INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE
Week 1. Week of 8/18
Wed 8/20—Introduction to Europe in the Era of Total War
In Class:
- Introductions
 - Europe 1900 to 1945
 - Syllabus – Explanation of the Course
 - Norman Angell vs. Filippo Marinetti
 
Quick Assignments AFTER CLASS
- Complete the History 208 Student Questionnaire
 - Make sure you have a notebook for the class – a place to organize your notes on the reading and on classes
 - Make sure you have access to Kershaw
 - Make sure you can find our Moodle pages – and the readings folder
 
For more fun:
- Film from Paris 1900 Exposition – note moving sidewalks, celebration of colonialism, cinema, electricity
 - Film from Berlin 1945 – note physical destruction, “rubble women” working to clean up
 - Filippo Marinetti – at Wikipedia
 - Norman Angell – at Wikipedia
 
PART 1. SURVEY OF EUROPE 1900 to 1945 – FOLLOWING IAN KERSHAW
Week 2. Week of 8/25
Mon 8/25—Interpreting the 20th c. & Belle Epoque Europe
PREPARATION:
- Read Syllabus Details – esp. Course Policies & Resources and How to Succeed – note any questions you have – I will ask you about these
 - Read Kershaw, Preface & Introduction, xxiii-xxvi, 1-7
 - Robert Paxton, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Ch. 1 (Europe 1914), pp. 1-38 – at our Moodle Readings Folder
- A long reading – do not wait until Sunday night to start it!
 - This comes from an excellent textbook by one of the best American historians of Europe, but it has a lot of detail. Don’t get bogged down. Take away the central themes and key examples that illuminate them and be ready to discuss.
 - Look forward to Friday’s assignment and you’ll see how this can come in handy.
 
 - Complete Quiz on Kershaw Introduction before class – a chance to test your understanding – not a graded assignment
 - I don’t have a quiz on Paxton – will have to add one sometime. What questions would you include? Important details that reveal a world…
 - Come to class with your reading notes and initial observations – put away phones and laptops and come ready to listen, think, and discuss
 
In Class:
- Introductions
 - Historiography – Interpretations of the 20th c.
 - Introduction to Europe in 1900 – Ex. of the Ruhr Valley
 - Themes for the History of Pre-War Europe
 
Wed 8/27—A Tour of Europe, c. 1900 & the Road to War
Preparation:
- Read Kershaw, Ch. 1, “On the Brink,” pp. 9-43
 - Complete Quiz on Kershaw Chapter 1 before class – ungraded as all of these short online reading quizzes will be
 
In Class:
- Reading Quiz
 - Map of Europe in 1914 – and Map Quiz Study Guide – on Handout Page
- Map quiz will be due by the end of next week – start studying!
 
 - Pre-War Europe – Small Groups
 - The Road to War
 - Handout roles for Monday’s World in 1900 Role Play
 
AFTER CLASS
- Study the map of Europe in 1914
 - Prepare for World in 1900 Role Play
 
By Saturday—Short Prep Assignment #1 – World in 1900
- Short Assignment to Prepare for Class on Monday
 - Due Saturday at 4:00pm
 - You’ve been assigned a person living in Europe in 1900. In class on Monday, you will tell us about your life, your experience, your local view of the grand events of this history. And you’ll share your first thoughts at the coming of war in 1914, a conflict that would come in time to be known as the Great War
 - How to prepare? Look to our sources – Paxton and Kershaw – and ask AI for help (yes, this is allowed) or look to other sources online and off. Your aim: to learn what you can about how someone in this social position would view the world. Take notes and cite sources (book and page number or website). This is not a deep research assignment; feel free to draw on Wikipedia and web sources. Take notes in a short text document, save as pdf, and upload to Moodle. I expect that you will share with me 1/2 to one page of single spaced notes, with details on the sources of your information.
 - Upload to assignment on Moodle in pdf format
 - Come to class on Monday ready to tell your story without simply reading your notes.
 
