42.346 Modern European Intellectual History
Fall 2007
M.
Hickey Old Science Hall Office 130
389-4161
mhickey@bloomu.edu
Office Hours:
T-Th. 2:00-3:15; Weds 3:00-5:30 or by appointment
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Course
Description:
This course is an introduction to Modern European Intellectual
History, with the greatest emphasis given to the period 1789-1950. Among
the topics on which we shall focus are
-
The influence of the Scientific Revolution on Enlightenment thought
-
Variations in Enlightenment thought
(the German, French, and Anglo-Scottish Enlightenments)
-
The influence of Enlightenment thought on the French Revolution
-
The impact of the French Revolution
and the Industrial Revolution on early 19th century intellectual life (and in particular on
Romanticism)
-
"Classical" nineteenth century
social theories (with a particular focus on Mill, Marx and de Tocqueville)
-
The rise of irrationalism in late nineteenth century thought
-
The impact of World War One on faith
in
progress and rationality (with a particular focus on Freud)
-
Communist and Fascist "Utopianism" in the inter-war era
-
Currents of post-WW II (with a particular focus on Sartre and Existentialism)
Assignments
and evaluation:
Your final grade is based upon
GRADES: An
"A" in this course means that your cumulative score on all assignments
adds up to 93 percent or more of possible points; A- = 90-92 percent; B+ = 88-89
percent; B = 83-87 percent; B- = 80-82 percent; C+ = 78-79 percent; C = 73-77
percent; C- = 70-72 percent; D+ =68-69 percent; D = 63-67 percent; D- = 60-62
percent; and less than 60 percent = E.
Required Common
Texts:
-
John
Stuart Mill, The Autobiography of John Stuart Mill, ed. by J. H. Robson.
-
Mary Shelly, Frankenstein (Penguin Classics Reissue
edition)
-
Karl
Marx, The Portable Karl Marx
-
Alexis de
Tocqueville, Alexis de Tocqueville on Democracy, Revolution, and Society.
-
Sigmund
Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents, ed. by J. Strachey.
-
Jean
Paul Sartre, Nausea, trans. by Lloyd Alexander.
-
Web-linked
readings.
Participation: This course is a
seminar and requires your active participation every week. For this
reason, participation accounts for 20 percent of your course grade. It is
your responsibility to attend every class session having completed the
week's reading assignments and having prepared answers to the week's
study questions. I expect you to answer questions that I ask in class, but
I also expect you to ask
questions of me and of the other students. From time to time I may assign you to do
"group" presentations or to "take over" class as a
discussion leader.
Your participation grade will be based upon both the
frequency and the quality of your contributions to discussions. You can not contribute if you are not attending: I will lower your
participation grade in direct ratio to the number of classes that you miss.
Paper One:
Write a 5-7 page paper that takes a position on the
following statement:
At first glance, perhaps, Mary Shelly's Frankenstein and
The Autobiography of John Stuart Mill
seem so different as to be immune to comparative analysis. And yet, at a fundamental
level, both books reveal a struggle to come to terms with the intellectual
legacies of the Enlightenment and the "Dual Revolutions" (the industrial
revolution and the French Revolution). Both authors were steeped in late
Enlightenment rationalism, yet also were pulled strongly towards Romanticism. Both
grappled with the "limits" of scientific approaches to human nature, the nature
of individual liberty, and the relationship between the individual and the
community. In some regards, their conclusions regarding these problems
were actually quite similar.
Do you agree with this statement? If so, explain
why and provide specific evidence that proves your point by developing the
comparative analysis.
Do you disagree with this statement? If so,
explain why and provide specific evidence that proves your point by developing
the comparative analysis.
-
Your paper must be typed, double-spaced, with 1 inch
margins. You must provide endnote citations for all quoted or
paraphrased passages.
-
This paper will account for 20 percent of your course
grade, and is due on
15 October.
-
I will grade your paper on the basis of its accuracy,
clarity, logic, appropriate source material, and attention to proper endnote form .
Paper Two: Using as your main sources the writings
of Karl Marx and of Alexis de Tocqueville, write a 7-10 page paper in which you
compare and contrast how Marx and de Tocqueville understood the major
problems confronting western civilization in the mid-19th century society.
Give particular attention to at least TWO of the
following issues:
A. how each conceived of the function of the state in a
liberal capitalist society
B. how each understood the social forces that shape the
identity and character of individuals
C. how each understood the relationship between an individual
and society
D. how each understood the nature of historical change
-
Your paper must be typed, double-spaced, with 1 inch
margins. You must provide endnote citations for all quoted or
paraphrased passages.
