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Professor: Office: Office hours: Phone: E-mail: Web page: |
Paul Steege STAUG 428 T 4-5 pm, W 11-noon, or by appointment x9-6963 |
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Course Objectives: |
More than a decade after German reunification, the history of post-1945 Germany has finally begun to break down the conceptual divides that seemed to follow the boundaries between the two German states, each firmly entrenched in opposing camps in the Cold War. Moving beyond easy temporal and geographic delineations, this course will wrestle to make sense of the simultaneous ruptures and continuities that characterize post-World War II German history. Students will cultivate their ability to analyze a variety of primary and secondary sources and to make their own arguments about the historical subjects under examination. We will attempt to consider the multiple ways in which Germans on both sides of the East-West divide have sought to make sense of their “shattered past” and construct social and cultural frameworks to manage life in a postmodern world and to assess the central role that history plays in these efforts to make sense of Germany. |
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Required Materials: |
Geoff Eley, ed., The Goldhagen effect. Ann Arbor: Michigan University Press, 2000. Catherine Epstein, The last revolutionaries. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003. Timothy Garton-Ash. The File. New York: Vintage, 1998. Michael Geyer and Konrad Jarausch. Shattered Past. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002. Goda, Norman. Tales from Spandau. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Charles Maier. Dissolution. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1997. Uta Poiger. Jazz, rock, and rebels. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000. Peter Schneider. The wall jumper. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998. Nick Thomas. Protest movements in 1960s West Germany. Berg, 2003. The above books are available for purchase in the Villanova University Shop in Kennedy Hall. As much as possible, I will place copies of all books on reserve in Falvey Library. Additional readings will be available on reserve as indicated in the schedule below. |
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Assignments and Grading: |
Seminar Participation (20% of final grade): A graduate seminar is only as good as its participants’ commitment to engaged discussion. Regular, engaged participation in class discussions is simply assumed. This does not mean that I anticipate that you will all have “the answer.” A graduate seminar is a collaborative undertaking, in which we propose, examine, and critique ideas. While our discussions must retain respect for each other and our divergent opinions, they will also allow for (and demand) rigorous, critical examination of what people have to say. |
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Seminar Preparation (30% of final grade): Prepare a brief review (1000 words) of the assigned reading for two separate class sessions. You must choose one book from list A and one book from list B (below). Each review essay is due at the beginning of class on the date for which the reading is assigned. Each review should assess the argument that the book’s/article’s author is trying to make, evaluate the evidence provided to support that argument, and discuss its success or failure in the context of the issues being explored in this course. You will have an opportunity to sign up for a choice of books/writing slots before our second meeting. |
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Book Review Choices |
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A |
B |
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Epstein Goda Poigert Thomas |
Garton-Ash Schneider Maier Eley (ed.) |
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Analytical review essay (50% of total grade): Using as a point of departure one of the books assigned this semester, this review essay (15-20 pp.) should assess the relevant historiography and evaluate the state of that topical or methodological (sub-)field. The final essay is due by 5 pm on Monday, December 17. Although you will make your choice in consultation with the instructor, you are free to select any book and organizational strategy. In other words, I am asking you to delineate both topic and argumentative approach for your essay. This is a relatively short piece of writing and must be very precise and focused. It should clearly elaborate the terms with which your review is operating and the critical questions, which are open in the particular subject you examine. I will provide additional details about this assignment as we move through the semester but do insist that you a) make and appointment to meet with me for an initial discussion of your essay during the first three weeks of the semester; and b) submit a preliminary bibliography and topic proposal in class on October 11. NOTE: Late papers and missed assignments are simply unacceptable. Should some emergency require an extension, you must contact me before the scheduled due date. Grades: According to the recently established History Department grading rubric for graduate course, a grade of “A” is granted for performance that is: exceptional; well beyond mastery and individual insights; originality; polished prose; consistent, substantive participation and intellectual leadership Click here for additional grading criteria. Films: On a number of evenings during the semester,
I will screen films that are connected to the subjects we are exploring.
