SYLLABUS OF HISTORY 411
WORLD
WAR ONE: CAUSES COURSE AND CONSEQUENCES
DR
JAMES LACHLAN MACLEOD
OUTLINE
This
course will examine the causes, course and consequences of the First World War.
We will study the rise of Totalitarianism throughout Europe as both a result of
World War One and a cause of World War Two. The War 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
recommended textbooks, which you are expected to buy, are:-
Martin
Gilbert, The First World War. A Complete History (1994)
Jon
Silkin (ed), The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry (1996 edition)
P
Barker, Regeneration (1991)
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
One 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, 5 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
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:
Monday,
Wednesday, 3-4
Tuesday,
Thursday 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:
- Presentations
must be collaborative efforts; you will receive the same grade as your
partner(s) and so it is your responsibility to ensure that the collective
product is a good one.
- This
means that you must meet with your partner(s) to discuss the project in detail
well before the due date. You must meet with me to discuss your detailed
plans at least TWO days before the presentation. At this meeting you will
submit a bibliography of sources that you have used.
- Presentations
must be accompanied by one or all of the following: handouts, powerpoint
presentation, slides, overheads, videos, music.
- The
purpose of item 3 is not decoration: whatever you use should enhance and
illustrate your presentation; ideally they would provide examples of what
you are discussing.
- Your
presentation must have a clear introduction and a clear conclusion.
- Your presentation should seek to raise a
number of questions and challenge your classmates to discussion; and feel
free to offer your own views – the presentation is supposed to be an
expression of informed opinion. The presentation must, however,
involve a series of questions to stimulate class discussion; these are not
to be simple ‘quiz’ style questions but thought-provoking questions about
ideas and issues.
- The presentation is intended to help you to
gain confidence in presentation of material in front of a class. Feel free
to experiment with different techniques – credit will be given for
originality and creativity.
- The presentation should reflect the length of
a class period, with about 20 minutes left for discussion in a 75-minute
period and about 10 minutes left in a 50-minute period. Presentations that
are significantly too long or too short will be penalized.
- I DON’T WANT TO SEE ANYONE READING HIS OR HER
PRESENTATION OFF AN INTERNET PRINT-OFF; THIS IS TO BE YOUR WORK BASED ON
YOUR RESEARCH.
- 20% of your final grade rests on this;
if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask me beforehand.
HISTORY 411 – World War One
DR JAMES LACHLAN MACLEOD
PRESENTATION TOPICS AND DATES
|
Topic |
Date |
|
Air and Sea Warfare in World War One |
September 03 |
|
The Visual Art and Novels of World War One |
September 10 |
|
The Role of Women in World War One |
September 17 |
|
The Role of Propaganda in World War One |
September
24 |
|
The Eastern Front and the Russian Revolution |
October 01 |
|
The Use of New Technologies |
October 15 |
|
The Role of Religion in World War One |
October 22 |
|
The American Contribution |
October 29 |
|
The Home Front: Axis and Allies |
November 05 |
|
The ‘Sideshows’ |
November 12 |
|
The League of Nations and Appeasement |
November 19 |
|
The Overall Cost of World War One |
November 28 |
5-page
Term Papers
Due
16 November 2001
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 double-spacing and leaving adequate margins. Please number your pages. Your first page must state the question.
Please note
once again that the unattributed use of another person's work - including
another student -constitutes plagiarism, which is cheating. If you are using
another person's words, they must be placed in quotation marks. When you
are using another person’s ideas, your source MUST be cited. Whether deliberate
or not (due, perhaps, to inadequate note-taking), plagiarism is an extremely
serious violation of the Honor Code. It is also a violation for any student to
act as an accessory to the plagiarism. Cutting
and pasting material off the internet without acknowledgement constitutes
plagiarism. It is of course no less serious to steal ideas and words from this
source than from any other, and such a violation of the honor code will be treated accordingly. The use of a paper
provided by an internet term-paper site constitutes plagiarism.
