and the Symphonie of the City." (in: Katharina Ankum,…, 67-88)
Keun, Irmgard. The Artificial Silk Girl, translated by Kathie Ankum, New York: Other Press, 2002, p. 1-4, 55-63.
Recommended: "Paris was a woman" (movie & book; in the library)
Recommended: "Berlin. Symphony of a Great City" (movie; in the library)
Question: In what sense did the New Woman become a symbol of Modern City Life? What opportunities did Berlin and Paris offer women of the 1920ies?
SESSION 7: Mother Russia, Revolutionary Women – Gender and Political Iconography
Required Reading:
Korovushkina, Irina. "Paradoxes of Gender: Writing History in Post- Communist Russia 1987-1998." In Gender and history: retrospect and prospect, edited by Leonore Davidoff, Keith McClelland and Helene Varika.
Andersson/Zinsser: Chapter: Women in the Cities/ Revolution and Reforms, in: Andersson/Zinnser: A History of Their Own. Women in Europe from Prehistory to the Present, Vol. II., 295-307.
Questions: Where and when did women become visible in Russian/Soviet History? Why was it difficult to implement gender as a category in Russian Academic Life?
SESSION 8/9: SALON GENDER -History and Methodology Studies (@ Lotte’s place)
TOPIC: Gender Debate and Gender Role Play in Salons of the 18th-21st centuries; Construction and Analysis of Gender Concepts
Student presentations on Gender Concepts
Required Reading:
YOUR chosen Concept of: Pilcher, Jane, and Imelda Whelehan. Fifty key concepts in gender studies, SAGE key concepts. London: SAGE, 2004.
"Body, Cyborg, Dichotomy, Difference, Domestic Division of Labour, Essentialism, First Wave Feminism, Other, Patriarchy, Pornography Power, Public/Private, Queer Theory, Race/Ethnicity, Reproduction, Second Wave Feminism, Stereotype, Third Wave Feminism."
Andersson, Bonnie S./ Zinsser, Judith P: Chapter "Women in the Salons". In: Andersson/Zinnser: A History of Their Own. Women in Europe from Prehistory to the Present, Vol. II., 103-121.
Questions: What is a salon and what makes it an urban phenomenon? Which opportunities did having a salon give to women? Where and when was/is your chosen concept a helpful instrument for analysis?
SESSION 10: Midterm Exam
ST PETERSBURG EXCURSION
SESSION 11: Berlin 1936 – Fascist Aesthetics and Body Politics
TOPIC: Body- and Fertility Politics in NS Germany and their visual representation
Required Reading/Watching:
Bridenthal, Renate, Atina Grossmann, and Marion Kaplan. "Introduction: women in Weimar and Nazi Germany." In When biology became destiny: women in Weimar and Nazi Germany, edited by Renate Bridenthal, Atina Grossmann and Marion Kaplan, 1-32. New York 1984.
Watch movie on your own: "Olympia" (part one, opening)
Recommended: Movie "Rosenstraße" (in the library)
Questions: In what sense did biology become destiny? In what way supported propagating the "Aryan body" the racist ideology?
SESSION 12/13: National Socialism remembered – Gender, Race and Political Intervention
Walking tour in Berlin-Mitte; Visit to Otto Weidt Museum
SESSION 14: "Female East, Male West" – Gender & Cinema in Divided Germany
TOPICS: Film as Mirror of (German) History; "male West"/"female East"?
Required Reading:
Wolfgram, Mark A.: Gendered Border Crossings: The Films of Division in Divided Germany." In: symploke vol.15, 1-2 (2007), 152-169.
Presentation/Discussion with Film Historian
Recommended: "Der Dritte" / "Coming out" (movies, in the library)
Questions: Why was the East portrayed as female, what gendered stereotypes of East and West do you come across today?
PARIS EXCURSION BREAK
SESSION 15: JUST RELIGION? Or just Fashion? Gender between Independence and Identity
Required Reading:
Introduction: The Veil: Debating Citizenship, Gender and Religious Diversity, in: Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State and Society, Volume 15, Number 4, Winter 2008, pp. 397-410
"To pray with and to dance with": Women in Poland today.
Presentation and Discussion with Guest.
Questions: What role does religion play in the cultural formation of gender norms? Should there be universal gender rules in a multicultural society? Can we choose the traditions on which we model our gender norms?
SESSION 16: Hot Summer 1968; Heroines of Everyday Life – Heroes of Counterculture Berlin as Capital of the Revolution/s
TOPIC: The political and sexual ‘revolution’ in West Berlin and its international context Sex- and family politics of both German states.
Required Reading/Watching:
Rinke, Andreas. "From Models to Misfits: Women in DEFA Films of the 1970s and 1980s." In DEFA: East German cinema, 1946-1992, edited by Sean D. Allan and John Sandford
Watch film on your own: DEFA movie "Paul & Paula"
Recommended: "Solo Sunny" (movie, in the library)
Questions: Who called "Paul & Paula" a "sexist schmaltz" and why?...
