HIS 3230-001 Modern Germany (CRN 40259) Dr. Jeffrey Johnson
Tues.-Thurs., 2:30- 3:45 pm, Tolentine 315 Spring 2005
Contact info. for Dr. Johnson:
Office: SAC 440, X7404; Hrs. T-Th 4-5 pm, Wed. 6:45-7:15 pm & by appt.
email: Jeffrey.Johnson@villanova.edu
Website: http://www11.homepage.villanova.edu/jeffrey.johnson/
AIM: This lecture-discussion course will examine some of the principal interactions between society, politics, and culture that have shaped modern Germany from the revolutionary era of the mid-nineteenth century to its reunification at the end of the twentieth century. The Germans played a central role in the recurring crises of European development during this period, most notoriously in the era of Hitler's Third Reich culminating in the Second World War and the Holocaust. We will focus on these crises' causes and consequences. This course will also help you improve your skills in class discussion and oral presentations, reading historical sources, and writing analytical history papers.
MATERIALS: Course readings will include books plus some short selections of sources (on Library reserve or WebCT) to illustrate various historical issues. The following required paperbacks are available for sale in the University Shop:
Mary Fulbrook, A Concise History of Germany. 2nd ed., 2004.
Hans J. Hahn, The 1848 Revolutions in German-speaking Europe. 2001.
Erich M. Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front. (Ballantine 1982 mass-market paperback)
Belinda J. Davis, Home Fires Burning: Food, Politics and Everyday Life in World War I Berlin. 2000
Victor Klemperer, The Language of the Third Reich: LTI. 2002.
Ulrich Plenzdorf et al., The New Sufferings of Young W.: And Other Stories from the German Democratic Republic. 1997 (German Library Ser., Vol. 87)
We will also view some classic films, including "All Quiet on the Western Front," "M," and "Triumph of the Will."
WORK AND EVALUATION:
Attendance, reading, and discussions: You will be expected to attend two lecture‑discussion session per week. The discussions will deal with the assigned readings, lectures, and some films to be shown in class. Each week you will be responsible for 50‑150 pages of reading. After the first meeting, be sure to read each assignment before coming to class, so that we can have an informed discussion of each principal topic. The participation grade (25%) will be based on general class discussions as well as one oral report by each student, related to the topic of your take-home paper; it will also include some short reaction essays (see below).
Written work: Written work will include a 5-page take-home paper (25%), a midterm in-class essay (25%), and a final essay examination (25%), as well as some short (1-2 page) essays reacting to the readings (to be included in your class participation grade). Evaluations of written work will consider both argument and evidence; papers may be revised and resubmitted after initial evaluation by the instructor. Full explanations of the standards expected will be distributed with the first assignment.
Late work and make‑ups: In case you must miss an assignment, notify Dr. Johnson by phone or email (see information above) BEFORE the due date, so that special arrangements can be worked out. If you do not complete an assignment within the first week it is due, and if you do not present an appropriate written excuse (e.g. a serious medical condition), your maximum possible grade must be reduced one letter grade after each week the assignment is overdue.
Academic integrity: The instructor will not tolerate plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty; students handing in work which is demonstrably not their own can expect to be disciplined according to standard university procedures. If you are not certain how to carry out an assignment properly, please consult with the instructor WELL BEFORE the due date.
Learning disabilities: It is Villanova University’s policy to make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. This may include special arrangements for note-taking, taking examinations, etc. If you will need such arrangements, please discuss privately with Dr. Johnson and consult the Office of Learning Support Services in Kennedy Hall (610-519-5636).