Week 3. Week of 9/1
Mon 9/1—The Great War
Before Class:
- Read Kershaw, Ch. 2, “The Great Disaster,” pp. 44-92
- a long chapter that covers a lot of ground. Don’t wait until Sunday night to start reading
 - To be honest, there are some pieces you can skim. I won’t hold you accountable for mastering the history of the war. You’d like to take away:
- a clear sense for the chronology of the war
 - the nature of combat
 - the different experiences in the east and the west
 - the story of Dzików
 - the involvement of non-European combatants
 - and the impact on government and institutions (in Russia in 1917, for example
 
 - Come to class with your notes on the reading – and any questions you have
 
 - Study the map of Europe in 1914
 - Be prepared to explain your story in 1900/1914
 
In Class:
- 1900/1914 Role Play
 - Introduction to the First World War
- The Course of the War – West & East
 - The Home Front – the Polish village of Dzików, for ex
 - The Bolshevik Revolution
 - Impact of the War – and Revolutionary Situations
 
 
For more fun:
- They Shall Not Grow Old, dir. Peter Jackson, 2018 – trailer online at Youtube
 - Wilfred Owen – short bio and selection of poems at the British Library 
- See “Dulce et Decorum Est” (published 1921) – online at PoetryFoundation
 - See the gloss on the lines “dulce et decorum” from Lesley Smith at GMU – online at GMU
 
 - Historial of the Great War – A French museum of the First World War – online at historial.fr
 - The Eastern Front Experience in the First World War, lecture from Vejas Liulevicius at the National World War I Museum – online at Youtube
 
Wed 9/3—The Great War
PREPARATION:
- Finish reading Kershaw, ch. 2, if you didn’t already
 - Read Susan Grayzel, “Liberating Women? Examining Gender, Morality and Sexuality in First World War Britain and France,” in Gail Braybon, ed., Evidence, History and the Great War: Historians and the Impact of 1914-18 (2008) – at our Moodle Readings Folder
 
In Class:
- Verdun 1916, Today
 - The Impact of the War
 - Your experience of WWI?
 - Handout roles for Monday’s World War 1 Role Play
 
Thurs 9/4—Map Quiz of Europe in 1914
Online Map Quiz:
- Complete the Map of Europe in 1914 Quiz – on Moodle
- See the Map of Europe in 1914, Study Guide, and Blank Maps – on our Handouts page
 
 
By Saturday—Short Prep Assignment #2 – World War 1 and its Aftermath
- Short Assignment to Prepare for Class on Monday
 - Due Saturday at 4:00pm
 - You’ve been assigned a person living in Europe in 1914-1918. Tell us about your life, your experience, your view of this conflict. It is January 1919. The war is over now (maybe). What do you make of this world?
 - How to prepare? Look to our sources – Kershaw and Grayzel – and ask AI for help (yes, this is allowed) or look to other sources online and off. Your aim: to learn what you can about how someone in this social position would view the world. Take notes and cite sources (book and page number or website). This is not a deep research assignment; feel free to draw on Wikipedia and web sources. Take notes in a short text document, save as pdf, and upload to Moodle. I expect that you will share with me 1/2 to one page of single spaced notes, with details on the sources of your information.
 - Upload to assignment on Moodle in pdf format
 - Come to class on Monday ready to tell your story without simply reading your notes.
 
Week 4. Week of 9/8
Mon 9/8—The Postwar Settlement
Preparation:
- Kershaw, Ch. 3, “Turbulent Peace,” pp. 93-148
- Another long chapter. But note the structure. Each section tells an important story: postwar economic crisis, revolution and counter-revolution, the Russian Civil War, the results of the Paris Peace Conference, challenges to democracy in postwar Europe, the rise of fascism in Italy, the defense of democracy in Weimar.
 - You can skim the state by state summaries of “Fragile Democracy,” pp. 121-134, but take away the main message.
 
 - Complete Kershaw Ch. 3 Quiz before class (does not count for a grade)
 
In Class:
- World War 1 Role Play
 - Intro to the 1920s – Postwar – and Periodization
- The Paris Peace Conference and the Reordering of Europe
 - Fascist Italy
 - Weimar Germany
 - And note: the Russian Civil War, the fragility of democracy
 
 
For Fun
- W.B. Yeats biography – online at Poetry Foundation
 - Roy Peter Clark, “Happy 100th anniversary to the poem that every writer needs to know” – online at the Poynter Institute
 - “The Second Coming” – online at Poetry Foundation
 