All
papers must be submitted electronically as well as on paper!
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. Cutting and pasting material off the internet without acknowledgement constitutes plagiarism. It is of course no less serious to steal ideas and words from this source than from any other, and such a violation of the honor code will be treated accordingly.
3. All papers must have at least six sources, of which no more than three can be websites.
4. 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 third week, ie Friday 7
September.
1. Why did the Alliance System evolve in the years leading up to World War One?
2. Analyze the role of ONE of the following in the outbreak of World War One: the Alliance System; Britain; Germany; Imperial Rivalry.
3. How and why did the Schlieffen Plan evolve, and what were its results?
4. Choose ONE battle of World War One and describe its course and its consequences.
5. Were British soldiers in World War One really “lions led by donkeys”?
6. In what ways was World War One “both medieval and modern”?
7. What was the appeal of Fascism in either Germany or Italy?
8. Choose ONE of the following and analyze his role in the First World War: Joffre; Foch; Haig; Jellicoe; Churchill; Petain; von Falkenhayn; Hindenburg; Ludendorff.
9. Assess the way in which the Christian Church responded to the challenge of the Great War.
10. Discuss the ways in which the First World War has had an impact on the modern world.
11. Account for the failure of the League of Nations.
12. Discuss and analyse the Owen poem “Strange Meeting”.
13. 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.
14.
“Although they seek to glorify war and its
‘sacrifices’, war memorials end up being deafeningly anti-war.” Discuss.
Fall 2001 Calendar for History 411
|
|
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
|
August 20 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
August 27 |
|
|
Deadline
to pick presentations |
|
|
|
Sep 03 |
Air
and Sea Warfare |
|
|
|
Deadline
to pick Term Paper |
|
10 |
The
Visual Art and Novels |
|
|
|
|
|
17 |
The
Role of Women |
|
|
|
|
|
24 |
The Role of Propaganda |
|
|
|
|
|
Oct 01 |
The Eastern Front and the
Russian Revolution |
|
|
|
|
|
08 |
Fall Break |
Fall Break |
|
|
Midterm |
|
15 |
The use of New Technologies |
|
|
|
|
|
22 |
The
Role of Religion |
|
|
|
|
|
29 |
The American Contribution |
|
|
|
|
|
Nov 5 |
The Home Front; Axis and
Allies |
|
|
|
|
|
12 |
The ‘Sideshows’ |
|
|
|
Papers due |
|
19 |
The
League of Nations and Appeasement |
|
Thanksgiving |
Break |
Vacation |
|
26 |
|
|
The Overall Cost of World
War One |
|
|
|
Dec 03 |
|
|
Reading Study Day |
|
|
|
10 |
|
|
Final Exams end |
|
|
Dr James Lachlan MacLeod
STATEMENT
ON PLAGIARISM AND UNAUTHORISED AID
1. Plagiarism.
[a]Please note that the unattributed use of another person's work - including another
student - constitutes plagiarism, which is cheating. If you are using another person's words, they must be placed in
quotation marks. If you are
paraphrasing another person’s ideas, your source must be cited. Whether
deliberate or not (due, perhaps, to inadequate note-taking), plagiarism is an
extremely serious violation of the Honor Code. It is also a violation for any
student to act as an accessory to the plagiarism.
[b] Cutting and pasting
material off the internet without acknowledgement constitutes plagiarism. It is
of course no less serious to steal ideas and words from this source than from
any other, and such a violation of the honor code will be treated accordingly.
2. Unauthorised
Aid. The above applies to unauthorised aid also. You are
referred to the student handbook for a definition of unauthorised aid; in this
class it would include allowing another student to copy your work, the
unauthorised use of previous semester's examination papers, the use of work
done for another class without the written permission of both instructors, the
use of textbooks in examinations without permission, and the use of notes in
examinations without permission. If there is any doubt in your mind, ask;
ignorance will not be accepted as an excuse.
