Prof. Andrew Donson
505 Herter Hall
Tel. 545-6676
Email: adonson@german.umass.edu
Office Hours: Mon & Fri 12:45 – 2:10 pm
and by appointment
http://people.umass.edu/adonson/
Fall 2012
German/History 323
Modern Germany, 1750 to the present
This course surveys the troubled history of the modern German nation-state. It traces how the loose
federation of German monarchies and duchies coalesced in the late nineteenth century into a European
powerhouse. It also investigates how the monarchy, the aristocracy, the middle class, and the world’s
largest and best organized workers’ movement shaped its subsequent development. Topics include
absolutism, the old regime, the Enlightenment, the Napoleonic occupation, the 1848 revolution,
unification and rule under Bismarck, German Jews before 1914, mass politics under Wilhelm II, the First
World War, the Weimar Republic, the Nazi dictatorship, the Second World War and the Holocaust, the
divided Germanys, and the Federal Republic since 1989.
This course fulfills the 4-credit HS-Gen Ed requirement. As a 300-level history course, it is also readingintensive, about 80 pages per week of challenging material. We will be reading mostly primary source
texts: excerpts of a full-length monograph, autobiographies, speeches, political pamphlets, and magazine
articles from the distant German past. Students have to submit weekly written answers to questions on
these texts. In the spirit of gen-ed goals, these assignments help develop the main skill of the historian:
placing events and ideas in their historical context and drawing conclusions about causes and
consequences. The exercises sometimes ask students to take a position in a debate and, more importantly,
offer reasons for their opinion. These answers then become the basis for class discussions and prepare
students for the writing essay assignments: five one-paragraph essays. In each, students must take a
position in a debate or interpretation and support conclusions using at least six pieces of evidence from
the primary source texts.
This is a team-based-learning course (see below).
To purchase at Amherst Books (8 Main St, tel. 256-1547) or use the reserves:
*Allen, William. The Nazi Seizure of Power: The Experience of a Single German Town 1922-1945.
New York: Scholastic, 1984. ISBN: 0-531-05633-3.
**Fulbrook, Mary. A Concise History of Germany. New York: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2004. ISBN:
0-521-54071-2.
**Frank Tipton, History of Modern Germany since 1815 (Berkeley: University of California Press,
2003) ISBN 0-520-24049-9
*One copy on 3-hr reserve and fifteen copies for checkout in the 5-college library
**Four copies available on 3 hour reserve at DuBois Library.
To purchase a Copycat Copies (37 E. Pleasant St., tel. 549-2854)
Coursepack for History / German 323: Modern German History: Prof. Andrew Donson.
Moodle
The Moodle site contains this syllabus, a grade calculator, lecture outlines, the reading and essay
assignments, links to submit these assignments, and, eventually, question pools for the midterm and final
exams. You can also check your grades on Moodle. Note that Moodle works best with the Google
Chrome browser.
Undergraduate teaching assistants
Five seniors who took this course last year are serving as undergraduate teaching assistants this semester.
They will be facilitating the class discussions and leading exam review sessions. They will also be
available for consultation on the essays. Although they will take attendance, they will not do any grading.
Each student will be assigned to one undergraduate TA.
Alex Chapman
awchapma@student.umass.edu
Nick Bastianelli
nbastian@student.umass.edu
Avery Normyle
anormyle@student.umass.edu
Lindsay Smith
lesmi0@student.umass.edu
Lecture notes
So-called guided notes for all the lectures are available on Moodle. Print them out, bring them to class,
and add your own notes to them.
Final grade composition
Percentage of final grade
Sixteen reading assignments (ungraded)
40
Five one-paragraph essays and revised drafts of three
30
Midterm examination
15
Final examination
15
Bonus on reading assignments
1
Bonus for table performance
1
Letter grade equivalencies: A=92.5-100; A-=89.5-92.4; B+=87.5-89.4; B=82.5-88.4; B-=79.5-82.4;
C+=77.5-79.4; C=72.5-78.4; C-=69.5-72.4; D+=67.5-69.4; D=62.5-68.4; D-=59.5-62.4; F=below 59.5.
Essays
Students must write five one-paragraph essays based on the primary source readings. They must also
revise and resubmit the first, second, and third essays. Topics, guidelines, and expectations are available
on Moodle. The first draft of the first essay will be graded pass/fail. Students must then rewrite it for a
letter grade. Students may rewrite their one-paragraph essays for a higher grade as many times as they
wish. The final grade on each essay will at a minimum be the average of the first grade and the highest
rewrite grade, although it may be higher, since improvement gets weighted.
