“Admiration, antagonism & ambivalence” was what characterized British images of Germany before WWI according to the historian Richard Scully. This course explores representations of Germany, its people and its language, and how these images have changed historically, using writers such as Sigmund Freud and Mark Twain; films, blogs and youtube clips. We will explore contexts such as The Cold War and the 2006 FIFA World Cup; Euroscepticism, Realpolitik, the anti-nuclear campaign, NSA scandals, and how these have been portrayed in the Anglophone press.

The assessment requirement for this Spoken English course is a 15-20 minute oral language test at the end of the semester, with the grade to be added to the result from Written English. In-class presentations will count towards active participation and will provide students with valuable language feedback.