From Girls in Uniform to Men in Drag: Gender, Sexuality and Ethnicity on the German Screen (Ordinary)

This option will explore how gender, sexuality and ethnicity, central and often contested categories throughout German history, have been represented in German film from the Weimar period to the present day. Weimar film introduced cinema audiences to Marlene Dietrich, famous for her gender-bending, as well as the first feature film with an openly pro-lesbian storyline; both the innovations of New German Cinema and the effects of post-war immigration resulted in a variety of 'other' identities on the German screen; and film since the reunification is increasingly transcultural, featuring multiple ethnicities as well as a high proportion of queer genders and sexualities. We will begin by considering ideas from film studies to facilitate student's ability to 'read' film, before examining themes and theories relating to gender, sexuality and ethnicity and applying these to German film from various periods in order to consider a spectrum of identities including: masculine; feminine; drag; trans; homosexual; heterosexual; 'Aryan'; Jewish; German; and Turkish. Credit Level: 9 Year taken: Year 3 Undergraduate

Not running in 2025/26