• Class Number 4134
  • Term Code 3130
  • Class Info
  • Unit Value 6 units
  • Mode of Delivery In Person
  • COURSE CONVENER
    • Dr Ben Mercer
  • LECTURER
    • Dr Ben Mercer
  • Class Dates
  • Class Start Date 22/02/2021
  • Class End Date 28/05/2021
  • Census Date 31/03/2021
  • Last Date to Enrol 01/03/2021
SELT Survey Results

Historians have long tried to understand how modern Germany could descend, in the space of a few years, into brutal terror, racial warfare and genocide. This course explores the origins of Nazism in German history, the rise of the National Socialist Party and the nature of Nazi rule, from the seemingly inauspicious Nazi movement's early years after the First World War to the Holocaust and to the Third Reich's final collapse in 1945. The course explores the historical context of Nazism, including the allied regime of Italian Fascism. Students will examine Nazi state and society from multiple perspectives to achieve a deeper understanding of the Third Reich, and will gain a familiarity with the state of historical research in this area.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

  1. demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the history of Nazi Germany;
  2. critically evaluate key interpretations of Nazi Germany's social, cultural and political history;
  3. analyse and integrate primary and secondary sources into written work; and
  4. demonstrate the significance of Nazi Germany for today's world.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

  • written comments
  • verbal comments
  • feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session Summary of Activities Assessment
1 Introduction: German History Before (and after) Hitler
2 Imperialism and War 1900-1918
3 Fascism
4 The Weimar Republic
5 The Collapse of Democracy
6 The Nazi State
7 Terror and Repression
8 Propaganda and Culture
9 Nazi Society
10 Foreign Policy and War
11 Persecution and the Paths to Genocide
12 Mass Murder and Downfall

Assessment Summary

Assessment task Value Due Date
Research Essay Proposal 10 % 22/03/2021
Research Essay 40 % 17/05/2021
Take-Home Exam 30 % *
Lecture Forum Participation 10 % *
Tutorial Participation 10 % *

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Integrity . In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

A student's tutorial participation (performance and attendance) is worth 10%. In tutorials, the tutor will be looking for evidence that the student has done the tutorial reading, and is willing to share ideas, listen to other students and participate in group discussion. Although attendance at tutorials is obligatory, allowance will be made for absences caused by illness or personal circumstances provided the tutor is informed in time. More than two unexplained absences will significantly affect the participation mark.

Assessment Task 1

Value: 10 %
Due Date: 22/03/2021
Learning Outcomes: 

Research Essay Proposal

Word Limit: 750 words.

 

DUE MONDAY MARCH 22, 4pm

Identify the topic of your research and develop a question that you intend to ask. Identify the important works of historiography on your particular topic and identify what is debated on that topic. Indicate what sort of primary sources you will be looking at to answer your question.

Include a bibliography of around 10 items, and indicate from where the titles were obtained (e.g. catalogue search, bibliography, footnotes, database, etc).

The proposal will be evaluated on:

-      How effectively it develops a research question (it should not be a yes/no question; it should be a question that is developed from an awareness of the historiography; and it should be able to be answered using evidence from primary sources).

-      The extent to which it shows some knowledge of the historiography, and in particular the divergent interpretations of the topic (at a minimum try to identify two key works that have already looked at your topic and identify their arguments).

-      The extent to which the question can be answered by the sorts of primary sources suggested (i.e. you need to be able to answer your question by the sources you indicate: note: this is often the hardest part. You may not include Mein Kampf as your main source.)

-      The quality of the bibliography.

-      Please submit your assignment via Turnitin on Wattle.

-      Late essays will be penalised at the rate of 5% per working day or part thereof.

-      If you require an extension, you must ask the Convenor before the date the essay is due.

-      Over-length assignments will be penalised according to CASS policy, which states that a 10% penalty will be applied to essays that exceed the specified word limit over a 10% buffer. Footnotes and bibliographies are not included in the word limit.

