Last modified: 18 Aug 2025 11:16
The process of confronting the crimes and legacy of the Third Reich in Germany and Austria has been a long and difficult one. In West Germany this process began in earnest following the 1968 student revolution, with a younger generation questioning the role that their parents had played in the Second World War. In Austria, the process of coming to terms with the Nazi legacy took substantially longer to get underway, and it is only over the past thirty years that the country's view of its role during the Third Reich has shifted decisively from that of victimhood to complicity. The discussion about the Nazi past in Germany has further evolved following German re-unification in 1990. This course will look at a number of key films and directors from the past seven decades to examine the changing discourse and shifts in representation of the Nazi legacy in Germany and Austria. The course will proceed chronologically, encompassing both fiction and documentary film, offering the opportunity to compare and draw connections between films from different periods and of diverse genres.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
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| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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One or more of these courses have a limited number of places. Priority access will be given to students for whom this course is compulsory. Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions for more details on this process.
The process of confronting the crimes and legacy of the Third Reich in Germany and Austria has been a long and difficult one. In West Germany this process began in earnest following the 1968 student revolution, with a younger generation questioning the role that their parents had played in the Second World War. In Austria, the process of coming to terms with the Nazi legacy took substantially longer to get underway, and it is only over the past thirty years that the country's view of its role during the Third Reich has shifted decisively from that of victimhood to complicity, prompted by the Waldheim affair of 1986-88. The discussion about the Nazi past in the Federal Republic of Germany has further evolved following German re-unification in 1990. In both Germany and Austria, filmmakers have played a central role in the postwar era in reflecting the ongoing process of confronting a difficult and disturbing past. This course will look at a number of key films and directors from the past seven decades to examine the changing discourse and shifts in representation of the Nazi legacy in Germany and Austria. Students will be encouraged to draw on criticism of the individual films and relevant memory studies scholarship in order to develop their understanding of major developments since 1945 with regard to filmic representations of the Nazi past in Germany and Austria. The course will proceed chronologically, encompassing both fiction and documentary film, and students will be encouraged to work comparatively and draw connections between films from different periods and of diverse genres.
On completion of the course, students will have gained knowledge and understanding of the various ways in which German and Austrian cinema since 1945 has both reflected and shaped the evolving discourse on the Nazi legacy.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 20 | |
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| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Seminar assessment mark Written and oral feedback. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 40 | |
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| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Written Feedback |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 40 | |
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| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Written Feedback. |
Word Count | 3000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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There are no assessments for this course.
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Procedural | Apply | Introduce students to German and Austrian film since 1945 from different periods and of diverse genres. |
| Reflection | Analyse | Explore how cinema can both reflect and shape debates and controversies relate to confronting the Nazi past in the German and Austrian context. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | Focus on the development and evolution of filmic representations of the Nazi past in German and Austrian cinema since 1945, encouraging students to draw connections and comparisons. |
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