Rutgers University
Age of European Global Expansion
Rutgers History Department, Spring 2006
History 506:110, Monday / Wednesday 4:30-5:50
Van Dyck Hall 211, College Avenue, New Brunswick
This course will cover the major themes of European Global Expansion from 1400 until 1914. It will examine how Europeans perceive the wider world in the 15th century and left their continent to explore hitherto unknown territories. Columbus’ landfall in 1492, as well as Vasco De Gama’s arrival in Calicut in the spring of 1498 will be our starting point for an analysis of the factors paving the way for these encounters, such as improved navigation and exploding geographical knowledge. Particular emphasis will be laid on the nature of European contacts to native civilizations and their long-term historical impact both on Europe and on the “discovered” areas and populations.
Special attention will also be paid to cultures and politics of memory existing throughout the various centuries concerning the “age of discovery” and subsequent European expansions. Readings are composed of a variety of primary and secondary sources, and will allow multi-faceted insights into the history of Europe’s global interactions in this time period. Lectures will outline the state of current research and discuss how historians have conceptualized the processes and events under discussion.
Course Requirements:
This course is designed as survey class of European global expansion. The requirements for this course are that you regularly attend class, write two short papers, a midterm and take-home final exam. The lectures will refer to and draw on the assigned readings for this class and it is therefore essential that you complete the assigned readings on time.
Required Reading:
Jill Lepore, Encounters in the New World (Oxford University Press, 2001)
David Ringrose, Expansion and Global Interaction: 1200-1700 (Longman, 2000)
Patricia Seed, Ceremonies of Possession in Europe’s Conquest of the New World, 1492-1640 (Cambridge University Press, 1995)
Miguel Leon-Portilla, ed., The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico (Beacon Press, 1992 expanded ed.)
Gananath Obeyesekere, The Apotheosis of Captain Cook: European Mythmaking in the Pacific (Princeton University Press, 1997)
Marcus Rediker, Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age (Beacon Press: 2005)
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness (Penguin, 1995)
Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics), 2003
Development of Europe II
Rutgers History Department, Spring 2006
History 510:102, Monday/Thursday 11:30-12:50
Murray 210, College Avenue, New Brunswick
This course surveys the European history from the eighteenth century to the present in the context of international developments. It broadly examines the basic political, economic, and cultural developments and key concepts that have shaped the path of Europe. European Absolutism, the birth of the Enlightenment, the French Revolution and its legacies, the Industrial Revolution, the emergence of various ideologies (nationalism, liberalism, socialism, etc.), European imperialist expansion, the two World Wars, the rise of fascism, as well as the Cold War divisions of the continent and their dissolution in and around 1989 will form the periodical demarcations of this class.
However, at the same time, we will transcend these boundaries by examining various aspects of the European past, including concepts of individual liberties and citizenship, class structures, gender roles, generational, ethnic and national identities or transnational allegiances. Particular attention will also be paid to the shaping of contemporary Europe, the challenges it faces, as well as its future in a globalized, but unipolar world. Readings are composed of a variety of primary and secondary sources, and will allow multi-faceted insights into the long-term developments in Europe and of the European idea.
Course Requirements:
The requirements for this course are that you participate regularly in class and discussions, write two papers (3-4 papers), and take a midterm and a comprehensive final exam. The class will consist of an active lecture format, meaning that I plan to intersperse the lectures with discussions and debates of the reading and/or additional primary sources. It is therefore essential that you complete the assigned readings on time. Furthermore, you should feel free to raise questions or comments during any lecture.
Required Readings:
Hunt, Lynn, et al., The Making of the West, vol. 2: Since 1500 (NY: Bedford St. Martin, 2005)
Lualdi, Katharine, ed., Sources of The Making of the West, vol. 2: Since 1500 (comes as free supplement)
Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto (NY: Signet Classics, 1998)
Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front (Ballantine Books; Reissue edition, 1987)
Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz (NY: Simon & Schuster, 1996)
German History Since 1914
Rutgers History Department, Spring 2006
History 510:363, Tuesday/Friday 11:30-12:50
Scott 204, College Avenue, New Brunswick
This course will cover the major themes of German history since 1914. Based on the decisive political events that shaped the century, we will investigate the development of Germany’s economic, social and cultural fabric over the decades. The Wilhelmine Kaiserreich, the Republic of Weimar, the National Socialist State, the two German states after 1945 as well as the unified Germany in today’s Europe will form the periodical demarcations of this class. However, at the same time we will transcend these boundaries by examining long term historical developments with regard to concepts of citizenship, class structures, gender roles, generational and national identities or transnational allegiances. Particular attention will also be paid to cultures and politics of memory existing throughout the various decades. Readings are composed of a variety of primary and secondary sources, and will allow multi-faceted insights into Germany in the 20th century. Lectures will outline the state of current research and discuss how historians have conceptualized the processes and events
under discussion.
