HISTORY 412 SYLLABUS

World War Two and the Cold War

DR JAMES LACHLAN MACLEOD

"In war it is not just the weak soldiers, or the sensitive ones, or the highly imaginative, or cowardly ones, who will break down. Inevitably, all will break down if in combat long enough.”

Paul Fussell, Wartime

Links:

Commonwealth War Graves Commission: search for a name in their Register that matches your own.

OUTLINE

This course will examine the causes, course and consequences of the Second World War. We will also study the impacts that this war had on the world, most notably in the creation of the Cold War. World War Two will be studied not just as a series of battles, but also as a phenomenon that profoundly affected the world in which it took place. Painting, poetry, language, the family, class relations and many other fundamental aspects of life were changed by the War, and by studying these it is hoped that students will leave the course with a better understanding not just of the war, but of the modern world which it did so much to form.

The class is a seminar-based one, with learning based on informed classroom discussion; this involves hard work and considerable thought, but can also be a lot of fun. In a class like this, it is particularly important that you are prepared to talk in class, and your contribution to the class's discussions throughout the semester will count as 20% of your final grade. If you are unable or unwilling to talk in an informed manner in class, your grade will suffer; if you are not going to talk, don’t sign up for this class!

TEXTBOOKS

The books for this course, which you must buy, are:-

John Keegan, The Second World War

P.M.H. Bell, The World Since 1945. An International History

Paul Brickhill, Reach for the Sky

Paul Brickhill, The Great Escape

E.B. Sledge, With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa

Alexander Solzhenitsyn, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

Elie Wiesel, Night

Students will, however, be expected to read much more besides if they wish to gain the most from this course; there is an extensive collection of books on World War Two in the library. In addition to textbook reading, students will be asked to read some original texts and also to study carefully any handouts provided, in order to participate in classroom discussion.

ASSESSMENT

1 mid-term examination = 20% of total marks

1 written paper (out of class, 6 pages) = 20% of total marks

1 class presentation by student = 20% of total marks

class participation = 20% of total marks

final examination = 20% of total marks

Please note that attendance is carefully recorded and excessive absences will have a devastating impact on your grade in this class (see below).

WRITTEN WORK AND ATTENDANCE

In the grading of all written work, credit will be given for well-constructed, clearly argued and accurately researched writing: errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar will be penalised. Please note the section in this syllabus on plagiarism (below).

Students who for medical reasons (confirmed by a medical certificate) are not able to sit the mid-term examination at the appointed time will sit the final examination, which is comprehensive, and the percentage score of the mid-term will be carried forward and added to the final examination. Thus a student who misses the mid-term will sit the final examination for 40% of his/her grade rather than for 20% as for the rest of the class. No other form of make-up examination will be permitted.

Students are expected to attend class on a regular basis. There is an attendance policy; students who exceed their permitted number of excused absences will be penalised by one grade drop on each occasion they exceed their maximum limit. PLEASE NOTE THAT ONLY TWO UNEXCUSED ABSENCES ARE PERMITTED IN THIS CLASS.

Absence from class is permitted only in cases of extreme sickness or ill-health. In the event of such an occurrence, it is incumbent upon the student to see a qualified medical authority and to obtain a certificate of certified absence within 24 hours of the absent class. Apart from this form of justified absence, no other absence is excused.

Finally, a note of warning concerning punctuality. Any student who arrives later than ten minutes for class will be deemed to be absent from that class, and the absence will count as an unexcused absence. Similarly, I expect work to be handed in by the set time and date. Unless a request for an extension has been made and agreed, all overdue papers will be awarded an automatic "F".

OFFICE HOURS

I am available to meet with you during my regular office hours which for this semester are:

MTWThF 10-11

For your own convenience, try to make an appointment in case I am meeting another student. Any other time between 9 and 5 during the week, feel free to come up and talk about the course.

GENERAL

Life is too short to be poker-faced. The class will be as informal as possible, and I will do my best to make sure that you all have an enjoyable and successful time.

Contacts

Dr James Lachlan MacLeod, OH 343, tel 2599, email jm224.

Website access through History Dept homepage at

http://history.evansville.edu

CLASS PRESENTATIONS

This is a seminar-based course and each student (or group of students, depending on numbers) is expected to prepare and deliver a presentation at one of the meetings of the class. This is to take the form of a discussion of one of the topics listed; the earlier you sign up the more choice you have as to when you present; you must decide on a subject and a date by Wednesday 29 August. Please note the following points carefully:

You will be graded with the following checklist: failure to fulfill any part will result in a deduction of points.

