Unit information: German Economic Policy Narratives in 2021/22

Unit name	German Economic Policy Narratives
Unit code	GERM30076
Credit points	20
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Davies
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of German
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

This unit will be taught by Christophe Fricker

This unit examines, based on the structured application of narratological theory, the narratives at work in German economic policy debates. The analytical focus is on public-facing statements made by both politicians and business leaders concerning the fundamentals of Germany’s economy. In terms of genre, they range from white papers to press conferences and from tweets to billboard motifs. The unit aims:

• to equip students with a stable and sophisticated method of analysis designed to capture the narrative components of political discourse;
• to reveal the features, structure and intended effects of these components in political texts on a selection of key economic issues;
• to explore the dynamic interplay of narratives used by competing political actors;
• to enable students to recognise the significance of these narratives to their own ability to act as citizens, entrepreneurs and consumers.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Successful students will demonstrate that they are able to:

1) examine the structure and substance of texts pertaining to economic policy in a wide range of genres and conveyed through a variety of channels;

2) analyse the discursive contexts in which these texts have been produced and disseminated;

3) evaluate the merits of qualitative discourse analysis as appropriate to Level 6;

4) make confident and critical use of secondary literature to support and develop their own written interpretations of expansive discursive formations as appropriate to Level 6.

Teaching Information

Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous sessions and asynchronous activities, including seminars, lectures and collaborative as well as self-directed learnign opportunities supported by tutor consultation.

Assessment Information

1 x 15-minute individual recorded presentation on the presence of economic policy narratives in a recent public debate. 25%. ILO 1 and 2.

1 x 3,000-word essay on the persistence of narratives in a business and policy context supposedly market by rapid change. 75%. ILO 1 to 4.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. GERM30076).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.