Rebecca Bennette
Professor of History
rbennett@middlebury.edu
work(802) 443-5853
Fall 2021: M 8:15-10:15; W 9:45-10:45 by zoom due to precautions. Please email to be sent a link.
Axinn Center 333
Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
FYSE 1170 - Dealing with Atrocities
Dealing with Atrocities
Occurrences of atrocities affecting large numbers of people show no sign of ending. How do these atrocities start and why? How do societies rebuild afterwards, and how might this rebuilding conflict with the healing process of individuals? How can the often competing goals of justice and reconciliation be balanced? What do subsequent generations in society owe to victims of large-scale atrocities? To explore these and other issues, a few main cases will be examined in depth – such as events in European colonialism and the Holocaust – as well as students choosing additional examples for comparison and further research. 3 hr. sem. CMP CW HIS
Fall 2017
HIST 0115 - Genocides Throughout History
Genocides Throughout History
With the devastation of the Holocaust and other more recent events, the study of genocide has mainly focused on the modern period. Yet, mass killings and other atrocities abound in earlier centuries as well. In this course we will focus on examples across time and space to gain a more comprehensive understanding of such phenomena. We will consider the very meaning of “genocide” as well as the suitability of other terms. We will also discuss different explanations of everything from perpetrators’ motivations to victims’ responses. Finally, we will examine the possibility of preventing genocides. 3 hrs. lect./disc. CMP HIS SOC
Winter 2018, Spring 2020
HIST 0118 - History of Medicine ▲
The History of Medicine: 1700 to Present
In this course we will examine how conceptions of sickness, its causes, and its treatment have developed over time. In particular, the emphasis will be on considering not only how advances in science and technology have spurred changes in thought and practice but also how larger societal factors like religion, economics, and politics have influenced the course of medicine. We will focus on Europe from the eighteenth century onwards, but important comparisons will be drawn to earlier periods and other geographic areas including the United States. (Counts for HSMT credit.) 3 hrs. lect./disc. EUR HIS
Fall 2020, Fall 2021
HIST 0245 - Hist Modern Europe 1800-1900 ▹
History of Modern Europe: 1800-1900
This course will trace several complex threads across the nineteenth century, a period that saw enormous changes in economic structures, political practices, and the experience of daily life. We will look specifically at the construction of nation-states, the industrial revolution and its effects on the lives of the different social classes, the shift from rural to urban life, and the rise of mass culture and its political forms. Taking a cultural perspective, we will consider, for example, the language of working-class politics, the painting of modern urban life, and imperialism in popular culture. 3 hrs. lect./disc. EUR HIS SOC
Fall 2017, Fall 2019, Spring 2022
HIST 0246 - Modern Europe, 1900-1989
History of Modern Europe: 1900-1989
Revolution in Eastern Europe and unification in Western Europe have reshaped the contours of the 20th century. This course will move from turn-of-the-century developments in mass culture and politics through World War I and II, the rise and fall of fascism, and on into the postwar era. This century has seen a series of radically new ideas, catastrophes, and then renewed searches for stability. But we will also investigate century-long movements, including de-colonization, the creation of sophisticated consumer cultures, and the battles among ideas of nationalism, ethnicity, and international interdependency. 2 hrs. lect. 1 hr. disc. EUR HIS SOC
Spring 2019, Fall 2020
HIST 0249 - Blood & Iron: 19th-c. Germany
Blood and Iron: 19th-Century Germany
This chronologically-organized course will examine Germany's development over the long nineteenth century. Pivotal moments in the formation of Germany will be explored, including but not limited to the following topics: the impact of French revolutionary ideas and the Napoleonic Wars on political organization, the revolutions of 1848-9, the industrial revolution, the wars of unification and 1871, the Kulturkampf, and the efforts at colonization in Africa. Beyond politics and economics, however, this course will also attempt to view the developments in high culture and daily life that were intimately tied up with the larger events. This will include themes like the "Catholic ghetto," urban culture, and Marxist philosophy. 3 hrs. lect./disc. EUR HIS
Fall 2018
HIST 0257 / JWST 0257 - The Holocaust ▲
The Holocaust
Why did the Holocaust happen? How could the Holocaust happen? In this course we will consider several aspects of the Holocaust, including the long-term conditions and events leading up to it, the measures employed in undertaking it, and the aftermath of the atrocities. Beyond a general survey, this course introduces students to the many varying interpretations and historical arguments scholars of the Holocaust have proposed and invites them to discuss and debate these issues in class. (Counts for HSMT credit) 3 hrs. lect./disc. EUR HIS
