Module SGIA46015: COLLECTIVE MEMORY AND IDENTITY IN POSTWAR EUROPE

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA46015: COLLECTIVE MEMORY AND IDENTITY IN POSTWAR EUROPE

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To provide students with an advanced understanding of relevant concepts and theories which allow a critical evaluation of varieties of collective memory and identity in postwar Europe
• To provide students with in-depth knowledge and understanding of the way collective memories and identities were constructed within the political context of the Cold War order in Europe T
• To enable students to critically analyse key developments in post-Cold War European memory and identity construction
• To enable students to critically evaluate contemporary scholarship on memory and identity
• To allow students to gain an advanced understanding of the complexity of memories and identities in contemporary Europe

Content

• Key concepts:
• collective memory and identity
• the legacy of the Second World War in Europe
• the memory of the Holocaust
• ‘coming to terms’ with the German Nazi past
• the quest for a European identity
• the post-Cold War order and the formation of new identities in eastern and western Europe

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the module students should have:
• An advanced understanding of key concepts, e.g. collective memory, identity
• A sophisticated appreciation of the changing constructions of varieties of collective memory and identity in postwar Europe
• Advanced knowledge and understanding of the academic debate on memory and identity in postwar Europe

• By the end of the module students should be able to demonstrate:
• the ability to use and criticise relevant concepts and theories explaining the role of collective memory
• an enhanced awareness of the multitude of factors which have contributed to the construction of collective memories and identities in postwar Europe
• the ability to critically evaluate competing contemporary scholarly contributions to the debate on collective memory and identity in Europe

• By the end of this module students should be able to demonstrate:
• the ability to work independently with limited guidance
• the ability for independent thinking informed by the academic debate at an advanced level
• advanced communication skills in their written work
• the ability to reflect critically on their own work
• time management skills by complying with deadlines for individual work

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching will take place in the form of 9 two-hour sessions during which students are expected to discuss key issues relating to collective memories and identities in postwar Europe under the guidance of the module tutor.
• The presentations will allow students to acquire and demonstrate detailed subject-specific knowledge on a chosen topic. It will also give students an opportunity to interpret specific developments and show an appreciation of the contested nature of knowledge. The discussions will allow students to further enhance their communication skills as well as advocating particular perspectives and coherently arguing their implications.
• Students will be required to submit one formative essay which will allow them to further develop their essay writing skills. They will receive feedback which will give them an indication of their performance in terms of subject-specific as well as key skills.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Students will be required to submit a 1500-word formative essay.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University