Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne

Department of History

HIST B361-01 Syllabus, Fall 2007

Course Title

Europe in the 20^th Century

Meeting Time & Location

Tues & Thurs, 3.00 – 4.15 pm, Kettler Hall 118.

Lecturer Contact Details[1]

Dr Carl P. Watts

CM 203, Tel.: 260-481-6694, E-mail: wattsc@ipfw.edu

Office Hours: Tues & Thurs, 10.30 – 11.30 am & 2.00 – 2.45 pm

Aims

This course has three broad aims. First, it aims to develop among students a more sophisticated understanding of the nature of history as a discipline. Second, it aims to develop transferable academic skills that students should find valuable in other learning environments. Third, it aims to build upon the students’ existing knowledge of modern European history by analysing the concept of Europe, examining key developments in European history during the twentieth century, and assessing the significance of those developments.

Objectives (Learning Outcomes)

Students will be able to demonstrate in writing, appropriate to a 300-level course:

· Awareness of the nature of the discipline of history, including concepts such as historiography, causation, continuity and change.

· Intermediate ability to interrogate primary and secondary historical sources.

· Competence in composition, including appropriate structure, use of objective language and relevant terminology, and systematic referencing using footnotes.

· Ability to analyse the concept of Europe from a number of perspectives, e.g. geographical, political, and cultural.

· A balanced view of the significance of modern European history, i.e. one that recognizes the impact of Europe on the wider world but also acknowledges objections to ‘Eurocentrism’

· Knowledge and understanding of the major political, economic, military, social, and cultural developments in twentieth-century European history.

Teaching Methodology

Instruction will be implemented through:

· WebCT, which will contain most of the relevant materials for this course. You must therefore be able to use WebCT and willing to access it regularly.

· Lecture, structured around the reading assignments based on the course text. Lectures will also incorporate visual resources (Powerpoint, DVD and Video) as appropriate.

· Class discussion of additional reading exercises and assignments.

· Peer review of assignment drafts.

· Written and oral feedback on assignments.

· Individual instruction during office hours, as requested or required.

Assessment[2]

· Two assignments of equal weighting (2 x 30%), which will take the form of three questions based on extracts from primary and/or secondary sources. Answers to each assignment should be about 2,500 words in total. You will be given specific oral and written instructions for completing these assignments. A third (optional) assignment will be offered to students whose performance on the first two assignments is unsatisfactory.

· Two documents exams of equal weighting (2 x 10%), which will take the form of several short-answer questions based on extracts from primary and/or secondary sources. You will be given more specific guidance regarding the content and structure of these exams nearer the time that you are due to sit them.

· A 1,500 word book review of one of the books used on the course (20%), which must incorporate material from academic reviews of the book. You will write the review towards the end of the course, by which time you will be familiar with the book, and you will be given specific oral and written instructions for completing the assignment.

Resources

Required reading: P. M. H. Bell, Twentieth-Century Europe: Unity and Division (London: Hodder Arnold, 2006), ISBN: 0-340-74055-8 [Purchase from Follett’s Bookstore or online at www.abebooks.com]

Recommended reading: Richard Vinen, A History in Fragments: Europe in the Twentieth Century (Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2001), ISBN 0-306-81063-8 [Purchase online at www.abebooks.com]

You will receive:

A reading exercise for each chapter of Bell’s book. The questions in these reading exercises will form the basis of class lectures and discussions.

Supplemental materials, such as extracts from primary and secondary sources, which will be supplied as photocopies or posted on WebCT. These will be used for class discussions and assignments.

Written guidance for each assignment, including the required reading additional to the course text. Items will be placed on E-Reserve and/or Course Reserve and these additional materials must be used for the assignments.

Structure

Week 1 Beginning 20 August

Themes: (i) Course administration; (ii) The Idea & Reality of Europe.

Reading:

Bell, ‘Introduction: What is Europe? A historical perspective’, pp. 1-10.
Norman Davies, Europe: A History (New York: Oxford University Press, 1996), Introduction. [Access through ReservesEXpress at http://www.lib.ipfw.edu/629.0.html ]

Weeks 2 - 4 Beginning 27 August, 3 & 10 September

Theme: Europe Before 1914.