Wed 9/10—The 1920s
Read:
- Kershaw, Ch. 4, “Dancing on the Volcano,” pp. 149-196
- Beautifully written and well-organized, but it would take some time to read every word. How to approach these 47 pages?
 - Pay close attention to Kershaw’s framing (in the intro and conclusion)
 - Take away a main point for each section
 - You might skim (just take away the main point) on the sections of “The Cultural Mirror” and the country by country survey of “Faltering Democracies”
 - You should be able to identify terms/names/concepts such as:
- “roaring twenties”
 - Reichsmark, Dawes Plan, gold standard, General Strike of 1926
 - cars, radio, housing – the Karl Marx Hof
 - rural crisis of the 20s
 - the Soviet Model, Stlin/ Dzhugashvil, “Socialism in One Country,” Five Year Plan, collectivization of agriculture, de-Kulakization, Ukraine famine
 - Cultural pessimism, Weimar Culture, Oswald Spengler
 - Gustav Streseman, Treaty of Locarno, League of Nations, Brian-Kellogg Pact, Young Plan (and German referendum)
 - Interwar democracy, Czechoslovakia, Poland, French “Leagues”, Nazi party, President von Hindenburg, rule by decree
 - “dancing on the volcano” in 1929
 
 
 - Complete Kershaw Ch. 4 Quiz before class (does not count for a grade)
 
In Class:
- The Roaring 20s – what kind of foundation for the future?
 - Good Times
 - The Soviet Alternative
 - Faltering Democracies
 - Other developments: roles for women, mass culture, modernism, etc.
 
AFTER Class:
- Complete Practice Quiz on Moodle – under Exams. It will require that you install the Safe Exam Browser
 - Download the Exam #1 Study Guide and make a plan to study key terms and themes
 
To Share
- Berlin 1927 in Color – on Youtube
 
Week 5. Week of 9/15
Mon 9/15—Exam #1 and Introduction to the 1930s and Beyond
Preparation
- Prepare for Short Exam #1 – see Introduction & Format for format – and Exam #1 Study Guide for key themes and details – both are on our Handouts page
 - Make sure you’ve completed the Practice Quiz with the Safe Exam Browser functioning
 
IN CLASS:
- Short Exam #1 – a thirty minute exam in class
 - Film as Entertainment, Film as Propaganda
 - Introduction to the 1930s and Beyond
 
FOR FUN
- Lumière Brothers first films – on Youtube
 - Odessa Steps Scene, from Battleship Potemkin (1925) – see one of many analyses of this scene and Wikipedia for background on the film
 - Mussolini Inaugurates Cinecittá (1937), newsreel at YouTube – highlights the importance of cinema as a means of mass propaganda
 - Triumph of the Will (1935), dir. Leni Riefenstahl at YouTube – see opening of this important propaganda film
 - Grand Illusion (1937), dir. Jean Renoir – introduced and explained by A.O Scott – at YouTube – or trailer for restoration – a humanistic and optimistic commentary on war, nations, borders, and people
 
Wed 9/17—The Great Depression and the Nazi Seizure of Power
Read:
- Kershaw, Ch. 5, “Gathering Shadows,” pp. 197-246
- You can skim the sections on Central and Eastern Europe, “Fertile Ground for the Right,” pp. 241-245
 
 - Complete Kershaw Ch. 5 Quiz before class (does not count for a grade)
 
In CLASS:
- First
- Map of Interwar Europe – and Study Guide for Map Quiz #2
 - News from Europe
 
 - Introduction to the 1930s and Beyond
 - The Depression
 - Allure of Fascism
 - Nazi Seizure of Power – in two acts
 - Elsewhere in Europe
 - Handout Roles for Nazi Germany
 
By Saturday—Short Prep Assignment #3 – The Nazi Seizure of Power
- Short Assignment to Prepare for Class on Monday
 - Due Saturday at 4:00pm
 - You’ve been assigned a person living in Nazi Germany in the 1936. How do you view the rise of the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler?
 - Look to our sources – Kershaw – and ask AI for help (yes, this is part of the assignment) to learn what you can about how someone in this social position would view these times. Take notes and cite sources (book and page number or website). Put these in a short text document, save as pdf, and upload to Moodle
 - Come to class on Monday ready to tell “your story” without simply reading your notes. Note that there are sensitive topics of racism and anti-semitism involved. In class you can summarize the views of your character without dramatizing them.
 - Upload to assignment on Moodle in pdf format
 
