16905

SoSe 21: Green Germany: A cultural and political history of environmentalism in Germany

Susanne Scharnowski

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Subject: Germany is often presented as a country that leads the way in climate protection, in the development of renewable energies, in waste separation and recycling, in short: as a “green” country, even as the “Greenest Nation”. The “Energiewende”, the transition from nuclear energy, petroleum products, gas and coal to solar and wind energy is even meant to serve as a model that other countries are expected to follow. At the same time, Germany has, at least for the time being, an economy that relies very much on the production of fast cars, and plastic packaging as well as CO2 emissions in Germany remain well above the European average. Is the relationship between the economy and ecology in Germany perhaps more problematic than it seems at first glance? Program: We will examine some of the key moments in the history of environmental awareness in Germany, considering political, social, and cultural aspects of the complex relationship between industry, modernity, technology and the environment. Central topics are the movement for nature conservation at the end of the 19th century during industrialisation; the NS period, when the foundations of modern laws for protection of the environment were laid; the environmental movements of the 1970s in West Germany, environmental protection in the GDR, and current debates about the conflicts between the protection of nature and landscape on the one hand and climate on the other hand. We will also examine the specifically German attachment to the forest; one seminar will, accordingly, take place not in the classroom but in the forest, if the Corona regulations permit. Is this course right 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; • have studied the course materials (an average of 15-20 pages of texts in English per week); • submit some written work • pass the written examination. close