Spring 2004
Cancelled

SOCS 637
The Emergence of Modern Europe, 1789-1960

Grimmer-Solem,Erik

01/26/2004 - 05/08/2004
Thursday 07:00 PM - 09:30 PM

This seminar analyzes the formation of modern European society from the late 18th to the middle of the 20th century. We will focus on Britain, France, Germany, and Russia as these countries were shaped by, and responded to, demographic, economic, social, political, and intellectual changes that led to revolutions, political and social reforms, new modes of production, changes in social hierarchies, and new forms of warfare. The major topics of this course include the French Revolution, industrialization, European imperialism, the origins and consequences of the two World Wars (including the Russian Revolution and the rise and defeat of Nazism), and the creation of a more stable and prosperous postwar European order. In addition to developing knowledge of the most important processes that have shaped modern Europe and the world, this seminar seeks to develop a critical awareness of the varieties of historical narrative and the possibilities and limits of history as a tool of social investigation.

Major readings include: Sheila Fitzpatrick, THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION; Francois Furet, THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 1770-1814; Robert Gildea, BARRICADES AND BORDERS; Sebastian Haffner, THE MEANING OF HITLER; E. J. Hobsbawn, THE AGE OF EMPIRE, 1875-1914; James Joll, THE ORIGINS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR; David S. Landes, THE UNBOUND PROMETHEUS; Walter Laqueur, EUROPE IN OUR TIME; Mark Mazower, DARK CONTINENT; and Jonathan Sperber, THE EUROPEAN REVOLUTIONS, 1848-1851.

Grades will be based on attendance, participation, response papers, a class presentation and analytical summary, a midterm paper, and a final paper.


Erik Grimmer-Solem (B.A. Brigham Young University; M.Sc. London School of Economics and Political Science; M.Phil. Cambridge University; D.Phil. University of Oxford) is associate professor of history and author of The Rise of Historical Economics and Social Reform in Germany, 1864-1894 (Oxford University Press, 2003). Click here for more information about Erik Grimmer-Solem.

ENROLLMENT INFORMATION

Consent of Instructor Required: No

Format: Seminar

Level: GLSP Credits: 3 Enrollment Limit: 18

Texts to purchase for this course:
Sheila Fitzpatrick, THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION (Oxford University Press) Paperback

Robert Gildea, BARRICADES AND BORDERS 3rd edition (Oxford University Press) Paperback

Sebastian Haffner, THE MEANING OF HITLER (Harvard University Press) Paperback

Eric Hobsbawm, INDUSTRY AND EMPIRE (New Press) Paperback

Michael Howard, THE FIRST WORLD WAR (Oxford University Press) Paperback

Lynn Hunt, POLITICS, CULTURE, AND CLASS IN THE FRENCH REVOLUTION (University of California Press) Paperback

James Joll, THE ORIGINS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR (Longman) Paperback

Walter Laqueur, EUROPE IN OUR TIME (Penguin) Paperback

Mark Mazower, DARK CONTINENT (Vintage) Paperback

Richard Over, THE ORIGINS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR 2nd edition (Longman) Paperback

READING MATERIALS AVAILABLE AT BROAD STREET BOOKS, 45 BROAD STREET, MIDDLETOWN, 860-685-7323

Register for Courses



Contact glsinquire@wesleyan.edu to submit comments or suggestions. 
Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459

How to Register

Current Term

      Fall 2011

Upcoming Terms

       Spring 2012

Previous Semesters