Film

Undergraduate / Graduate

The New German Cinema The 1960s and 70s saw a radical turning point in German filmmaking. Younger auteurs, dissatisfied with what they saw as the mediocrity and escapism of much post-war cinema, began making aesthetically radical and politically and socially engaged works that challenged the status quo and achieved international success. This course examines this movement in its historical context. In addition to engaging with films by some of the most prominent representatives of the NGC- Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Werner Herzog, and Wim Wenders, among others-we will read key theoretical and historical texts, such as the famous "Oberhausen Manifesto" and Theodor Adorno's critique of mass culture to develop our own understanding of how these films fit together and how they relate to the political and social concerns of their time. As an advanced German course, the seminar will also be using these materials to allow students to practice and improve their reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension skills. All discussion, reading, and assignments in German.