HIS-120 Syllabus Spring 2005

BOOKS

Required readings for the course are set out in the syllabus. Many are from internet sources
and occasional handouts. However, there are eight books available in The Book Mark:

Jack R. Censer & Lynn Hunt, Liberty, Equality, Fraternity:
Exploring the French Revolution
Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton (Oxford World Classics edition)
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (Penguin Classics edition)
John Stuart Mill, On Liberty (Dover Thrift edition)
Erika Diane Rappaport, Shopping for Pleasure: Women in the Making of
London's West End
H.G. Wells, The Island of Dr Moreau (Dover Thrift edition)
George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying
Sebastian Haffner, Defying Hitler: A Memoir

While these books are available in other places, including internet stores, remember
that only The Book Mark allows for returns if you drop the class.

I. Revolutions in Europe			The execution of King Louis XVI

February 7	Course introduction
February 9	French Revolution: Causes Reading: Censer & Hunt, pp. 1-47
February 11	French Revolution: From Constitution to Terror Reading: Censer & Hunt, pp. 49-114
February 14	The Revolution Outside of France Reading: Censer & Hunt, pp. 115-38, 171-96
February 16	Napoleon		Censer & Hunt, pp. 139-69
February 18	Industrial Revolution: Causes & Landmarks
February 21	Industrial Revolution: Effects		Gaskell, author's preface & chaps. 1-4
February 23	Industrial Revolution: Effects
February 25	Intrepreting Industrialization		Gaskell, chaps. 15-38 Click here for summary of 19-34
February 28	FIRST MIDTERM EXAM: Click here for study (available on 2/24/05)
II. Cultural Movements, Social Change & Political Transformations
March 2	Casper David Friedrich, Two Men Watching the Moon (c. 1830) Metropolitan Mus. of Art	Romanticism
March 4		Literature and Society Reading: Shelley, pp. 1-90 (= author's introduction and Volume 1 if you are using a different edition)
March 7		Literature and Society Reading: finish Shelley
March 9		Political Reform and Romanticism
March 11	Socialism & Revolution	Marx/Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party, pts. I-II (pp. 1-21) [linked text is PDF file copied from: http://www.marxists.org
March 14	Materialism
March 16	Liberalism	Mill (all)
March 18	Snow Day
March 21	Realism and Realpolitik
March 23	Cities, Suburbs & the Family		Rappaport, pp. 16-73
*Spring Break*
April 4	Imperialism
April 6	Change in Economy & Society		Rappaport, pp. 74-177, 215-22
April 8	Gender & Sexuality in the fin de siecle
April 11	The Age of Anxiety		Wells (all)
April 13	SECOND MIDTERM EXAM: click here for study guide (available on 4/9/05)
III. The Age of World War
April 15	World War I: Causes
April 18	The War in the Trenches Reading: War Poems of Wilfred Owen Click here for the required poems and some helpful notes on them.
April 20	The War at Home
April 22	World War I: Political Legacies Reading: Haffner, pp. 1-94
April 25	World War I: Social Legacies
April 27	High Culture and Mass Culture between the Wars
April 29	Class and Culture in the 1930s		Orwell, chaps. 1-7
May 2	Class and Culture in the 1930s		Orwell, chaps. 8-12
May 4	Totalitarianism
May 6	Gate to Auschwitz II/Birkenau in 1945		Hitler and the Germans Reading: Haffner, pp. 95-178
May 9			Hitler and the Germans Reading: Haffner, pp. 179-309
May 11			World War II: Causes
May 13			The Holocaust
May 16	World War II: Legacies
May 18	Contemporary Europe and Its History
LAST EXAM Saturday, May 21 8-10 AM in SSC 101 Click here for study guide			20th century British writer Virginia Woolf