ZERO TOLERANCE
POLICY
I HAVE A ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY RELATING TO THE ABOVE OFFENCES. ANY STUDENT WHO AT ANY TIME, FROM THE FIRST WEEK TO THE FINAL EXAM, IS GUILTY OF ANY FORM OF PLAGIARISM OR WHO USES ANY FORM OF UNAUTHORISED AID WILL RECEIVE AN ‘F’ IN THIS CLASS. THERE IS NO EXCEPTION TO THIS POLICY. IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT YOU HAVE TWO OPTIONS – DON’T CHEAT OR DON’T TAKE THE CLASS. |
Please read and sign the following; detach the bottom
copy and hand to professor.
I have read
and understood the policies in this class relating to plagiarism and
unauthorized aid, and I have also read and understood the statement of the Zero
Tolerance policy regarding plagiarism and unauthorized aid.
Print
Name______________________Signed________________________Date________________
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have
read and understood the policies in this class relating to plagiarism and
unauthorized aid, and I have also read and understood the statement of the Zero
Tolerance policy regarding plagiarism and unauthorized aid.
Print Name_______________________Signed________________________Date________________
The following is from the Herald of Glasgow, 1999:
Lest we forget the pain
Verses of Psalm 46 are given out, and
sung in English. God is our refuge and our strength: in straits our present
aid. I sing as best I can, and stare at the stone of the memorial, at the
deteriorating mortar, and think on the pity of war. The pity of war is that happy, daft
young men march off dreaming of adventures, with that strange inability of
youth to believe in its own mortality. The pity of war is that many of them
die; and, in the nature of combat, die unpleasantly. The pity of war is that
the survivors cannot forget. They are haunted by irrational guilt; humbled by
the vagaries of a Providence that takes one, spares the other. The veterans
beside me have had their fifties and sixties and seventies and eighties, and
entertain a good hope of seeing the millennium. Others - youths as them -
were denied 1946. The boredom of military service. The
gross discomfort. All the veterans have said that to me; all the warriors I
have known, from Flanders to Falklands. There are the long marches, fearfully
burdened under stones of kit. The minimalist food - for British troops in
action, even in the Second World War, standard rations were bread and cheese.
Sorley never forgot the thirst of fighting Rommel in the desert. At night,
parched, he dreamt of rowing across the Clarach to the pub at Raasay House
for a drink. My grandfather minded the terror of being a powdermonkey in
naval battle. He was locked into a gun-turret, his job being to pass shell
upon shell to the gunner, in near-darkness, as death banged and howled around
them; knowing for sure that if HMS Glasgow sank he would sink with her. The pity of war was caught neatly by
his wife, who once spoke of 1939 to me. "I mind the knock at the door in
Govan, in the middle of the night," she said slowly. "Donald
Macleod, you are called up: you are to be at Queen Street Station at 3am.
That was the word he had. He was packed and away in 10 minutes, and I
remember standing at the window with the child in my arms watching him go down
the street." She did not spell out her thoughts at that moment. She did
not need to. The minister prays, in soft Lewis
tones. We give thanks to the Most High for past aid in days of national
extremity. We remember those who yet mourn. We are encouraged to seek the
consolation of the Gospel. I sometimes wonder if I could ever
kill a man. I could with a gun; but much of the pity of war is its brutality;
and in real war people must fight on occasion with bayonets, knives, boots. I
know a story of clan war in Lochaber, where one man slew another using only
his teeth. At 33, it is unlikely I will ever be called to military service. I
would not have fought in Kosovo. Nor would I have fought in 1914. I would have gladly fought Nazism. It
is because others did that a Saltire flies, not a Swastika; that our young
folk are not conscripted to labour camps in the Continent, or perpetual war
in the Urals; that we have only Councillor MacDonald and other irritations,
not a gauleiter; that I am free to write, within reason, whatever I choose of
a Tuesday; that, even in Harris, we enjoy diversity social, ethnic, and
domestic. At a price. From little Moliniginish,
on the shores of Loch Seaforth - a tiny, roadless community - five lads went
to fight Hitler. Two were lost at sea. Another spent most of the war as a
prisoner of the Germans. This broke Moliniginish, and about 1950 the place
and its memories were quit by its families. So, as the Nazis destroyed
Lidice, you could say they finished Moliniginish. Yet the Czechs rebuilt
Lidice. No-one has revived Moliniginish. Its lovely waterfall sings unheard;
one house has been restored as a holiday cottage for the factor. We still have truth in our day: or, at
least, the liberties of discourse. In war, of course, truth is the first
casualty. Who really knows what happened in Kosovo? Who can believe what we
read from such censored, news-managed sources? Robert Graves wrote of this sort of nonsense in
1914, citing contemporary press-cuttings. "When the fall of Antwerp
became known, church bells were rung" - Kolnische Zeitung.
