Instructor: Matthew Baumer
Course
Description (short)
This course focuses on a rich
period in Viennese history between 1880 and 1914 (described by the French term “fin de siécle”
or “end of the century”) The course draws on art, architecture, psychology, and
political history, with a special emphasis on music, which serves to illustrate many of
the larger themes of the fin de siècle, from
the glitter of Johann Strauss to the Nietzschean doubts of Gustav Mahler and the modernist innovations of Arnold
Schoenberg. The course will include a three-week
trip to Vienna, which will be optional for graduate students.
Course Description (complete)
This
senior synthesis course focuses on a rich period in Viennese history between
1880 and 1914 (described by the French term “fin de siécle” or “end of the
century”) Vienna is one of the oldest cities in Europe with a decidedly
multi-national history. As the former capitol of the Hapsburg Empire, Vienna’s
culture combined many elements of Germanic, Slavic, Magyar, and Jewish
traditions. The Empire’s multi-ethnicity
was both a strength, in that it threw together many different layers and
cultures of people all striving for achievement, advancement, and recognition,
and also a weakness, in that its internal contradictions (monarchy vs.
liberalism, unity vs. diversity) led to its dissolution. As it came apart, the
Empire helped to spark the first World War, the Zionist movement, and arguably laid
the foundation for National Socialism. Despite the contradictions and its
resistance to reforms, during the years 1880-1914, Vienna briefly reigned as a
major center for the latest in medicine, psychology, architecture, social
theory, and the arts. What do developments in those fields say about the larger
culture, its ideals, values, and possible delusions? How do we reconcile this with Vienna as the
capital of a monarchy on the verge of destruction? Also exciting for students is that
intellectuals and artists from disparate fields knew and influenced each other
in a way that is unusual in today’s highly specialized world. The course draws
on art, architecture, psychology, and political history, with a special
emphasis on music, which serves to illustrate many of the larger themes of the
fin de siècle, from the glitter of Johann Strauss to the Nietzschean doubts of
Gustav Mahler and the modernist innovations of Arnold Schoenberg.
After
the semester of classes in Indiana, the course will include a trip to Vienna
from Monday, May 14 through Monday, June 4, 2012. During our three weeks in Vienna, we will begin
most weekdays with a morning lecture. In the afternoon and/or evening, we will
visit museums, historical places, and other cultural sites of interest. Since
music will be a major focus of the class, we will attend several concerts and
theatrical events. Weekends are free for students to explore Vienna and, if
they wish, the surrounding area. Students will keep a journal chronicling their
experiences in Vienna. After returning home, students will complete a synthesis
paper of around 10 pages focusing on some aspect of Fin-de-siécle Vienna; this
will be due on July 1, 2010.
This course focuses on a rich
period in Viennese history between 1880 and 1914 (described by the French term “fin de siécle”
or “end of the century”) The course draws on art, architecture, psychology, and
political history, with a special emphasis on music, which serves to illustrate many of
the larger themes of the fin de siècle, from
the glitter of Johann Strauss to the Nietzschean doubts of Gustav Mahler and the modernist innovations of Arnold
Schoenberg. The course will include a three-week
trip to Vienna, which will be optional for graduate students.