NINETEENTH-CENTURY EUROPE

The actual syllabus and schedule will only be made available to class members, at the time of the course. They will be accessible via Loyola's Blackboard Web Site.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will invesigate the main currents of European thought and culture from the Romantic era to the fin de siècle. Using literary texts and music, as well as visual arts, we will study the major intellectual trends of the nineteenth century and attempt to determine their influence on European society. Among others, we may consider writings by Émile Zola, Charles Baudelaire, Friedrich Nietzsche, Thomas Mann, and Guillaume Apollinaire. Music selections from composers such as Wolfgang Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Hector Berlioz, Frédéric Chopin, Piotr Tchaikovsky, Claude Débussy, Igor Stravinsky, and Arnold Schoenberg will also be central to our exploration.

REQUIRED SOURCES:
Frank Ryder, ed., German Romantic Stories
Émile Zola, Germinal
Charles Baudelaire, Les fleurs du mal
Friedrich Nietzsche, A Nietzsche Reader
Thomas Mann, Death in Venice
Guillaume Apollinaire, Selected Writings
Music Cassettes (General Survey, Opera Survey, Piano Survey)
Music Handouts

RECOMMENDED READINGS:
Donald Reynolds, The Nineteenth Century or a good survey of Western Art History
Leo Loubère, Ninteenth-Century Europe or a textbook survey of Western Civilization

Further reading assignments may be added in the form of handouts.

CLASS DISCUSSION: This course consists of tri-weekly discussions of readings and other sources. For each meeting, one or more students will be asked to introduce the day’s material and raise questions for further discussion. After these short presentations, all students are expected to contribute to the sessions. Each is required to have studied the whole assignment. Grades will be based largely on the quantity and quality of participation in class discussion. Attendance at all class sessions is mandatory. Records will be maintained and incorporated into your class participation grade.

EXAMINATIONS: There will be a Mid-Term — Friday, March 5 — and a Final Examination — Wednesday, May 5, 10:20am-12:20pm. The examinations will consist of identifications and essays.

COURSE PROJECT: You will write a ten-page typed, double-spaced paper with foot- or end-notes interpreting one of the primary sources covered in our discussions. Your paper must be based one primary source, at least two major scholarly books from the library, and the rest of the assigned reading for that section of the course. You must demonstrate how your primary source represents the themes of one of the eras or movements covered in the course.

You are to finish this project in four stages:

1. By class time Monday, February 8, you must select your primary source in consultation with me.

2. On Monday, February 22, you will turn in a three-page statement of purpose (typed). It should summarize of the subject matter of your work, review the primary source you are studying and announce the general aims of your study. It should be supplemented with a one-page bibliography. This must list the most relevant and recent scholarly sources for your topic (whether you use them all or not).

3. On Monday, March 22, you will turn in a five- to six-page thematic outline (typed) for your paper. This must be more than a "topical" outline. It should include a fully developed thesis statement and subsequent entries should be in the form of full sentences.

4. The finished paper is due without fail in class on Friday, April 23.

The grade for the term project will be based largely on the final product. However, the quality of the preliminary assignments will also be taken into consideration. If you have questions about form, see style guides by Kate Turabian on sale at the bookstore. Keep in mind that these essays will qualify for the Mellon Essay Contest in History. If you are interested in this contest, please speak to me.

GRADES: Final grades will be determined according to the following scheme.
25%: Class Participation (including oral presentations and contribution to discussions)
25%: Mid-Term Exam
25%: Term Project (including preliminary assignments)
25%: Final Exam

Substantial penalties will accrue on late selections, descriptions, outlines and papers, as well as lack of class participation.

OFFICE HOURS:

I will be available after class, on my way to Crown Center 513, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12:30-1pm. My phone number there is 508-2234. In addition, I will be available in the Simpson Center cafeteria from 9:30 until 10:20 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. If none of these hours are suitable, speak to me to arrange an appointment. If necessary, please leave a message on my voice mail. My email address is dennis@orion.it.luc.edu. It is not a WPO address, so users of Groupwise must include internet: at the start.

READING, LISTENING, AND DISCUSSION SCHEDULE

Week 1: Introduction and Background

Week 2: The Romantic Age

Week 3: The Romantic Age, continued

Week 4: The Realist Age

Week 5: The Realist Age, continued

Week 6: The Symbolist Age

Week 7: The Symbolist Age, continued

Week 8:

Week 9: The Relativist Age

Week 10: The Relativist Age, continued

Week 11: The Expressionist Age

Week 12: The Expressionist Age, continued

Week 13: The Expressionist Age, continued

Week 14: The "Modernist" Age

Week 15: The "Modernist" Age, continued

Final Examination: Wednesday, May 5, 10:20am-12:20pm.