While attendance is not mandatory, these films are designed to complement the
course readings and offer additional texture to our exploration of post-1945
German history. I encourage you to attend as you are able and to incorporate
elements from these viewings into our seminar discussions. A viewing schedule
will be set after consultation with members of the class. |
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Academic Integrity: |
Plagiarism or cheating on any coursework will not be tolerated. Any case of academic fraud (copying of another student’s work, failure to acknowledge sources, etc.) will automatically result in a failing grade for the course. If you have any questions about documenting sources or what constitutes academic fraud, please speak to me. Citations: All citations must be made as footnotes according to the guidelines of The Chicago Manual of Style. No other style will be accepted. |
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Disabilities: |
Students with disabilities who may need academic accommodations are encouraged to discuss options with me after class or during my office hours during the first two weeks of class. More information about documenting or addressing learning disabilities is available from Nancy Mott, Director of the Office of Learning Services (tel. x9-5636 or e-mail nancy.mott@villanova.edu). |
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One final note: This syllabus makes every effort to be thorough and complete. However, it remains a flexible document. Based on the course of our discussions, it may be necessary to alter the schedule and/or assignments slightly. Please bear that in mind. For those who might be interested, I will occasionally add suggested (optional) readings to the on-line version of the syllabus. At any point, if you have any questions about any aspect of the course, please don’t hesitate to contact me. |
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Class/Reading Schedule Unless otherwise indicated, you are to read the entire book or article. Read materials prior to the class for which they are assigned. Bring your book to class. Please check the online syllabus regularly for any supplemental and/or optional readings that may be added. |
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Thur., Aug. 30 |
Introduction: venturing into the history of post-1945 Germany |
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Thur., Sept. 6 |
Thinking about historiography: a diagnosis Shattered Past, introduction and Part I |
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Thur., Sept. 13 |
Film: The murderers are among us (1946) |
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Thur., Sept. 20 |
Overcoming the “zero hour”: locating continuities in the rubble Elizabeth Heinemann, “The Hour of the Woman: Memories of Germany's ‘Crisis Years’ and West German National Identity,” AHR 101, no. 2 (1996). Heinrich Böll, “Stranger, bear word to the Spartans, we…” (electronic reserve) |
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Thur., Sept. 27 |
A German path to socialism? The Last Revolutionaries |
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Thur., Oct. 4 |
Cold War and the Nazi past Tales from Spandau |
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Film: Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) |
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Thur., Oct. 11 |
“Americanization” and postwar German culture Jazz, Rock, and Rebels |
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Film: Berlin, Ecke Schönhauser (1957) |
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Oct. 15-19 |
FALL BREAK |
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Thur., Oct. 25 |
“Others” and the making of postwar Germany Part two from Hanna Schissler, ed., The Miracle Years (on reserve) |
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Film: Ali, Angst essen Seele auf [Ali, fear eats the soul] (1974) |
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Thur., Nov. 1 |
Challenging the structures of German society Protest movements in
1960s West Germany |
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Film: Germany in Autumn (1978) |
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Thur., Nov. 8 |
Living with the Stasi The File |
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Film: Das Leben der Anderen [The Lives of Others] (2006) |
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Thur., Nov. 15 |
Across the East-West divide: a literary exploration The Wall Jumper |
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Film: Himmel über Berlin [Wings of Desire] (1987) |
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Nov. 20-3 |
THANKSGIVING BREAK |
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Thur., Nov. 29 |
1989 and the possibilities of democratic revolution Dissolution |
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Film: Good Bye Lenin! (2003) |
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Thur., Dec. 6 |
Still wrestling with the German past Konrad Jarausch, “Removing the Nazi Stain? The Quarrel of the German Historians,” German Studies Review 11 (1988) (on reserve) The Goldhagen Effect |
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Film: Das schreckliche Mädchen [The Nasty Girl] (1990) |
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Thur., Dec. 13 |
Final Discussion: re-assembling German history? |
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Mon., Dec. 17 |
FINAL ESSAY DUE,
5pm |