"According to the Kolnische Zeitung, the clergy of Antwerp were
compelled to ring the church bells when the fortress was taken" - Le
Matin. "According to what the Times has heard from Cologne, via Paris,
the unfortunte Belgian priests who refused to ring the church bells when
Antwerp was taken have been sentenced to hard labour" - Corriere della
Sera. "According to information which has reached the Corriere della
Sera from Cologne, via London, it is confirmed the barbaric conquerors of
Antwerp punished the unfortunate Belgian priests for their heroic refusal to
ring the church bells by hanging them as living clappers in the bells with
their heads down" - Le Matin. The pity of war is its cynicism. What
unfolds in Chechnya is as murderous as Kosovo. But there will be no rhetoric
from Blair and Clinton. One does not make war against a nuclear superpower,
its president fuelled by Stolichnaya. Two minutes' silence. We stand,
thinking, gazing. I see Old Jock has two Burma Stars. I remember my
grandfather, health broken by naval service, and in my youth a fragile
figure. I think of Ali at sea: only 21, but his late father served in the
Second World War. I hope Ali's generation is spared such conflict. He had
better die in his bed. My great-grandfather's brother was lost at sea in
1918. We have a photograph which might be of him; but even my late
grandmother could not be sure, and no-one who knew is now living. At the
going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them. So we
promise. Verses of Psalm 44 are given out;
against renewed thunder of traffic. We sing in Gaelic. The benediction is
pronounced. Wreaths are laid. One from the Comhairle. One from the North
Harris WRI. One from the Royal British Legion. One from Lodge St Clement's.
So we remember the fallen: 179 sons of Harris in the Great War alone. Simple the potency of these paper
poppies. There is the vivid red, as blood is red; and war is about blood,
about killing. And there is the frailty of such a delicate thing. You seize
the flower; its bloom is shed. More fragile yet are the strains of our piper.
It is this closing liquidity which mists our eyes. Two stanzas of Oran mor
Mhic Leoid echo along Main Street and over the pier. They lament young men we
never knew, lost in a war few of us can recall; the lost summer of our
veterans, the dissolved fellowship of Moliniginish "and the haunt of
bards is now joyless, silent - without sport or play, harmony or merriment;
without love, without laughter, without singing". - Nov 9 |
Click image for larger version
Byng Kitchener Haig
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: search for a name in their Register that matches your own.
Link to WWI Document Archive
Discuss this point of view, from the website ‘Aftermath’
“A war can never be said to
be completely over until there is nobody left who took part in it. The Great
War is almost over now. Most of those who fought in it are dead. One in five of
those who fought died during the war itself. The rest have gradually followed
their comrades, until now there can't be more than a tiny number of very old
men who experienced the horrors of the trenches.”
For a link to the Univ of Kansas’s excellent World War One Photo collection, click here.
For a link to W.H.R. Rivers’s paper on Repression of War Experience, click here.
Pre-1933 Nazi Propaganda: click here.