SESSION 17/18: Queer Space – Changing Attitudes for Tomorrow?
EXCURSION to the Gay Museum, Berlin / Recent Gender Exhibition
Required Reading:
Dereka Rushbrook: Cities, Queer Space and the Cosmopolitan Tourist, in: GLQ vol. 8, 1-2, pp. 183-206.
SESSION 19: Contemporary Berlin/Paris/St. Petersburg/WWW – Places of Sexuality
Student presentation of field research:
Metropolitan places/institutions that deal with sexuality (issues): e.g. Paris Fashion Gallery, Berlin night club, EWA Frauenzentrum, HYDRA information center for prostitutes, Centre for Transdisciplinary Gender Studies, St Petersburg gay club…
Questions: In what sense does your chosen place define itself by sexuality? What does it tell us about sex politics in the chosen city and country? What about your place do you think is specific to a metropolitan atmosphere?
SESSION 20: Finals
Brief Biography of Instructor:
Dr. Hannah Lotte Lund studied History and Literature in Berlin, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Oxford. As a historian she works at the intersection of Gender and (Jewish) History, with a special focus on the history of communication and the public sphere. Since 2001 she has been teaching History and Gender Studies at the Humboldt University Berlin and the Kunsthochschule Berlin Weißensee. Lotte worked as a research assistant with the Centre for Transdisciplinary Gender Studies at the Humboldt University Berlin and the Max Planck Inst. For the History of Science. Another strong research interest is in German Jewish History from the 1800s until today. Lotte has been a research assistant for Holocaust Documentary with Yad Vashem Germany. Her dissertation is on Jewish Salon Women. 2011 she co-edited a book on Marranism and Jewish Identities. Currently she is a fellow at the Kleist Museum, Frankfurt/Oder. Lotte enjoys exploring the city together with students and along the way questioning the storyline of Berlin and German history.
This course examines key concepts, theories, and methodologies of the ‘politics of gender’ as played out in the history of Berlin from the 19th to the 21st centuries. We will explore how gender and sexuality influence various facets of life and are therefore important analytical categories in any academic discipline. Every session will focus on a different subject area, such as science, literature, film, and how it intersects with the field of gender studies. The course is also structured along a historic axis, and looks at the politics of gender as it is played out in Berlin’s history during successive periods – Prussia, the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, WW II, the post- WW II period with West Germany and the GDR, unified Germany/contemporary Berlin. Comparing Berlin to Paris and St. Petersburg will give further insights into the way place and time shape the cultural constructions of gender and sexuality and vice versa. We will ask, how gender roles are made and how they can be undermined. The course uses an interdisciplinary approach and students explore theoretical concepts and ideas by using the city of Berlin as a classroom.
None
Regular class attendance is mandatory. Unexcused absences will negatively affect the grade for participation. Excessive absenteeism will negatively affect the final grade. Field trips are part of class.
By the end of the course students will have knowledge of major concepts and topics of politics of sexuality and gender; they will develop an understanding of historical contexts of gender issues. In addition, students will learn important gender studies methodologies that are also relevant for their major (and minor) fields of research, e.g. analyzing complex relationships, seeing things from more than one perspective, breaking down dichotomies, going beyond preconceived notions and addressing topics in an open and innovative manner.
Discussions, Presentations, Field trips, Film screenings. Moodle will be used to enhance students' learning experiences.
(percentage of final grade in parentheses)
- a midterm exam (15%)
- a final exam (20%)
- participation (reading and homework 15%, discussions 15%)
- 3 presentations (15%)
- a term paper (5-7 pages, 20%)
Presentations:
Each student will present a concept, a place and a biography that deal with gender, including preparing questions that lead into discussion. For each presentation, please make a handout (1 page) for your fellow students, the biographies should come together in the Moodle-glossary.
Term paper: The term paper can be an essay, an interview or a journal.
(For each genre: 5-7 pages, incl. a meaningful title, references where applicable, a concise introduction and conclusion. Please contact me in advance with your ideas.)
Essay on a gender topic of your choice - not a research paper, rather an article for an interested academic public/"New York Times"-style. Include a clear thesis. Catch the reader’s attention with sth. unusual and make sure you arrange your arguments to the intended effect.
Interview with a person relevant to Gender politics in Berlin or someone with interesting experiences in that field, also a fellow student or host; (please give reasons for your choice and evaluate the answers given. Include a personal comment).
Journal of your (gendered) experiences of the cities visited. This can relate to your overall experiences of the semester or of a shorter period: for example" Gendered encounters in Paris and Barcelona"; ""Men and Women in Berlin Cafes", "a week with my host family"… Pictures, drawings, quotes welcome!