Reading assignments
The reading assignments are ungraded—that is, students will receive 100% if they submit them on time
and make a good-faith effort to answer all the questions. Students have to submit the assignments before
class via Moodle. In addition, they must bring to class a paper copy or a copy on a laptop or tablet.
Students without a copy of their assignment will get only half-credit for that day’s attendance.
One purpose of these assignments is to give students incentive to prepare for discussion in class. Hence,
assignments turned in late without a legitimate excuse will be marked down 40 points for the reading
assignment grade. In terms of your final grade, a late reading assignment will be calculated as a 75. Why
a 75 and not a 60? Each assignment is weighted proportionately to its length, and to get 100 on the
reading assignment portion of the final grade, students need to have a weighted average of 80 percent or
above on all the reading assignments. Students who have less than 80 percent will receive a reading
assignment grade calculated into the final grade according to the following formula: (weighted average
on all reading assignments)/80. Students with a weighted average over 80 percent will receive 100 on
their final reading assignment grade. In addition, they will have bonus points added to their final grade
according to the following formula: [(weighted average on all reading assignments)-80]/20. Examples:
2
Reading
Assignment
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Weighted average
Weighted average
of assignment
4%
5%
6%
6%
7%
2%
5%
3%
3%
6%
4%
11%
11%
9%
11%
7%
Grades,
Student A
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
Grades,
Student B
100
100
60
100
60
100
100
100
100
100
100
60
100
100
100
100
93.3
Grades,
Student C
100
100
60
0
60
100
100
0
100
60
60
100
100
0
60
100
68.2
Grades,
Student D
100
100
60
0
60
0
100
0
0
60
60
0
100
0
60
100
51.8
100
1.0
100
0.65
85.2
0
64.8
0
Final Reading Assignment Grade
Bonus Points (for Final Grade)
An additional incentive to complete the reading assignments: Close to half of the questions on the exams
will come from the reading assignments.
Midterm and final exams
The exams will consist of seven short-answer questions. Three or four these will be the actual questions
from the reading assignments. The rest will be based on the lectures. Students chose four to answer. The
final exam is not cumulative: It covers only the reading and lecture material after October 21st.
Bonus for table performance
Students will have a bonus added to the final grade based on the performance of their table. The
performance will be evaluated on the quality of their table’s answers to in-class lecture questions or
selected reading-assignment questions. Either a teaching assistant or a designated table recorder will
submit these answers to Moodle during class. The bonus will be calculated by this formula: (average
grade on in-class submissions – 75)/25.
Grade calculator
A grade calculator is available on Moodle for determining grades according to the above formula.
Turnitin
Students must submit a computer file of their essays and reading assignments to “Turnitin” via Moodle.
Computer files and paper copies
Students must submit a paper copy of their essays to me, in addition to the computer file submitted to
Turnitin. Students must also bring either paper copies of their reading assignments to class, or have them
available on a laptop or tablet, in addition to submitting them to Turnitin. Students without their reading
assignments in class will be marked as unprepared.
3
Attendance and participation
Attendance is mandatory and includes being prepared by bringing the readings and completed
assignments to class. After missing or coming unprepared to five classes, students may have their grade
lowered by two points for each additional or unprepared class. Please be sure that you sign in everyday
with your TA. If you have a legitimate reason to miss class, please show good faith by contacting four
TA before class. Some examples of a legitimate excuse are illness or death of a friend or family member
(there are others as well). Having too much homework is not a legitimate excuse.
Workload affidavit
As a condition of passing this course, please agree to the affidavit by following the link to “Workload
Affidavit” on Moodle and answering “true:” “I agree to the following: although History / German 323
fulfills a Gen Ed HS requirement, it is a four-credit upper level history course that assumes nine hours of
work outside of class. In addition, because of the weekly writing assignments, this work requires more
work than other 4-credit upper-level classes, according to past students. The grading structure is designed
to reward diligent students generously who complete the reading assignments and punish those who do
not.”
Late Papers, Missed Exams, and Other Student Responsibilities
 Use of non-course materials on a laptop or smart phone is not permitted during class. Students who
do not follow this rule will be asked to leave the room and will not receive credit for attendance.
 Late papers: A late paper without a legitimate excuse may be marked down five points for each day it
is late. Students who speak to me promptly about late papers will have fewer points deducted than
those who avoid the issue.
 Plagiarizing or cheating is a serious violation of academic integrity.
 If you are panicked and can’t finish your paper or assignment, plan to hand it in late and take a
penalty of a few points. I can often aid students who are panicked about their exams as well. I
happily work with students who are having trouble.
