BN205401 Special lecture on German Literature and Linguistics C

Hiroshima University Syllabus

Japanese

Academic Year 2025Year School/Graduate School School of Letters

Lecture Code BN205401 Subject Classification Specialized Education

Subject Name ドイツ文学語学特別講義Ｃ

Subject Name
（Katakana）ドイツブンガクゴガクトクベツコウギC

Subject Name in
English Special lecture on German Literature and Linguistics C

Instructor SATO FUMIHIKO

Instructor
(Katakana) サトウ　フミヒコ

Campus Higashi-Hiroshima Semester/Term 2nd-Year, First Semester, OutOfTerm(1st)

Days, Periods, and Classrooms (O1) Inte：See the bulletin board for detail.

Lesson Style Lecture Lesson Style
(More Details) Face-to-face

This special lecture will held from August 20th to August 23th in four days.

Credits 2.0 Class Hours/Week 　 Language of Instruction J : Japanese

Course Level 3 : Undergraduate High-Intermediate

Course Area（Area） 23 : Arts and Humanities

Course Area（Discipline） 05 : Literature

Eligible Students undergraduate students

Keywords German literature, Erich Kästner, Children's literature, Literature about uncles, Interwar period, Nazi era

Special Subject for Teacher Education 　 Special Subject 　

Class Status
within Educational
Program
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
Criterion referenced
Evaluation
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students) British, American, and European Languages and Literatures, and Linguistics
（Knowledge and Understanding）
・Basic understanding of British and American, German, and French literatures, languages, thoughts, arts, and cultures, and other languages in the world

Class Objectives
/Class Outline This course examines German children's literature from the interwar period to the Nazi era from two perspectives: text-immanent interpretation and historical contextualization. The primary focus will be on Erich Kästner (1899–1974), but we will also discuss contemporary authors who have since been forgotten. Additionally, the course will include comparative analysis with modern Japanese (children's) literature.
Lectures will be structured around several key topics, such as "Uncles," "Christmas," "The City of Berlin," and "Fathers and Daughters." The goal of this course is to enable students to apply the study of literary motifs not only to children's literature from other periods in the German-speaking world but also to (children's) literature beyond the German linguistic and cultural sphere.

Class Schedule lesson1: Introduction: Toward a Theory of "Uncle Literature"
lesson2: The Literature of Traveling Uncles (1)
lesson3: The Literature of Traveling Uncles (2)
lesson4: The Literature of Traveling Uncles (3)
lesson5: A History of Christmas (Children’s) Literature in the German-Speaking World (1)
lesson6: A History of Christmas (Children’s) Literature in the German-Speaking World (2)
lesson7: Children Moving Through Interwar Berlin (1)
lesson8: Children Moving Through Interwar Berlin (2)
lesson9: Mother and Daughter in a Fatherless Household, or the (Im)possibility of "Aunt Literature"
lesson10: Romani Children in Interwar German Children's Literature
lesson11: Father and Daughter in Girls’ Novels on the Eve of the Nazi Era
lesson12: Father and Daughter in Girls’ Novels During the Nazi Era (1)
lesson13: Father and Daughter in Girls’ Novels During the Nazi Era (2)
lesson14: A Genealogical Study of Girls in Combat
lesson15: Course Summary and Explanation of the Final Report Assignment

Small assignments of around 300-500 words will be given after the completion of major topics.
Additionally, the final report assignment will be introduced in the 15th class.

Text/Reference
Books,etc. There will be no textbook for this course. Handout materials will be distributed in the first lecture.
Texts that should be read in advance will be posted on Moodle.

Reference Book:
Fumihiko Sato, The End of the Holy Family and the Revenge of the Uncle: The World of Sato, Fumihiko: German Children's Literature Between the Two World Wars (Koyo Shobo, 2022).
Other reference materials will be introduced during the course.

