Office:
1125 AuSable Hall
Office
Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 10:30-11:15 and by appointment
Telephone:
(616) 895-3134
email:
kellehef@gvsu.edu
web
site: http://www.gvsu.edu/~kellehef/homepage.htm
Course Description:
HST 385 provides an in-depth study of European history from 1900 through 1945, with emphasis on Britain, France, Germany, and Russia. Topics include Belle Epoque politics, society, and culture; the Great War of 1914; the politics of peace-making and the Treaty of Versailles; the 1917 revolutions in Russia, the civil war, and Stalin's Revolution; inter-war culture and society; the depression of 1929; fascism, with special emphasis on the Nazi movement in Germany; the diplomacy of the 1930s; and the Second World War. Class sessions will include both lecture and discussion. Students ought read the assigned material before each class so as to be able to participate in class activities.
PLEASE NOTE: HST 385 is a Supplemental Writing Skills course. Completion of ENG 150 or ENG 170 with a grade of C or better (not C-) is the prerequisite for receiving SWS credit for this course. Any student who has not fulfilled the prerequisite will not receive SWS credit. SWS courses adhere to certain guidelines. Students submit a total of at least 3000 words of writing during the term. Part of that may be essay exams, but a substantial amount of it is made up of finished essays, reports, or research papers. The instructor works with students on revising drafts of their papers, rather than simply grading the finished piece of writing. At least one-third of the grade in an SWS course is based on the writing assignments.
Syllabus:
May 7: Introduction:
Europe in 1900
Europe
and the World in 1900
Modernism
May 9: Belle
Epoque Politics and Society
Alliances
and Nationalism
Suffragettes
Labor
and Socialism
May 14: GB Shaw:
Major Barbara
The Crises
of 1914
Read:
Major Barbara
May 16: The Great
War: Battlefronts and Home Fronts
Read:
TS Eliot, The Wasteland
Perrot, The Old Eve and the New Adam (available in History office)
May 21: The Russian
Revolution and the Civil War
Read:
Fitzpatrick, Chapters 1, 2,3
First
Essay due
May 23: The Politics
of Peacemaking and the 1920s
Read:
Keylor, Selections in sections I, II, III
May 28: Memorial Day: No Class
May 30: The Depression
The Rise
of Fascism
Kershaw,
Essays 1 and 2
June 4: Bolshevik
Russia
Fitzpatrick,
Chapters 4,5,6
June 6: Nazi Germany
The Road
to War
Kershaw,
Essays 3,4,6,7
June 11: World
War II
Second
Essay due
June 13: The Holocaust
Kershaw,
Essays 5,8,9
June 18: Europe
in 1945
Final
Essay due
June 20: Final Examination
Required Texts:
GB Shaw, Major
Barbara
Sheila Fitzpatrick,
The Russian Revolution
TS Eliot, The
Wasteland
William Keylor,
The Legacy of the First World War
Ian Kershaw,
The Nazi Dictatorship
Recommended Texts:
Erich Maria Remarque,
All Quiet on the Western Front
George Orwell,
Down and Out in Paris and London
Elie Wiesel,
Night
REQUIREMENTS:
1. Regular preparation, attendance, and participation are prerequisites for success in this course. Students are expected to attend all classes, are responsible for all material discussed and/or distributed in class, and any announcements made during class periods. ABSENCES AND/OR FAILURE TO COMPLETE ASSIGNED READING WILL ADVERSELY AFFECT YOUR FINAL GRADE.
2. Final examination in two parts—a take-home essay due on June 18 and an in class exam on the June 20. FAILURE TO APPEAR FOR A SCHEDULED EXAMINATION WILL RESULT IN FAILURE ON THAT EXAM AND NO CREDIT TOWARD THE FINAL GRADE.
3. Two analytic essays of three to five pages each, written in response to a question or issue posed during a preceding class session. Due dates are noted on the syllabus. LATE ESSAYS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AND WILL RECEIVE NO CREDIT TOWARD THE FINAL GRADE.
GRADING
Criteria used in grading written assignments will include: the analytic focus of the essay; articulation and presentation of the argument; research on which the conclusions are based; coherence of the essay; grammatical correctness and form; correct use of citation and bibliography.
Plagiarism, the use of someone else's words or ideas as if they are your own, is an academic crime akin to theft. Any paper found to be plagiarized in whole or in part will receive a grade of F. Such a paper cannot be rewritten for a higher grade.
Grades will be calculated using the following formula:
Two essays:
25 points each
Final Essay:
20 points
Final Exam:
20 points
Preparation,
Attendance, Participation: 10 points
Total: 100 points
90-100 points:
A- to A
80-89 points:
B- to B+
70-79 points:
C- to C+*
60-69 points:
D to D+
Fewer than
60 points: F
*74 points required to receive a grade of C which will give eligible students SWS credit for this course.