More Examples
- See History Pod Intro to January 1933 on Youtube
 
Week 6. Week of 9/22
Mon 9/22—Totalitarianism and Authoritarianism
Read:
- Kershaw, Ch. 6, “Danger Zone,” pp. 247-294
- There’s a lot here – as in all of these chapters
 - Read: Intro, The International Order Crumbles, (Skim Dictatorship), Dynamic Dictatorship: Ideology and Mass Mobilization, (Skim Stalinism, Mussolini’s Italy, Hitler’s Germany), Dynamic Dictatorships in Comparison
 - You should come away with:
- A sense for the decisions that brought Europe back to the edge of war
 - An understanding of Kershaw’s comparison of totalitarian (and would-be totalitarian states)
 
 
 - Complete Kershaw Ch. 6 Quiz before class (does not count for a grade)
 
In Class:
- Discuss: Appeal of Nazism
 - Comparative Totalitarianism
 
Wed 9/24—The Rush to War
Read:
- Kershaw, Ch. 7, “Towards the Abyss,” pp. 295-345
- There’s a lot here – as in all of these chapters
 - Feel free to skim the sections on the French Popular Front, which I explained to you briefly, and on the Spanish Civil War, which we are going to talk about in detail in a few weeks.
 - You should come away with:
- An understanding of the international crises (and maneuvering) that led to war
 
 
 - Complete Kershaw Ch. 7 Quiz before class (does not count for a grade)
 
In Class:
- International Crises of the 1930s
 
Thurs 9/25—Map Quiz of Interwar Europe
Online Map Quiz:
- Complete the Map of Interwar Quiz – on Moodle
 - See the Map of Interwar Europe, Study Guide, and Blank Maps – on our Handouts page
 
For fun:
- “War” (September 1939) on Youtube
 - Neville Chamberlain returns from Munich (September 1938) on Youtube
 - I recorded a brief video introduction to the debate over appeasement for my History 208 (from a hotel room in Paris, back in 2014!). Might be helpful if you need to review the details
 
Week 7. Week of 9/29
Mon 9/29—The Abyss
Read:
- Kershaw, Ch. 8, “Hell on Earth”
- Read the introduction, 346-348
 - You can skim the blow by blow account of the war, “A Continent in Flames,” 348-356
 - Read “The Bottomless Pit of Inhumanity,” 356-373
 - You can skim “Hell on Earth’s Many Meanings,” 373-403 – I’ll discuss some aspects of this section
 - Read “Lasting Meaning” and conclusion, 403-407
 
 - Complete the Kershaw Ch. 8 Quiz before class (does not count for a grade)
 
For a Closer Look
- “German Invasion of Poland” – at Britannica
 
Wed 10/1—Exam #2 and Introduction to Next Part of Our Course
Preparation
- Prepare for Short Exam #2 – see Exam #2 Study Guide for key themes and details – on our Handouts page. The format will be the same as the first exam
 - Make sure you’ve completed the Practice Quiz with the Safe Exam Browser functioning
 - Be sure to bring your laptop to take exam
 
IN CLASS:
- Short Exam #2 – a thirty minute exam in class
 - Reflections on Europe 1890-1945
 - Introduction to Research Paper Assignment & Next Part of Our Course
 
After the Exam
- Take a look at the Orientation to the Research Paper Assignment
 - If you like you can also take a look at the full Research Paper Assignment – and the Research Assignments that lead to the final paper
 - Start thinking about your research paper. You will need to come back after fall break with a research paper topic, a list of secondary sources and primary sources
 
For a Closer Look
- Sorrow and the Pity (1969) – trailer on Youtube
 - Marius, pharmacist in Vichy France – in The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
 - Christian de la Mazière, young fascist in Vichy France – in The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
 
FALL BREAK 10/4 – 10/12
PART 2. CASE STUDIES — FOLLOWING WINTER, ORWELL, and RESEARCH PAPERS
Week 8. Week of 10/13
Mon 10/13—Research Papers
Preparation:
- Spend some time thinking about your Research Papers
- Review the Orientation to the Research Paper Assignment
 - Take a look at the full Research Paper Assignment – and the Research Assignments that lead to the final paper
 - See the various resources and sample paper on the Handouts page, see the links to research databases and resources for European history
 - Come to class with a few ideas of what you would like to work on
 - If you have time you’d like to gather an initial list of sources for your topic
 - Note: In brainstorming ideas and searching for sources you are welcome to use AI tools. If you do so, create a folder called AI Research and save the results of your searches as documents in the folder
 
 - Bring your laptop to class – we’ll spend some time looking for sources
 
IN CLASS:
- Welcome Back!
 - Talk Research Papers
 - Research in History
 
For FUn
- Abel Gance, “J’Accuse” (1919) – “trailer” showing the return of the dead – at Mubi.com
 
