“Possible reality [is obtained] by slightly bending physical and chemical laws.” ― Marcel Duchamp

After reading the West at the dawn of the 21st Century, you should understand

• Population trends and migrations throughout Europe, and the continuing problem of ethnic tensions.

• The changing roles and aspirations of women.

• Postwar intellectual movements.

• The ongoing role of religion in Western political and intellectual life.

• The emergence of computers as everyday tools for some individuals and societies.

Textbook Reading Sections

The West at the Dawn of the 21st Century p. 454- 457, p 644-649, p 651- 664

Primary Readings

• Muslim Women Debate France’s Ban on the Veil - p 647 -648

Mona Eltahawy Argues Women’s Rights Trump Cultural Relativism

Kenza Drider Defends Her RIght to Wear the Veil in Public

Secondary Readings

• Toys from Europe Conquer the United States p 656

• Energy and the Modern World  p 670 - 676

Outside Primary Readings

• Simone De Beauvoir Urges Economic Freedom for Women

• Sartre Discusses His Existentialism 

• Pope John Paul II Discusses International Social Justice

Supplemental Secondary Sources

Separate Handout –Article: Jihad and the Roots of Europe's Religious Identity” by Richard L. Rubenstein, New English Review, Jan. 2009
Separate Handout –Article “Europe's Deadly Borders” An Inside Look at EU's Shameful Immigration Policy By Maximilian Popp, Spiegel Online, September 2014