Course Overview

This is an advanced course on Europe , 1715 – 1789, which will offer in-depth discussion of economy, society, politics, warfare, diplomacy and ideas during the period from 1715 to 1789 with particular emphasis on the cultural and intellectual history of the “Age of Enlightenment.”

The course material will consist of lectures, readings and discussions. Neither the lectures alone nor the readings alone are sufficient; you should plan on attending all class sessions and doing all the reading each week, prior to the class meeting. Each class meeting be divided roughly in half, with approximately 90 minutes devoted to lecture, followed by a short break and then 90 minutes of discussion. Each week's readings will consist of a combination of secondary readings and primary source readings; students are expected to be prepared to discuss all the reading; all students should prepare reading noteson the primary readings for each week's class, , including questions or comments for discussion.

Reading notes may be informal but should demonstrate evidence of having completed and thought about the primary sources. These reading notes, as well as in-class discussion, will constitute 30% of each student's semester grade. In addition, students will write two medium length papers, of 5 to 10 pages each, during the semester -- on topics suggested by the instructor and based on both primary and secondary assigned readings. Students may opt for a research paper on a topic to be approved by the instructor, for the second and final paper. Each paper is worth 35% of each student's semester grade. Additional guidance on the papers will be given when the topics are distributed, several weeks before the due date for each paper.

It is presumed that you have previously taken a college-level course in European History or at least have a basic familiarity with modern European history. (If you do not have a familiarity, you may want to consult a basic work, such as the textbook Perry, Western Civilization , or a readable introduction to the topic, such as John Merriman, Modern Europe .)

Graduate students enrolling in HIST 661 should contact the instructor prior to the first week of class to discuss additional requirements. We will schedule additional meetings of roughly one hour per week to discuss historiographical issues in greater detail.

All UNLV policies will be observed concerning academic conduct, respect of copyright, disabilities, missed classes, etc. If you have any questions about class policies, at any time, feel free to ask me directly.