LEHMAN COLLEGE –FALL 2010
HIE314-J301: EUROPE IN THE 20TH CENTURY
MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS, 12:30-1:45 CARMAN 201
PROF. ACKERMAN
Course information
Catalogue description: 3 hours, 3 credits. World War I, the rise and fall of communism in Russia and
Eastern Europe, fascism, World War II, postwar prosperity, European union, and the impact of
immigration.
This course will introduce students to the main themes of European history in the 20th century. 19001950 was one of the bloodiest times in European history, the following fifty years much more peaceful.
Insidious ideologies flourished in the first half of the century; they abated in the second half. 19472000 also saw the end of Europe’s imperial hold on much of the world. We will study these topics and
also look at the social, economic, and cultural history of Europe. Finally, we will be constantly
searching to situate European history in a world context.
Instructor information
Evelyn Ackerman
tel: 718 960-7243
email: eackerman7@att.net
office: Carman 296
office hours: Monday 1:45-2:15; Monday 4-5:45; Wednesday 1:45-2:15. I am also generally available
by appointment any time on Monday afternoon.
Course learning objectives
Students will:
Encounter primary sources
Contextualize historical events and describe change over time
Acquire and analyze historical source materials
Write clear and well-documented papers.
Materials
The main texts are
Robert O. Paxton, Europe in the 20th Century 4th edition 2005 update edition (ISBN 0534 606326)
Perry, Berg, and Krukones, Sources of European History Since 1900 2nd edition (ISBN 142406967X)
TWO TITLES TO BE ANNOUNCED
The above titles will be available at the bookstore and on reserve at the library.
Grading policy
Grades will be computed approximately as follows:
Test September 29
15%
Test November 8
15%
2-page paper due September 8
10%
5-page paper due October 18
12%
5-page paper due Dec 8
13%
Class participation
15%
Final exam
20%
A hard copy of each paper is due at the beginning of class on date indicated above. Late papers will be penalized one
full grade for each class day late. No email submissions of papers, please.
2
No extra credit assignments are permitted.
The Fine Print
Please do NOT do the reading in class. STUDENTS WHO READ PAXTON IN CLASS WILL HAVE THEIR
GRADES LOWERED. (Exceptions will be made when we analyze from the Perry book together). More than five
absences or repeated latenesses will also lower your grade. Please turn off beepers and cell phones before entering
class. Please do not text. Please avoid elaborate eating. Despite all these rules, most people actually enjoy this
class!
Plagiarism
All work in this class must be your own. Any plagiarism on papers – the use of someone else’s words or ideas
without acknowledging them as such – will result in a failing grade on the paper. You must cite your sources,
using Chicago style. Any material used verbatim must be acknowledge in a footnote AND put in quotation
marks.
Student Information
Please print the following information on a 3 x 5 card:
Name
E-mail address (please print legibly)
Major
Foreign languages you can read
Anything else you want me to know