Course Requirements:
This course is designed as survey of twentieth-century German history. Students should be somewhat familiar with European history but need not necessarily fulfill any other requirements. Ability to read or speak German is also not particularly needed, but if you have the language you are encouraged to use it to read primary sources and titles from the reading list (Remarque, Haffner, Kaminer) in the original. The requirements for this course are that you participate regularly in class and discussions, write two short papers, a takehome midterm and final exam. The class will consist of an active lecture format, meaning that I plan to intersperse the lectures with discussions and debates. Generally a 30-40 minutes lecture will be succeeded by a discussion of the readings and/or the primary sources. It is therefore essential that you complete the assigned readings on time. Furthermore, you should feel free to raise questions or comments during any lecture.
Required Reading:
Mary Fulbrook, History of Germany 1918-2000: The Divided Nation, (Paperback), Blackwell Publishers; 2nd edition (2003)
Mary Fulbrook, ed., 20th-Century Germany: Politics, Culture and Society Since 1918-1990 (Paperback), Arnold Publishers (2001)
Ian Kershaw, The Nazi Dictatorship: Problems and Perspectives of Interpretation, (Paperback), Arnold Publishers; 4th edition (2000)
Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front. Ballantine Books (1987)
Sebastian Haffner, Defying Hitler: A Memoir (Paperback) Picador (2003)
Anna Funder, Stasiland Granta Books (2003)
Wladimir Kaminer, Russian Disco (Paperback), Ebury Press (2002)
History of 20th Century Europe
Rutgers History Department, Spring 2006
History 510:327:01, Tuesday/Thursday, 2:50-4:10
Campbell A5, College Avenue, New Brunswick
This course investigates the political, economic, and cultural developments of twentieth-century Europe. The First World War, the peace order of the inter-war period, the rise of fascism, the Second World War, the Cold War divisions of the continent, the dissolution of the bloc confrontation, and the further expansion European Union and identity will form the periodical demarcations of this class. However, at the same time we will transcend these boundaries by examining long term historical developments with regard to the European idea, concepts of citizenship, class structures, gender roles, generational and national identities or transnational allegiances. Particular attention will be paid to the shaping of contemporary Europe, its problems and challenges after the Cold War as well as its future. Readings are composed of a variety of primary and secondary sources, and will allow multi-faceted insights into the path of Europe in the 20th century. Lectures will outline the state of current research and discuss how historians have conceptualized the processes and events under discussion.
Course Requirements:
This course is designed as survey of twentieth-century European history. Students should be somewhat familiar with European history but need not necessarily fulfill any other requirements. The requirements for this course are that you participate regularly in class and discussions, write a take-home midterm, and produce a final paper of 15-17 pages (including an ungraded prospectus). The class will consist of an active lecture format, meaning that I plan to intersperse the lectures with discussions and debates. Generally a 30-40 minutes lecture will be succeeded by a discussion of the reading and/or additional primary sources. It is therefore essential that you complete the assigned readings on time. Furthermore, you should feel free to raise questions or comments during any lecture.
Required Reading:
Gilbert, Felix with D. C. Large. The End of the European Era. NY: Norton, 2002
Remarque, Erich-Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. NY: Penguin, 2002
Fitzpatrick, Sheila. The Russian Revolution. Oxford: OUP, 2001
Bessel, Richard, ed. Life in the Third Reich. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2001
Kovaly, Heda. Under a Cruel Star. A Life in Prague, 1941-68. NY: Holmes & Meyer, 1997
Drakulic, Slavenka. Café Europa: Life After Communism. NY: Norton, 1996
Pamuk, Orhan. Snow. Vintage, 2005
The World Transformed? The 1960s from an International Perspective
Rutgers University, Spring 2003
History 506:402:08, Wednesdays, 9:50-12.50 p.m.
Hardenberg Hall-A2 (CAC)
During the 1960s, protest movements shattered established orders and radically questioned traditional values virtually simultaneously in France, West Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.S. and many other parts of the world. Recent years have not only seen an increasing historical interest in the legacy of the 1960s on a national level but also various attempts to understand the global character of the sixties’ rebellion. The linkages between domestic and international affairs, the tremendous influence of the media, the cross-cultural exchange of ideas that shaped the networks of protest and challenged the Cold War status quo during this decade have led to an interpretation of the sixties, and especially its most tumultuous and climactic year 1968, as a wide-spread cultural and social revolution, in fact the first global revolution.