PC or AV used in
Class,etc. Text, Handouts, Audio Materials, Visual Materials, moodle

(More Details)

Learning techniques to be incorporated Discussions, Paired Reading, Post-class Report

Suggestions on
Preparation and
Review Lesson 1: No preparation is required. For review, think about how the representation of fathers in early 20th-century German children's literature, introduced in class, evolves over time, and come up with your own hypothesis.
Lesson 2: No preparation is required. For review, try to find other examples of "traveling uncle literature" in addition to those introduced in class.
Lesson 3: No preparation is required (but if possible, reading Erich Kästner's "May 35th" in advance will help deepen your understanding). For review, compare the uniqueness of "May 35th" with other contemporary examples of traveling uncle literature discussed in Lesson 2.
Lesson 4: Prepare by reading the short story posted on Moodle. For review, consider whether you can find other examples of traveling uncle literature in addition to those introduced in class.
Lesson 5: No preparation is required. For review, think about the changes in the relationship between Christmas and the nuclear family, and whether you can find other examples of this in literature.
Lesson 6: No preparation is required. For review, find literary works that depict a small family's Christmas and compare them with the works introduced in class.
Lesson 7: No preparation is required. For review, familiarize yourself with the major streets and squares of Berlin using the city map distributed in class and understand their general relationships.
Lesson 8: No preparation is required. For review, think about whether you can find other examples of urban children's literature in addition to those discussed in class.
Lesson 9: No preparation is required. For review, think about whether the concept of "aunt literature" and its (im)possibilities can be applied to other works as well.
Lesson 10: No preparation is required. For review, consider whether you can find other works that depict minorities in children's literature, in addition to those discussed in class.
Lesson 11: No preparation is required. For review, think about the relationship between fathers and daughters in girls' novels introduced in class, and whether you can find this relationship in other works.
Lesson 12: No preparation is required. For review, consider the same as Lesson 11: think about the relationship between fathers and daughters in girls' novels introduced in class, and compare them with other works.
Lesson 13: No preparation is required. For review, think about whether you can find other examples of combat girls in literature, in addition to the examples discussed in class.
Lesson 14: No preparation is required. For review, consider the same as Lesson 13: think about whether you can find other examples of combat girls in literature, in addition to the examples discussed in class.
Lesson 15: For preparation, reflect on what you've learned throughout the course, identify what may be useful for your future research, and prepare questions. For review, collect materials and start brainstorming for your final report.

Requirements No specific level of German reading proficiency is required for undergraduate students. For graduate students, the original German texts (Fraktur) will be distributed, and prior reading may be required.

Grading Method Report (50%), Assignment (30%), Attitude toward the class (20%)

Practical Experience

Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it

Message This course will be offered as an intensive seminar over four days, from Wednesday, August 20 to Saturday, August 23. The instructor will not only introduce his book published a few years ago but also incorporate subsequent research findings into the lectures.　

Other

Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes.
Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching.

