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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "HS 211"
COURSE NAME: "Twentieth-Century Europe and the World"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Summer Session I 2020
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Niccolò Serri
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: Remote Learning
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course explores the history of Europe and its relations with the larger world from World War I through the aftermath of the Cold War. In it, students investigate the cultural, diplomatic, economic, political, and social developments that shaped the lives of twentieth-century Europeans. Significant attention will be given to the relationship between Europeans and peoples in other parts of the world, the experience and significance of the World Wars and the Cold War, the development of democratic, authoritarian, and 'totalitarian' political systems, and the ways in which everyday life and culture changed during this period.

Satisfies "Modern History" core course requirement for History majors.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
The 20th century is usually considered as the last European century: building on its political and technological advances, Europe reached its apogee at the beginning of the nineteen hundreds. The outbreak of the First World War, however, opened to decades of internal conflict, economic transformation and social turmoil for European states. This culminated in the political violence of totalitarian regimes and the Second World War, leaving the old continent in shambles. As Europe grappled with the violence of this dark century, its development was dwarfed by the rise of new powers, the United States and Soviet Russia, and the global stirring of the colonial world. After 1945, European states and their citizens had to adjust to a new world system, discovering a spirit of unity in the context of Cold War competition and coping with new social demands. 

The course will be divided in two parts: one covering the period between the late XIX century and 1945, the other from 1945 onwards. Each part will comprise of two sections, A and B, corresponding to the thematic organization of course content.

Classes will be held four times a week. 
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
In the first part, students will develop a comprehensive understanding of the period between the outbreak of the First World War and the demise of Nazism, investigating the political, economic and cultural aspects of the troubled interwar years. Particular attention will be given to the competition between liberal democracy, Fascism and Communism. 

In the second part, students will learn how Europe fit into the larger Cold War system, together with its international and domestic aspects: the so-called Golden age of European democracies, followed by crisis of the 1970s, the effects of superpower competition and the rise of third world countries to the global stage. 

The course will develop students’ analytical tools and foster their capacity for critical thinking, teaching them (i) how to approach archival and edited primary sources, and (ii) compare and contrast different historiographical interpretations on Twentieth century European history. Furthermore, (iii) the essay format of exam will train students’ ability to develop coherent historical arguments.    
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth edition Robert O. Paxton and Julie HesslerWadsworth Cengage Learning ISBN-10: 9780495913191; ISBN-13: 978-0495913191      
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberComments
Dark continent : Europe's twentieth century Mark MazowerPenguin Press0713991593   
Age of extremes : the short twentieth century, 1914-1991 Eric HobsbawmAbacus9780349106717 0349106711   
Postwar : a history of Europe since 1945 Tony JudtPimplico0712665641 9780712665643   

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
midterm examinationEssay exam: students will answer two essay questions25%
final examinationEssay exam: students will answer two essay questions25%
papersstudents will write a 10 page paper. Topics will be agreed with the instructor. 30%
remote participationStudents are expected to keep track of the assigned readings and the lectures posted by the instructor on moodle. Each week there will be two open-forum questions students have to engage with.20%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the cours
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY

You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed.

