Prof.-Dr. Max Riedlsperger

Office FOB 25C

MECHANICS OF THE COURSE

Instructional Methods

• The WEB: There will be a number of materials that I will want you to use that are either on or can be accessed from the Course Outline. Click here to go to the Course Outline. If you are unfamiliar with the use of the WorldWideWeb, stop by my office and I will show you how to get started.

• Lectures are organized parallel with the readings, but include additional materials germane to the course.

• Oral Discussions: Questions are encouraged at any time and I will pose questions to you based on your role in the Role-playing simulation game. See Herr Reichskanzler for details.

• Activity: This course has previously met 5 days a week to permit the screening of a number of films. The reduction to 4 contact hours will mean the reduction of the number of films that can be seen. Those not shown will be optional and can be borrowed from the library. The films seen in class and the related discussions will be the subject of questions on the examinations. Optional films would certainly provide you more insight into the course, but will not be subject to examination.

• Reading Assignments - see assignment sheet -- Texts to be purchased at El Corral:
• Fischer, Klaus P. Nazi Germany: A New History.
• Mayer, Milton. They Thought they were Free.
• Riedlsperger, Max. Herr Reichskanzler.
• Sax, Benjamin and Kuntz, Dieter, Inside Hitler's Germany: A Documentary History of Life in the Third Reich.
• WorldWideWeb url's that can be useful:

Poster art from the German Museum, click here. The titles of the graphics are in German, the images are useful.

A rich source for links to primary sources from all eras of German history. Click here.

Text (in German) and images from German history click here and, for this course, click on the sections (# 30-33)that deal with the revolution of 1918-1919, the Weimar Republic and the National Socialist Dictatorship.

EXAMINATION AND GRADING:Your final grade will be based on the following:

Project = 100 points

Mid-term = 100 points

Final = 200 points

Total 400 points

• Examinations:
• The mid-term will be May 4 and will cover all material assigned to that point. This examination will test for comprehension and assimilation of the material covered in the lectures, the reading and understanding derived from the simulation experience and from the films..
• The final examination will be of a similar nature to the mid-term and will consist of two parts: 1) a comprehensive section covering broader questions posed in the course as a whole and 2) a section dealing specifically with the material covered since the mid-term
• The final is June 7, 7-10 AM
• A Mid-term make-up: Friday, June 3, time and place TBA

OFFICE HOURS: click here.

Project: The nature of your project will depend on the role you play in the simulation game Herr Reichskanzler.

• Eight students will play the roles of leaders of the eight political parties selected for the simulation of a 1932 Reichstag election. (See Herr Reichskanzler for details).
• All other students will play the role according to a profile assigned from Herr Reichskanzler. Your project will be to write a 10-12 page autobiography or diary of the person whose role you played in the simulation. This should be based on the values and other information in the profile provided. Your grade will be based on how effectively you use the assigned readings and the sources listed, pgs. 2-3 of Herr Reichskanzler, to detail the history of Germany from 1918-1939. Where a source is listed for the profile, you should consult it to add dimension to your character. Due either on our last class meeting of the 9th week of classes or no later than Thursday afternoon.

Attendance and Drop Policy.

• Attendance and Drop Policy: Please read here. Good attendance is necessary for a good performance in this class. I write examinations in such a way as to reward students who have been diligent in their class attendance. Leaving class is rude. If for some reason you must leave class early, please have the courtesy to inform me at the beginnng of the period.

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