Wed 10/15—Research Papers
Preparation:
- Read! Read for your research paper
- Some might be “fast reading” – abstracts, introductions, bibliography
 - Some might be “slow reading” – reading carefully in a primary source or secondary source that looks esp relevant
 
 - Get organized
- Create a folder for this research paper
 - Save your bibliography – notes – and drafts in this folder
 
 - Find sources
- Search JSTOR, COW Libraries PRIMO, A-Z Databases
 - Search news archives, published memoirs, collections of primary sources, Google Books, Internet Archive, etc.
 - Look to the bibliography of Wikipedia pages and secondary sources
 - See if AI tools are helpful in identifying sources
 
 - Start your Research Assignment #1 – Research Paper Proposal
- Come to class with some ideas for your research paper
 - To complete Research Assignment #1, you will need to know your topic and have identified some sources that you can use to examine it
 
 
IN CLASS:
- Research Papers
 
Fri 10/17—Research Assignment #1 – Research Proposal
- Details on Research Paper Assignment – on Handout Page
 - Submit your Research Assignment #1
 - Upload to Moodle Assignment as pdf
 
Week 9. Week of 10/20
Mon 10/20—Reading History—Memory of War
Preparation:
- Continue work on your research paper!
 - Read in Jay Winter, Sites of Memory, Sites of Mourning, introduction, pp. 1-11
- Note: we will spend some quality time in the next couple weeks with this classic historical monograph on the memory of WW1 – Jay Winter’s Sites of Memory, Sites of Mourning
 - The book is available online at Ebook Central. You will need to create an account if you don’t have one already, which may help you find other monographs. (As a backup I include a copy of the introduction in our Moodle readings folder)
 - Please come to class with notes on your reading
 
 - Read in your secondary sources
- You want to be sure that I’ve approved the historical monograph (or historical articles) you are reading and summarizing this week
 - Take notes on your reading in your research folder
 - Make sure you are organized on OneDrive
- A research folder with your name and the topic
 - Files for notes, bibliography, research assignments, AI searches, etc.
 - Share your research folder with me
 
 
 
In Class:
- Introduction to History and Memory
 - Jay Winter and Historiography
 - Reading in our secondary sources
 
Wed 10/22—Reading History—Memory of War
Preparation:
- Continue work on your research paper!
 - Read one chapter of Winter per signup on Moodle and prepare to present with a small group of your classmates
 - You should read on your own and meet together in person with your group to present
 - In a well-organized presentation of no longer than 10 minutes, you’d like to present your chapter and explain how it fits within the larger argument of the work. Your presentation should include a short powerpoint with a set of slides that lay out the topic and argument of the chapters, key examples, and your reflections. Some tips for your presentation: prepare your words carefully, everyone should take a role, dress a bit nicer than your everyday student wear, talk to the class and not the screen, make eye contact with people in the audience
 
In Class:
- Groups will present their chapter to the rest of the class.
- Chapter One, “Homecomings: The Return of the Dead”
- David Guldin
 - Riley Integrator
Louis Lindsay 
 - Chapter Two, “Communities in Mourning”
- Freya Visconsi
 - Cristiana Land
 - Emma Norris
 
 - Chapter Three, “Spiritualism and the ‘Lost Generation'”
- Riley Theriault
 - Ella Henderson
 - Rowan Piani
 
 - Chapter Four, “War Memorials and the Mourning Process”
- Maxwell Stratford
 - Peter Roushakes
 - Jonathan Rueffer
 
 
 - Chapter One, “Homecomings: The Return of the Dead”
 
Fri 10/24—Research Assignment #2 – Summary of Secondary Source
- Details on Research Paper Assignment – on Handout Page
 - Submit your Research Assignment #2
 - Upload to Moodle Assignment as pdf
 
Week 10. Week of 10/27
Mon 10/27—Reading History—Memory of War
Preparation:
- Continue work on your research paper!
 - Read one chapter of Winter per signup on Moodle and prepare to present with a small group of your classmates
 - You should read on your own and meet together in person with your group to present
 - In a well-organized presentation of no longer than 10 minutes, you’d like to present your chapter and explain how it fits within the larger argument of the work. Your presentation should include a short powerpoint with a set of slides that lay out the topic and argument of the chapters, key examples, and your reflections. Some tips for your presentation: prepare your words carefully, everyone should take a role, dress a bit nicer than your everyday student wear, talk to the class and not the screen, make eye contact with people in the audience
 
