The self may appear to us as a fixed and stable entity that all people have in common throughout time. However this course puts forward a different view, suggesting that the self is context-specific and subject to the culture and society of particular places and historical eras. Using a range of sources that include historical writing, social theory, diaries, memoirs, film, and art, we will examine changing, coexisting, and often conflicting notions of selfhood in Western and Central Europe. From the "individualism" seemingly legitimated by the French Revolution to modern and postmodern conceptions of the fragmented or decentered self, different narratives of the self have been elaborated during the prior two centuries which continue to influence how we think about identity and subjectivity. Topics covered in the course will include: autobiography and other forms of self-writing; the effects of new technologies on understandings of time and space; the emergence of "mass man" and "psychological man"; the metropolis; colonial encounters; and genocide. Throughout the course, we will investigate the intersection of class, race, gender, sexuality, and religion in fashioning the self. Although the course readings are drawn from the European context, students are encouraged to participate regardless of regional specialization and to conduct research in their area of interest for the final paper. Format: seminar. Evaluation will be based on active participation in class, an oral presentation, 2 papers based on course readings, and one final research paper. Enrollment limit: 15 (expected: 5-15). Preference given to History majors. Group B