 A student caught plagiarizing or cheating on any assignment will get a minimum of a 0 on the
assignment or ten points off their final grade, whichever is greater. Students will also be reported
to the academic integrity board. I will advise that students who commit more than one act of
academic dishonesty be expelled from the university.
Calendar of Lectures, Papers, Exams, and Reading Assignments
 Readings are suggested material from the textbook (not the coursepack) that correspond to the
lectures. Primary source readings are listed in the individual reading assignments, available on
Moodle
 “RA #” means reading assignment number
 Tipton = Frank Tipton, A History of Modern Germany;
 Fulbrook = Mary Fulbrook, A Concise History of Germany
1
2
Wed, Sep 5
Lecture: The Old Regime; Absolutism
Textbook: Tipton, 1-26, 39-45, 69-73, 145-150; Fulbrook, 1-8
Music:
Bach, Cello suite
Fri, Sep 7
Lecture: Prussian Militarism; Southern Germany; The Enlightenment
Textbook: Tipton, 49-54; Fulbrook, 69-84
Music:
Schubert, Trout Quintet
Mon, Sep 10
Lecture: The French Revolution
Textbook: Fulbrook, 94-104
4
Music:
Handel, Music for the Royal Fireworks
RA #1 due: Enlightened Absolutism
3
4
5
6
Wed, Sep 12
Lecture: The Congress of Vienna; 1848
Textbook: Tipton, 73-89; Fulbrook, 104-122
Music:
Beethoven, Symphony no. 5
RA #2 due: Conservative and Progressive Trends in the Early 19th Century
Fri, Sep 14
Lecture: The Iron Chancellor of Prussia; The Prussian-German Constitution
Textbook: Tipton, 111-128, 156-163; Fulbrook, 122-131
Music:
Richard Wagner, Flight of the Valkyries
Mon, Sep 17
Lecture: Political Parties; The Kulturkampf; The Social Democratic Party;
Textbook: Tipton, 107-111, 163-169; Fulbrook, 131-137
Music:
Amadeus Mozart, Eine kleine Nachtmusik
Wed, Sep 19
Music:
Franz Schubert, An die Musik
RA #3 due: Bismarck’s Germany
Fri, Sep 21
Lecture:
Mon, Sep 24
Lecture: Jews before and during the Kaiserreich
Textbook: Tipton, 100-102, 110-111, 165-166, 226-229; Fulbrook, 131-132.
Music:
J.S. Bach, Goldberg Variations
Pass/fail draft of first essay due in class
Wed, Sep 26
Music:
Franz Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody
RA #4 due: Jews and Anti-Semitism in 19th-Century Germany
Fri, Sep 28
Lecture: Economics and Social Effects of Industrialization
Textbook: Tipton, 61-66, 94-100, 150-152, 184-196
Music:
Anton Bruckner, Symphony No. 3
Mon, Oct 1
Lectures: Working-class consciousness; Revisionism in Social Democracy
Textbook: Tipton, 234-237;
Music:
Albert Berg, Sonata, Opus 1, Flowingg
Wed, Oct 3
Music:
Schubert, Lieder (various)
RA #5 due: Social Democracy and the Working Class
Fri , Oct 5
Lecture: Kaiser Wilhelm and the Mismanagement of Politics; Social Reform
Textbook: Tipton, 175-179, 223-226, 240-249; Fulbrook, 137-148
Music:
Johannes Brahms, Waltz in A Flat, Trio for Piano, Violin, and Horn,
Opus 40
Letter-grade draft of first essay due
Mon, Oct 8
No class.
Jews in the Middle Ages, Enlightenment, and the Napoleonic
Occupation
Textbook: None
Music:
Felix Mendelssohn, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Symphony No. 4
5
7
8
9
Tue, Oct 9
Lecture:
Music:
German Military Culture; Imperialism;
Robert Schumann, Lieder der Mignon, op. 98a
Wed, Oct 10
Lecture: The Crisis of the Monarchy
Textbook: Tipton, 249-258; Fulbrook, 148-150
Music:
Richard Wagner, Parsifal
RA #6 due: Social reform
Fri, Oct 12
Lecture: The Origins of WWI; The Campaigns and Occupations of WWI
Textbook: Tipton, 258-283
Music:
Kurt Weil and Bertholt Brecht, Mackie Messer (Mack the Knife)
Second essay due in class
Mon, Oct 15
RA #7 due: The Crisis of the Monarchy
Music:
Arnold Schoenberg, Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31
Wed, Oct 17
Lecture:
Fri, Oct 19
Midterm exam. Arrive early.
