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HIS
943: The Other Europe – A History of Eastern Europe in the
Twentieth Century
Professor Steven Kreis
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| COURSE OBJECTIVE Eastern Europe has been called "the lands
between," meaning between the "West,” represented by the
German and Italian speaking countries, and the real "East,"
the former Russian/Soviet empire. Though many different peoples inhabit
the area, this course, in the interests of coherence, concentrates on
some more than others. It deals especially with the Poles, Czechs,
Hungarians, Bulgarians, Romanians and the South Slavs (of the former
Yugoslavia). We deal with the years since the First World War, the
cataclysm that created some East European countries for the first time
and gave others their modern territorial form. During this century,
Eastern Europe has been at the center of two World Wars and at least
three major revolutions. The people of this region experienced the birth
of independent national states after World War I and the overthrow of
communism in 1989, but in between they suffered through decades of
oppression by regimes of both the right and the left, and witnessed the
monumental nightmare of World War II, the Holocaust and the struggles of
the Eastern European peoples to create stable national lives in the
unfavorable conditions during the imposition of Soviet-dominated regimes
after 1945. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Attendance and informed participation at all class meetings is required. This means that you show up to class on a regular basis and complete your assignments on time. The entire success of the course, both from my standpoint and yours, is that you get involved, get interested and get motivated to the history of a world which in many ways produced our own. Remember, education is nothing more than dialogue, and according to the master of dialogue, Socrates, good dialogue ought to improve both the instructor and the student. Above all, you will be challenged to think and discuss freely and openly. REQUIRED TEXTS FILMS
There are four films
to be shown in class that you are REQUIRED to see: (1) Łódź
Ghetto, (2) Blind
Chance, (3) Before the Rain and (4) Welcome to Sarajevo.
The library has a video series called Eastern Europe (VT 947
Ea77), covering 1900-1939, 1939-1953 and 1953-1991 (each film is about
55 minutes long). You ought to see these films on your own at the
appropriate times during the semester. You will have to watch them in
the library – if this is a problem, let me know. THE INTERNET This
course requires that you have a valid email account and that you are
comfortable using email and the web. Lectures and documents are
available on CD-ROM. COURSEWORK and GRADING
Besides keeping up with your reading and completing the
online lectures for each class, you will also have to complete the
following: 1.
Country Study – at the beginning of the semester you
will all choose one country to investigate on your own. You will then
have to prepare a report on that country which will be delivered in
class at the end of the semester. (25%) 2.
Film Review – at the end of the term I am showing three
films. You are to choose one film and write a review of it. (15%) 3.
Response Essays – there will be two response
essays assigned during the first half of the semester. These are
take-home essays and will be based on some historical problem we have
uncovered. (2/20%, 40% total) 4.
Class Participation – you will all have a better time in
class if you participate. Since we are a small group, this should not be
a problem. Email conversations and debates will figure into this part of
your grade. (20%) STATEMENT OF HONOR We,
the Meredith Community, are committed to developing and affirming in
each student a sense of personal honor and responsibility.
Uncompromising honesty and forthrightness are essential elements of this
commitment. The Honor System is a method by which individual honors are
protected and maintained. Any dishonorable action will be regarded as a
violation of this commitment, and corrective action will be taken. If I am in violation of the Honor Code, to prevent jeopardizing the
Honor System or weakening our system of self-government, I have an
obligation to report myself to the proper authorities. If I am aware of
a violation of the Honor System by another student, I shall call this
matter to the attention of that student as a violation of responsibility
to the community. In choosing Meredith College, I am accepting the Honor System as a
way of life. As a Meredith student, I am responsible for insuring that
the Honor System is at all times carried out. HONOR PLEDGE I
do solemnly pledge my honor that as long as I am a student at Meredith
College, I will faithfully uphold the principles of the Honor Code and
will respect and observe the procedures and requirements of the Honor
System. I also pledge my support to our system of self-government, an
integral part of our way of life at Meredith College. I make this pledge
in view of my fellow students thus signifying our high resolve to keep
our honor forever sacred and our self-government forever strong.
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| The History Guide | | copyright © 2000 Steven Kreis |
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