Time Schedule:
Nathaniel Weston
HSTEU 334
Seattle Campus
Society and politics from Germany's first unification to its reunification; domestic and foreign policy; political, economic, social, and cultural developments; high emphasis on German society's self-perception and on the variety of interpretations of this period's history Offered: by different "schools" of historians.
Class description
This course will examine modern Germany in the wider contexts of European and global military, diplomatic, and international relations. It will also investigate the construction and maintenance of the several states governing Germany since 1871, including the Second Empire (_Kaiserreich_), Weimar Republic, National Socialist era, Allied occupation, Democratic Republic, and Federal Republic. Finally, this class will consider the on-going impacts of industrialization and world-wide economic forces in addition to the creation and re-creation of cultures based on gender, class, confession, and race.
Student learning goals
Upon completion of this course, students will strengthen their abilities to:
identify significant persons, events, and ideas in the history of modern Germany
interpret and debate the meanings of written and visual texts
draft and revise original theses supported with historical evidence
General method of instruction
The course will employ lectures, images, films, primary and secondary readings, and discussions to achieve its pedagogical aims.
Recommended preparation
Students must possess a commitment to perform thorough readings of assigned texts, actively engage in critical discussions of course topics, and improve their analytical writing skills.
Class assignments and grading
Students will take midterm and final exams identifying material from course readings, lectures, images, films, and discussions. Students will also use assigned course readings to draft six essays of five paragraphs in length, two of which they will revise into five-page papers.
Essay drafts (30%)
Revised papers (30%)
Exams (40%)