In Class:
- Groups will present their chapter to the rest of the class.
- Chapter Five, “Mythologies of War: Films, Popular Religion, and the Business of the Sacred”
- James Pugh
 - Jack Burrows
 - Andrew Rombach
 - Jayden Scott
 
 - Chapter Six, “”The Apocalyptic imagination in art: from anticipation to allegory”
- Leo Edmonds-Doberenz
 - Kareem Vasquez Delarosa
 - Catherine Colarusso
 
 - Chapter Seven, “The Apocalyptic imagination in war literature”
- Julia Kinnison
 - Kekobad Marker
 - Emma Hershberger
 
 - Chapter Eight, “War poetry, romanticism, and the return of the sacred”
- Mary Palmieri
 - Kamen Petkov
 - Connor Weathers
 
 
 - Chapter Five, “Mythologies of War: Films, Popular Religion, and the Business of the Sacred”
 
Wed 10/29—Reading History—Memory of War
PREPARATION:
- Continue work on your research paper!
 - Read Winter, Conclusion
 
In Class:
- Discuss conclusion
 - Research paper
 
Fri 10/31—Research Assignment #3—Historical Monograph Paper
- Details on Research Paper Assignment – on Handout Page
 - Submit your Research Assignment #3
 - Upload to Moodle Assignment as pdf
 
Week 11. Week of 11/3
Mon 11/3—Primary Source—Orwell & the Spanish Civil War
Preparation:
- Read Orwell, Homage to Catalonia (1938)
- Note: we’re going to spend some quality time with George Orwell reading much of his memoir of his experience in Spain during the Civil War. It is easy reading, but does require keeping track of many details and acronyms. See the Orwell Reading Guide on our Handouts page for help on this front. As you read, take some notes with key words, examples, quotations and bring these to class.
 - A pdf of the book in its original version is available in the Moodle Readings folder
 - This is a classic and you might want your own copy, available at a low price at many online bookstores. But note: there are many editions of Homage, and Orwell reorganized the chapters in later editions. The chapter numbers given below refer to the 1938 version and the pdf version.
 - Read the “Overview” on the Orwell Reading Guide on Handouts Page
 - Read Chapter 1 and 2 (arrival in Spain, decision to sign up, initial experience), pp. 1-11
 
 
Wed 11/5—Primary Source—Orwell & the Spanish Civil War
Preparation:
- Orwell, Homage to Catalonia, 
- Read Chap 3, pp. 11-18
 - Come to class with some notes and at least one important quotation from the chapter written down in your notebook
 
 
Fri 11/7—Research Assignment #4—Primary Source Summary Due
- Details on Research Paper Assignment – on Handout Page
 - Submit your Research Assignment #4
 - Upload to Moodle Assignment as pdf
 
For more fun:
- Orwell in Spain – YouTube clip from BBC Four Documentary (note: not the real Orwell!)
 - Land and Freedom, dir. Ken Loach, 1995 drama from the UK, a poor quality version of an important film
 - Peasants of Aragon, – reading from Augustin Souchy’s book “With The Peasants Of Aragon” (1936) with visuals from The Spanish Earth, an anti-fascist film written by John Dos Passos and Ernest Hemingway from 1937
 
Week 12. Week of 11/10
Mon 11/10—Primary Source—Orwell & the Spanish Civil War
Preparation:
- Orwell, Homage to Catalonia
- Read Chapter 8, pp. 50-53 (“The days grew hotter and even the nights grew tolerably warm”)
 - Read Chapter 9, pp. 53-59 (“From Mandalay, in Upper Burma, you can travel by train to Maymyo”)
 - Come to class with a few notes and at least two quotations from each chapter in your notebook
 - Note: we’re skipping much of Orwell’s narrative in which he describes the fighting on the Aragon front
 
 
Wed 11/12—Primary Source—Orwell & the Spanish Civil War
Read
- Orwell, Homage to Catalonia
- Read Chapter 14, pp. 105-114 (“The worst of being wanted by the police in a town like Barcelona”)
 - Note: We’re skipping over much of the story again: Orwell’s return to the front and taking a bullet through the neck
 
 
In CLass
- Homage to Catalonia – the ending
 - Interpretations of Orwell in Spain
 