It is impossible in one semester to cover everything significant that took place in Western Europe during this period. These three areas have been selected with particular purposes in mind. The French and Industrial Revolutions allow us to examine not only events central to the formation of modern politics, economics, and society, but also introduce important aspects of historical thinking: the investigation of causes and consequences, the critical use of primary sources, the perspectives made possible by using different types of history (e.g., social, political, and economic history). The cultural movements and transformations of the mid 19th to early 20th centuries allow us to investigate the relationship between culture and developments in other realms of human experience, showing that high culture is intimately connected to the history of a society as a whole. The world wars of the first half of the 20th century allow us to examine some of the most powerful forces still at work in western culture and society and to look specifically at the uses of history to understand the present and inform the future. This course fulfills one of the college's general education requirements (HUMAN) because it introduces students to a central aspect of the humanities: thinking historically. The History Department has asserted in our mission statement (printed in the college catalog) that we desire above all that our students learn to think historically. What does that mean? Thinking historically includes: understanding change and continuity over time; appreciating the importance of historical context; knowing how to interpret and critique primary and secondary sources; being able to construct arguments based on historical evidence; understanding the varieties of approaches employed by historians; developing an appreciation for the histories of different regions, societies and time periods; developing an understanding of the past as the past and of its importance in the present. The themes and topics of this course have been chosen with these goals in mind. By the end of the semester, you should feel not only that you understand better what it means to be an historian but also that you can yourself begin to use the historian's skills and approaches.
British women's suffrage leader Emmeline Pankhurst arrested.		Fundamental to a liberal arts education as understood by Gustavus Adolphus College is a commitment to encourage students to be critical thinkers who can communicate their ideas effectively in written and spoken language. In this course, you will be challenged to continue the life-long process of growing as a critical thinker and communicator. By the end of the semester, you should feel that your mind has been stretched--that you have been challenged to think critically about ideas, sources, etc. You should also feel that you have had the opportunity to improve both your writing and your speaking (formal and informal). The assigned readings, the discussions, and the graded elements of the course have all been selected and designed with these objectives in mind.
Graded Requirements: As with much in life, the first thing you need to do is show up. Attendance is expected at all class meetings. (My attendance policy is explained below.) But just showing up isn't enough! Informed participation in class discussions is essential to the process of active learning. I may occasionally use quizzes to check on your preparation. Your participation in class (quality, not simply frequency) will be worth up to 20 points of your final grade. (Click here for study questions on the readings.) There will be three exams. These exams will collectively be worth up to 60 points. They will mix objective and analytical elements; the analytical components will be worth more than the objective ones. I reward improvement over the course of the semester. You will also write three brief papers making historical arguments based on the readings. These will be worth a total of 40 points. (Click here for a detailed description of the paper assignments, including the possible questions and due dates.) Fair warning: Failure to take all exams, submit all required papers, and/or a pattern of failure to complete reading assignments, attend class, or engage in informed participation will result in an F for the course. If you have a problem, please see me before it becomes a crisis!
Attendance Policy: Everyone is allowed three absences--the equivalent of one week of class--without any negative consequences. You do not have to explain the reason for your absences to me, though I do appreciate the courtesy of advance warning (even ten minutes before class by phone or e-mail) so that I don't wait for you before beginning the day's activities. If you will miss more than three classes, to avoid a grade penalty you must document that the absences are required by illness or personal/family emergency, or participation in a college-sponsored activity. Please, don't be offended when I ask for documentation. (The supervising faculty member is required by college policy to provide you with a letter for your instructors spelling out the dates, times and details of necessary absences for such activities.) Make-up exams are possible in cases of excused absences; late papers are not accepted since you can simply write on a later paper topic. Additional Policies: 1. Be familiar with the college's expectations concerning academic honesty, printed in the current academic catalog. Violations will result in appropriate consequences, which may include filing a report with the Dean's office and a failing grade. 2. If you have a diagnosed learning disability or any health situation (physical or mental) that might have an impact on your ability to complete your assignments, it is your responsibility to let me know about it at the beginning of the semester. I will make every reasonable accommodation. 3. Cell phones should be turned off during class. If you are expecting an urgent call, set the phone to alert you silently, and let me know that you may have to leave during class to take the call.		Eugene Delacroix, The Massacre at Chios, 1824. The Louvre, Paris 4. If you borrow course materials from me or the library, you are expected to return them unmarked and undamaged. You will not receive a grade for HIS-120 until all borrowed materials have been returned, or damaged materials replaced. 5. Late arrival is sometimes unavoidable, and I would ordinarily prefer that you come late than not at all. However, late arrival is distracting and should be avoided. If it becomes a pattern, you may be locked out of the class.