Course syllabus
HISTORY 106
Europe Transformed: Premodern to the Present
SEMESTER 2, 2017
Course Information
Teaching Staff and Contact Details
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Lindsay Diggelmann (lecturer) email: l.diggelmann@auckland.ac.nz Room 733, 7th floor, Arts 1 / Humanities Building 206, 14A Symonds St Phone: 923-7099 |
Joe Zizek (lecturer) email: j.zizek@auckland.ac.nz Room 735, 7th floor, Arts 1 / Humanities Building 206, 14A Symonds St Phone: 923-8852 |
Tutor
Hannah Pym. email: hpym275@aucklanduni.ac.nz
Course Description
Stage I courses are designed to introduce students to basic aspects of the academic study of history. Studying history at the University level is challenging and interesting because it depends on the recognition that ‘history’ is not simply a static list of ‘facts’ to be memorized. In History 106 and other Stage I history courses, you will learn that history is not primarily concerned with finding out what happened but with trying to explain how and why things happened. Such explanations typically involve not only the interpretation of ‘primary sources’ (the name that historians give to documents produced by people at the time being studied), but also the adoption of particular methods of historical interpretation.
History 106 introduces you to these aspects of historical practice by offering a thematic and chronological survey of key issues in European history from the late Middle Ages (c. 1450 CE) to the present. Lectures will provide an overview of important developments, while tutorials will be devoted to the discussion of primary source documents spanning the period since the sixteenth century. In this course, in other words, you will have the opportunity to hear the past ‘speak for itself’, and you will be able to study the way in which historians construct widely different interpretations from the documentary evidence of the past.
Over the semester, you will be introduced to key issues in European history and to varying historical interpretations of movements, events, personalities, and ideas. The semester’s topics include the rise of the modern state, the history of ‘everyday life’ and gender relations, the nature of popular culture(s), the impact of revolutions (religious, political, social and intellectual), the rise and decline of European imperialism, and the effects of global conflict on European culture and society. Overall, this course is designed to provide you with a solid foundation for subsequent study in European history as well as an introduction to the nature of historical research and writing. Accordingly, the course objectives include:
- providing a broad survey of European history since the Renaissance, including familiarity with key concepts, events, agents, and ideas
- providing an introduction to the ‘periodization’ of European history and key problems of interpretation within it
- exposing students to a diverse array of ‘primary sources’ and providing hands-on experience with historical interpretation
View the History 106 courseguide here
Reading Materials
There is no prescribed text for this course. Details on essay reading lists, weekly tutorial readings and other items will be included in the courseguide. Most items will be available electronically via the 'Reading Lists' menu on Canvas.
Course Delivery Format
2 hours of lectures and 1 hour of tutorial per week (there is no tutorial in the first week of the course).
(Timetable and room details can be viewed on Student Services Online)
Workload: The University of Auckland's expectation on 15-point courses is that students spend 10 hours per week on the course. Students manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Students attend two hours of lectures each week and participate in a one-hour tutorial from week 2 of semester. This leaves seven hours per week outside the classroom to prepare for tutorials, assignments and the exam.
Lecture Outline
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Week 1: Introduction Lec 1 – July 24 What is ‘Europe Transformed’? Lec 2 – July 26 A Tour of Europe c. 1450
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Week 2: New Horizons Lec 3 – July 31 Renaissance(s) Lec 4 – August 2 New Worlds for Old
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Week 3: Reinventing Religion Lec 5 – August 7 Reformations Lec 6 – August 9 Religion and the Early Modern State
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Online Test 1: 9 August – 16 August
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Week 4: The Clash of Old and New Ideas Lec 7 – August 14 Revolutions in Science Lec 8 – August 16 Gender and Culture in Early Modern Europe
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Week 5: Making Wars, Making States Lec 9 – August 21 Warfare in Europe and Beyond Lec 10 – August 23 Absolute Monarchy
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Week 6: Eighteenth-Century Transformations Lec 11 – August 28 Consumerism, Capitalism and Slavery Lec 12 – August 30 What is Enlightenment?
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Online Test 2: 30 August – 6 September
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Mid-semester break (2 – 17 September) |
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Week 7: Revolution and Reaction Lec 13 – September 18 French Revolution Lec 14 – September 20 Political Experiments and Ideologies
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Week 8: Remaking Society Lec 15 – September 25 Industrial Revolution Lec 16 – September 27 Industrial Society
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Essay due: 4 pm, Tuesday 3 October
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Week 9: Nations and Empires Lec 17 – October 2 Nationalism or Socialism? Lec 18 – October 4 Empire and Colonization to 1914
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Online Test 3: 4 October - 11 October
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Week 10: Europe in the Age of Global Conflict Lec 19 – October 9 World War 1 and its Consequences Lec 20 – October 11 World War 2 and the Holocaust
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Week 11: Europe since 1945 Lec 21 – October 16 Post-war Europe and the Cold War Lec 22 – October 18 Decolonization and Diversity in Modern Europe
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Online Test 4: 18 October – 28 October
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Week 12: Conclusion October 23 - Labour Day holiday - no lecture Lec 23 – October 25 Course Review and Exam Preparation
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EXAM: held during University Examination Period (You will be advised of date and location by the University)
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Marks Distribution and Due Dates
This course is assessed on the basis of four online tests, one essay, and a two-hour essay-type Exam held during the examination period. Assessment is based 50% on the coursework completed during the semester and 50% on the Exam.
'Exam benefit' (or 'Plussage') is available for this course. Any students who meet all of the following conditions will be eligible for Plussage:
- achieving the minimum tutorial attendance requirement (8 out of 11)
- completing all coursework (essay and four online tests), with a minimum D+ average
- achieving a higher mark on the Exam than the coursework average mark
If all these conditions are met, a student’s Exam mark will become his or her final grade in the course. Plussage therefore rewards students whose work improves dramatically over the semester.
Grades are distributed (as a percentage of total mark in course) as follows:
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20% - Four (4) Online Tests, each worth 5% of the final mark
30% - Essay, 1500 words, due 4:00 pm, Tuesday 3 October 50% - Exam (2 hours) held in University Examination period |
Policy on Late Work. In fairness to students who meet course deadlines, all unexcused late submissions will be penalized. Extensions for medical, religious, or compassionate reasons are willingly granted, but require advance approval from your tutor. In certain cases, you may be required to provide supporting documentation, such as a medical certificate. If you need to request an extension, you should see your tutor in person well in advance of the due date (sending your tutor an email hours before an assignment is due does not constitute grounds for an extension!). Extension requests may be denied if the reasons for late submission are not justified. Having other assignments due at the same time is not an acceptable justification for an extension; managing your course workloads is one of the skills we expect you to take seriously as part of your University experience.
If you have not secured an extension and you hand in your work after the due date and time, or if you hand in your work after the due date of your approved extension, you will be penalized 5 percentage points for the first day and 2 percentage points for each subsequent day your work is overdue. Work submitted more than 7 days beyond the original due date will require explicit approval from the course lecturer.
Course summary:
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