-
This paper will account for 30 percent of your course
grade and is due on MONDAY, 12 November,
at noon.
-
I will grade your paper on the basis of its accuracy,
clarity, logic, appropriate source material, and attention to proper endnote form .
Paper Three: Using as your main sources Freud's
Civilization and its Discontents and Sartre's Nausea, write a 7-10
page paper
in which you compare and contrast how Freud and Sartre understood all
three of these issues:
A. the relationship between the individual and society
B. the nature/ problem of human freedom
C. how humans create meaning in their lives
-
Your paper must be typed, double-spaced, with 1 inch
margins. You must provide endnote citations for all quoted or
paraphrased passages.
-
This paper will account for 30 percent of your course
grade and is due at our
FINAL EXAM SESSION.
-
I will grade your paper on the basis of its accuracy,
clarity, logic, appropriate source material, and attention to proper endnote form .
Weekly
Syllabus of Readings and Assignments:
A NOTE ON PLANNING / USING YOUR TIME CAREFULLY:
The reading load in this course can be
heavy. Weeks VIII and IX in particular have large reading assignments. Since these
reading assignments come during weeks when you may have other midterm exams, you
must be very careful in planning your reading schedule. Master making
effective use of your time!
Week I (29 August)
Week
II (5 September)
The Enlightenment
The
French Enlightenment
The German Enlightenment:
The Anglo-Scottish Enlightenment:
Questions: Answer linked
study
questions of web readings for week two.
Week III (12
September)
The Dual Revolutions
and Romanticism.
Mini-Lecture and Discussion on "the Dual Revolutions"
Mini-Lecture and Discussion on Romanticism
Readings:
Romanticism in British Literature
On the contrast between Enlightenment Classicism versus Early Romanticism in French
Painting, compare
On early Romantic response to
industrialization in English painting, see
For the most dramatic example of early Romanticism in
music, I strongly urge you to listen to a copy of Beethoven's
Ninth Symphony, if only the final (choral) movement!.
Questions:
Answer linked
study
questions on web readings for week three
Week IV (19
September) Romanticism, Continued.
This week
we discuss Frankenstein.
We all
will discuss these five issues:
A. Evidence of the influence on of
late Enlightenment
rationalism both on Shelly's characters and on her outlook as author
B. Evidence of the influence on of
Romanticism both on
Shelly's characters and on her outlook as author
C. The arguments that Shelly seems to be making
about the limits of
scientific approaches to human nature
D. The arguments that Shelly seems to be making
about the nature of
individual liberty
E. The arguments that Shelly seems to be making
about the relationship
between the individual and the community.
In addition, I will ask you as individuals to
discuss passages in the novel that deal with
images of
-
human
creativity and creation (Balliet, Bertelsen, and Pimm)
-
the
relationship between humans and nature (Brace, Collins, and Yohey)
-
the role
of emotions in making humans "human" (DeAngeles and Dippery)
-
the
benefits and dangers of industry and science (Eckroth and Flaherty)
-
Europe's/England's
place in the world (Forte and Kaseman)
Week V (26
September) The Dual Revolutions and
Political Thought: Conservativism and Liberalism
Readings on Conservativism:
Readings on Liberalism:
Questions:
These are the general questions we will discuss:
1) What connections do you see between the ideas of these (specific)
liberal and conservative thinkers and the legacies of the Enlightenment?
2) What connections do you see between the ideas of these (specific)
liberal and conservative thinkers and the ideals of Romanticism?
But we also will discuss the more detailed questions in
the study
questions on web readings for week five.
Week VI
(3 October) British Liberalism and Mid-Nineteenth Century Social Theory: John Stuart Mill
Readings:
The Autobiography of John Stuart Mill
Questions:
Our general discussion will concern the following issues:
1)
What elements in Mill's methodology and in his basic ideas are clearly rooted in
the traditions and ideas of the Enlightenment?
2)
What aspects of Mill's ideas appear to be rooted in (or at least resonate with)
Romanticism?
3)
In what ways were Mill's views a response to the internal political
contradictions in European society highlighted by the French revolution?
4)
In what sense were Mill's views a response to the internal social contradictions
in European society highlighted by the industrial revolution?
5)
How do Mill's arguments compare to the arguments that Shelly
seems to be making in Frankenstein?
To help guide you through the text, I ask that you answer the
linked Mill study question
Week VII (10
October) Varieties of Early Socialist Thought and an Introduction to Karl Marx
PAPER ONE DUE
ON 15 OCTOBER by NOON
Pre-Marxist Socialist Thought ("Utopians" and
Anarchism): Readings:
Questions:
We will discuss these issues in class:
-
In what sense (and to what extent) is each specific author
responding to the events of 1789-1815 in France?
