SYLLABUS LCC 4813 : METZ - Gateway to Europe
Instructor : Sonia Serafin - Georgia Tech Lorraine
Office hours : TBD
Office GTL : 3d floor 302
Email : sonia.serafin@orange.fr
Credit hours: 3
Course prerequisites: none
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course takes advantage of the city of Metz and the Lorraine region to explore selected
periods of European history and culture ranging from the Roman Empire to Medieval times,
World Wars I & II and several examples of classical and contemporary architecture and art .
Through a mix of lectures, site visits, presentations and discussions students will gain an
overview of European achievements and contributions and a perspective of the different
stages leading to today’s Europe Union. It is designed to provide a comprehensive guide to
Europe’s history, and to help students build a singular perspective on contemporary Europe.
This course places emphasis on experience of history vestiges and relevant historical walking
tours. You will ‘see’ history.
Period 1 : The Roman Heritage
Period 2 : Medieval Times
Period 3 : The Scars of war
Period 4 : Birth and construction of Europe
Period 5 : Architecture and Art from classical to contemporary
RECOMMENDED READING :
-
Modern European History : Birdsall S.Viault Mc Graw Hill
The reconstruction of Western Europe: Alan S. Milward. Routledge
L’Europe, genèse d’une civilisation : Lucien Febvre, ed. Perrin- Collège de France
The World of Rome : Peter V. Jones, Keith C. Sidwell Cambridge University Press
Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 3rd ed. (Boston: Bedford
Books/St. Martin's Press, 2001).
COURSE ASSESSMENT AND ATTENDANCE
Attendance : 40 % Attendance to this course is mandatory.
Postings : 20 % A summary e-mail will be sent after each day of field trip.
Final research paper : 40 % : The required paper is a 7 page documented, typed, double
spaced essay. It must address a topic of historical or cultural importance concerning Europe. It
is due two weeks after the last visit. Students must first submit a written proposal and
bibliography/webography.
I will provide more details later in the semester.
All work will be evaluated on its clarity, strength of analysis, historical and cultural
contents.
COURSE OUTLINE
The exact schedule of class meetings changes each term. There will be lectures during week
days and three weekends of field trips.
THE ROMAN HERITAGE
Visit of the European Archaeology Park in Bliesbrück (France) - Reinheim (Germany)
The set up of the park enables a better understanding of all the stages of research, from
archaeological digs to the restoration of a buried past. Set across two countries : France and
Germany, the park is an outstanding site that was buried in the depths of a Lorraine valley. It
includes many valuable artefacts and remains from the Bronze Age, the reconstruction of the
tomb of Celtic Princess (400 B.C.), a Gallo Roman villa, a craftsmen’s district and Roman
baths. Guided visit by head archaeologist.
Visit of the City of TRIER (Germany)
Trier is Germany's oldest city. Legend has it that in 2000 BC the Assyrians established a
colony here. The Roman colony of Augusta Treverorum (Trier) was founded by Augustus in
16 BC. Trier became a favored residence of several Roman emperors, including Constantine
the Great, the first Christian emperor. The cathedral Constantine built in Trier in 326 AD is
Germany's oldest.
Visit of the Cathedral Imperial Roman Baths, Roman Amphitheater, Roman Gates ‘Porta
Nigra’.
Visit of the Cour d’Or Museum (Metz)
This history and archeological museum, contains rich collections of Gallo-Roman finds —
extension works to the museums in the 1930s revealed the vestiges of Gallo-Roman baths and
remarkable artefacts from the Gallo- Roman, Merovigian and Medieval era.
Visit of the Roman Aqueduct in Jouy aux Arches (Metz)
Arches from a 2nd century Roman aqueduct (formerly bringing water to Metz) pass through a
village (Jouy) and continues over on the opposite bank of the Moselle River in Ars. Evidence
of the exceptional length (22 kms) of this masterpiece of Roman engineering..
Film : Rome and its engineers followed by a lecture and discussion on the fall of the Roman Empire.
At GTL
MEDIEVAL TIMES
As a land between four countries (France, Germany, Luxemburg and Belgium) Lorraine has
always been a place in which to test systems of defence. Many military architects (from Louis
XIV’s Chief Engineer (Vauban) to the Maginot Line) built massive stone constructions, as
lookout posts and as protection against invasion.
Visit of the Malbrouck’s Castle – (Manderen)
The castle is located in the "Land of the Three Borders", where the boundaries of France,
Germany and Luxembourg converge. Built by Arnold VI of Sierck in the 15th century,
Malbrouck was named after the Duke of Marlborough, who stayed there during the War of
the Spanish Succession. In 1705, this English nobleman planned to invade France and turn the
castle into a bridgehead. When reinforcements failed to arrive, he left the site without having
fired a shot. Owned by the Moselle General Council, the castle re-opened to the public in
1998 after a ten-year restoration. In compliance with the Venice Charter, the castle has been
restored to its historic appearance. Anything not certified as original was rebuilt using modern
materials. The exterior, which scarcely underwent any changes over the centuries, is an ac cu
rate example of medieval architecture.
