HIST 2084 - Europe in the Making 1890-1933: Culture & Politics
North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2025
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code HIST 2084 Course Europe in the Making 1890-1933: Culture & Politics Coordinating Unit Historical and Classical Studies Term Semester 2 Level Undergraduate Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 3 hours per week Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y Prerequisites At least 12 units of Level I undergraduate study Assessment Short research exercise, Character wiki-page (1500 word), Research essay (3000 word) Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Dr Gareth Pritchard
Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .
Please see the Course Planner for the times and venues of classes.
The structure of the course is not determined in advance. The topics that we cover will depend on the characters that the students choose to study. The purpose of the lectures and workshops will be to deepen your understand of the social, cultural, and political worlds that your characters inhabited. -
Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:1 Demonstrate a broad knowledge of the history of the Europe between 1890 and 1933. 2 Apply their contextual knowledge (a) to understanding the lives and careers of one category of individuals in the Europe (e.g. ballet dancers, scientists etc.) and (b) to studying the life and career of one individual in that field. 3 Use relevant technologies both to identify relevant primary and secondary sources and to evaluate data. 4 Critically evaluate the strengths and shortcomings of relevant primary and secondary sources. 5 Arrive at independent conclusions regarding the lives and careers of people who lived through the period 1913 to 1933. 6 Co-operate effectively in research teams with other students. 7 Communicate their findings, both orally and in writing, by constructing evidence-based arguments that comply with the scholarly and ethical conventions of the discipline of history. 8 Demonstrate the ability to construct and interpret an historical database and a social network map. University Graduate Attributes
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:
University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s) Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth
Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.
1, 2, 4 Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving
Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.
2, 3, 4, 5 Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills
Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.
3, 4, 5, 7 Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness
Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.
6, 7 Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency
Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.
6, 7 Attribute 7: Digital capabilities
Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.
6, 7, 8 Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.
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Learning Resources
Required Resources
There is no course textbook for this course. Instead, every student will be assigned a biography or memoir that focuses on the life of the individual that the student has chosen to study. Each student will be expected to read this biography/memoir.Recommended Resources
The literature on the period 1890 to 1933 is vast. The following are some useful introductions to the period:
* Gail, Marshall (ed.). 2007. The Cambridge Companion to the Fin de Siècle. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
* Martel, Gordon (ed.). 2006. A Companion to Europe, 1900 to 1945. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
* McDonough, Frank. 2001. Conflict, Communism and Fascism: Europe 1890-1945. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
* Paxton, Robert O. 1997. Europe in the Twentieth Century. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, see chapter 1.
* Richards, Michael D. and Paul R. .Waibel. 2014. Twentieth-Century Europe: A Brief History, 1900 to the Present. Hoboken: John Wiley.
* Saler, Michael T. (ed.) 2015. The Fin-de-Siècle World. London and New York: Routledge.
* Sked, Alan. 2016. 'Belle Époque: Europe Before 1914.' In Nicholas Doumanis (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of European History 1914-1914. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 23-40.
* Winks, Robin W. and Ralph James Q. Adams. 2003. Europe, 1890-1945: Crisis and Conflict. New York: Oxford University Press.
Online Learning
Myuni forms a very important part of this course. Students construct a course wiki in Myuni, and we also use Myuni to create a course database on the individuals whom we study. In addition to recordings of lectures, Myuni will also contain a wide range of quizzes, bibliographies, databases, and other materials, -
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
This is not a traditional course. It is a research project in which individual students are part of reserach teams that focus on the lives and careers of a specific group of people between 1890 and 1933, e.g. soldiers, artists, musicians, dancers, academics, scientists, philosophers, spies, polar explorers, politicians.
The primary purpose of lectures is (i) to give students essential background information, and (ii) to provide a plenary forum where research groups can feed their findings into the general pool.
The primary purpose of workshops is (i) to analyse the data that the students have themselves generated, and (ii) to look in detail at relevant primary sources.Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
1 x 1-hour lecture per week (12 hours per semester)
1 x 2-hour workshops per week (24 hours per semester)
Preparation for classes (24 hours per semester)
General reading (24 hours per semester)
Research/writing of assignments and revision (66 hours per semester)
TOTAL = 150 hours per semester
Learning Activities Summary
In order to complete this course successfully, students will have to acquire a broad overview of the European history between 1890 and 1933. They will do this by:
1. Attending the lectures and/or listening to the lecture recordings.
2. Reading the biography that has been assigned to them.
3. Successfully completing quizzes both in class and on-line that test their knowledge of the material covered in lectures and tutorials.
Students will need to gain an in-depth knowledge of a particular group in European society (e.g. academics, poets, revolutionaries, soldiers) as well as a detailed knowledge of a specific individual within than field. They will do this through:
1. Pulling out of the material covered in lectures/tutorials and the textbook that is particularly relevant.
2. Independent research using books and academic articles.
3. Pooling knowledge with other students and engaging with the structured learning activities.
Specific Course Requirements
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Assessment
The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Summary
Assessment Task Task Type Due Weighting Learning Outcome Short biographical research exercise Summative Week 4
20% 3 1,000-word character wiki-page Summative Week 8 30% 3, 4, 5, 7 2,500-word research essay Summative Week 12 50% 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Assessment Detail
The short research exercise will require students to answer a survey about their chosen character. The survey will require the students to find out basic facts about the character but also to identify some relevant primary and secondary sources. The results of the survey will be made available to the entire class in the form of an Excel spreadsheet. This will in turn form an essential learning resource for the completion of the character profile and the research essay.
The character profile takes the form of a wiki-page in MyUni (or, if MyUni is replaced, in an equivalent Learning Management System). It consists of three elements: (a) A brief biography of the character; (b) A brief annotated biography of relevant primary and secondary sources; (c) A biographical analysis in which the student comments on the social and professional connections of their character. The wiki is available to the entire class and forms the platform for the research essay.
In the research essay, students are asked to answer one question from a list of questions about the group biography of the characters we study in the course. This will require them to use both the Excel spreadsheet that results from the first assignment, and the character wiki that results from the second.Submission
The short research exercise consists of a detailed questionnaire that the student completes and submits via Turnitin.
The character profile takes the form of a wikipage that the student completes on-line in Myuni.
The research essay is submitted in electronic format via Turnitin.Course Grading
Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:
M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme) Grade Mark Description FNS Fail No Submission F 1-49 Fail P 50-64 Pass C 65-74 Credit D 75-84 Distinction HD 85-100 High Distinction CN Continuing NFE No Formal Examination RP Result Pending Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.
Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.
Detailed marking criteria for each of the assessments will be released during the course.Final results for this course will be made available through .
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Student Feedback
The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.
SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Once SELTs have been submitted and the results analysed, the course convenor will write a response which is circulated to all students. -
Student Support
- Academic Integrity for Students
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- Student Life Counselling Support - Personal counselling for issues affecting study
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Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
- Academic Credit Arrangements Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progress by Coursework Students Policy
- Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy
- Copyright Compliance Policy
- Coursework Academic Programs Policy
- Intellectual Property Policy
- IT Acceptable Use and Security Policy
- Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy
- Reasonable Adjustments to Learning, Teaching & Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy
- Student Experience of Learning and Teaching Policy
- Student Grievance Resolution Process
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