Department of Government & International Studies
EURO 1111
Europe: Unity and Diversity (I)
Prerequisites:
nil
Duration/Frequency:
3 hours/week
Language of Tuition:
English
Individual Study Time Required:
42 hours (3 X 14 weeks)
Credits/Units:
3
Number of Contact Hours:
42 (3 X 14 weeks)
Total Assumed Work Load:
6 hours/week
Course Description/Aims and Objectives:
This is the first part of a two-semester course which provides students with the
necessary initial background knowledge of Europe as a whole. It seeks to
stimulate the students’ interest by looking at European history through the
particular prism of the shifting balance between unity and diversity, concentrating
on particular turning points. It introduces students to the various definitions of
‘Europe’ and Europe’s historical roots in the antique Mediterranean civilizations.
The synthesis of the Greco-Roman and Christian with the Germanic heritages in
the Middle Ages and the subsequent Renaissance laid the foundations for the
culturally multi-faceted modern European societies, which nonetheless share a
common tradition in thought and action.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) / Competencies:
Knowledge
By the end of this course, students should be able to
1. Define and explain main characteristics of Europe’s Greco-Roman,
Judeo-Christian and Germanic cultural roots;
2. Summarize the political, socio-cultural and economic development of
European civilizations from antiquity to the Middle Ages ;
3. Recognize the essentially constructed, variable nature of ‘cultures’;
4. Recognize principles and motives which underlie the construction of
history (history writing) and collective cultural memory; and
5. Discuss the significance of Europe’s cultural heritage for the present-day
European communities.
1
Skills
By the end of this course, students should be able to
6. Follow academic lectures, summarize their main points and discuss them
critically;
7. Summarize and evaluate historical texts;
8. Formulate concise, coherent oral contributions to tutorial discussions;
and
9. Write a short term paper in accordance with common academic
conventions and regulations.
Attitudes
By the end of this course, students should be able to
10. Participate with confidence in tutorial discussions;
11. Appreciate the richness, diversity and complexity of European cultural
heritage beyond generally known stereotypes; and
12. Stimulate interest and curiosity in European affairs both past and
present.
Course Content:
1. The Dialectics of Unity and Diversity – Modern Europe and the Debate
about a ‘European Identity’
2. Idealized Europe: Man, Community and Law – the Greek polis in
European Memory
3. Cosmopolitan Europe: Man, Community and Law – The World of Rome
4. Christian Europe: The Faith and the Division
5. Medieval Europe: The Europe of Christendom
6. European Ideals (I): The Fusion and Re-invention of Cultural Tradition
Teaching & Learning Activities (TLAs):
TLAs
1. Seminars/ Lectures
Students are expected to synthesize a structured overview of
the foundations of the culturally multi-faceted modern European
societies from lectures, discussions and additional recommend
readings.
2
ILOs
addressed
1 to 12
2. Tutorial discussions/ Presentations
Tutorial sessions will discuss critically the significance of
Europe’s cultural heritage for the present-day European
communities. Students are expected to formulate questions and
responses concisely and coherently. Tutorials may include short
presentations, structured discussions and/or simulations, online
preparation and/or online follow-up discussions of lecture issues
and additional reading assignments.
6 to 8, 10 to
12
Assessment Methods (AMs):
AMs
Weighting
Term paper
30%
ILOs
addressed
1 to 5, 7, 9,11
Active participation in
tutorial discussions
throughout the
semester
40%
1 to 12
Final examination
30%
1 to 5, 11
3
Description of
Assessment Tasks
The term paper has
to be researched and
written
independently. It
serves to
demonstrate the
student’s ability to
identify and
summarize main
aspects of multifaceted modern
European societies.
Regular attendance
and active
participation are
mandatory. Students
develop and
demonstrate their
understanding by
way of critical
discussion.
The questions will be
essay-type questions
testing students’
understanding of the
significance of
Europe’s cultural
heritage for the
present-day
European
communities. The
emphasis will be on
a critical reflection of
these issues in
relation to
contemporary
political debate. The
essay topic(s) will be
based on students’
critical discussions in
the tutorials.
References:
A continuously up-dated reading-list will be provided each year on the course
homepage: http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~europe/euro1110/index.htm
Recommended Introductory Readings:
Backman, Clifford (2003). The Worlds of Medieval Europe. New York : Oxford
University Press
Cantor, Norman (2003). Antiquity. The Civilization of the Ancient World. New
York. Harper Collins
Davies, Norman (1996). Europe. A History. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Davies, Norman (2006). 'Western Civilisation versus European History', in
Davies, Norman (2006). Europe East and West. London: Jonathan Cape,
46-60
Davies, Norman (2006). 'The Islamic Strand in European History', in Davies,
Norman (2006). Europe East and West. London: Jonathan Cape, 203-222
Eco, Umberto (2008). ‘The Roots of Europe’, in: Eco, Umberto (2008). A passo di
gambero (Turning back the clock : hot wars and media populism). London:
Vintage Books, 269-271
Freeman, Charles (2003). The Closing of the Western Mind. The Rise of Faith
and the Fall of Reason. London: Pimlico
4
Garcia, Soledad (ed.) (1993). European Identity and the Search for Legitimacy.
London: Pinter
Geremek, Bronislaw (1996). The Common Roots of Europe. Cambridge: Polity
Press
Hale, John (1994): The Civilization of Europe in the Renaissance. New York:
Simon & Schuster
Hobsbawm, Eric (1996). The Curious History of Europe. In: Hobsbawm, Eric
(1998). On History. London: Abacus, 287-301
Lane Fox, Robin (2005). The Classical World. An Epic History from Homer to
Hadrian. London: Allen Lane
Le Goff, Jacques (2003) L'Europe est-elle neé au Moyen Age? Paris: Editions du
Seuil (English translation: The Birth of Europe)
Lewis, David L. (2008). God's Crucible. Islam and the Making of Europe, 5701215. New York/London: Norton
Rietbergen, Peter (1998). Europe. A Cultural History. London: Routledge
Roberts, John Morris (1996). The Penguin History of Europe. London: Penguin
Schulze, Hagen (1999). Die Identität Europas und die Wiederkehr der Antike.
Bonn: Zentrum für Europäische Integrationsforschung
Weidenfeld, Werner (ed.) (1985). Die Identität Europas. Bonn: Bundeszentrale
für politische Bildung
Syllabus prepared by: Prof. H. Werner Hess / September 2010
5