EUROPEAN EXPERIENCE: A HUMANITIES PERSPECTIVE

This is a broad interdisciplinary course that aims to introduce students to the study of contemporary "Europe" and the academic field of "European Studies." The course is part of a two-course series designed to examine Europe from a broad variety of disciplines, approaches and perspectives. While this course focuses on the answers to the core questions provided by the arts and humanities (including literature, film, music, and linguistics), the other course (EUS 200x: European Experience: A Social Science Perspective) examines the same questions through the lens provided by the social sciences (including anthropology, geography, political science and sociology). The courses can be taken in any order and students may choose to take only one (although it is recommended that students take both).

An important theme of the course is to discuss three core questions: “What is Europe(an)?,  “Where is Europe?” and “Whither Europe?” If you have ever asked yourself one of these questions, this is a course you should take.

READINGS: For detailed reading assignments, please see the syllabus below. Additional readings will be distributed during the semester, as needed, and/or will be available online.

ASSIGNMENTS & GRADING

Grades will be based on the following:

Class attendance:                  10%

Mid-Term Exam:                     25%

Map quiz:                                10%

Bi-weekly quizzes:                  30%

Final exam:                             25%

You are more than welcome to discuss any of these requirements or assignments with the professor.

GRADING SCALE:

ATTENDANCE: Note that class attendance is required for this course and constitutes 10% of your grade. You will be permitted 5 unexcused absences, after which you lose all of your attendance points. We will regularly circulate an attendance sheet, which you should sign.  Signing for others is considered academic dishonesty. Repeated absences may affect your performance on final exam and quizzes since they will be based on the class lectures. Also missing class means possibly missing quizzes (unannounced quizzes plus a map quiz) and late submission of homework assignments.

According to the Office of the University Registrar, “acceptable reasons for absence from class include illness, serious family emergencies, special curricular requirements (e.g., judging trips, field trips, professional conferences), military obligation, severe weather conditions, religious holidays and participation in official university activities such as music performances, athletic competition or debate. Absences from class for court-imposed legal obligations (e.g., jury duty or subpoena) must be excused.”

 For further information about the University of Florida’s attendance policy, please see the current Undergraduate Catalogue

(http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/regulationattendance.html).

MAP QUIZ: A map quiz will constitute 10% of your grade. For the map quiz, you will be required to learn the countries of Europe and their capitals.  This is not difficult, but it will take a little time and effort. The benefit: Once you have done so you will know more about Europe than the majority of Americans! 

QUIZZES: There will be bi-weekly quizzes during the semester based on course readings and class discussion and lectures. The format will be a combination of short answer, multiple-choice, and fill in the blank questions.  These will not be difficult, but will be intended to test whether you have done the readings and are prepared for class.

Together this will constitute 30% of your grade.

MID-TERM and FINAL EXAM: The Mid-Term and the Final exam are both worth 50% of your grade. The Mid-Term is scheduled for July 20 and the Final is scheduled for August 6.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

Academic dishonesty, including cheating on exams and plagiarism, will not be tolerated.  Any student engaging in such activities will be dealt with in accordance with University policy. It is your responsibility to know what constitutes plagiarism, and what the university policies are.  If you have doubts, we would be happy to discuss with you. Please refer to the current Undergraduate Catalog for more information on the Student  Honor code (http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/students.html). If you have questions about these policies, we would be happy to discuss them with you.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

If you have a disability that may affect your performance in this class, you should contact the Dean of Students Office (www.dso.ufl.edu/drp/) so that special arrangements can be made to accommodate you.  It is your responsibility to do so at the beginning of the semester.

 COURSE SCHEDULE

PART I: INTRODUCTION

June 28 - Introduction, Syllabus

1. Evolution of the boundaries of Europe

June 29 - The Notion of Europe as a ‘geographical area.”  Basic geographical factual information, nations, capitals, etc.; Fluidity of geographical borders: Overview, Greece as a case study. Readings: Lecture Notes

June 30 - Fluidity of Borders. The Notion of Europe as a “cultural” area. Readings: Lecture Notes, Norman Davies, Europe: A History, 19 -31

2. Language and Linkages – Culture and Communication

July 1 - The most prominent European language groups: Indo-European and Finno-Ugric. Readings: Lecture Notes, Norman Davies, Europe: A History, 220-221.

July 2 - Discussion/Weekly Review

July 6 - European Minority Languages (European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages [ECRML]). Extinction and Preservation; English as a lingua franca in Europe: Motivation and Problems. Readings: Lecture Notes

3. The Myth of Europa: Tracing Europe from Myth to Reality

July 7 – The Idea of Europe in Ancient Greek Myth and Ideology. Readings: Lecture Notes.

