FRS 002FF — Sec. 001 — (2 units) — CRN 53286 — W 4:10 - 6:00 pm — 1134 Bainer Hall
Victor Hugo's France

Instructor: Ellen Koehler, Department of History, College of Letters and Science

Description: This course will explore the political, cultural, and social history of early nineteenth century France through the lens of Victor Hugo's masterpiece Les Miserables. Considered by many to be France's most influential modern author and poet, Hugo lived through and chronicled France's most turbulent periods following the Revolution of 1789. Not only a gripping saga of post-revolutionary France, Les Miserables also records and comments on the historical development of his contemporary conditions, and as such is a valuable historical document in its own right. This course will use Hugo's text and selected short complementary texts to explore questions which were central to France during this period, including the legacy of the Revolution and Napoleon's Empire, the need to reconcile competing political and social views of the French nation, and France's relation to the rest of Europe. Throughout the course, we will also explore the extent to which these questions remain pertinent in the twenty-first century. In addition, by using Hugo's work and his relation to the events depicted in it, this course should enhance students' abilities to analyze and place authors and sources from other periods (including historically-based works of fiction) within their historical context.

Format: The seminar will meet for two hours each week. The time will be divided between informal lecture presentations by the instructor, discussion, student presentations, and viewing of selected video and slide materials. Students will be expected to have a copy of the novel. Supplemental readings will be provided. Grading: Students will be required to give a 20-minute presentation on a topic chosen in consultation with the instructor (25%) and will write two short (4-5 page) papers (25% each. The remaining 25% will be based on the quality of participation in class discussion.

About the Instructor: Ellen Koehler is a lecturer in the Department of History, teaching courses in the history of Western Civilization since 1789 and European Intellectual and Cultural history. Her research interests include the intersection of political culture, religion, and the arts in nineteenth-century France and the history of civil society in Europe from the eighteenth century Enlightenment to the present. She currently is teaching the comparative cultural history of Britain and France, 1880-1914 and the history of Western Civilization.