Villanova University
HIS 3233-001:
Hitler and Nazi Germany
Fall 2004, MWF 11:30-12:20, Tolentine 317
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Professor: Office: Office hours: Phone: E-mail: Web page: |
Paul Steege STAUG 428 M 3-4:30pm, W 5-6:30pm or by appointment x9-6963 |
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Course Objectives: |
The devastation wrought by Nazi Germany in the middle part
of the 20th century remains one of the most brutal focal points of an
incredibly violent century. Often,
historians and popular memory have explained Hitler and the Nazis as
something so alien and altogether evil that they bear little relationship to our modern world. In particular, we will explore the ways in which individuals played a role in sustaining or resisting the Nazi regime (often simultaneously). As students cultivate their ability to critically examine historical writing and primary sources, we will strive to unpack the complex motivations that drove people’s actions during the Nazi era. While we must not hesitate to hold individuals accountable for their actions—for good or ill—we must also acknowledge our common humanity, which demands that as we explore their culpability, we do not hesitate to turn a critical eye to our own place in history. |
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Required Materials: |
(C) Crew, David, ed. Nazism
and German Society. London and New
York: Routledge,
1994. (F) Fritzsche, Peter. Germans into Nazis. Reprint ed. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1999. (H) Haffner, Sebastian.
Defying Hitler. Trans. Oliver Pretzel. New York:
Picador, 2003. (K) Kershaw, Ian. The Nazi Dictatorship: problems and perspectives of interpretation. 4th ed. London: Arnold, 2000. (R) Kluger, Ruth. Still Alive: a Holocaust girlhood remembered. New York: The Feminist Press, 2003. The above books are available for purchase at the Villanova University Shop. Additional readings will be available on-line or on reserve in Falvey Memorial Library. The letter abbreviations are used in the reading schedule below. |
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Course Organization: |
The course will utilize a combination of lecture and discussion. Even during lectures, I encourage students to pose questions, request clarifications, and challenge my assertions. This course seeks to facilitate a joint exploration of historical arguments rather than consisting simply of “professorial wisdom” being dispensed from the podium. In addition to regular class meetings, students will be required to attend two film screenings. In each case, the required film viewing will replace one class session. The films will serve as the basis for one of your review essays and will likely be included as source material for exam questions. Each film will be screened twice to enable all students to attend. You should add these films to your schedule at the beginning of the semester. During the course, I will at times distribute critical information via e-mail using your official Villanova e-mail address. You are responsible for checking that account regularly. If you use an outside e-mail address, be sure to set the preferences on your Villanova account to automatically forward messages to your preferred address. Check the online syllabus regularly for any updates. |
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Assignments and Grading: |
Midterm exam (30% of total grade): You will be asked to write short essays in which you elaborate the significance of 4 of 7 identification terms. The seven terms on the exam will be drawn from a longer list distributed about one week ahead of time. A successful answer will not just identify the term and date it correctly but also make and support an argument about its broader historical significance. I will discuss the exam with you in greater depth a few weeks into the course. Final Exam (40% of total grade): The final exam will be cumulative. In addition to a number of identification terms (for which no list will be distributed in advance), the final will ask you to write a detailed, coherently argued essay response to a choice of questions. A selection of questions, from which the exam questions will be drawn, will be distributed in advance. Two reviews (30% of total grade or 15% each): You must write a short (3-4 pg.) essay that explores the ways in which one of the assigned films AND one of the two assigned memoirs (Haffner or Kluger) reflects (or fails to reflect) particular issues explored in the course. In writing your essay, you should draw on the assigned readings and focus on a particular, narrow topic. Do not simply provide a plot summary! Focus on a particular issue, analyze it, link it to the readings, and discuss its importance. CAUTION: I
am not asking you to tell me whether you “liked” the film or the memoir but
to analyze its significance with respect to the course’s larger themes. State your argument explicitly and precisely. You must use footnotes to cite your sources. You should not use sources beyond those assigned for the course! I will provide more details about this assignment in the first weeks of the course. Due dates: Memoir review essay: Oct. 20 (Haffner) or Nov. 22 (Kluger) and film review essay: Oct. 4 (M) or Dec. 12 (Murderers…). Attendance: I will not take regular attendance but expect you to be in class. Attending class and completing assigned readings are the best ways to succeed in this course. Additionally, regular, engaged participation in class discussion will have a positive influence on borderline grades. Late work/missed exams: I will adhere rigorously to the above deadlines. Assigned work submitted after the deadline will not be accepted unless you have made prior arrangements with the instructor. Should some emergency require an extension, you must contact me before the scheduled due date to make the necessary arrangements. Missed exams will also receive a failing grade (zero) unless you contact me before the exam. Students will not be excused from the scheduled final exam to accommodate travel plans. |
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Academic Integrity and Grading : |
Academic integrity rests at the foundation of intellectual life in a university. Plagiarism or cheating on any coursework will not be tolerated. Any case of academic fraud (copying of another student’s work, illicit use of notes on an exam, undocumented use of an outside source, etc.) will automatically result in a failing grade for the course and the submission of an academic integrity report to the university. If you have any questions about documenting sources or what constitutes academic fraud, please speak to me or consult the student handbook. I will discuss this in detail during the first week of the course. Grades will adhere to the criteria stated in the undergraduate catalog. As a reminder, an "A" is defined as: “the highest academic grade possible; an honor grade which is not automatically given to a student who ranks highest in the course, but is reserved for accomplishment that is truly distinctive and demonstrably outstanding. It represents a superior mastery of course material and is a grade that demands a very high degree of understanding as well as originality or creativity as appropriate to the nature of the course. The grade indicates that the student works independently with unusual effectiveness and often takes the initiative in seeking new knowledge outside the formal confines of the course.” |
