Green Germany

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Germany has been seen as a country famous for its strong commitment to mastering environmental challenges, promoting initiatives to fight global warning, and developing groundbreaking environmental technologies. - What are the major literary texts that help us understand how Germany became a forerunner in environmental thinking and policy construction? - How is climate change discussed in the German scientific and popular media discourse? What metaphors are used? - How are national and international political mechanisms for fighting against climate change represented in the German press? - What is the discourse of the local measures taken to foster environment protection and reduction of green gas emissions? - What are the typical ways of representing individual voices of the German citizens involved in nature protection and sustainable use of energy? This course explores the topic of environmentalism, climate change, and environment protection initiatives in Germany after 1945 to the present by focusing on a variety of written texts and media (2 feature films and a cartoon) that address the questions raised above. The course is structured into 3 thematic units: - Major milestones in the history of German environmentalism (1950s to 1980s) - Climate change in German scientific and media discourse - Environment protection initiatives: global and local measures