Visit of the Dukes of Lorraine Castle – (Sierck)
The castle in Sierck-les-Bains stands on the ruins of a Gallo-Roman fortress built at a still
unknown date. It was one of the favorite residences of the dukes of Lorraine, who stayed there
often with their courts. The castle was besieged several times by Charles the Bold in 1475 and
the Grand Condé in 1643 before being integrated into the kingdom of France in 1661.
Throughout the centuries it underwent constant rebuilding to keep pace with the latest
advances in warfare, in particular the appearance of artillery. It has not changed since the late
15th century, but new buildings were added in the 18th. The castle was disarmed, dismantled
and restored several times until 1866, when it was definitively decommissioned. The castle's
strategic position, in the Moselle Valley, accounts for its longevity
Visit of a fortress and medieval village –(Rodemack)
Rodemack has been occupied, fought over and exchanged by the countries bordering
the ‘Land of the Three Borders’ (France, Germany and Luxembourg) many times, but it
became officially French in 1769. Most of its buildings date from the 14th to the
19th century.
THE SCARS of WARS
Visit of Fort Queuleu – (Metz)
During the Annexation of the Moselle during World War I the fort was used starting in 1943
by the German occupiers as an internment camp (S Sonderlager) for members of the French
Resistance, The fort was called the "Hell of Queuleu" . It was not a concentration camp, but
an interrogation center for captured or arrested members of the Resistance.
Visit of Fort Hackenberg - Maginot Line. (Veckring)
This Maginot Line fortification has 10km of galleries and 17 combat blocks covering an area
of 1.6 km2. The installations of the period (power plant, ammunition storage, barracks ...) are
in working order.
Presentation and debate : Maginot Line graphic novel. At GTL
Visit of Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial (St. Avold )
Europe's largest American World War II military cemetery with 10,489 graves of American
soldiers.
Lecture : History of the Lorraine Region. The three wars. At GTL
BIRTH AND CONSTRUCTION OF EUROPE
The beginning : Centre Européen Robert Schuman – Scy Chazelles
Visit of the Centre’s exhibition and Robert Schuman’s residence.
.
Robert Schuman, the ‘Father of Europe’ was responsible for the first step on the way to the Common
Market and the European Union. He lived in Scy-Chazelles near Metz.
Conference : The history of the construction of the European Union . Centre Européen
Lecture : The decision process in the European Union : the European Commission, the European
Parliament, the Council of Europe. At GTL
ARCHITECTURE AND ART
Visit of St. Stephen’s Cathedral - (Metz)
One of the finer cathedral in France, la Cathédrale de Saint Etienne, a gothic masterpiece, was
constructed in many stages between 1220 and 1550 by bringing together the nave of the St
Etienne church and an older Roman church. It boasts the largest surface of polychromatic
stained-glass artwork in the world (with 6 500m²).
Lecture : History of the Cathedral. In situ
Visit of the Salmon stained glass restoration workshop – (Metz)
Master craftsmen will show how to restore or create stained glass. They have been restoring
the windows of the St Stephen’s cathedral for decades.
Visit of the Imperial Quarter – (Metz)
A unique and entirely preserved example of 19th century German town planning with neoRoman, Gothic, Renaissance and Art Deco buildings.
Visit of the Pompidou Centre – (Metz)
The architecture of this remarkable modern art museum has unusual characteristics :
A large hexagonal structure, a very big central nave, three large open rectangular exhibition
spaces and a highly innovative architectural relation between interior and exterior.
Visit of the Trinitaires Abbey Cloister, the Récollets Convent, Saint-Pierre-auxNonnains (France’s oldest church)-(Metz)
Following is a list of research papers presented by former students. Some topics have been
presented several times. These are given as examples. You can choose another topic.
Roman heritage :
Symbols of an Empire : the arch and the amphitheatre
Roman Numerals
Roman engineering : Viaducts
Roman engineering : Aqueducts
Roman engineering : the arch
The controversy and life of Nero
Roman gladiators
Roman baths: inside the walls
Rome and Christianity
The Coliseum and its features
Hadrian’s wall
Engineering prominence of Ancient Rome
The Ludi : Roman games
Aqueducts : lifelines of civilizations
Medieval times :
Medieval castle architecture
Joan of Arc
Charlemagne the Conqueror
The beauty of stained glass
Evolution of stained glass in Europe
Scars of wars :
WWII : creation of resistance underground newspapers
D-Day : News coverage, Propaganda and Perceptions
Lafayette, the passionate hero
The Maginot Line
America’s Role in France in WW2
The cross of Lorraine
Sébastien de Vauban Priest
The Metz Jewish community.
Study of the Maginot Line as a defensive emplacement
The Iron Men of Metz : 95th infantry division of the US army
Torture techniques during World War II
The occupation of France
Art and architecture :
Art nouveau
Symbols of Lorraine, Moselle and Metz
Shigeru Ban Architect
Marc Chagall
The beauty of stained glass
Evolution of stained glass in Europe
An experience with stained glass