Lecture (LEC)

• IUB GenEd World Culture credit
• COLL (CASE) S&H Breadth of Inq

• IUB GenEd World Culture credit
• COLL (CASE) S&H Breadth of Inquiry credit

Germanic Languages | Amsterdam GER- E141 | Esther Ham Taught in English; no prerequisites. In the 17th century, Amsterdam was the center of world economy and already the most liberal city in the world. A revolutionary change in city leadership in the mid 1500¿s led the way to the first stock exchange in the world, the first multi-national, and a pluralistic society inspired by free thinkers. New Amsterdam, later New York, was modeled after this liberal city and helped to shape the USA in a manner still felt today. In this class, we will explore the forces and events that made Amsterdam the world¿s most liberal bastion. An overview of the historic events that made the city what it is today will be presented through 2 different biographies of Amsterdam: one written by an American journalist/historian and one by a Dutch journalist. These two accounts, each coming from a different perspective, will provide a comprehensive and nuanced picture of the major currents in Amsterdam¿s history. The book by Russell Shorto will be the primary reading, supplemented by selections from other books, that will be shared on Canvas. The course will be conducted in English. There are no prerequisites. Grading will entail: a) Reading and viewing assigned material for in-class participation ¿ there will be a short quiz nearly every class session on the assigned reading; b) Homeworkassignments, c) 2 papers. The second one is a response paper offering a critical reflection on a topic from one of the course texts. d) Contributing to blogs and/or discussion boards Required texts: 1) Amsterdam- A History of the World¿s Most Liberal City by Russell Shorto, Doubleday New York, 2014, ISBN 9780307743756