Modern France Since 1750 (HIST*2820)
Code and section: HIST*2820*01
Term: Winter 2016
Instructor: Suzette Blom
This course is organized chronologically but a series of themes cut across it. One of its main aims is to introduce students to key episodes and turning points in modern French history, from the Enlightenment through to the 21st century. Topics include the origins and course of the French Revolution of 1789, the Napoleonic Empire, chronic upheaval and regime changes across the 19th century, the 'terrible year' of 1870-71, the Dreyfus Affair, World War I, military defeat in 1940 and the period of occupation and resistance, the strains of decolonisation and Algerian War, the protests of May 1968, Charlie Hebdo and the terrorist attacks of November 13, 2015. Themes will include the origins and legacies of the French Revolution; contested ideas of French republicanism; shifting social relations (class and gender); the trajectory of nationalism in a globalizing world; the impact of war on politics, society, and culture; decolonization and its legacy; the place of memory in culture and politics; and the legacy of the Revolution of 1789.
The course will encourage consideration of changing historiographical and methodological approaches to the study and research of French history including the use of primary sources.
Jeremy D. Popkin, A History of Modern France, Fourth Edition, (Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2013).
Links to primary sources for certain modules will be provided on Courselink.
Course Assessment and Weights:
First assignment (primary source analysis) 25%
Second Assignment ( major research paper) 45%
Final exam 30%