Academic Year	2025Year	School/Graduate School	School of Letters
Lecture Code	BN205401	Subject Classification	Specialized Education
Subject Name	ドイツ文学語学特別講義Ｃ
Subject Name （Katakana）	ドイツブンガクゴガクトクベツコウギC
Subject Name in English	Special lecture on German Literature and Linguistics C
Instructor	SATO FUMIHIKO
Instructor (Katakana)	サトウ　フミヒコ
Campus	Higashi-Hiroshima	Semester/Term	2nd-Year, First Semester, OutOfTerm(1st)
Days, Periods, and Classrooms	(O1) Inte：See the bulletin board for detail.
Lesson Style	Lecture	Lesson Style (More Details)	Face-to-face
This special lecture will held from August 20th to August 23th in four days.
Credits	2.0	Class Hours/Week		Language of Instruction	J : Japanese
Course Level	3 : Undergraduate High-Intermediate
Course Area（Area）	23 : Arts and Humanities
Course Area（Discipline）	05 : Literature
Eligible Students	undergraduate students
Keywords	German literature, Erich Kästner, Children's literature, Literature about uncles, Interwar period, Nazi era
Special Subject for Teacher Education		Special Subject
Class Status within Educational Program (Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
Criterion referenced Evaluation (Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)	British, American, and European Languages and Literatures, and Linguistics （Knowledge and Understanding）・Basic understanding of British and American, German, and French literatures, languages, thoughts, arts, and cultures, and other languages in the world
Class Objectives /Class Outline	This course examines German children's literature from the interwar period to the Nazi era from two perspectives: text-immanent interpretation and historical contextualization. The primary focus will be on Erich Kästner (1899–1974), but we will also discuss contemporary authors who have since been forgotten. Additionally, the course will include comparative analysis with modern Japanese (children's) literature. Lectures will be structured around several key topics, such as "Uncles," "Christmas," "The City of Berlin," and "Fathers and Daughters." The goal of this course is to enable students to apply the study of literary motifs not only to children's literature from other periods in the German-speaking world but also to (children's) literature beyond the German linguistic and cultural sphere.
Class Schedule	lesson1: Introduction: Toward a Theory of "Uncle Literature" lesson2: The Literature of Traveling Uncles (1) lesson3: The Literature of Traveling Uncles (2) lesson4: The Literature of Traveling Uncles (3) lesson5: A History of Christmas (Children’s) Literature in the German-Speaking World (1) lesson6: A History of Christmas (Children’s) Literature in the German-Speaking World (2) lesson7: Children Moving Through Interwar Berlin (1) lesson8: Children Moving Through Interwar Berlin (2) lesson9: Mother and Daughter in a Fatherless Household, or the (Im)possibility of "Aunt Literature" lesson10: Romani Children in Interwar German Children's Literature lesson11: Father and Daughter in Girls’ Novels on the Eve of the Nazi Era lesson12: Father and Daughter in Girls’ Novels During the Nazi Era (1) lesson13: Father and Daughter in Girls’ Novels During the Nazi Era (2) lesson14: A Genealogical Study of Girls in Combat lesson15: Course Summary and Explanation of the Final Report Assignment Small assignments of around 300-500 words will be given after the completion of major topics. Additionally, the final report assignment will be introduced in the 15th class.
Text/Reference Books,etc.	There will be no textbook for this course. Handout materials will be distributed in the first lecture. Texts that should be read in advance will be posted on Moodle. Reference Book: Fumihiko Sato, The End of the Holy Family and the Revenge of the Uncle: The World of Sato, Fumihiko: German Children's Literature Between the Two World Wars (Koyo Shobo, 2022). Other reference materials will be introduced during the course.
PC or AV used in Class,etc.	Text, Handouts, Audio Materials, Visual Materials, moodle
(More Details)
Learning techniques to be incorporated	Discussions, Paired Reading, Post-class Report
Suggestions on Preparation and Review	Lesson 1: No preparation is required. For review, think about how the representation of fathers in early 20th-century German children's literature, introduced in class, evolves over time, and come up with your own hypothesis. Lesson 2: No preparation is required. For review, try to find other examples of "traveling uncle literature" in addition to those introduced in class. Lesson 3: No preparation is required (but if possible, reading Erich Kästner's "May 35th" in advance will help deepen your understanding). For review, compare the uniqueness of "May 35th" with other contemporary examples of traveling uncle literature discussed in Lesson 2. Lesson 4: Prepare by reading the short story posted on Moodle. For review, consider whether you can find other examples of traveling uncle literature in addition to those introduced in class. Lesson 5: No preparation is required. For review, think about the changes in the relationship between Christmas and the nuclear family, and whether you can find other examples of this in literature. Lesson 6: No preparation is required. For review, find literary works that depict a small family's Christmas and compare them with the works introduced in class. Lesson 7: No preparation is required. For review, familiarize yourself with the major streets and squares of Berlin using the city map distributed in class and understand their general relationships. Lesson 8: No preparation is required. For review, think about whether you can find other examples of urban children's literature in addition to those discussed in class. Lesson 9: No preparation is required. For review, think about whether the concept of "aunt literature" and its (im)possibilities can be applied to other works as well. Lesson 10: No preparation is required. For review, consider whether you can find other works that depict minorities in children's literature, in addition to those discussed in class. Lesson 11: No preparation is required. For review, think about the relationship between fathers and daughters in girls' novels introduced in class, and whether you can find this relationship in other works. Lesson 12: No preparation is required. For review, consider the same as Lesson 11: think about the relationship between fathers and daughters in girls' novels introduced in class, and compare them with other works. Lesson 13: No preparation is required. For review, think about whether you can find other examples of combat girls in literature, in addition to the examples discussed in class. Lesson 14: No preparation is required. For review, consider the same as Lesson 13: think about whether you can find other examples of combat girls in literature, in addition to the examples discussed in class. Lesson 15: For preparation, reflect on what you've learned throughout the course, identify what may be useful for your future research, and prepare questions. For review, collect materials and start brainstorming for your final report.
Requirements	No specific level of German reading proficiency is required for undergraduate students. For graduate students, the original German texts (Fraktur) will be distributed, and prior reading may be required.
Grading Method	Report (50%), Assignment (30%), Attitude toward the class (20%)
Practical Experience
Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it
Message	This course will be offered as an intensive seminar over four days, from Wednesday, August 20 to Saturday, August 23. The instructor will not only introduce his book published a few years ago but also incorporate subsequent research findings into the lectures.
Other
Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes. Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching.

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