Memory & Memoirs of 20th Century Europe (EURO20003)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
Overview
| Availability | Semester 1 |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
The eye-witness account and the personal memoir offer powerful ways of exploring the human legacy of overwhelming historical events on individual lives. But how do literary genres like the memoir and autobiography manage to speak about unspeakable topics, how do they represent the unrepresentable and write about trauma? What is the function, and what the effect, of writing memory for the victim, for the reader, and for the perpetrator? How do the offspring of the victims and perpetrators "remember" their parents" traumas and shape memories of events they have only experienced second-hand? What is the relationship between fiction and memory in memoir writing and how do we read a testimonial of a Holocaust survivor that has been faked? This subject will introduce students to a selection of testimonial writing and films that tell individual stories of a shameful national past. It explores the effect of generic convention on the relation of history and memory, and the need for generic invention to speak trauma and tell the un-tellable. Its focus will be on the Holocaust, the Algerian War, and life under Eastern bloc communist regimes. This subject will focus on writing from France, Germany, and Italy in the first instance, but may from time to time include writing from other parts of Europe.
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this subject, students should:
- be able to engage critically with different perspectives on European histories of violence and their genres and forms;
- be able to communicate knowledge effectively about Europe’s present and past, and its traditions in oral and well-informed written assignments;
- demonstrate a detailed knowledge of memoir and memory writing about traumatic pasts in 20th century Europe;
- be able to consolidate research skills in the constituent disciplines of European memory studies, trauma studies and Holocaust studies and learn to contextualise;
- demonstrate a broad understanding of the impact of Europe’s histories of violence in relation to second and third generation writing about the past and from the Americas and Australasia;
- have acquired broad critical insights through their engagement with Europe that prepare them for becoming good global citizens;
- be able to work effectively in groups to meet a shared goal with people whose disciplinary and cultural backgrounds differ from their own.
Generic skills
At the completion of this subject, students should:
- have enhanced their understanding of texts through reference to existing scholarship;
- appreciate the cultural complexity of issues that circulate in the popular media;
- be able to identify and explore issues across texts from different contexts;
- be able to engage critically with texts in oral presentation;
- be able to interpret in writing the meaning of literature with attention to social context and language.
Last updated: 14 March 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
| Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| EURO30002 | Memory & Memoirs of 20th Century Europe | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 14 March 2025
Assessment
Additional details
- Mid-semester written assignment of 1000 words [20%]
- 1000 word group class paper of 10 minutes duration during semester [30%]
- Final essay of 2000 words [50%]
Hurdle requirement: Students must attend a minimum of 75% of tutorials in order to pass this subject. All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass the subject.
Note: Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10% per working day. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked.
Last updated: 14 March 2025
Dates & times
- Semester 1
Principal coordinator Alison Lewis Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 1 x 1 hour lecture and 1 x 2 hour tutorial per week. Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 4 March 2019 to 2 June 2019 Last self-enrol date 15 March 2019 Census date 31 March 2019 Last date to withdraw without fail 10 May 2019 Assessment period ends 28 June 2019 Semester 1 contact information
Time commitment details
170 hours
Last updated: 14 March 2025
Further information
- Texts
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Specialisation (formal) French Studies Major Spanish and Latin American Studies Specialisation (formal) Italian Studies Specialisation (formal) Russian Studies Specialisation (formal) Spanish and Latin American Studies Minor European Studies Major French Studies Major Italian Studies Major Russian Studies - Breadth options
This subject is available as breadth in the following courses:
- Bachelor of Biomedicine
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Bachelor of Design
- Bachelor of Environments
- Bachelor of Music
- Bachelor of Science
- Links to additional information
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
Last updated: 14 March 2025