Baltic-German Culture and Society
Course code
AIG6319.HT
old course code
Course title in Estonian
Baltisaksa kultuur ja ühiskond
Course title in English
Baltic-German Culture and Society
ECTS credits
6.0
Assessment form
Examination
lecturer of 2026/2027 Autumn semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
lecturer of 2026/2027 Spring semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
Brief description of the course
This interdisciplinary course provides a broad overview of Baltic German history from different perspectives, including art history and literary history, focusing on the manor as a phenomenon of Baltic German culture. The manor is one of the best-known and most prominent phenomena in Estonian cultural history. It is also an important component of Baltic German heritage that has acquired an established place in Estonian national cultural memory and the heritage landscape. The course is based on the premise that the manor is crucial to the analysis of Baltic history and culture, but that understanding it requires looking beyond the manor house and landowner. Lectures and seminars taught by staff from Tallinn University and the Estonian Academy of Arts provide a comprehensive examination of the manor as a significant phenomenon in the region’s multicultural history. Topics include the emergence of manors; the manor as a unit of production and a centre of cultural and social life; everyday life on the manor; and the manor in Baltic German literature and Estonian folklore. The course also traces the afterlife of manors, examining them as dissonant heritage and sites of memory, as well as the restoration of manor buildings. It combines online lectures, in-person seminars and practical group work. Students present their research findings at a student conference.
Learning outcomes in the course
Upon completing the course the student:
- understand the manor as a key phenomenon in Baltic-German history from various perspectives;
- be able to critically reflect on the role of Baltic-German culture in Estonian history and contemporary society;
- be familiar with key historical sources, methods, disciplines, and researchers related to Baltic-German studies;
- be able to identify and select appropriate sources and methods to analyse a specific phenomenon in Baltic-German history and/or culture;
- develop teamwork skills and take responsibility for a specific task in a project.
- understand the manor as a key phenomenon in Baltic-German history from various perspectives;
- be able to critically reflect on the role of Baltic-German culture in Estonian history and contemporary society;
- be familiar with key historical sources, methods, disciplines, and researchers related to Baltic-German studies;
- be able to identify and select appropriate sources and methods to analyse a specific phenomenon in Baltic-German history and/or culture;
- develop teamwork skills and take responsibility for a specific task in a project.
Teacher
Ulrike Plath
Study programmes containing that course