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SoSe 17: Reading the City

Susanne Scharnowski

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Subject: The city has frequently been described as a ‘text’ that, like a book, can be read and interpreted, or even as a ‘palimpsest’ with multiple textual layers from different historical periods. But: what kind of “literacy”, that is: what knowledge and which observational skills does it take to ‘read’ a big city? How can we understand a new environment, perceive the traces of history and interpret the signs of social and cultural change?
Program: In this course, we will look at exemplary ways of reading and understanding the city, taking into account theoretical approaches as well as literary and filmic representations of Berlin. Students will also engage with the cityscape itself (e.g. architectural features, the organisation of public space, signs, plaques and images, etc.). The course aims to develop students’ ‘urban literacy’ as well as reflecting upon their perceptions. Students will be able to perform a critical analysis of the ‘text’ of the city and a critical assessment of different ways in which it is represented in media, and popular culture.
Is this course suitable for you? This course is open to students from all academic fields. Nevertheless, you should be prepared to study a number of academic texts in English from the social sciences and cultural studies as well as literary texts (German authors in English translation), and you should be interested in analysing and interpreting cultural and social phenomena.
Workload and Assessment: In order to obtain 5 ECTS credits, you will have to

Attend the course regularly (at least 12 out of 14 sessions);
Have studied the weekly course materials (an average of 15-20 pages of English texts per week);
Submit some written work (answering questions based on a walk through a Berlin street);
Pass the written examination (90 minutes).