Eliza Ablovatski

The European continent is incredibly diverse: geographically, culturally, economically, ethnically and politically (to name only the most obvious factors). Throughout the semester we explore this diversity of experiences since the end of the 18th century. We look at issues of race, class and gender, as well as violence, poverty, faith, nationalism, technology and art. We read novels and memoirs, watch films and listen to music as we hone our historical knowledge and sensibilities regarding modern Europe, its peoples and its governments. We examine the fates of a variety of nations, using examples from across the continent. This counts toward the modern and Europe/Americas requirements for the major. No prerequisite

As a political entity, the aggregation of central European lands ruled from Vienna for almost four centuries constitutes the strangest major power on the European scene in the past 500 years. Alone among the great states of Europe, the Habsburg realm accepted cultural heterogeneity and actively sought to avoid war. This course assesses the Habsburg experiment in political and cultural multiculturalism, seeking finally to account for the empire's inability to survive the tensions of the 20th century. Among the subjects to be considered are Vienna as the cultural capital of Europe, the role of language in politics, the creative rivalry between Prague and Vienna, the emergence and character of nationalism, the postwar successor states, and the concept of Central Europe. The course involves lectures and discussions. This counts toward the premodern and Europe/Americas requirements and the colonial/imperial field for the major. No knowledge of German is required. No prerequisite.

This survey of the history of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union in the modern era introduces students to the region, familiarizes them with the major periods of modern Russian history and helps them to understand some of the important historical issues and debates. Students should develop an appreciation for the ethnic, social and cultural diversity of both the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union as well as for the ways in which political events shaped the personal lives of the country's population. Though focusing on 20th-century history, this course begins with an introduction to the social structures, ethnic composition and political problems of the late Russian Empire. We cover the Russian Revolution and early Soviet history, then turn our attention to Stalinism, collectivization, terror and the Second World War. In the postwar era, we examine the failure of the Khrushchev reforms and the period of stagnation under Brezhnev, before turning to Gorbachev and the reforms of perestroika. At the end of the semester, we approach the end of the Soviet Union and its legacy for the many successor states (not only Russia). Although organized along the lines of political periodization, the class emphasizes the perspectives of social and ethnic diversity as well as culture and gender. We look at art, literature and music, and we attend film screenings outside class. Historical background in modern European history is recommended. Russian and other regional language skills are welcomed. This counts toward the modern and Europe/Americas requirement and the colonial/imperial field for the major. No prerequisite.

Modern German history is often seen as a tension between the land of the "poets and thinkers" (Dichter und Denker) and the "land of the murderers and executioners" (Mörder und Henker). In this class, we use the perspectives of gender, race and class to explore and illuminate the main themes and topics in modern German history, beginning with the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, up to reunification and European Union membership in the present. German language is not required. One unit of history, English or modern languages is recommended. This counts toward the modern and Europe/Americas requirements and the women, gender and sexuality field for the major. No prerequisite. Offered every two or three years.

This seminar examines the explosion of creativity and radicalism in late Habsburg society, focusing on the capital city, Vienna. In the years before and after 1900, Vienna was a vibrant city, home to many of the most important creators of early 20th-century modern culture, among them not only Freud but also such figures as Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Otto Wagner, Karl Kraus, Arthur Schnitzler, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Robert Musil, Theodor Herzl, Otto Bauer, Karl Lueger, Gustav Mahler and Arnold Schoenberg, to name only a few. Taking the multilingual, multireligious, multiethnic Habsburg monarchy as our base, we follow developments in the fields of psychology, medicine, literature, architecture, art and music, putting them into the context of important political and social movements like socialism, nationalism, anti-Semitism and liberalism. This seminar is designed for junior and senior history majors with a background in European history. However, non-majors with knowledge of or interest in music, art history or German literature are strongly encouraged to join. This counts toward the modern and Europe/Americas requirements for the major. No prerequisite. Sophomore standing.

This seminar examines the mass migrations of people within, to and from modern Europe, with special attention to the plight of refugees from war and violence and the creation of the international legal categories of refugee and asylum. Historical examples begin with the mass emigration of Europeans in the late 19th century and then focus on the two world wars, the Cold War, decolonization and contemporary debates in the European Union over migration, immigration and refugees. Through shared class readings and student research projects, the course investigates the intertwined histories of modern nation-states, border control, citizenship, community, sovereignty and international law, comparing historical and contemporary developments and ideas about human mobility. Throughout the course, we also examine migration as part of the life experiences and identities of people in and from Europe through their own words and life narratives. This counts toward the modern and Europe/Americas requirements and the Europe and colonial/imperial fields in the major. No prerequisite, though familiarity with European history is helpful. sophomore standing.