-
In what sense (and to what extent) is each specific author
responding to the development of industrial capitalist society?
-
In what sense does each specific author (either implicitly or
explicitly) accept or reject fundamental tenets of "classical"
liberalism?
-
What solutions does each specific author offer to the problems
confronting society, and what do those solutions tell us about each author's
views on human nature and the "proper" relationships between the
individual, the community, and the state?
-
In what sense (and to what extent) does each specific author
seem to reflect ideas, values or attitudes that we have identified with either
the Enlightenment or with Romanticism?
See the linked
study questions on
web readings
for week seven.
Introduction to Karl Marx: Readings:
The Portable Karl Marx,
pp. xi-xiv
(Kamenka's
"Introduction"),
and pp. 5-71 ("Marx
the Man: Documents, Letters, Reminiscences").
Questions:
Answer the questions on the assigned sections in
the
linked Marx study
questions
Week VIII (17
October) Marx and Mid-Nineteenth Century Social Theory
Readings:
Karl
Marx, The Portable Karl Marx
selections from
-
The Formation of a Young Radical: Early Writings, 1841-44 (pp. 75-124)
-
Beyond
Philosophy to Communism, Political Economy, and the Materialist Conception
of History: Transitional Writings, 1844-47 (pp. 125-195)
-
Revolution
and Counter-Revolution: Political Writings, 1848-1852(pp. 197-323).
We will discuss these general questions:
-
What elements in Marx's methodology and in his basic ideas are clearly rooted in
the traditions and ideas of the Enlightenment?
-
What aspects of Marx's ideas appear to be rooted in (or at least resonate with)
Romanticism?
-
In what ways were Marx's views a response to the internal political
contradictions in European society highlighted by the French Revolution?
-
In what sense were Marx's views a response to the internal social contradictions
in European society highlighted by the Industrial Revolution?
-
How did Marx
understand the nature of Freedom and Liberty?
-
How did Marx conceived of the function of the state in a
liberal capitalist society?
-
How did Marx understood the social forces that shape the
identity and character of individuals?
-
How did Marx understood the relationship between an individual
and society?
-
How did Marx
understand History and the causes of historical change?
-
How did Marx's analytical methods and conclusions compare and contrast to those of Mill?
To get at these issues, though, we have to deal with a
lot of difficult material. For that reason, I want you to answer the
questions in the
linked Marx study
questions.
I may assign specific sections for group or individual
reports.
Week IX
(24 October) de Tocqueville and Mid-Nineteenth Century Social Theory
de Tocqueville, roughly a contemporary of Mill and Marx,
offered a perspective on history and society that contrasted both with Mill's
"progressive" liberalism and Marx's "scientific" socialism.
Much of de Tocqueville's most important work
concerned the United States. For the sake of time, we will not be
discussing most of those sections of
Alexis de Tocqueville on Democracy, Revolution, and Society
on the USA (chapters 1-4), which are excerpted from his famous book Democracy
in America (although you certainly are free to read these, and I encourage
you to do so!). Nor will we discuss the very interesting section in this
book on race relations and colonialism (although, again, you certainly to read
that chapter and I encourage you to do so!).
Instead, we
will focus mostly on de Tocqueville's writings on France and French
history (although we will discuss some of his conclusions about the dangers
facing democracies, drawn from
Democracy in America.
Readings:
Alexis de Tocqueville on Democracy, Revolution, and Society
Introduction (pp. 1-46) and Chapters 5-8, 10 (pp. 163-319, 348-379)
Questions:
Each of you is assigned to
present two 5-10 minute reports to the class on specific questions (see below).
Your reports should explain de Tocqueville's MAIN ARGUMENTS regarding the
topic/question and should refer to specific evidence (be ready to cite page
numbers!):
·
Was Tocqueville a
supporter or a critic of the Enlightenment tradition? Explain. Reports by
Michael Balliet, Olga Bertelsen, and Kenneth Kaseman
·
What did he see as the
major causes and consequences of the French Revolution? Report by Alex
Eckroth, Stephen Dippery and Megan Collins
·
How do his views seem to
contrast with positions taken by contemporary conservatives, liberals, and
socialists? Reports by Greg Pimm, John DeAngelis and Patrick Flaherty
·
How did he understand the
nature of Freedom and Liberty, and in particular, how did he understand the
relationship between freedom and equality? Reports by Michael Brace, Greg
Pimm and Patrick Flaherty
·
How did he understand the functions and purpose of the state,
particularly in “modern” (liberal capitalist) society Reports by Megan
Collins, Michael Balliet and Alex Eckroth
·
How did he understand the
main “forces” involved in making History and the causes of historical change?
