HIST 384. (GLST 384 is a cross-listed course—a course listed under 2 different disciplines—HIST 384. GLST 384 may not be taken for credit by students who have obtained credit for HIST 384).
This course provides students with a broad survey of the political, economic, social, cultural and intellectual history of Europe from the end of the Second World War to the early years of the twenty-first century. How did Europe recover from the devastation of the Second World War? Why was the United States of America so involved in the affairs of postwar Europe? How did the Soviet Union achieve hegemony in Eastern Europe? What was the Cold War? Why was there a social and cultural revolution in the 1960s? What political and economic conditions brought about the establishment of the European Union? Why had Communism and the Soviet Union disappeared by the early 1990s? What problems has Europe faced since 2000? These and other searching questions are explored through a mix of primary and secondary readings.
Outline
Unit 1: War's End: Deliverance or Discord?
Unit 2: Aftermath: The Division of Germany and the Rebuilding of Europe
Unit 3: Beginnings: The Onset of the Cold War, the Expansion of the Soviet Empire, and the Creation of the Two Germanies
Unit 4: The Cultural Condition of the Old Europe and the Economic Promise of the New Europe
Unit 5: Advances and Retreats: The Revival of Adenauer's West Germany, End of Empire for the United Kingdom and France, and the Soviet Invasion of Hungary
Unit 6: Affluence and Alienation: From Economic Prosperity and Consumerism to Social and Cultural Revolution in Western Europe
Unit 7: Radical Politics and Social Dissent: From the Paris–Sorbonne to Prague Spring
Unit 8: Recession, the Red Army Faction, the Red Brigades, and the Rapprochement Between the Two Germanies
Unit 9: Changing Western Europe: Thatcher's United Kingdom, Mitterrand's France, and the Expanding European Community
Unit 10: Changing Eastern Europe: Gorbachev's Revolution and the Erosion of Soviet Authority
Unit 11: Endings: The Reunification of the Two Germanies, the Collapse of the Soviet Union, the End of the Cold War, and the Disintegration of Yugoslavia
Unit 12: A New Century and New European Problems
Unit 13: Fractured Europe
Evaluation
To receive credit for GLST 384, you must complete and submit all of the assignments, participate in the forum discussions, and write the final exam. You must achieve a minimum grade of D (50 percent) on the final exam, and an overall grade of at least D (50 percent) for the course.
You will be evaluated on your understanding of the concepts presented in the course and on your ability to apply those concepts. Your final grade in the course will be based on the marks achieved for the following activities.
Activity
Weight
Discussion Forums
10%
Assignment 1
15%
Assignment 2
15%
Assignment 3
30%
Final Exam
30%
Total
100%
The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Judt, Tony. Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945. New York: Penguin Books, 2006. (Print)
Drozdiak, William. Fractured Continent: Europe’s Crises and the Fate of the West. New York: WW Norton, 2017. (Print)
Other materials
All other materials are provided online.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the GLST 384 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent)on the entire challenge examination.
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized study counterparts.