HIST 2084 - Europe in the Making 1890-1933: Culture & Politics

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2023

Between 1890 and 1933, the peoples of Europe experienced a world war, revolutions and civil wars, and the rise of dictatorships in Russia, Germany and elsewhere. But this was also a period of spectacular achievements in the fields of the arts, intellectual life, and science. This course explores the epic history of this period from the perspective of some of the prominent individuals who lived through it. Our focus is not just on politics and war. We also explore the culture of the period, gender relations, sexuality, and everyday life. This is not a traditional course. It is a collaborative research project in which students are active participants. Every student chooses an individual historical figure, whose life and career you trace through the great events of the period. You pick your character from a long list of royals, politicians, revolutionaries, artists, musicians, writers, soldiers, explorers, academics, and many more. You conduct research on your character and enter the information you find into a database. We also create digital social network maps of the connections between the characters. The course is designed to be flexible. Depending on your choice of historical character, you can specialise in the history of a particular country (e.g. Britain, France, Germany, Russia) and a particular kind of history (e.g. social, cultural, political, military). By pooling our knowledge of specific individuals, we will build up a broader picture of what it meant to live through this amazing period of European history.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code HIST 2084
    Course Europe in the Making 1890-1933: Culture & Politics
    Coordinating Unit Historical and Classical Studies
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Prerequisites At least 12 units of Level I undergraduate study
    Assessment Short research exercise, Character wiki-page (1500 word), Research essay (3000 word)
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Gareth Pritchard

    Email: gareth.pritchard@adelaide.edu.au
    Phone: 8313 4529
    Office: Napier 508
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

    Please see the Course Planner for the times and venues of classes.

    The structure of the course is not determined in advance. The topics that we cover will depend on the characters that the students choose to study. The purpose of the lectures and workshops will be to deepen your understand of the social, cultural, and political worlds that your characters inhabited.
  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    By the end of the course, students will be able to:
    1 Demonstrate a broad knowledge of the history of the Europe between 1890 and 1933.
    2 Apply their contextual knowledge (a) to understanding the lives and careers of one category of individuals in the Europe (e.g. ballet dancers, scientists etc.) and (b) to studying the life and career of one individual in that field.
    3 Use relevant technologies both to identify relevant primary and secondary sources and to evaluate data.
    4 Critically evaluate the strengths and shortcomings of relevant primary and secondary sources.
    5 Arrive at independent conclusions regarding the lives and careers of people who lived through the period 1913 to 1933.
    6 Co-operate effectively in research teams with other students.
    7 Communicate their findings, both orally and in writing, by constructing evidence-based arguments that comply with the scholarly and ethical conventions of the discipline of history.
    8 Demonstrate the ability to construct and interpret an historical database and a social network map.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)

    Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth

    Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.

    1, 2, 4

    Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving

    Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.

    2, 3, 4, 5

    Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills

    Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.

    3, 4, 5, 7

    Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness

    Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.

    6, 7

    Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency

    Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.

    6, 7

    Attribute 7: Digital capabilities

    Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.

    6, 7, 8

    Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence

    Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.

    6
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    There is no course textbook for this course. Instead, every student will be assigned a biography or memoir that focuses on the life of the individual that the student has chosen to study. Each student will be expected to read this biography/memoir.
    Recommended Resources
    The literature on the period 1913 to 1933 is vast. The following are some useful introductions to the period:

    * Gail, Marshall (ed.). 2007. The Cambridge Companion to the Fin de Siècle. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    * Martel, Gordon (ed.). 2006. A Companion to Europe, 1900 to 1945. Malden, MA: Blackwell. 
    * McDonough, Frank. 2001. Conflict, Communism and Fascism: Europe 1890-1945. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 
    * Paxton, Robert O. 1997. Europe in the Twentieth Century. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, see chapter 1. 
    * Richards, Michael D. and Paul R. .Waibel. 2014. Twentieth-Century Europe: A Brief History, 1900 to the Present. Hoboken: John Wiley.
    * Saler, Michael T. (ed.) 2015. The Fin-de-Siècle World. London and New York: Routledge.
    * Sked, Alan. 2016. 'Belle Époque: Europe Before 1914.' In Nicholas Doumanis (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of European History 1914-1914. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 23-40. 
    * Winks, Robin W. and Ralph James Q. Adams. 2003. Europe, 1890-1945: Crisis and Conflict. New York: Oxford University Press. 












