History 582
Intellectuals in 20th Century Europe
Professor Eve Kornfeld
Fall 2018
Would you like to read and discuss some of the most important, provocative books written in the 20th century? In fall 2018, Professor Kornfeld will offer History 582 with a focus on "Intellectuals in 20c Europe." Designed as a seminar centering on weekly discussion of shared readings and a research paper rather than lectures, quizzes or examinations, the course will explore the changing role of intellectuals in 20c Europe through readings in a variety of disciplines, including philosophy, psychology, physics, painting, music, architecture, drama and fiction. Course readings will include Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil; Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams; Werner Heisenberg, Physics and Beyond; Wassily Kandinsky, Concerning the Spiritual in Art; James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man; Bertolt Brecht, Threepenny Opera; Walter Gropius, The New Architecture and the Bauhaus; George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia; Virginia Woolf, Three Guineas; and Jean-Paul Sartre, The Flies. The course will culminate with individual research papers and collaborative group presentations on intellectuals and the Cold War, and intellectuals and post-colonialism, in place of a final exam. There are no prerequisites for the course, beyond a willingness to read and discuss some of the most exciting works of the twentieth century.
