Hist
B361 Europe in the Twentieth Century
Dr.
Jonathyne Briggs
Fall
2008
Tuesdays/
Thursdays 1-2:15
Office:
Tamarack F11
Office
Hours: Mondays 10:30-11:30, Thursdays 3-4, and by appointment
Office
Phone: 980-6658
Course description: This course explores episodes
within twentieth-century European history from the Great War to the
present—including the Russian Revolution, the rise of fascism, the Holocaust,
decolonization, the Cold War, and European unification—through a combination of
lecture and readings along with film, visual art, and music.
Grading:
Three 3-5 page response
papers, 15% each: The student will write an essay
responding to questions provided by the instructor on the longer readings. These questions will be posted on Oncourse along with a study guide. The student can choose which three works she
will write on but is still responsible for all of the material for examination
and class discussion. All work submitted
must be that of the student, and any instance of plagiarism will receive a zero on the assignment. A zero for plagiarism cannot be dropped. Any work turned in after the assigned due
date will receive a letter-grade deduction for each class period that the paper
is late. Any work submitted outside of
class (for instance, via email) must be approved by the instructor.
Two Exams, 20% for
midterm and 30% for final:
The midterm exam consists of short-answer identifications and one essay, with
the final exam having a similar format (except with two essays). The exams will test on materials from the
textbook, the lectures, and the longer readings.
Class Participation and
Attendance, 10%:
Attendance and participation in class discussions have the value of a letter
grade. Attendance will be taken at the
beginning of class, and the student must alert the instructor after class if he
or she is tardy; two instances of tardiness equal one missed class. Any student missing more than 6 classes will
receive a zero for
participation. Cell phones must be
turned off during class.
The cumulative
grading system for this course is based upon a ten-point, +/- scale: 100-93: A;
92-90 A-; 89-87: B+; 86-83: B; 82-80: B-; 79-77:C+; 76-73:C; 72-70: C-; 69-67:
D+; 66-63: D; 62-60 D-; and 59 and lower (including plagiarism and cheating):
F.
Required Texts:
Eric Dorn Brose, A History of Europe in
the Twentieth Century
Sheila
Fitzpatrick, The Russian Revolution
Christopher
Browning, Ordinary Men
John
Le Carré, The Spy Who Came in
from the Cold
Ian
Buruma, Murder
in Amsterdam
These
texts are available (new and used) through the IUN Bookstore and most on-line
book retailers (Amazon, Half, Barnes and Noble, etc.). The listed films will be shown in class.
Schedule
Week
One—The Great War, Brose: 1-7, 77-99
August 26: Total War in 1915
August 28: The Challenges of 1917
and 1918
Week
Two—Treaty of Versailles and the Creation of ‘Eastern Europe’, Brose: 99-147
September 2: Establishing Guilt and
Borders
September 4: Anxieties of the
Postwar Era—watch Genet, J’accuse
Week
Three—The Russian Revolution, Brose: 166-175, Fitzpatrick (all)
September 9: The Russian Civil War
September 11: Soviet Society and
Culture
Week
Four—Fascism in Italy and Germany, Brose: 176-193
September 16: Mussolini and the
March on Rome—first paper due
September 18: The Rise of National
Socialism
Week
Five—The Hollow Years Merriman, Brose 193-222
September 23: The Popular Front in
France and Spain
September 25: The Spanish Civil War—watch Einsenstein, Alexander Nevsky
Week
Six—World War II in Western Europe, Brose 223-253, Browning (all)
September 30: German Expansion and
War
October 2: The Occupation of Europe
Week
Seven—The Holocaust and the Eastern Front, Brose
253-264
October 7: Operation Barbarossa and
the ‘Final Solution’
October 9: Hitler’s Willing
Executioners?—second paper due
Week
Eight—Rebuilding Europe(s), Brose: 265-279
October 14: Mid-term exam
October 16: Retribution in France,
Germany, and the ‘East’
Week
Nine—Decolonization and Wars of Independence
October 21: The recession of the
British Empire
October 23: The wars of French
decolonization
Week
Ten—The Cold War, Brose: 280-324, Le Carré (all)
October 28: NATO and Divided Germany—third paper due
October 30: Espionage as Diplomacy
and Farce, watch Kubrick, Dr. Strangelove
Week
Eleven—The Wirtschaftwunder,
Brose: 325-357
November 4: Economic Growth in the
West
November 6: No class
Week
Twelve—Beatlemania and the Sixties, Brose: 358-364
November 11: Permissiveness and the
Challenge of Youth Culture
November 13: The ‘revolutions’ of
1968—watch The Dreamers
Week
Thirteen—The Lead Years, Brose: 364-397
November 18: The end of the ‘miracle
years’
November 20: Terrorism in European
life
Week
Fourteen—The Collapse, Brose: 398-432
November 25: The challenges of
Solidarity and Charter 77
November 27: Thanksgiving ****No class
Week
Fifteen—The European Dream?, Brose: 433-471, Buruma (all)
December 2: European Unification as
politics—fourth paper due
December 4: Concluding thoughts on
Europe—watch Tanovic, No Man’s Land
Final Exam TBA****************