Attendance is mandatory. Students should keep their mobile phones turned off during lecture. You may use your laptop to take notes, but you are not allowed to surf the web during class. Should you fail to follow these rules I will ban laptops from classroom altogether.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
SCHEDULE
SessionSession FocusReading AssignmentOther AssignmentMeeting Place/Exam Dates
05/25The Age of Empires (A) Rober O. Paxton and Julie Hessler, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 2012, pp. 3-36 Eric Hobsbawm, Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914-1991, Abacus, London, 1995, pp. 1-17 (moodle)  
05/26The origins and course of the First World War (A)Robert O. Paxton and Julie Hessler, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 2012, pp. 41-60, 63-80 83-84, 93-97, 100-101 David Stevenson, The Outbreak of the First World War: 1914 in perspective, MacMillan, Basingstoke and London, 1997, pp. 2-38 (moodle) 
05/27Revolution in the Old World: the Soviet Union and beyond (A)Robert O. Paxton and Julie Hessler, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 2012, pp. 107-137 Eric Hobsbawm, Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914-1991, Abacus, London, 1995, pp. 54-78 (moodle)  
05/28The Great Illusion: the Treaty of Versailles and its revisions (A)Robert O. Paxton and Julie Hessler, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 2012, pp. 141-176Mark Mazower, Dark Continent: Europe’s Twentieth Century, Penguin Books, London, 1998, pp. 40-76 (moodle)  
05/29Italian and European Fascism: from Mussolini to Hitler (A)Robert O. Paxton and Julie Hessler, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 2012, pp. 179-199, 225-227.  
06/01The Great Depression: the US, Europe and the world (B)Robert O. Paxton and Julie Hessler, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 2012, pp. 261-277 Ben S. Bernanke: Money, gold and the Great Depression, Remarks by Mr Ben S Bernanke, Member of the Board of Governors of the US Federal Reserve System, at the H Parker Willis Lecture in Economic Policy, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia, 2 March 2004. 
06/04Totalitarianism compared: the Stalinist Soviet Union (B)Robert O. Paxton and Julie Hessler, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 2012, pp. 227-230, 288-293  
06/03Totalitarianism compared: The Nazi Third Reich (B) Robert O. Paxton and Julie Hessler, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 2012, pp. 213-219, 277-287 Michael Geyer and Sheila Fitzpatrick: Beyond totalitarianism: Stalinism and Nazism compared, Cambridge University Press, 2008, pp. 1-41 
06/08The road to war.: international crisis and the politics of appeasement (B)Robert O. Paxton and Julie Hessler, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 2012, pp. 224, 299-324, 329-351. Eric Hobsbawm, Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914-1991, Abacus, London, 1995, pp. 142-156 (moodle) 
06/09The course of the Second World War (A)Robert O. Paxton and Julie Hessler, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 2012, pp. 355-400Mark Mazower, Dark Continent: Europe’s Twentieth Century, Penguin Books, London, 1998, pp. 141-184 (moodle) 
06/10Midterm exam  Midterm
06/11Origins of the cold war: the Iron Curtain and the Division of Europe (A) Robert O. Paxton and Julie Hessler, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 2012, pp. 400-422 Tony Judt, Postwar: a History of Europe since 1945, Penguin Press, New York, 2005, pp. 129-165 (moodle) 
06/15Western Europe from reconstruction to the miracle years (A) Robert O. Paxton and Julie Hessler, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 2012, pp. 425-433, 503-515Stephen Broadberry and Kevin O’Rourke (Eds.), The Cambridge Economic History of Modern Europe, Volume 2: 1870 to the present, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2010, pp. 296-333 (Moodle) 
06/16Stalinism and De-Stalinization in Eastern Europe (A)Robert O. Paxton and Julie Hessler, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 2012, pp. 447-479Mark Mazower, Dark Continent: Europe’s Twentieth Century, Penguin Books, London, 1998, pp. 253-290 (moodle) 
06/17Europe and decolonization: an international perspective (A) Robert O. Paxton and Julie Hessler, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 2012, pp. 479-487 Odd Arne Westad, The Global Cold War: Third World Interventions and the Making of Our Time, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2007, pp. 73-130 (moodle) 
06/181968: social and cultural change (B)Robert O. Paxton and Julie Hessler, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 2012, pp. 516-539.Tony Judt, Postwar: a History of Europe since 1945, Penguin Press, New York, 2005, pp. 390-422 (moodle) 
06/22The rise and fall of Deténte (B)Robert O. Paxton and Julie Hessler, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 2012, pp. 540-548   
06/23European democracies and the crisis of the 1970s (B)Robert O. Paxton and Julie Hessler, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 2012, pp. 548-551,Tony Judt, Postwar: a History of Europe since 1945, Penguin Press, New York, 2005, pp. 453-484 (moodle) 
06/24The new politics of the 1980s: a neoliberal turn? (B) Robert O. Paxton and Julie Hessler, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 2012, pp. 551-558 Mark Mazower, Dark Continent: Europe’s Twentieth Century, Penguin Books, London, 1998, pp. 332-366 
06/25Stagnation and collapse in the Soviet Union (B)Robert O. Paxton and Julie Hessler, Europe in the Twentieth Century, Fifth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 2012, pp. 613-652Eric Hobsbawm, Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914-1991, Abacus, London, 1995, pp. 461-500 
06/26Final exam  final exam