SESSION 1: Course Introduction – Gender Making History
Places and Personalities for a Gendered History of Berlin
SESSION 2: Prussia’s Pink Brains – Gender and Science/Academia
TOPIC: Gender as topic of scientific research and as structuring element in Academia; The Struggle for University Admission in Berlin, Paris and St. Petersburg.
Required Reading:
Questions: What were the main arguments against women’s admission to the universities and who fought against them? Where do you come across gender as a factor in your field of study/academic life?
SESSION 3: Imperial Germany/Weimar Republic – History of Sexuality
TOPIC: TransGender; Transsexuality; §175
Required Reading:
Questions: How did Hirschfeld define transsexual and how is it defined today? How did Hirschfeld’s work become socially important?
SESSION 4/5: "I am my own Wife" – Transgender Existence under three political Systems
EXCURSION to Charlotte von Mahlsdorf’s Home and Museum Recommended: Charlotte von Mahlsdorf: "I am my own wife" (in the library)
Questions: How was transgender existence treated by the Weimar Republic/ National Socialism/GDR? In what respect can Transsexuality be seen as subversive?
SESSION 6: 1920s …The "New Woman" and "the male gaze" – Gender and Urban Space
TOPIC: Propriety and the Public Sphere; Berlin as Sin City-Paris as City of Women?
Required Reading:
Question: In what sense did the New Woman become a symbol of Modern City Life? What opportunities did Berlin and Paris offer women of the 1920ies?
SESSION 7: Mother Russia, Revolutionary Women – Gender and Political Iconography
Required Reading:
Questions: Where and when did women become visible in Russian/Soviet History? Why was it difficult to implement gender as a category in Russian Academic Life?
SESSION 8/9: SALON GENDER -History and Methodology Studies (@ Lotte’s place)
TOPIC: Gender Debate and Gender Role Play in Salons of the 18th-21st centuries; Construction and Analysis of Gender Concepts
Student presentations on Gender Concepts
Required Reading:
Questions: What is a salon and what makes it an urban phenomenon? Which opportunities did having a salon give to women? Where and when was/is your chosen concept a helpful instrument for analysis?
SESSION 10: Midterm Exam
ST PETERSBURG EXCURSION
SESSION 11: Berlin 1936 – Fascist Aesthetics and Body Politics
TOPIC: Body- and Fertility Politics in NS Germany and their visual representation
Required Reading/Watching:
Questions: In what sense did biology become destiny? In what way supported propagating the "Aryan body" the racist ideology?
SESSION 12/13: National Socialism remembered – Gender, Race and Political Intervention
Walking tour in Berlin-Mitte; Visit to Otto Weidt Museum
SESSION 14: "Female East, Male West" – Gender & Cinema in Divided Germany
TOPICS: Film as Mirror of (German) History; "male West"/"female East"?
Required Reading:
Questions: Why was the East portrayed as female, what gendered stereotypes of East and West do you come across today?
PARIS EXCURSION BREAK
SESSION 15: JUST RELIGION? Or just Fashion? Gender between Independence and Identity
Required Reading:
Presentation and Discussion with Guest.
Questions: What role does religion play in the cultural formation of gender norms? Should there be universal gender rules in a multicultural society? Can we choose the traditions on which we model our gender norms?
SESSION 16: Hot Summer 1968; Heroines of Everyday Life – Heroes of Counterculture Berlin as Capital of the Revolution/s
TOPIC: The political and sexual ‘revolution’ in West Berlin and its international context Sex- and family politics of both German states.
Required Reading/Watching:
Questions: Who called "Paul & Paula" a "sexist schmaltz" and why?...
SESSION 17/18: Queer Space – Changing Attitudes for Tomorrow?
EXCURSION to the Gay Museum, Berlin / Recent Gender Exhibition
Required Reading:
SESSION 19: Contemporary Berlin/Paris/St. Petersburg/WWW – Places of Sexuality
Questions: In what sense does your chosen place define itself by sexuality? What does it tell us about sex politics in the chosen city and country? What about your place do you think is specific to a metropolitan atmosphere?
SESSION 20: Finals
Dr. Hannah Lotte Lund studied History and Literature in Berlin, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Oxford. As a historian she works at the intersection of Gender and (Jewish) History, with a special focus on the history of communication and the public sphere. Since 2001 she has been teaching History and Gender Studies at the Humboldt University Berlin and the Kunsthochschule Berlin Weißensee. Lotte worked as a research assistant with the Centre for Transdisciplinary Gender Studies at the Humboldt University Berlin and the Max Planck Inst. For the History of Science. Another strong research interest is in German Jewish History from the 1800s until today. Lotte has been a research assistant for Holocaust Documentary with Yad Vashem Germany. Her dissertation is on Jewish Salon Women. 2011 she co-edited a book on Marranism and Jewish Identities. Currently she is a fellow at the Kleist Museum, Frankfurt/Oder. Lotte enjoys exploring the city together with students and along the way questioning the storyline of Berlin and German history.