Europe in Trouble class

Europe in Trouble (GER 199 / GLBL 199 / EURO 199)

This course focuses on important societal, political, and cultural issues that have shaped the history of Europe since 1945. It seeks to understand the many debates that have accompanied the process of European unification in their historical and cultural contexts.

The central thesis of the course is that the history of postwar Europe can be understood as a series of crises, starting with the immediate aftermath of World War II, but also including the revolutionary year 1968, the fall of the Wall, the war in Yugoslavia, etc. While the courses focuses on important societal and political developments, it also argues that culture played an important role in the series of crises that constitute Europe’s postwar history, and that films, essays, and other cultural artifacts can function as an important resource for understanding the conflicts and controversies that shaped the public debate in Europe since 1945.

Includes weekly film screenings!

8-week course! March 11 – May 1

Monday / Wednesday / Friday
10-10.50 AM – Lecture
Thursday 5:00-7:00 PM – Film Screening
Professor Carl Niekerk
niekerk@illinois.edu