Fall 2018, Spring 2021, Fall 2021
HIST 0406 - French Revolution and Terror ▹
Readings in Modern European History: Enlightenment, Revolution, and Terror*
The French Revolution provided a model for democratic political reform throughout the world, spreading new ideas about equality, national identity, and rights for minorities. Although informed by the Enlightenment and progressive social thought, it led to the Terror, a period of violence and repression in the name of revolutionary change. We will examine this attempt to create a just society and the corresponding violence against internal and external enemies. We will also consider the Revolution’s origins, the events in France, the shock tremors throughout the world, and the long-term repercussions of change. (formerly HIST 0401) 3 hrs. sem. EUR HIS
Spring 2022
HIST 0408 / JWST 0408 - The Nazis and the Jews
Readings in Modern European History: The Nazis and the Jews
Hitler and his functionaries in the Nazi Party initiated and led a vicious campaign to annihilate the Jews of Europe during the Second World War. This seminar will examine the issues and events that helped shape the National Socialist worldview of individuals and groups during the Nazi Holocaust, and will close with an examination of how modern European cultures have addressed the legacy of the Nazi past, including such topics as Holocaust denial and memorialization. (formerly HIST 0424) 3 hr. sem. EUR HIS
Spring 2018
HIST 0447 - CSPW: Reporting Genocide
Calderwood Seminar in Public Writing: Reporting Genocide
While reports of atrocities and genocides have appeared frequently in the news, little has helped to effectively stop these acts. Even the basic facts are often poorly understood by the wider public. We will focus on a variety of atrocities and genocides, considering them from multiple angles and with a particular emphasis on prevention and resolution. Using our knowledge, we will craft short pieces of public writing, such as op-eds, reviews, and briefings intended to inform and/or influence a general audience. (open to juniors and seniors) 3 hrs. sem. CMP HIS
Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2021
HIST 0500 - Special Research Projects ▲ ▹
Special research projects may only be taken during the Junior or Senior year, preferable after taking HIST 0600. Approval of department chair and project advisor is required.
Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022
HIST 0600 - History Research Seminar
Writing History
In this course students discuss historical methods and writing strategies to create convincing historical narratives. With the approval and guidance of the professor, students complete a 20-25-page research paper based on primary and secondary sources. Students take this course in the fall of their junior year or with permission in the spring. If students are away for the entire junior year, they can take the course in the fall of their senior year. 3 hr. sem.
Spring 2020
HIST 0700 - Senior Independent Study ▲ ▹
Senior Independent Study
The optional History Senior Thesis is written over two terms, with the final grade applying to both terms. Approval is required. Students submit thesis proposals in the spring before the year that they choose to write their thesis. Students generally begin their thesis in the fall and complete it during winter or spring. Approval is required to begin the thesis in winter or spring. All students must attend the Thesis Writer's Workshops in fall and winter semesters and work with a faculty advisor to complete a 55-70 page paper. Please see detailed guidelines under history requirements.
Fall 2017, Winter 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Winter 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Winter 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Winter 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Spring 2022
HIST 0701 - Senior Independent Study ▹
Senior Independent Study
With departmental approval, senior history majors may write a two-term thesis under an advisor in the area of their choosing. The final grade is applied to both terms. Students must submit thesis proposals in the spring before the academic year that they choose to write their thesis. They must attend the Thesis Writers' Workshops held in the fall and winter of the academic year in which they begin the thesis. The department encourages students to write theses during the fall (0700) and winter terms (0701), but with the permission of the chair, fall/spring and winter/spring theses are also acceptable. Under exceptional circumstances, the department may approve a thesis initiated in the spring of an academic year and finished in the fall of the following year. Further information about the thesis is available from the department.
Winter 2021, Spring 2021, Winter 2022, Spring 2022
