Announcements
Online placement exams are now available. For more infomation, please contact Eva Russo.
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Max Ernst, L'oeil du silence, 1943-44
Kemper Art Museum
Undergraduate Program
FOCUS
The FOCUS course, Nationalism and Identity: The Making of Modern Europe, allows students to explore the history, literature, and language of France and Germany during the Age of Nationalism, 1750-1914. Historical documents, novels, paintings, and public monuments help students ponder the implications of nation building. Students travel to Paris, Bonn, and Berlin to visit the sites of 19th-century national identity and nationalist pride and to contemplate their significance in modern-day Europe. This course is overseen by Steven Hause (History Department) and Lynne Tatlock (German Department).
Fall & Spring Seminars
The fall semester begins with a discussion-based freshman seminar through the History department, Franco-German History in the Age of Nationalism. It explores French and German history, beginning with Frederick the Great and the French Revolution and culminating in the origins of World War I. Major topics include Napoleon, the revolutions of 1848, and German unification; related topics include women's history and the concept of nation. Enrollment in this seminar is divided between students taking French and students taking German. These students enroll simultaneously in an appropriate language course after taking a placement exam.
In the spring, the focus moves to the literature and culture of French and German nationalism and national identity, 1789-1914. Students study such topics as the use of gender to construe the nation; the roles of men, women, and the family in the nation; the importance of language and other ethnic markers; the creation and function of heroes in cementing national identity; and the cultural stereotyping of the French and the Germans. While literary texts are central to the course, students also examine paintings, statues, and other public monuments. At the same time, the students continue their language study in whichever language they elected in the fall by enrolling in at least one language course.
Trip to Paris, Bonn, and Berlin
The highlight of this program is a trip to Paris, Bonn, and Berlin in May to visit central and contested sites of French and German national pride and identification in the 19th century and ponder the significance of these sites in modern-day Europe. The trip immediately follows graduation, carries with it one academic credit, and requires that students keep journals. Students who then wish to remain in Europe afterwards in order to participate in either the French or the German summer abroad program will be free to do so.
For more information, please contact Lynne Tatlock or see the FOCUS website.
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