The Rise & Fall of the German Empire

Subject 131-058 (2009)

Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2009. Search for this in the current handbook

Credit Points: 12.50
Level: 2 (Undergraduate)
Dates & Locations:

This subject is not offered in 2009.

Time Commitment: Contact Hours: A 1.5-hour lecture and a 1-hour tutorial per week
Total Time Commitment: 2.5 contact hours/week , 6 additional hours/week. Total of 8.5 hours per week.
Prerequisites: Usually 25 points of first-year history or first-year European studies.
Corequisites: None
Recommended Background Knowledge: None
Non Allowed Subjects: None
Core Participation Requirements:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Contact

Erica Mehrtens
Phone: x45953
Subject Overview: A survey of the political, social, economic and cultural development of Germany from the 1848 Revolution through the catastrophe of World War I. The subject will explore the controversial contention that modern German history has followed a 'Sonderweg', a peculiar historical path which helps to explain in part the fateful emergence in the 20th century of Nazism and the Third Reich. Topics will include the 1848 Revolution, the development of industrial capitalism and a class society, Bismarck and the unification of Germany, the nature of the Second Reich, the invention of German nationalism, bourgeois culture and the emergence of a counter-culture, the creation of the German working class, the status of women, German imperialism and world policy, the Radical Right and the pre-1914 crisis, the course and impact of World War I, and the collapse of Imperial Germany.
Objectives:
  • be able to demonstrate general knowledge of the principal figures and significant events in German history for the period 1848-1918;
  • be familiar with some of the major historiographical debates concerning German unification, the nature of the Second Empire and the outbreak of World War I.
Assessment: A primary document analysis of 2000 words 40% (due in week 8), a two-hour written final examination 50% (during exam period), and tutorial participation (10%).
Prescribed Texts:
Breadth Options:

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

Fees Information: Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Generic Skills:
  • demonstrate research skills through competent use of the library and other information sources;
  • show critical thinking and analysis through recommended reading, essay writing and tutorial discussion, and by determining the strength of an argument;
  • demonstrate understanding of social, ethical and cultural context through the contextualisation of judgements, developing a critical self-awareness, being open to new ideas and possibilities and by constructing an argument.
Notes: Formerly available as 131-267/367. Students who have completed 131-267 or 131-367 are not eligible to enrol in this subject.
Related Course(s): Diploma in Arts (History)
Diploma in Arts (Jewish Studies )
Related Majors/Minors/Specialisations: History Major
Jewish Studies
Jewish Studies
Jewish Studies Major

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