HST 495c: TOPICS IN MODERN EUROPEAN HISTORY

Intellectuals, Power and Responsibility

Spring, 1997 -- MWF 11:00-11:50

Prof. Susan Crane Office/Hours: SSB 237a/MWF 10:00- 10:50 Email/phone: scrane@u.arizona.edu/ 621-1113

What role can intellectuals responsibly play in modern European society? Should they retreat to ivory towers and comment on the world from a position of detached safety? Should they become politically engaged and use their status to implement change in politics and society? This course will examine twentieth-century intellectual and political movements in which individuals self-consciously examined their roles as intellectuals. Topics include pacifism, feminism, communism, fascism, existentialism, structuralism and post-structuralism, student activism, and the experiences of intellectuals in Eastern Europe, 1948-1989.

REQUIRED READINGS
Readings on reserve (in the library or alcove) and for sale at the bookstore:
Edward Said, Representations of the Intellectual (may be purchased from instructor)
Julien Benda, The Treason of the Intellectuals
Virginia Woolf, Three Guineas
Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem
Vaclav Havel, Open Letters
For other readings, see individual titles on syllabus.

ASSIGNMENTS
As an honors colloquium, this course is designed to maximize student participation in class. Students will be asked to prepare two oral presentations, introducing the assigned readings for class discussion. Regular participation in discussion during class will be expected.
There will be three papers (two 5-7 page papers, and an 8-10 page final paper) but no in-class exams. Students are required to do the assigned readings in advance of each class meeting as well as prepare one-page "reading responses" for five of the readings (due in class on the day of the assigned reading). The papers are worth 20%, 20% and 30% of the final grade; oral presentations, class participation and the reading responses will account for the other 30%.

CLASS SCHEDULE Week I: Introduction -- What is an Intellectual? Jan. 15-17 READINGS: Begin Edward Said, Representations of the Intellectual Week II: Intellectual Climates at the Turn of the Century No class Monday, Jan. 20 Jan. 22: Discussion of Said, ch. 3-5 Jan. 24: The Dreyfus Affair READINGS: Begin reading Julien Benda, The Treason of the Intellectuals Week III. Intellectual Climates in Post-World War I Europe Jan. 27: ***READING RESPONSE DUE***; Discussion of Benda, ch. 1-2 Jan. 29: Screening: "French Intellectuals in the 20th Century, Part I" Jan. 31: Discussion of Benda, ch. 3-4 READINGS: Julien Benda, The Treason of the Intellectuals Week IV. Pacifism, Feminism and Fascism Feb. 3: Non-aligned political movements Feb. 5: ***READING RESPONSE DUE***; Discussion of Woolf, first letter Feb. 7: Fascism READINGS: Begin Virginia Woolf, Three Guineas Week V. Women as Intellectuals Feb. 10-14: Discussion of Woolf READINGS: Virginia Woolf, Three Guineas Week VI. The Experience of Communism Feb. 17: Communist Movements Feb. 19: Discussion of Gramsci Feb. 21: Discussion of Koestler READINGS: Antonio Gramsci, "The Intellectuals"; Arthur Koestler, from The God that Failed Feb. 24:****FIRST PAPER DUE*** Weeks VII. The Banality of Existence? Existentialism Feb. 24: Roots of Existentialism Feb. 26: *** READING RESPONSE DUE*** ; Discussion of Dostoyevsky, Sartre and Camus Feb. 28: Existentialism and Politics READINGS: Walter Kaufmann, Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre, selections by Dostoyevsky, Sartre, Camus Week VIII: Gender/Politics in Existentialism and Marxism March 3: Discussion of Beauvoir March 5: Asexual Politics? March 7: ***READING RESPONSE DUE***; Discussion of Sartre and Lukacs READINGS: Simone de Beauvoir, from The Second Sex ; Sartre "Existentialism is a Humanism" and Lukacs, "Existentialism or Marxism?" in Novack, Existentialism vs. Marxism; Lukacs, "Richness, Chaos and Form" in his Soul and Form Week IX. Marxist Intellectuals in Europe and as Emigres: The Frankfurt School March 10-14: Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination and student reports on selected readings -- Spring Break -- Week X. The Banality of Evil: Reactions to Fascism and the Holocaust March 24-28: Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem Week XI. Cold War Intellectuals: East March 31-April 4: Screening: "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" April 7: **SECOND PAPER DUE*** Week XII. The Student Movement of the 1960s April 7: A Brief History of Student Activism April 9-11: Discussion of readings READINGS: Alain Schnapp and Pierre Vidal-Nacquet, eds., French Student Uprising, Nov. 1967-June 1968 pp. 403-416; Carl Oglesby, ed., The New Left Reader, pp. 243-266; David Caute, The Year of the Barricades: A Journey Through 1968, pp. 97-145. Week XIII. French Postwar Intellectual Movements April 14: Structuralism and Post-structuralism: an overview April 16: ***READING RESPONSE DUE***; Discussion of Barthes April 18: Discussion of Foucault READINGS: Roland Barthes, "Inaugural Lecture"; Michel Foucault, "What is an Author?" Week XIV. Readings TBA April 21-25  Week XV. Reflections on the Cold War April 28: Approaching 1989 April 30-May 2: Discussion of Havel READINGS: Vaclav Havel, Open Letters, pp. 125-214. Week XVI . Conclusion May 5-7: Discussion of final papers: student presentations ***Final paper due Monday, May 12***