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The focal point for the first part of this semester is the intellectual development of European history, the “-ISMs”. These categories are Nationalism (German and Italian Unification), Socialism / Communism (Marx), Industrialization, Romanticism, Imperialism, Revolutions of 1848, and the Ottoman Empire as “the sick man of Europe.” They are significant in their own right but also serve as the precursor to the mayhem of the 20th Century – Russian Revolution, both World Wars, Spanish Civil War, Cold War, Decolonization / Democratization, United Nations, etc.
The way we will approach this then will be as follows – you will work in small groups researching these topics in eight sub-categories. Your task is to become the expert for the rest of the class on what your “–ism” truly is. Your group should look for the threads that tie these larger topics together and help us understand the European Zeitgeist for this era.
Objective: Students will become specialists on specific movements in 19th century Europe. They will use their expertise to teach their topic to the rest of the class.
Students will combine their efforts to make the connections and relations between their different topics to develop a good understanding of the intellectual history of Europe in the 19th century.
Project: Research and thoroughly explore your topic.
Create a 20 minute multimedia presentation to teach the rest of the class about your topic.
Make a companion handout to go with your presentation. Include necessary vocabulary, significant people, documents, visuals, charts, graphs, etc. that will help your students understand your topic.
Choose a primary source that captures the essence of your topic and the time period.
Research – text books, library research time, internet research, secondary sources available in class, focus on suggested topics and determine the most significant aspects of the particular topic of study. Gather the pertinent information to explain your group’s topic.
Multimedia presentation – this can be power point, short movie, play, skit, song, sample artwork, literature, etc. some combination of these are other methods to convey the information in an engaging way. Everyone in your group should play a role. You will have 30 minutes to present and take questions about your topic.
Handout – your group should compose a one page handout to accompany your presentation. A tangible – tactile component is always a good tool to assist in learning. Include vocabulary, outlines, dates, significant ideas, events, etc. – the trick is not to make a spoon to feed, but rather a guide to engage.
Primary source – Your group should decide upon and get a copy of a primary source that captures the essence of your topic. It should be no more than four pages in length total. I will need a copy so I can get it together for the rest of the class.
In the interim, I will be providing companion pieces for everyone to read
Nationalism / unification -- Peter Alter’s Nationalism
Socialism / communism -- you will have read the Communist Manifesto at the Australian National University, sub-page on Marx as well for vocabulary and study guide.
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