The focus for this week is on German history as presented through Neil MacGregor's book and podcast series Germany: Memories Of A Nation.  You should have submitted your In-Progress Second-Half Journal by Sunday, November 14th, for an ungraded but mandatory submission.

Your responsibilities for the week are the following:

1)  Engage with Neil MacGregor's Germany: Memories Of A Nation through his BBC Podcast Series; through his book; or through a combination of the two.  The book is optional.  I expect you to listen to a minimum of five of the fifteen-minute podcast episodes if you choose not to read the book.  But the book is superb and I highly recommend it.  I consider MacGregor to be a polymath and a brilliant historian.  He is a former director of the British Museum.

I will use a full engagement with MacGregor as one criterion when I separate out the superb Journals from the good ones.  Some of you, no doubt, already have the book.  There also are five copies available on Reserve in the Comox Valley Branch of the NIC Library.  Links to the podcast series, questions about the book, and some extra resources are all available within the Germany -- Memories Of A Nation Discussion Topic.  The entire podcast series can be downloaded for free from most platforms.

I have identified the ten audio episodes/book chapters that are most directly connected to HIS 215 near the top of the Discussion Topic page.  However, there are thirty episodes in all, and each of them ties to the theme of the idea of Germany.  There are times when it is a mistake to break up history into discreet chronological eras, and this may be one of those times.  You are encouraged to read and/or listen to any or all of the chapters or episodes, including those from the very recent past.

Those of you who devote extra time to this week's curriculum are encouraged to complete an anchor entry of 3+ pages in which you analyze Germany: Memories Of A Nation.  You could do that as an anchor entry; by answering some of the questions that are listed on the Discussion Page in paragraph form; and/or by combining an analysis of individual episodes or chapters with your overall interpretation.

2)  Some of you may find it helpful to scale back considerably on your responsibilities this week.  In that case, you should use this week both to dip into Germany: Memories Of A Nation and to catch up on some of the curriculum from earlier in the semester.