An examination of Germany in the twentieth century focusing on the rise of Adolph Hitler, the weakness of the Weimar government, the institutions of the Nazi regime, and the events of World War II and the Holocaust.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 1110 World Civilizations: A Survey of the Global Twentieth Century or HIST 2130 Western Civilization Through Literature or permission of the instructor.
HIST 1110 World Civilizations: A Survey of the Global Twentieth Century (4 hours)
This is a world-history survey designed to introduce students to the sweep of social, political, economic, and cultural changes that took place around the world over the course of the twentieth century. Using primary sources, the course allows students to investigate in-depth themes such as European colonialism, the First and Second World Wars, fascism and its consequences, the transformation of East Asia, the Cold War and its consequences, and new challenges to global stability in the modern era.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)
HIST 2130 Western Civilization Through Literature (4 hours)
A chronological survey of Western Civilization from 1500 to the present, focusing on the literary record which exemplifies changing societies; artistic and literary styles; and philosophical, religious, and political patterns. The course will include a reexamination of Biblical texts in the Reformation, the revival and imitation of classical texts in the Renaissance, absolutism and its critics, the revolutionary and Romantic movements, ethnic minorities, colonialism, the crisis of Western thought in the twentieth century, and the impact of totalitarianism.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)