Germany, Austria and Switzerland
at the Heart of Europe
200 BC through 2006

Dr. Paul Schons

10:00 a.m - noon
Monday Mornings

March 27 - May 22, 2006

 Thornton Auditorium, Murphy Hall

University of St. Thomas

1000 LaSalle Avenue

In these sessions, we will examine events in the history of Germany, Austria and Switzerland from the period before the birth of Christ through the present.  The instructor’s commentaries will be illustrated by a rich series of images, sounds and videos presented electronically.  Extensive internet reference works and e-mail supplements will be available to those who wish to use them.

The wars of the 20^th Century and especially the horrific period 1933-1945 were dramatic to such an extent as to tend to “wash out” of our attention the other 2,000 years of German history.  In this series of investigations, we will focus on lesser remembered events in German history and discover many events, discoveries, works of art and personalities which have had significant impact on Western and World history.  We will focus on such outstanding figures as Bach, Mozart, Einstein, Kant, Schweitzer and Pope Benedict XVI and such events as the Protestant Reformation, the founding of the Holy Roman Empire, and contributions to art, literature, music and philosophy.

1.  March 27   Ancient Times:  Romans, Huns and other problems

2.  April 3       Age of Charlemagne:  a new integration of Europe

3.  April 10     Middle Ages:  a continuing renaissance

     April 17     No Session

4.  April 24     Onset of the Modern Period:  a crisis in Christianity

5.  May 1        Baroque to 18^th Century:  New forms and new knowledge

6.  May 8        18^{th -} 19^th Centuries:  Music, literature, art and science      

7.  May 15      20^th Century:  a new age

8.  May 22      20^th - 21^st Century:  a new Europe

Dr. Paul A. Schons is a member of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at the University of St. Thomas.  He has taught German at St. Thomas since 1967.  He was chairman of the department for 15 years and director of language and culture in the Masters Program in International Business for 20 years.  He was the founder of study abroad programs at St.Thomas and directed the program for 7 years.  Dr. Schons taught at the University of Paderborn and the University of Leipzig in Germany, and has lectured in Germany at the International Business Colleges in Lippstadt and Malenta and the Technical Colleges of Freiberg and Trier.  He has published on the topics of business German, German literature, German culture and German language pedagogy and writes a monthly article on German culture for the Germanic-American Institute of Minnesota.

Germany, Austria and Switzerland at the Heart of Europe
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