Reports by Michael Brace, Stephen Dippery, and John DeAngelis
·
How did his analytical
methods and conclusions about society compare and contrast to those of Mill and
Marx? Report by Olga Bertelsen and Kenneth Kaseman
Week
X (31 October)
Readings:
Alexis de Tocqueville on Democracy, Revolution, and Society
Introduction (pp. 1-46) and Chapters 5-8, 10 (pp. 163-319, 348-379)
Questions:
Each of you is assigned to
present two 5-10 minute reports to the class on specific questions (see below).
Your reports should explain de Tocqueville's MAIN ARGUMENTS regarding the
topic/question and should refer to specific evidence (be ready to cite page
numbers!):
·
Was Tocqueville a
supporter or a critic of the Enlightenment tradition? Explain. Reports by
Michael Balliet, Olga Bertelsen, and Kenneth Kaseman
·
What did he see as the
major causes and consequences of the French Revolution? Report by Alex
Eckroth, Stephen Dippery and Megan Collins
·
How do his views seem to
contrast with positions taken by contemporary conservatives, liberals, and
socialists? Reports by Greg Pimm, John DeAngelis and Patrick Flaherty
·
How did he understand the
nature of Freedom and Liberty, and in particular, how did he understand the
relationship between freedom and equality? Reports by Michael Brace, Greg
Pimm and Patrick Flaherty
·
How did he understand the functions and purpose of the state,
particularly in “modern” (liberal capitalist) society Reports by Megan
Collins, Michael Balliet and Alex Eckroth
·
How did he understand the
main “forces” involved in making History and the causes of historical change?
Reports by Michael Brace, Stephen Dippery, and John DeAngelis
·
How did his analytical
methods and conclusions about society compare and contrast to those of Mill and
Marx? Report by Olga Bertelsen and Kenneth Kaseman
Week XI (7
November): Combined Topics: 1) Late
Nineteenth Century Thought--from Science to Irrationalism; 2) Irrationalism and
Social Theory; 3) World War One and the
Death
of Progress
Topics 1 and 2:
Late
Nineteenth Century Thought--from Science to Irrationalism; Irrationalism and
Social Theory
Readings:
-
Darwin, Origin of the Species,
"Introduction" and any other chapter that you might find of interest,
at http://www.literature.org/authors/darwin-charles/the-origin-of-species/.
-
Huxley, "The Struggle for Existence" at
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1888thhuxley-struggle.html.
-
Pearson, National Life From the Standpoint of
Science at http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1900pearsonl.html.
-
Nietzsche, "An Attempt at Self-Criticism"
from The Birth of Tragedy at
http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/Nietzsche/tragedy_all.htm
-
It would be appropriate to read chapter 9 in de
Toqueveille here, if you are interested in ding more reading
-
Simmel, "How is Society Possible?"at
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=SimSoci.xml&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=1&division=div1
-
-
Pareto, "The Circulation of Elites" at
http://media.pfeiffer.edu/lridener/courses/CIRCELIT.HTML
-
-
Le Bon, The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind
(read
the Front Matter, in particular, the Introduction "The Era of Crowds")
at http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/BonCrow.html
-
Weber, on "Bureaucracy" athttp://www.faculty.rsu.edu/~felwell/TheoryWeb/readings/WeberBurform.html#Weber
-
-
Weber, from The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of
Capitalism at
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/WEBER/WeberCH2.html
-
-
-
Durkheim, the sections on "Anomie,"
"Suicide," and "Crime" in the on-line Durkheim Archive at
http://durkheim.itgo.com/anomie.html
, http://durkheim.itgo.com/suicide.html, and
http://durkheim.itgo.com/crime.html.
Questions:
Assignments:
-
Mike Balliet: Darwin, Huxley, Weber, Durkheim,
Simmel
-
Olga Bertelsen: Darwin, Huxley, Weber,
Durkheim, Simmel
-
Mike Brace: Darwin, Neitzsche, Weber,
Durkheim, LeBon
-
Megan Collins: Darwin, Pearson, Weber,
Durkheim, Simmel
-
John DeAngeles: Darwin, Neitzsche, Weber,
Durkheim, LeBon
-
Stephen Dippery: Darwin, Pearson, Weber, Durkheim,
Simmel
-
Alex Eckroth: Darwin, Pearson, Weber, Durkheim,
Simmel
-
Patrick Flaherty: Darwin, Neitzsche, Weber,
Durkheim, LeBon
-
Jeff Kaseman: Darwin, Huxley, Weber, Durkheim,
Simmel
-
Greg Pimm: Darwin, Neitzsche, Weber, Durkheim, LeBon
-
Think about how each of these authors fit into the
intellectual traditions we have discussed in previous weeks: how would
you "place" each of them in relation to these earlier movements?