OUTLINE AND READING SCHEDULE:
Introduction (Tues., 1/18)
Part One: The German states
from revolutions to empire,1848-1871
Thurs. 1/20: French Revolutionary wars and Restoration Germany (READ: Fulbrook, 94-115; Hahn, 1-45)
Tues. 1/25: The "springtime of the peoples": outbreak of the revolutions of 1848 (Fulbrook, 116-122; Hahn, 46-111) ORAL REPORTS/TAKE-HOME & REACTION ESSAYS ASSIGNED
Thurs. 1/27: The struggle to define the German nation, 1848-1849 (Hahn, 112-156)
Tues. 2/1: Victory of the Reaction, 1849; legacies of the revolutions (Hahn, 157-220) FIRST REACTION ESSAY due (1-2 pages)
Thurs. 2/3: The Progressive challenge and Bismarck's wars, 1859-1871 (WebCT/reserve: TBA)
Part Two: Imperial Germany to
World War I, 1871-1918
Tues. 2/8: Foundation of the Second Reich (Fulbrook, 122-131)
Thurs. 2/10: Politics of Imperial Germany (Fulbrook, 131-137; WebCT/reserve: Bismarck, Eley, Treitschke) FIRST ORAL REPORT (O.R.; take-home essay is due on 2/24]
Tues. 2/15: Society & Culture of Imperial Germany (Fulbrook, 137-148; WebCT/reserve: Nietzsche) O.R. [take-home essay is due on 2/24]
Thurs. 2/17: German Imperialism, cultural nationalism, & World War I (Fulbrook, 148-154; WebCT/reserve: Mann) O.R. [take-home essay is due on 2/24]
Tues. 2/22: The Home Front; the experience of German women (Davis, chs. 1-2, 4, 6, 8-9) REACTION ESSAY
Thurs. 2/24: Film: "All Quiet on the Western Front" (Remarque, chs. 1-3 [pp. 1-50], skim chs. 4-6 [to p. 136])
Tues. 3/1: A generation destroyed? (Remarque, chs. 7, 9, 11-end [pp. 137-185, 199-229, 271-296]; skim the rest); REVIEW FOR MIDTERM
Thurs. 3/3: MIDTERM IN-CLASS EXAMINATION
HIS 3230-001 Modern Germany Dr. Jeffrey Johnson
[READING SCHEDULE continued (p. 3)] Spring 2005
Part Three: Weimar Germany,
1918-1933
Tues. 3/15: Postwar crises (Fulbrook, 155-167) O.R. [take-home essay is due on 3/29]
Thurs. 3/17: Temporary recovery (Fulbrook, 167-172) O.R. [take-home essay is due on 3/29]
Tues. 3/22: Weimar culture (in-class film: "M"; WebCT/reserve: Tatar) REACTION ESSAY
Tues. 3/29: Economic crisis & political collapse (Fulbrook, 172-179; Plenzdorf, 216-224) O.R. [take-home essay is due on 4/5; unless otherwise noted, all subsequent take-home essays will be due ONE WEEK after the corresponding oral reports)]
Part Four: The Third Reich,
1933-1945
Thurs. 3/31: Hitler & the National Socialist dictatorship (Fulbrook, 179-187; Klemperer, 1-56) O.R.
Tues. 4/5: Nazi culture (in-class film: "Triumph of the Will"; Klemperer, 57-61, 66-83, 111-118, 129-140, 148-158) [55pp]
Thurs. 4/7: Recovery, rearmament, expansion (Fulbrook, 187-193; Klemperer, 84-102, 190-200) O.R. [take-home essay may be submitted on 4/19 to avoid conflict with reaction essay]
Tues. 4/12: War, resistance, extermination (Fulbrook, 192-204; Klemperer, 119-124, 166-189, 215-230, 236-245) O.R. [55 pp]
Thurs. 4/14: Mass bombings and death camps (Klemperer, 125-128; WebCT/reserve: TBA) REACTION ESSAY
Part Five: Cold War: the two Germanies & the Problem of
Reunification, 1945-1990 and after
Tues. 4/19: Germany defeated & divided (Fulbrook, 205-212; Klemperer, 246-251, 259-260, 271-286; Plenzdorf, 172-176, 239-263; WebCT/reserve: TBA; O.R. [take-home essay may be submitted on 4/28 to avoid conflict with reaction essay]
Thurs. 4/21: Cold War politics, 1949-89 (Fulbrook, 212-230; Plenzdorf, 270-273, 279-307) O.R.
Tues. 4/26: Society & culture in West & East (Fulbrook, 230-243; Plenzdorf, 1-68, 83-90, 129-137, 202-204, 209-215) REACTION ESSAY
Thurs. 4/28: Revolution & reunification (Fulbrook, 243-250; Plenzdorf, 316-328; WebCT/reserve: Ash)
Conclusion:
Tuesday (5/3): Follows a Friday schedule (no class)
Thursday (5/5): Final discussion and review (Fulbrook, 250-261)
Exam Week (5/7-13): Our final examination will be on Wednesday, May 11, from 1:30 to 4pm. Please make your travel reservations accordingly and DO NOT ask Dr. Johnson to modify the examination time or date.