Before the Presentation

Meet with partners to discuss project in detail

Meet with professor 2 days ahead of class

Provide professor with a typed bibliography

Provide professor with typed outline of the whole presentation

Organization

Introduction is helpful and tells us what to expect and focus on

Main points made clear

Presentation logically structured

Material pertinent to the subject (not rambling nor excessive)

Presentation neither too long nor too short

Each participant contributes equally in terms of content and time

Conclusion provides a clear and helpful summary

Content

Clear language; technical terms explained simply

Well researched – not taken directly from a single textbook or website

Not read from a website printout

Good range of information included (not too obvious nor too specialized)

Clear explanations of main points

Helpful case studies and/or examples used to illustrate points

Appropriate attention paid to women, minorities and the non-Western world

Communication Skills

Interesting and engaging manner

Appropriate expressions (avoiding, e.g., "um," "like," “back in the day”, "stuff" and offensive language)

Did not read from notes excessively

Poise and posture – professional manner and appearance

Helpful hand-outs, visual aids and/or multimedia

Questions and Discussion 

Sufficient time left for questions and discussion

Good questions posed to class to generate discussion

Responsive attitude towards questions and comments

Questions answered appropriately and completely

Good management of discussion

HISTORY 412

PRESENTATION TOPICS AND DATES, FALL 2002

	Topic	Date
1	Spying and Espionage in World War Two	September 18
2	The Visual Art and Literature of WW2	September 25
3	The Role of Women in World War Two	October 02
4	The Role of Propaganda in World War Two - Axis	October 09
5	The Eastern Front and the Russian Contribution	October 18
6	The Use of New Technologies in WW2	October 23
7	The Role of Propaganda in WW2 - Allies	October 30
8	The WW2 Home Front: Axis and Allies	November 06
9	The Role of Propaganda in the Cold War, East and West	November 13
10	Spying and Espionage in the Cold War	November 20
11	Times When the Cold War got Hot	November 25
12	The Greatest Generation? Memory, Perception and Myth	December 04

6-page Term Papers

Due 25 November 2002

Your essay should be in the form of a research paper, and must follow the MLA rules on citation, including a works cited page. Please type, using Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced and with adequate margins. Please number your pages. Your first page must state the question.

All papers must be submitted electronically as well as on paper. All papers will be subject to electronic plagiarism-detection analysis!

Please note the following:

1. Your term paper and class presentation must not be on the same topic. If you are in any doubt about this please discuss it with me.

2. All papers must have at least six (6) sources, of which no more than three (3) can be websites.

3. No more than three students can write on the same question. You must tell me which question you intend to answer by the end of the second week, ie Friday 6 September.

1. Why did Appeasement take place?

2. Analyze the role of Hitler as a military commander.

3. How and why did Blitzkrieg develop as a military tactic?

4. Choose ONE battle of World War Two and describe its course and its consequences.

5. Could the War have been won by the Allies without the contribution of Russia?

6. In what ways was World War Two “a continuation of the Great War”?

7. What was the appeal of Fascism in either Germany or Italy?

8. Choose ONE of the following and analyze his role in the Second World War: Churchill; Roosevelt; Stalin; Patten; McArthur; Montgomery; Goering; Doenitz.

9. Assess the way in which the Christian Church, both in Germany and elsewhere, responded to the challenge of Nazism.

10. Discuss the ways in which the Second World War has had an impact on the modern world.

11. How was a beleaguered Britain able to win the Battle of Britain

12. Account for the failure of France to defend itself in 1940.

13. How close to war was the world during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

14. Choose ONE writer or artist or poet of the war and discuss how his/her work affects your understanding of that war in particular and warfare in general.

15. “Although they seek to glorify war and its ‘sacrifices’, war memorials end up being deafeningly anti-war.” Discuss.

16. Using interviews with a family member, discuss how either the Second World War or the Cold War affected ordinary Americans.

17. How effective was the use of propaganda during either the Second World War or the Cold War?

18. Why did the Cold War end in 1989?

19. To what extent did nuclear weapons prevent World War Three?

20. Critically assess (using books as well as films!) the way in which the Second World War has been portrayed in movies and TV shows since the 1940s.

21. Critically assess (using books as well as films!) the way in which the Cold War has been portrayed in movies and TV shows since the 1940s.

22. How accurate do you think it is to talk about the people who fought for the US in the Second World War as “the Greatest Generation”?

23. How does the writing of Paul Fussell (Thank God for the Atom Bomb, Wartime) change or confirm your views about the Second World War?

Fall 2002 Calendar for History 412

Week Beginning:	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Aug 26			Introductions
Sept 02					Deadlines
Sept 09
Sept 16			First student presentation
Sept 23			student presentation 2
Sept 30			student presentation 3
Oct 07			student presentation 4
Oct 14	Fall Break	Fall Break	MIDTERM EXAM		student presentation 5
Oct 21			student presentation 6
Oct 28			student presentation 7
Nov 04			student presentation 8
Nov 11			student presentation 9
Nov 18			student presentation 10		student presentation 11
Nov 25	TERM PAPERS		Thanksgiving	Break	Vacation
Dec 02			student presentation 12
Dec 09	Last Class!		Reading Study Day
Dec 16		Final Exam 2.45	Commencement