Overview
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.
Evaluation
To receive credit for HIST 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
Physical course materials
The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:
Judt, Tony. Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945. New York: Penguin Books, 2006.
Drozdiak, William. Fractured Continent: Europe’s Crises and the Fate of the West. New York: WW Norton, 2017.
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 HIST 384 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent)on the entire challenge examination.
| Activity | Weight |
| Part I: Exam | 50% |
| Part II: Exam | 50% |
| Total | 100% |
Challenge for credit course registration form