Fri 11/14—Research Assignment #5 – Primary Source Analysis Paper
- Details on Research Paper Assignment – on Handout Page
 - Submit your Research Assignment #5
 - Upload to Moodle Assignment as pdf
 
For more fun:
- “George Orwell” (1983) BBC Arena. Linked from the Orwell Society
 - “George Orwell” (1983) BBC Arena, On Youtube – Part 3 on Homage to Catalonia
 
Week 13. Week of 11/17
Mon 11/17—Research Papers and Exam Prep
Preparation
- Keep working on your research papers
- Come to class with a one page outline that brings together secondary and primary sources – printed in two hard copies
 - Outline should include:
- Working title of your paper
 - Statement of historical question
 - Historical monograph
- Who is author? What is topic?
 - Argument of book
 - Your critical perspective
 - Evidence and analysis
- 3-5 quotations or examples and a word about your analysis
 
 
 - Primary source
- Description of your source (or corpus of sources)
 - Critical perspective
 - Evidence and analysis
- 3-5 quotations or examples and a word about your analysis
 
 
 - Conclusion
- A statement of significance. Why does this matter?
 
 
 
 - Review Study Guide for Exam #3 – on Handouts Page
 
In Class:
- Introduce and prepare for Exam #3
 - We’ll workshop our research papers
 
Questions for Class Workshop
- What is the topic of the paper? Is it clear?
 - Does the paper have a clear historical question?
 - A clear sense of context? Is there anything to add on context?
 - Clear presentation of historical monograph?
 - Clear critical perspective?
 - Clear presentation of primary source?
 - Clear critical perspective?
 - Clear statement of the significance of the topic?
 - Does the paper have an informative and appealing title?
 
Wed 11/19—Exam #3 – and Prep for Poster Session
Preparation
- Prepare for Short Exam #3
 - Be sure to bring your laptop to take exam – note, you may want to restart your computer before the exam
 
IN CLASS:
- Short Exam #3 – a thirty minute exam in class
 - Discuss next week’s poster session
 
Week 14. Week of 11/24
PART 3. OUR RESEARCH IN THE HISTORY OF TWENTIETH C. EUROPE
Mon 11/24—Class Poster Session
Preparation:
- Print pages for your poster per the Poster Session Instructions – on Handouts Page
 - You’ll bring printed pages, I’ll bring the poster boards and tape or pushpins. You’ll prepare your poster at the start of class and we will do poster session in two parts
 - Dress professionally or semi-professionally (that means “business professional” or “business casual”)
 - Come ready to present your research paper with a one to two minute introduction and to answer questions
 - Note that your role as an audience member is an important one! You will visit your classmates posters, listen attentively, and ask questions
 
In Class:
- Class Poster Session!
 - Preparation 2:00-2:15
 - Session 1 – 2:15-2:35
- ??
 
 - Session 2 – 2:35-2:55
- ??
 
 - Session 3 – 2:55-3:15
- ??
 
 - Final comments and Clean Up 3:15
 
Wed 11/26—No Class! Happy Thanksgiving!
CONCLUSION
Week 15. Week of 12/1
Mon 12/1—Conclusions
Class PrepaRATION:
- Let’s look back to where we began
- Re-read Kershaw, Preface & Introduction, xxiii-xxvi, 1-7
 - Re-read Norman Angell, The Great Illusion (1913; orig. 1909), “Synopsis” from week 1 – at Moodle
 - Re-read Filippo Marinetti, “Futurist Manifesto” (1909) from week 1 – at Moodle
 
 
In class:
- Back to Our Beginning – Week One
 - Look Forward – to Europe Today
 - What Are the Central Themes of this History?
 
Wed 12/3—Wrap Up and Celebration!
Class PrepaRATION:
- No additional reading, but review the course schedule and your notes
 - Read through Final Exam Study Guide – on our Handouts page
 
In class:
- Finish our conclusions
 - Answer questions about final paper
 - Prepare for final exam
 - Celebrate!
 
Fri 12/5—Final Research Paper Due
- Details on Research Paper Assignment – on Handout Page
 - Submit your Final Research Paper
 - Upload to Moodle Assignment as pdf
 
Exam Week
FINAL EXAMINATION—Thursday, December 11, 2025 from 4:00-6:30pm
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- A comprehensive exam covering the entire semester. A chance to consolidate what you’ve learned and to demonstrate your mastery of the course material
 - See the Final Exam Study Guide – on our Handouts page
 - It will take place in our classroom. Bring your laptop