German Culture and Civilization

Catalog description

German 100 provides a cultural history of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria from the Roman Empire to the Nazi defeat. Readings and discussions will be in English. The class examines the role of German tribes in the collapse of Rome, the emergence of a powerful medieval Empire, the architecture and devotions of Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals, the rise of manufacturing cities, the art of the Northern Renaissance, Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation, Catholic Responses, The Thirty Years War, the Absolute King and the ban on sectarian warfare, the Rise of Prussia as a military monarchy, the Enlightenment, Napoleon and the end of the Holy Roman Empire, German Romanticism and Nationalism, Industrialization, the 1848 Revolution, Unification, Ethnic nationalism in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, World War One, Empires collapse, the Weimar Republic, Inflation, the Versailles Treaty, Modern art, Nazi seizure dictatorship, racial policy and the Holocaust, World War Two, Nazi defeat. Readings will include historical documents and a history textbook. Short discussions of art, architecture, music, literature, and philosophy are included. The class is organized around lectures, with visual aids and class screenings of films. The course is designed to be suitable for all students generally interested in German, or interested in various fields of humanistic study, whether or not they have previously studied the culture of Germany. This course is designed to fulfill General Education GH "General Humanities," IL "International Cultures," and also BA requirements.