The Making of Modern Central Europe. Film and History — HIS

Instructor: Dr. Andrea PETŐ
Time: Tuesday 14.15- 17.00

Required Text: Richard J. Crampton, Eastern Europe in the 20th century and After. Routledge, 1994. Available at the Bookshop Work book p137.- available at the Admin.
Recommended: Laszlo Kontler, Millenium in Central Europe. History of Hungary, Budapest, Atlantisz, 1999.

Prerequisite: -

Scope
This course is designed as a general survey of history of Central Europe in the 20th century to understand current events and their historical background. The focus will be primarily, although not exclusively on Central Europe and special attention will be paid to events and trends of Hungarian history in the 20th century. Special attention will be paid to visual representation and to understand moving images while connecting them to historical events, trends and personalities.

Assessment
Participation in the class is mandatory. Each absence needs to be justified in written form via email to the instructor. With the approval of the McDaniel College Administration and the Director of the BSM Program the instructor has the right to strongly encourage those students to withdraw from the course whose performance (oral and written) was not satisfactory after the 3rd class.
30% Introductory Paper
20% Seminar Activity (presentations, class activity)
20% Film essay
30% Final Essay

Topics:

  1. Introduction and Definitions: Eastern Europe and Central Europe (Crampton ch.1.)
  2. First World War: The End of the Nineteenth Centrury. How did the Twentieth Century Begin? (ch.2.) Film: My Twentieth Century (Ildiko Enyedi)
  3. Interwar Eastern Europe (Crampton ch. 2., 11., recomended one country from 3-10)
    First essay is due after the first three sessions
  4. Social and Cultural History of Jewry in Central Europe (168-176), Film: Photographer (Dariusz Jablonski)
  5. Totalitarianism in Europe: Italy, Germany (ch. 11. 159-168), Film: Mephisto (Isván Szabó)
  6. Russia and the Making of the Soviet Union (ch. 11. 152-159) Film: Commissar (Askoldov)
  7. Second World War and the Holocaust (Crampton ch. 12.), Film: Anna Frank (on CD)
  8. Making the Communism in Eastern Europe (Crampton ch. 13, 14), Film: I am an Ox, I am a Horse, I am a Man (Sally Porter)
  9. Stalinism in Eastern Europe (ch.15.), Film: Angi Vera
  10. Resistence to Communism. (Cramton ch. 16. 17. 18) 1956 in Hungary, Film: Life Stands Still (Peter Gothar)
    Film essay is due
  11. The Building of the State Socialism and Collapse of Communism (Crampton ch. 19. 20. 21), Film: The Anna Akhmatova File (Semeon Aronovich)
  12. The Revolutions of 1989-1991 and After (Crampton ch. 22. 23.), Film: The Exiled Body (International Organisation for Migration)
  13. Presentation and discussion of the Draft Final Essays
  14. Final essay is due