This course will test the substance of that assumption by examining the 1960s as a transnational phenomenon. After a thorough exploration of the protest movements in the United States, the decade’s unprecedented wave of social and political activism will be examined from an international perspective. Special attention will be paid to the national conditions that caused domestic dissent before issues which transcended national boundaries and fostered the global impact of protest will be dealt with. For class reports and short papers students will draw on primary and secondary sources of various movements. Major writing for the course consists of a research paper on a theme individually agreed upon with the instructor. Limited to 15 students.
Literature:
Burner, David. Making Peace with the 60s. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996.
Fink, Carole, Philipp Gassert, and Detlef Junker, eds. 1968: A World Transformed. Edited by The German Historical Institute. Washington, D.C.: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
Morrison, Joan, and Robert K. Morrison, eds. From Camelot to Kent State: The Sixties Experience in the Words of Those Who Lived It. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001, 2nd ed.
Rampolla, Mary Lynn. A Pocket Guide to Writing in History. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000, 3rd ed.
Western Civilization I
Rutgers History Department, Fall 2006
History 510:201:05, Tuesday /Thursday 1:00-2:20
Classroom: Conklin 446, Rutgers University, Newark
This course surveys the events and issues in Western civilization from its beginnings to 1700. It broadly examines the basic political, economic, as well as cultural developments and key concepts that have shaped the path of Europe. The societies of the Near East, Ancient Greece and Rome, Medieval societies and world views, feudalism and church reform, the Renaissance, global European expansion, the Reformation and the Thirty Years’ War will form the periodical demarcations of this class. Particular attention will be paid to the evolution of democratic institutions and the classical philosophy of Greece and Rome and their influence on succeeding societies as well as the fundamental role of religion in Medieval cultures.
However, at the same time we will transcend these boundaries by examining various long-term aspects such as individual liberties and citizenship, class structures, gender roles, ethnic identities or intercultural contacts. Readings are composed of a variety of primary and secondary sources and will allow multi-faceted insights into the long-term developments in Europe and of the idea of the West.
Course Requirements:
Attendance is mandatory for this class and a lack thereof will result in a failure grade. Further requirements for this course include that you participate regularly in class and discussions, take a midterm and a comprehensive final exam. In addition, there will be several reading quizzes, both announced and unannounced, during the semester. The class will consist of an active lecture format, meaning that I plan to intersperse the lectures with discussions and debates of the reading and/or additional primary sources. It is therefore essential that you complete the assigned readings on time.
Required Reading:
Lynn Hunt, et al., The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures, Volume 1, To 1740, 2nd Edition (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005)
Katherine Lualdi, Sources of the Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures, Volume 1,To 1740, 2nd Edition (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005)
David Harris Sacks, ed., Sir Thomas More Utopia (by Sir Thomas More) 1999, Bedford/St. Martin’s
Western Civilization II
Rutgers History Department, Spring 2006
Department of History, Spring 2006
This course surveys the events and issues in Western civilization from 1700 to the present in the context of international developments. It broadly examines the basic political, economic, and cultural developments and key concepts that have shaped the path of Europe. European Absolutism, the birth of the Enlightenment, the French Revolution and its legacies, the Industrial Revolution, the emergence of various ideologies (nationalism, liberalism, socialism, etc.), European imperialist expansion, the two World Wars, the rise of fascism, the Cold War divisions of the continent and their dissolution in and around 1989 will form the periodical demarcations of this class.
However, at the same time we will transcend these boundaries by examining various aspects of the European past, including concepts of individual liberties and citizenship, class structures, gender roles, generational, ethnic and national identities or transnational allegiances. Particular attention will also be paid to the shaping of contemporary Europe, the challenges it faces, as well as its future in a globalized, but unipolar world. Readings are composed of a variety of primary and secondary sources, and will allow multi-faceted insights into the long-term developments in Europe and of the idea of the West.
Course Requirements:
The requirements for this course are that you participate regularly in class and discussions, take a midterm and a comprehensive final exam. In addition, there will be several unannounced reading quizzes during the semester. The class will consist of an active lecture format, meaning that I plan to intersperse the lectures with discussions and debates of the reading and/or additional primary sources. It is therefore essential that you complete the assigned readings on time, also to pass the unannounced reading quizzes.
Required Reading:
Hunt, Lynn, et al., The Making of the West, vol. 2: Since 1500 (NY: Bedford St. Martin, 2005)
Lualdi, Katharine, ed., Sources of The Making of the West, vol. 2: Since 1500 (comes as free supplement)
Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front (Ballantine Books; Reissue edition, 1987)
Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz (NY: Simon & Schuster, 1996)