Reading:

Bell, Chapters 1 and 2.
Vinen, Part I, Chapters 1 and 2.

Weeks 5 - 7 Beginning 17 & 24 September, & 1 October

Theme: The First World War and its Consequences

Reading:

· Bell, Chapters 3 and 4.

· Vinen, Part I, Chapter 3, and Part II, Chapter 1.

First assignment will be discussed and submission date set during this period.

Weeks 8 - 10 Beginning 8, 15 & 22 October [No class Tuesday 9 October]

Theme: Europe Between the Wars

Reading:

· Bell, Chapters 5 and 6.

· Vinen Part II, Chapters 2-6.

First documents exam will be discussed and exam date set during this period.

Weeks 11 - 13 Beginning 29 October, 5 & 12 November

Theme: The Second World War and its Consequences

Reading:

Bell, Chapters 7 and 8.
Vinen Part II, Chapters 7 and 8.

Second assignment will be discussed and submission date set during this period.

Weeks 14 & 15 Beginning 19 & 26 November [No class Thursday 22 November]

Theme: Europe During the Cold War

Reading:

· Bell, Chapters 9 – 12.

· Vinen, Part III, Chapters 1-5, and Part IV, Chapters 1 and 2.

Book review will be discussed and submission date set during this period, and second documents exam will also be discussed.

Week 16 Beginning 3 December

Theme: Contemporary Europe

Reading:

Bell, Chapters 13 and 14.
Vinen Part V, Chapters 1-3.

Week 17 Beginning 10 December

Second documents exam will take place on Thursday 13 December at 10.30 am.

COURSE EXPECTATIONS

You are expected to take responsibility for your learning, which means you should engage the intellectual challenge offered by the course, invest sufficient time in your studies outside class, attend and participate actively in class, and be prepared to ask questions.

(a) Engage the intellectual challenges involved in this course.

This course obviously emphasizes written work. You will be required to write at least 6,500 words in your own time as well as taking two exams in class. You must be prepared to give the assignments your best effort and want to improve your writing skills.

The course is strongly historiographical, so you must be willing to read widely and incorporate the differing opinions of many historians in relation to each part of the course, especially in your written work.

(b) Invest six hours per week in private study.

You must complete the reading assignments before you come to class in order that you can follow the content of the lectures and participate in class discussions.

Prepare assignments gradually and do not leave them until the last possible moment. You will be given additional help if you need it, but you cannot expect a sympathetic response if you turn up just before an assignment is due.

You will obviously miss important material if you are not in class. If you do have a valid reason for being unable to attend class then please see me during office hours for a summary of what you missed.

Ensure that you take notes during class, which should build on the notes that you have already taken before class. You should produce a clear set of integrated word-processed notes for each section of the course, and organize them in a file specifically for this course.[3]

Participate in class discussions. The discussions, which are mandatory, provide you with an opportunity to exchange ideas and check your understanding of sources in conjunction with other students before discussing them with me.

(d) Ask questions if you do not understand (or want more information).

You should expect to have questions because the course covers a century of particularly momentous events about which an enormous amount has been written. Expect to obtain a reasonable rather than a total understanding of Europe in the 20^th century. Remember that the course is only one semester long, which obviously limits what can be accomplished.

Questions will be welcomed at any time. The chances are that if you think something is not clear then other students will be thinking exactly the same thing, so you should never let anything slip by if you think it is a significant barrier to your learning.

If you feel hopelessly lost and need additional help then this will gladly be provided during office hours. Also, if you feel that you are not sufficiently challenged by the content of the classes, or think that what you have read is at variance with what has been taught, then you are welcome to discuss this during office hours.

Dr Carl P. Watts

August 2007

[1] Please note that I live in Mason, Michigan and will commute to Fort Wayne only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I will be able to answer simple questions by e-mail, but if you require help or advice on more complex issues please see me during office hours.

[2] See document on ‘Course Assessment’, which provides further details on submission, grading criteria, mark allocations, grade boundaries, general advice on completing assignments, and important information regarding assessment policies.

[3] See document entitled ‘Advice on Effective Reading’.