-
What common threads can you find linking the readings
for this week to last week's readings by Karl Marx?
-
I have given the first set of readings the title "From Science to Irrationalism"--what do you
think I had in mind by this title, and how do the readings relate to this idea?
-
How can we
"fix" these "thinkers" into the historical context of the
late 19th century and the years leading up to World War One?
-
Some of these authors (in
particular, le Bon and Pareto) might be seen as
"proto-fascists"... How can we tie together the ideas of people like
Durkheim and Weber with those of Le Bon, Pareto, or the various social Darwinists and race theorists (as well as
Nietzsche)?
To get at these issues, I want you to
Answer linked
study questions.
Topic 3: World War One and the
Death
of Progress
I will give a sort of "mini-lecture" in this topic.
In class, we will begin by discussing transformations in the art in the pre-war
decades. Please take a look at the paintings by
Renoir, at http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/renoir/parisian.jpg
(1874) and http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/renoir/terrace.jpg
(1881)
Monet, at http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/monet/haystacks/
(1890-91)
Van Gogh at http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/gogh/vineyards/gogh.old-vineyard.jpg
and http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/gogh/portraits/gogh.berceuse.jpg
(1889)
Gauguin at http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/gauguin/gauguin.christ-jaune.jpg
(1889) and at http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/gauguin/gauguin.nave-moe.jpg
(1894)
Picasso at http://www.artic.edu/artaccess/AA_Modern/pages/MOD_1.shtml
(1904, 1910)
Braques, Leger, and Piccasso, etc. (various Cubist paintings.
1907-1914) at
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/cubism.html
Kandinskii at http://www.rollins.edu/Foreign_Lang/Russian/kand1.jpg
(1908), http://www.rollins.edu/Foreign_Lang/Russian/kand5.jpg
(1909), and http://www.rollins.edu/Foreign_Lang/Russian/kand6.jpg
(1911).
If you have a chance to do so, find a copy and listen to Stravinskii's
Rites
of Spring (1913), a path-breaking pre-war composition that paid homage to
paganism
(remember the themes that we discussed last week?)
Questions:
We will have a "free" discussion of WWI in relation to
other themes and issues raised in the course.
Week XII (14
November) Post-WW
I Europe, the Search
for Meaning, and Freud
PAPER TWO DUE on
MONDAY by NOON
I will be out of
town to give a conference paper. If you vote to do so, the class will meet
without me to discuss Freud.
Readings:
Freud,
Civilization and Its Discontents
Questions:
Answer
linked study questions
Week XIII (21
November)
Thanksgiving week. No class.
Week XIV (28 November) The Power of the Irrational. Freud, Fascism and Nazism.
We will being by discussing Freud.
Readings:
Freud,
Civilization and Its Discontents
Questions:
We will focus on these three issues of Freud's late
thought:
A. the relationship between the individual and society
B. the nature/ problem of human freedom
C. how humans create meaning in their lives
To get at these, we will begin with the
linked study questions
If we have time, we will discuss the "intellectual"
basis of Fascism and Nazism.
Readings:
(Please note that there are several full-text versions of Mein Kampf
on line, but that many of them are posted by neo-Nazi groups--for instance,
"stormfront.org"...PLEASE NOTE!!! When you visit these sites,
they will likely collect information from your computer, and you may end up on
their mailing lists....)
Adolf Hitler Reichstag Speech 20 February 20, 1938 at http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/wwii/bluebook/blbk05.htm
Also, please browse through documents and read anything
that interests you at:
Questions:
If we have time, in class we will have a
"free" discussion of fascist and Nazi thought. In particular, I want you to
think about how the ideas of Hitler and the Nazis relate to our previous readings.
Week XV (5
December)
World War Two and Existentialism
If we have time, I will give a "mini-lecture" on main
currents of Soviet intellectual life. But we will spend almost all of the
evening discussing Existentialism.
Readings:
Sartre, Nausea
Questions:
We will have a "free" discussion of the novel. But
I want you to think in particular about what Sartre is saying about:
A. the relationship between the individual and society
B. the nature/ problem of human freedom
C. how humans create meaning in their lives
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