Mon, Oct 22
Lecture: Four Directions of the 1918 Revolution
Reading: Tipton, 319-322, 373-377
Music:
Kurt Schwitters, Simultanged
RA #8 due: The First World War
Wed, Oct 24
Lecture: The Weimar Constitution
Textbook: Tipton, 391-401
Music:
Comedian Harmonists, Blumentopf, Veronika
RA #9 due: The 1918 Revolution
Fri, Oct 26
Lecture: Women and Gender in Kaiserreich; The Versailles Treaty; Inflation
Textbook: Tipton, 152-155, 199-201, 306-307, 326-340, 352-357; Fulbrook, 155156
Music:
Marlene Dietrich, Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt
Third essay and revised second essay due in class
Mon, Oct 29
Lecture: Inflation, 1914-1922
Music:
Kurt Weil, September Song (sung by Willie Nelson)
RA #10 due: Women and Sexuality during the Kaiserreich
Wed, Nov 31
Lecture:
Fri, Nov 2
Lecture:
Weimar Popular Opposition
Textbook: Tipton, 377-391, 401-410; 156-172
Music:
Webern, Piano Variations Op. 27
The Home Front; The Polarization of German Politics; The Origins of
the 1918 Revolution
Textbook: Tipton, 284-319; Fulbrook, 150-154
Music:
Josephine Baker, Bye Bye Blackbird, Stormy Weather, Confessin’
Hyperinflation; Failure of Leadership in the Weimar Republic; Women
during WWI and the Weimar Republic
Textbook: Tipton, 352-358
Music:
Joseph Hayden and August Heinrich Hoffmann, Deutschlandlied
6
RA #11 due: Women and Sexuality during the Weimar Republic
10
11
12
13
14
Mon, Nov 5
Lecture: Weimar Culture
Textbook: Tipton, 340-349, 358-369
Music:
Paul Whiteman, Happy Feet, I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise
Wed, Nov 7
Lecture: The Rise of the Nazis; Nazi Revolution
Textbook: Tipton, 410-426; Fulbrook, 172-179
Music:
Sidney Bechet, 12th Street Rag ,‘Taint Nobody’s Business If I Do
Fri, Nov 9
Music:
Fred Bird Orchestra, Lene Lehman Ging Einmal Spazieren, Bouquet
RA #12 due: Nazi Seizure of Power, Part I
Mon, Nov 12
No Class
Wed, Nov 14
Lecture: Theories of Nazism; Night of the Long Knives; Operation Barbarossa
Textbook: Tipton, 427-451, 457-485; Fulbrook, 179-187
Music:
Richard Strauss, Violin Sonta op. 18 in E-Flat Major
Fri, Nov 16
Lectures: Eugenics; Jews in Nazi Germany
Textbook: Tipton, 39-352, 451-456, 486-495; Fulbrook, 197-204
Music:
Fettes Brot, Emanuela
Mon , Nov 19
Lecture: Public opinion in Nazi Germany
Textbook: none
Music:
Herbert Roth, Rennsteiglied
RA #13 due: Nazi Seizure of Power, Part II
Wed, Nov 23
Lecture: Open
Music:
Nico and the Velvet Underground, Femme Fatale
RA #14 due: Hitler’s Rule in the Third Reich
Fri, Nov 25
No class. Thanksgiving
Mon, Nov 26
Lecture: Cold War and Democratization; The stable 1950s
Textbook: Tipton, 496-521, 529-534, 540-545, 547-557; Fulbrook, 205-212, 212215 (West Germany only)
Music:
Nina Hagen, Die Wind hat mir ein Lied erzählt
Wed, Nov 28
Lecture: West Germany in the 1960s; Foreigners in West Germany
Textbook: Tipton, 558-570, 573-576, 582-584, 594-600; 215-243 (West Germany
only)
Music:
Funny van Dannen, Als Willy Brandt Bundeskanzler war…
Fri, Nov 30
Music:
Nena, 99 Luftballons
RA #15 due: Foreigners and West German Democracy
Revised third essay due in class.
Mon, Dec 3
Lecture: The Stability of East Germany; Sex in the East
Textbook: Tipton, 525-529, 545-547, 592-594, 584-588; Fulbrook, 212-243
(West Germany only)
7
Music:
Hanns Eisler, Auferstanden aus Ruinen
Wed, Dec 5
Lecture: 1989 Revolution; Post-1989
Textbook: Tipton, 570-573, 580-582, 614-667; Fulbrook, 243-261.
Music:
Die Pudhys, Sommernacht, Langstreckenlauf
Fri, Dec 7
Music:
Die Prinzen, Gabi und Klaus, Mein bester Freund
RA #16 due: The Stability of East Germany
TBA
Final exam
At the final exam
Fourth and fifth essays due
8