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Green Germany

Susanne Scharnowski

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Topic: Germany likes to present itself as a country that leads the way in climate protection, in the development of renewable energies, and in waste separation and recycling, in short: as a ‘green’ country, even as the “Greenest Nation”. This perceived ‘greenness’, however, is not an entirely new phenomenon: Since the Napoleonic Wars, Germans have seen and presented themselves as closer to nature than other nations. The course will examine the evolution of this idea of “Green Germany” through history. Program: We will study key moments in the history of the German relationship to nature and the environment, looking at the role of grassroot movements on the one hand and government policy on the other hand. Topics we will discuss include the movement for nature conservation at the end of the 19th century; the period of National Socialism; the post-war environmental movement in West Germany; environmental protection and protest in East Germany, and, finally, the theory and practice of the German “Energiewende” as well as current debates and conflicts around the conservation of nature on the one hand and climate protection as well as energy policy on the other hand. We will also examine the specifically German attachment to the forest. Some of the materials (presentations and film clips) will be available on Blackboard; additionally, students have to purchase the reader (a collection of photocopied texts in printed form) from the copy shop at Königin-Luise-Str. 39, near U-Bahnhof Dahlem Dorf and bring the texts on paper to class. Is this the right course for you? The course is open to students from all fields. You should be interested in environmental questions in an historical, cultural, and political perspective, and you should be prepared to study and discuss academic and complex journalistic texts written in English. Workload and Assessment: To obtain 5 ECTS credits, you will have to attend the course regularly (all 11 classes: As there are three public holidays on Thursdays – 1, 8, and 29 May) have studied the course materials (studying an average of 20 pages of texts in English per week as well as listening to recorded lectures) and pass the written final examination. close