    Online Learning
    Myuni forms a very important part of this course. Students construct a course wiki in Myuni, and we also use Myuni to create a course database on the individuals whom we study. In addition to recordings of lectures, Myuni will also contain a wide range of quizzes, bibliographies, databases, and other materials,
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    This is not a traditional course. It is a research project in which individual students are part of reserach teams that focus on the lives and careers of a specific group of people between 1890 and 1933, e.g. soldiers, artists, musicians, dancers, academics, scientists, philosophers, spies, polar explorers, politicians.

    The primary purpose of lectures is (i) to give students essential background information, and (ii) to provide a plenary forum where research groups can feed their findings into the general pool.

    The primary purpose of workshops is (i) to analyse the data that the students have themselves generated, and (ii) to look in detail at relevant primary sources.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    1 x 1-hour lecture per week (12 hours per semester)
    1 x 2-hour workshops per week (24 hours per semester)
    Preparation for classes (24 hours per semester)
    General reading (24 hours per semester)
    Research/writing of assignments and revision (72 hours per semester)

    TOTAL = 156 hours per semester


    Learning Activities Summary
    In order to complete this course successfully, students will have to acquire a broad overview of the European history between 1890 and 1933. They will do this by:

    1. Attending or the lectures and/or listening to the lecture recordings.
    2. Reading the biography that has been assigned to them.
    3. Successfully completing quizzes both in class and on-line that test their knowledge of the material covered in lectures and tutorials.

    Students will need to gain an in-depth knowledge of a particular group in European society (e.g. academics, poets, revolutionaries, soldiers) as well as a detailed knowledge of a specific individual within than field. They will do this through:

    1. Pulling out of the material covered in lectures/tutorials and the textbook that is particularly relevant.
    2. Independent research using books and academic articles.
    3. Pooling knowledge with other students and engaging with the structured learning activities.

    Specific skills which are developed by structured learning activities include:

    1. The use of databases and the internet to locate relevant sources.
    2. The use of Excel to analyse statistical data.
    3. The use of Gephi graphs to analyse relations between individual members of Soviet elites.
    4. The construction of wikipages.
    5. The construction of evidence-based arguments.
    6. The classification and analysis of a wide range of primary sources, including diaries, memoirs, letters, paintings, propaganda posters, literature, music, architecture, films etc.


    Specific Course Requirements
    n/a
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Task Type Due Weighting Learning Outcome
    Short biographical research exercise Summative

    Week 4

    20% 3
    1,000-word character wiki-page Summative Week 8 30% 3, 4, 5, 7
    2,500-word research essay Summative Week 12 50% 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
    Assessment Detail
    The short research exercise will require students to answer a survey about their chosen character. The survey will require the students to find out basic facts about the character but also to identify some relevant primary and secondary sources. The results of the survey will be made available to the entire class in the form of an Excel spreadsheet. This will in turn form an essential learning resource for the completion of the character profile and the research essay.

    The character profile takes the form of a wiki-page in MyUni (or, if MyUni is replaced, in an equivalent Learning Management System). It consists of three elements: (a) A brief biography of the character; (b) A brief annotated biography of relevant primary and secondary sources; (c) A biographical analysis in which the student comments on the social and professional connections of their character. The wiki is available to the entire class and forms the platform for the research essay.

    In the research essay, students are asked to answer one question from a list of questions about the group biography of the characters we study in the course. This will require them to use both the Excel spreadsheet that results from the first assignment, and the character wiki that results from the second.
    Submission
    The short research exercise consists of a detailed questionnaire that the student completes and submits via Turnitin.

    The character profile takes the form of a wikipage that the student completes on-line in Myuni.

    The research essay is submitted in electronic format via Turnitin.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Detailed marking criteria for each of the assessments will be released during the course.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

    In addition to SELTs, students will have the opportunity to provide feedback during the course itself. Each category of students (actors, artists, film-makers, revolutionaries, writers etc.) will elect a "deputy". On a regular basis there will be brief "council of deputies" in which the elected representatives meet with the course convenor (either at the end of lectures or electronically). The deputies will be encouraged to use this opportunity to give feedback on how the course is progressing, and to deal with any issues that have arisen.

    Once SELTs have been submitted and the results analysed, the course convenor will write a response which is circulated to all students.
  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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