July 8 - The concept of polis as a political environment (the birth of democracy in Athens). Readings: Lecture Notes, Sheldon S. Wolin, Democracy: Electoral and Athenian, PS: Political Science and Politics, Vol. 26, No. 3. (Sep., 1993), pp. 475-477.

July 9 - Renaissance and the revival of ancient Greek literature and arts. Readings: Lecture Notes

PART II: WHERE IS EUROPE

4. Shifting Centers of Europe

July 12 - Defining the ‘center’ of Europe, chronologically, politically and culturally. Readings: Lecture Notes

5. Colonialism and the spread of Europe

July 13 - What is colonialism and what does it mean to be “post” colonial. Readings: Lecture Notes, Hans Kohn, Some Reflections on Colonialism, The Review of Politics, Vol. 18, No. 3. (Jul., 1956), pp. 259-268, Rudyard Kipling-Kim (selections).

July 14 - The role of Christianity in colonization. Readings: Lecture Notes, Peter Pels, The Anthropology of Colonialism: Culture, History, and the Emergence of Western Governmentality, Annual Review of Anthropology, Vol. 26. (1997), pp. 163-183.

July 15 - Eurasia' and neo-colonialism. Readings: Lecture Notes

July 16 – Discussion/Weekly Review

July 20 – Mid Term Examination

6. Immigration and the Spread of Europe

July 21 - Economic (19th c.) exiles: Italian, Irish, Greek and Polish mass emigrations. Readings: Lecture Notes, Daniels, Roger. Coming to America: A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life. (New York: HarperCollins, 1990) pg. 185-212.

July 22 - Religious exiles: European Jewry, etc from religious intolerance (inquisition, pogroms etc). Readings: Lecture Notes, Christopher R. Browning, The Nazi Decision to Commit Mass Murder: Three Interpretations: The Euphoria of Victory and the Final Solution: Summer-Fall 1941, German Studies Review, Vol. 17, No. 3. (Oct., 1994), pp. 473-481. Political exiles: Fascism, the Soviet sphere, etc.

July 23 – Discussion/Weekly Review

PART III: WHAT IS EUROPE(AN)?

7. Europe viewed from within: 'Europeanism' and how Europeans see themselves

July 26 - Variations in national interpretations of ‘European-ness’ in the past. Readings: Lecture Notes - ‘Old’ and ‘New’ Europe – what counts as ‘European’ today?

July 27 - Catholicism, protestant reformation movements, etc. and their reflection in the arts (paintings, architecture, etc.). Readings: Lecture Notes, Dante, Inferno (selections), Luther (selections) Religious intolerance and the definition of “other.”

8. Europe viewed from “Without” 

July 28 - The view from the USA:  Europe in the novels of Henry James, Ernest Hemingway; American ex-pats in Europe and their view of Europe. Readings: Lecture Notes, Hemingway (Short stories) Reflections on past and present masters: visions of Europe from the (other) colonies (Africa, Latin America and Asia).

PART IV: WHITHER EUROPE?

9. Politics and Culture in the 20th c.

July 29 – Fascism. Readings: Lecture Notes, Thomas Mann (Selections), Totalitarianism Brecht, Bertolt. Mother Courage and her Children. Struggling for the Ideal of Democracy.

July 30 – Discussion/Weekly Review

10. Europe Divided: Between Great Powers and Small Nations

August 2 - The two World Wars and Europe. Readings: Lecture Notes, Gordon F. Streib, Idealism and War Bonds: Comparative Study of the Two World Wars, The Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 2. (Summer, 1948), pp. 272-279. European Art and literature during and after the war.

11. European Union: The Uniting of Europe

August 3 - Pan-Europeanism as an ideal and a reality. Readings: Lecture Notes, Visual Media: Survey of pan-European Advertising Jean Monnet and the European Ideal, Walter Yondorf, Monnet and the Action Committee: The Formative Period of the European Communities, International Organization, Vol. 19, No. 4. (Autumn, 1965), pp. 885-912.

August 4 - Re-interpreting the border of Europe. Readings: Lecture Notes, The emergence of a (new) shared European identity, Cris Shore; Annabel Black, The European Communities: And the Construction of Europe, Anthropology Today, Vol. 8, No. 3. (Jun., 1992), pp. 10-11.

August 5 – Conclusion

August 6 – Final Examination