- No assignment will be assessed after the return of assignments to other students.

- All references should be footnoted in Chicago format (notes and bibliography). See the quick guide here: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html

Assessment Task 2

Value: 40 %
Due Date: 17/05/2021
Learning Outcomes: 

Research Essay

 DUE: MONDAY MAY 17, 5pm.

 Word Limit: 2,500 words

Write a research essay in answer to question of your own choosing. The essay should evaluate the secondary literature (historiography) on your question, and use primary sources to make an argument.

-      Please submit your assignment via Turnitin on Wattle. No hard copy is required

-      Late essays will be penalised at the rate of 5% per working day or part thereof.

-      If you require an extension, you must ask the Convenor before the date the assignment is due.

-      Over-length assignments will be penalised according to CASS policy, which states that a 10% penalty will be applied to essays that exceed the specified word limit over a 10% buffer. Footnotes and bibliographies are not included in the word limit.

- No assignment will be assessed after the return of assignments to other students.

- All references should be footnoted in Chicago format (notes and bibliography). See the quick guide here: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html

Assessment Task 3

Value: 30 %
Learning Outcomes: 

Take-Home Exam

Word Limit: 1500 words

Due: TBA in exam period.

Assessment Task 4

Value: 10 %
Learning Outcomes: 

Lecture Forum Participation

The lecture forums are designed to help you engage with the lectures materials and broad themes of the course: to identify what’s important from lectures, to learn from each other and to get clarifications (from the lecturer or from each other).

You are expected to post each week to the lecture forum, but there is no penalty if you miss two to three weeks. The forums will close one week after the lecture is posted.

Your contribution may take a number of different forms. You can

-       Respond to one of the posted questions about the lecture.

-       Post what you think is a key point to take-away from the lecture.

-       Ask a question (was there something you didn’t understand? A topic raised but not gone into in depth in the lecture?)

-       Answer or comment on another poster.

-       Annotate or comment on a lecture slide.

Aim to write 50-100 words (this is a guide rather than a word limit – the point is to engage meaningfully but concisely with the lecture, not to create a burden in the form of lots of words.

 

Try to avoid repeating points others have made, and keep your posts relatively short and to the point – this is meant to be an informal and free-flowing environment. Feel free to engage in conversation and comment on others’ posts, but as always, remember to keep the discussion polite and respectful.

Your participation will be graded (this component is worth 10%). The criteria for marking will be 1) whether you have posted to the forum most weeks and 2) the relevance of your contribution – whether you’ve engaged with the lecture material, with another student’s post, or added relevant material to the discussion. Try to use evidence or examples when answering a question, or show critical thought about the topic – evaluating an argument, weighing evidence, thinking through an argument

Assessment Task 5

Value: 10 %
Learning Outcomes: 

Tutorial Participation

A student's tutorial participation (performance and attendance) is worth 10%. In tutorials, the tutor will be looking for evidence that the student has done the tutorial reading, and is willing to share ideas, listen to other students and participate in group discussion. Although attendance at tutorials is obligatory, allowance will be made for absences caused by illness or personal circumstances provided the tutor is informed in time. More than two unexplained absences will significantly affect the participation mark.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically, committing to honest and responsible scholarly practice and upholding these values with respect and fairness.


The ANU commits to assisting all members of our community to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle and Academic Misconduct Rule, uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with.


The Academic Misconduct Rule is in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Very minor breaches of the academic integrity principle may result in a reduction of marks of up to 10% of the total marks available for the assessment. The ANU offers a number of online and in person services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. Visit the Academic Skills website for more information about academic integrity, your responsibilities and for assistance with your assignments, writing skills and study.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

  • Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
  • Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

Dr Ben Mercer
u5678723@anu.edu.au

Research Interests


Dr Ben Mercer

By Appointment
By Appointment
Dr Ben Mercer
ben.mercer@anu.edu.au

Research Interests


Dr Ben Mercer

By Appointment
By Appointment

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