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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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Class/Reading Schedule |
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Complete all readings prior to the class for which they are assigned. Bring your book to class. Please note: on occasion I may revise the reading/lecture schedule slightly. Any changes will be announced in class and noted in the online syllabus. While I realize that there is a fair amount of reading in this class, I have tried to keep each week’s assignments within reasonable bounds. Longer reading assignments tend to be in more readable texts, which should make them a bit less daunting. |
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Wed., Aug. 25 |
Introduction: thinking about an uncomfortable subject |
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Fri., Aug. 27 |
German historical background: the long 19th century Reading: (K) pp. 1-19 |
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Mon., Aug. 30 |
The memory of August 1914 |
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Wed., Sept. 1 |
Experiencing the First World War Reading: Ernst Jünger, excerpts from In the storm of steel |
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Fri., Sept. 3 |
In the aftermath of WWI |
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Mon., Sept. 6 |
LABOR DAY |
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Wed., Sept. 8 |
Legacy of Revolution |
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Fri., Sept. 10 |
The Republican Promise Reading: |
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Mon., Sept. 13 |
Roots of the National Socialist Movement The German Workers Party (DAP): The Twenty-five Points (1920) |
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Wed., Sept. 15 |
Experiencing Weimar |
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Fri., Sept. 17 |
A culture of decadence? The violence of modernity Siegfried Kracauer, “Girls and crisis” ANITA, “Sex Appeal: A New Catchword for an Old Thing” Thomas Wehrling, “Berlin is becoming a Whore” Ernst Engelbrecht and Leo Heller, “Night Figures of the City” Selected images (to be viewed in class) |
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Mon., Sept. 20 |
The collapse of the political center |
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Wed., Sept. 22 |
Democracy without democrats? Reading: Peter Fritzsche, “Did Weimar Fail?” |
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Fri., Sept. 24 |
No
class—compensation for film viewing |
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Mon., Sept.27 |
The battle for the streets Jay Baird, “The death and transfiguration of Hitler Youth Herbert Norkus” |
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Mon., Sept. 27 |
Film: M (1931): 3 pm, Falvey, VR3 |
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Tues., Sept. 28 |
Film: M
(1931): 7 pm, Tolentine,
Room 309 |
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Wed., Sept. 29 |
The normalization of violence Readings: E. M. Mungenast, “The murderer and the state” Siegfried Kracauer, “Murder trials and society” |
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Fri., Oct. 1 |
1932: to total crisis Heinrich Hauser, “The Unemployed” Ewald von Kleist-Schmenzin, “National Socialism: A Menace” |
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Mon., Oct. 4 |
The death of the Republic Reading: (H) pp. 94-186 DUE at the start of class: M review essay |
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Wed., Oct. 6 |
Machtergreifung: January 1933 Reading: (F) pp. 137-214 |
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Fri., Oct. 8 |
Midterm Exam |
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Oct. 11-15 |
FALL BREAK |
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Mon., Oct. 18 |
Gleichschaltung: January to May 1933 Reading: (F) pp. 217-35 |
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Wed., Oct. 20 |
Between opposition and accommodation Reading: (H) pp. 187-246 |
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Fri., Oct. 22 |
Getting used to National Socialism? DUE at the start of class: Haffner review essay |
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Mon., Oct. 25 |
Hitler and the Nazi State Reading: (K) Ch. 3-4 |
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Wed., Oct. 27 |
Social transformations under National Socialism |
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Fri., Oct. 29 |
Work and workers under National Socialism Reading: (C) Ch. 2 |
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Mon., Nov. 1 |
Women’s place in the Volkskörper |
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Wed., Nov. 3 |
The aestheticization of the political Visual preparation: Images TBD |
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Fri., Nov. 5 |
The Gestapo and popular participation in terror |
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Mon., Nov. 8 |
Nazi Germany in the wider world: the path to war Reading: (K) Ch. 6 |
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Wed., Nov. 10 |
Total war and the myth of heroic death Josef Goebbels, “Nation, Rise Up, and Let the Storm Break Loose” |
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Fri., Nov. 12 |
Origins of mass murder Reading: (C) Ch. 8 |
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Mon., Nov. 15 |
Justifying mass murder |
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Wed., Nov. 17 |
The mechanics of genocide Reading: (C) Ch. 9 |
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Fri., Nov. 19 |
Experiencing the Shoah Reading: (R) part II |
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Mon., Nov. 22 |
In the aftermath of the Holocaust Reading: (R) pp. 133-214 DUE at the start of class: Kluger review essay |
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Nov. 24-26 |
THANKSGIVING BREAK |
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Mon., Nov. 29 |
Morality in the midst of immorality? Reading: |
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Wed., Dec. 1 |
Resistance? |
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Fri., Dec. 3 |
Götterdämmerung: the destruction of the Third Reich Reading: Heinrich Böll, “Stranger bear word to the Spartans we…” |
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Mon., Dec. 6 |
No class—compensation for film viewing |
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Mon., Dec. 6 |
Film: The murderers are among us (1948), 3 pm, Bartley, Room 1011 |
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Tue., Dec. 7 |
Film: The
murderers are among us (1948), 7 pm, Tolentine, Room 309 |
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Wed., Dec. 8 |
Surviving in the postwar world Reading: Elizabeth Heineman, “The hour of the woman,” AHR (1996) |
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Fri., Dec. 10 |
History and the politics of remembering Alf Lüdtke, “Coming to terms with the past,” JMH (1993) |
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Mon., Dec. 13 |
Lessons of the Nazi era? Due at the start of class: The murderers are among us review essay |
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Wed., Dec. 15 |
Final Exam: 10:45 am-1:15 pm |