This seminar introduces students to the German National Socialist regime, to major historical debates in the field, and to methods of historical research and writing. We begin with the rise of the NS party and the problems of the Weimar Republic in the late 1920s and end with the defeat of Germany and its military occupation after May 1945, looking at major questions including anti-Semitism; Nazi party support; collaboration; terror; and the roles of gender, class and sexuality. The course uses the perspective of daily life to look at the history of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust through sources from below, and the work of historians who use these sources. Students become familiar with the major events of the period and explore many historical debates in depth in the seminar. They also explore a topic of their own choosing through progressive assignments, developing their skills in research and analysis. Prior coursework in European history is strongly recommended. This counts toward the modern and Europe/Americas requirements for the major. No prerequisite. Sophomore standing.

This course looks at the history of the Soviet Union and the post-1945 German and East European socialist states with a concentration on films made in these countries, as well as films made elsewhere or later about life under state socialism. We focus on a few key eras and topics, such as World War II films, Stalinism/socialist realism, the Thaw, the position of women in socialist society and generational conflict. Students are required to attend a weekly film screening and participate in class discussion. During the semester, each student may pick a topic for an in-depth research project. Previous coursework in European history recommended. This counts toward the modern and Europe/Americas requirements for the major. No prerequisite. Sophomore standing.

Why do people fight for change? What is the difference between a “revolt” or “rebellion” and a “revolution,” and who decides which is remembered as which? In this seminar, we investigate several aspects of revolution and revolutionary ideas in modern Europe, beginning with the era of the French/American/Haitian revolutions, when it seemed Europeans had begun to think of society as an object to be shaped and created through human thought and action rather than passively received or experienced. Revolution is naturally a liminal moment – the old order has been torn down, is in ruins (or so it seems) and the new is still uncertain. In such moments, images of a “topsy-turvy” world fly to the forefront, and it is not primarily the topics of economic or political transformation that serve as fodder for the imagination, but rather the breaking of taboos – gender hierarchies overturned, ritual sacrifices and iconoclasm. Revolutionary archetypes of a world overturned helped to determine the behavior of participants and the perceptions of observers on both sides of the revolutionary divides of 19th- and 20th-century Europe. Along with the inspiration or temptation of revolution came its twin or mirror: fear and the desire to prevent revolution, to protect the social order from radical transformation, leading both opponents and supporters of revolutionary change to political violence. Students will examine the legacy of the revolutionary idea through study of successful and failed revolutions of the 19th and 20th centuries and the history of radical and revolutionary political movements, and will conduct research on related topics. This seminar counts toward the modern and Europe/America requirements for the major. No prerequisite. Sophomore standing.

That “the personal is political” became a rallying cry of feminists in Cold War Western Europe in the late 1960s and 70s, but this claim had already been central to the building of new socialist societies from the early USSR to the postwar socialist regimes in Eastern Europe. In this seminar we look at the way that people on both sides of the Iron Curtain navigated the politics of sex and family in the decades after the Second World War; and how they thought about, defended and lived their private lives in the highly politicized context of the Cold War. We begin with the legacies of the totalizing claims fascism and communism made in WWII; the demographic and personal effects of mass death, displacement, and genocide during the war; the push to rebuild Europe and European economies in the early Cold War context; and the effects of politics, urbanization, migration and evolving claims of political and economic rights in both West and East. We examine in particular changing laws and discourses around youth and youth culture, abortion and birth control, homosexuality, marriage and women’s work. The seminar examines texts, art and films from a variety of European countries, with a focus on gender, race and class. Students have the opportunity to select topics for individual and group research. This course counts toward the seminar, modern, and Europe/America requirements for the major, and toward the Europe and women and gender fields within the major. No prerequisite, though some coursework in either European history or gender and sexuality studies is recommended. Sophomore standing.

The goal of this course is to give each history major the experience of a sustained, independent research project, including formulating a historical question, considering methods, devising a research strategy, locating and critically evaluating primary and secondary sources, placing evidence in context, shaping an interpretation and presenting documented results. Research topics are selected by students in consultation with the instructor. Classes involve student presentations on various stages of their work and mutual critiques, as well as discussions of issues of common interest, such as methods and bibliography. Open only to senior history majors. This counts toward the senior research seminar requirement for the major. Prerequisite: HIST 387. Offered every fall.

This course is designed for sophomores who plan to major in international studies. It explores the evolution of modern international society by examining the roles of industrialization, capitalism, nationalism, individualism and other elements of modernity in propelling and directing the flow of wealth, people and ideas between different regions of the world. In addition to studying general political and economic changes, the course considers various local and personal perspectives, giving life to otherwise abstract forces and complicating attempts to construct a single overarching narrative of "modernization," "Westernization" or "development." Among the issues to be examined are the causes and effects of international economic disparities, migration, cultural tensions and stresses on the environment. In surveying major viewpoints and illustrative cases within these themes, the course is meant to serve as an introduction to the international studies major, utilizing a variety of academic disciplines and providing a foundation for further study of relations between different nations and peoples of the world. As part of the course, students complete a research paper related to the geographic area where they plan to go for their off-campus experience. This interdisciplinary course does not count toward the completion of any diversification requirement. No prerequisite. Sophomore standing. Offered every year.