Literature and knowledge: the example of the German literature topics.

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

Participants who complete this course successfully will be able to

- deepen their understanding of a theme in the literature of German speaking countries an a historical and theoretical perspective;
- understand the cultural, philosophical, esthetical and historical context of the chosen theme: how did the theme appear and develop in the literary domain? from which sources could writers obtain their knowledge enabling them to explore it in fiction? is there even a specific contribution to the understanding of the phenomenon itself which was contributed by the literary expression it had stimulated?
- begin a theoretical reflexion on the interaction between literature and science (Literatur und Wissen) which is currently a major subject of discussion in literary sciences in German speaking countries.

The subject and the approach taken by the course can be seen as a continuation of the course on the history of literature and thought which were given in the BAC program, which in turn was based on an introduction to literary theory.