SYLLABUS
HSTEU 452
EAST CENTRAL EUROPE SINCE 1918
Professor Felak
Smith Hall, Room 112-B
Office Hours: Wednesday, Noon to 1:00 p.m.
or by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The history of the peoples of East Central Europe (Poles, Czechs, Hungarians, and Slovaks) from the end of the First World War in 1918 to the 2000s. Through lectures, readings, and films, we will follow these peoples as they rebuild their countries after World War I, succumb to the dangers of fascism and Nazism, endure the Second World War, are absorbed into Soviet Russia’s empire, resist and ultimately overthrow Communist rule, and face the challenges of integration into the European Union. No background is needed, though a basic familiarity with modern European history is helpful.
COURSE TOPICS:
I-East Central Europe after the First World War
II-East Central Europe in the 1920s
III-Economic, Social and Diplomatic Problems in Interwar East Central Europe
IV-The Great Depression and the Rise of Nazi Germany
V-East Central Europe in the 1930s
VI-The Second World War
VII-The Communist Takeovers
VIII-Stalinism
IX-The Hungarian, Czechoslovak, and Polish Challenges to the Soviet System
X-The Revolutions of 1989
XI-East Central Europe since 1989
BOOKS TO PURCHASE:
Ivan Olbracht, The Sorrowful Eyes of Hannah Karajich
Milan Kundera, The Joke
Vaclav Havel, The Garden Party and Other Plays
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
- a mid-term examination (25%)—an essay examination, to be held on Thursday, October 23 during class.
- a short paper (3 pages) on each of the course readings (10% each)—for each reading there will be a handout that includes both the question or questions to be addressed in the short paper, and the questions to think about in preparation for class discussion. Papers are due on the specified date at class time (see schedule below). They are to be typed, double-spaced, and should not violate the stipulated length requirement. Late papers will receive a .5 deduction for each day the paper is late. The best papers will be the ones that are the most insightful and demonstrate that you have read and thought about the book.
- participation in class discussions (20%)—you should attend class faithfully, do the readings beforehand, and participate competently in discussions. We will devote one class session to each of the three books assigned, on which you will be writing short papers. Come to class with at least one comment on each of the questions on the handout.
- a final examination (25%)—an essay examination, to be held on Thursday, December 4 during class.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Monday, 10/13—Olbracht paper due (discussed on 10/16)
Wednesday, 10/23—Midterm examination; Discussion of the film (Katyn)
Friday, 11/14—Kundera paper due (discussed on 11/18)
Monday, 11/24—Havel paper due (discussed on 12/2)
Thursday, 12/4—Final examination
[all papers will be due at Noon, via e-mail attachment]