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Villanova
University HIS 4660: World at War, 1939-1945 Fall 2007, T R 1-2:15 pm, Tolentine 213 |
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Dr.
Paul Steege STAUG
428 x9-6963 |
Office
hours: T
4-5, W 11-noon, and
by appointment |
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Course web site via http://www.homepage.villanova.edu/paul.steege/ |
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Course Objectives: |
As
a research seminar in the History Department, this course aims both to offer
students a concentrated opportunity to explore some of the massive historiography
of the Second World War and to introduce students to the craft of history. Topically,
this course will not examine the history of battles and military campaigns.
Rather it will explore visions, experiences, recollections, and
(re)constructions of the war at the heart of the 20th century.
Ultimately, it seeks to challenge efforts to ascribe comfortable meanings and
explanations to this incredible explosion of violence. Using
a variety of sources, we will explore the significance of this extreme
violence and try to grapple with its ongoing relevance. In addition to asking
them to challenge their (pre)conceptions of this period of history, I will
also challenge students to develop their ability to think critically about
the past and to formulate their own argument about its significance. Over
the course of the semester, students will learn to differentiate between
history and historiography, to recognize different methodological approaches
to history, and to “read” and to evaluate the limits and possibilities of
different kinds of primary sources. In addition we will work aggressively to
cultivate students’ ability to craft coherent arguments about the past and to
convey them effectively in both written and oral formats. |
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Required Materials: |
Adams, Michael C. C. The best war ever: America and World War
II. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994. Browning, Christopher.
Ordinary men: Reserve Police Battalion
101 and the Final Solution in Poland. New York: Harper Perennial, 1998. Dower, John W. War without mercy: race and power in the
Pacific War. New York: Pantheon Books, 1987. Eksteins, Modris. Walking since daybreak: a story of Eastern
Europe, World War II, and the heart of our century. New York: Mariner Books,
1999. |
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Optional books: |
Parker, R.A.C. The Second World War: a short history.
Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Rampolla, Mary Lynn. A Pocket Guide to Writing in History.
5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007. |
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Course Organization: |
The
organization of each class session will reflect the course’s dual purposes
and thus address both the topical (history of World War II) and the
methodological (the practice of history). The latter is indicated in the syllabus
with the designation “proseminar.” Some of these class segments have been
left unscheduled to allow us the flexibility to address issues of interest to
the class. |
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Assignments: |
Seminar Participation (20% of course grade): While attendance is assumed,
showing up is not sufficient. A research seminar is only as good as
its participants’ commitment to engaged discussion. Regular, engaged
participation in class discussions is simply assumed. This does not mean that
I anticipate that you will all have “the answer.” This junior seminar is a
collaborative undertaking, in which we propose, examine, and critique ideas.
While our discussions must retain respect for each other and our divergent
opinions, they will also allow for (and demand) rigorous, critical
examination of what people have to say. Proseminar Preparation (5% of course grade): At times throughout the semester,
you will be asked to complete brief assignments that will facilitate the
proseminar portion of our class sessions. For the most part, the individual
assignments will be ungraded but completion is mandatory. In-Class Midterm
(25% of course grade): The midterm on Thursday, October 11 will be open book
and open note. Students will be asked to write essays that evaluate a
document (you will have a choice of two documents not previously examined in
class) and locate it within the historical context of materials explored in
the course. We will discuss the exam in detail in class. Document Reader with
Commentary (50 %
of course grade): In consultation with the instructor, students should select
a research topic and choose three primary sources that will serve to help
explain a preliminary research project that might be undertaken within the
topic. Students’ final submission will include a brief discussion of the
historiography in the topic (approximately 5 pp.); the three documents
including a) an analysis and discussion of each source and b) an explanation
of your selection of these sources; and a brief discussion of the research
that this preliminary work might make possible. This final discussion should
map out some of the arguments suggested by your investigations to this point.
This assignment will depend on work to be completed over the course of the
semester: 1) Initial consultation with Professor to
be completed by September 20 (ungraded). 2) Preliminary bibliography and topic
discussion due in class October 3 (10% of course grade) 3) Document choice and historiographic
discussion to be posted to WebCT by Thursday, November 15 (10% of course
grade) 4) Brief oral presentation of documents
and research project to be scheduled between November 20 and December 6 (5%
of course grade) 5) Final submission due in class Thursday,
December 13 (25% of course grade) Late Work policy: Assignments submitted after the deadline
will be substantially penalized. Additionally, an unexcused absence does not
excuse the failure to submit your work in a timely fashion. If you must be absent
on a date an assignment is due, you must make arrangements with the professor
in advance. Failure to complete all course requirements (including
ungraded assignments) will result in a grade of “F” for the course,
regardless of the grade received on any submitted work. |
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Academic Integrity and Grading: |
Academic
integrity rests at the foundation of intellectual life in a university.
Plagiarism or cheating on any
coursework will not be tolerated. Any
case of academic fraud (copying of another student’s work, illicit use of
notes on an exam, undocumented use of an outside source, etc.) will
automatically result in a failing grade for the course and the submission of
an academic integrity report to the university. If you have any questions
about documenting sources or what constitutes academic fraud, please speak to
me or consult the student
handbook. I will discuss this in detail during the first week of the
course. Grades
will adhere to the criteria stated in the undergraduate catalog. As a
reminder, an "A" is defined as: “the
highest academic grade possible; an honor grade which is not automatically
given to a student who ranks highest in the course, but is reserved for
accomplishment that is truly distinctive and demonstrably outstanding. It
represents a superior mastery of course material and is a grade that demands
a very high degree of understanding as well as originality or creativity as
appropriate to the nature of the course. The grade indicates that the student
works independently with unusual effectiveness and often takes the initiative
in seeking new knowledge outside the formal confines of the course.” |
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Disabilities: |
Students
with disabilities who may need academic accommodations are encouraged to
discuss options with us after class or during my office hours during the
first two weeks of class. More information about documenting or addressing
learning disabilities is available from Nancy Mott, Director of the Office of
Learning Services (tel. x9-5636 or e-mail nancy.mott@villanova.edu) or from
that office’s web
site. |
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Campus Services: |
Villanova Writing Center in Old Falvey: 610.519.4604 Consultations
should be arranged by appointment. Please be advised: the Writing Center staff
recommends setting appointments several weeks in advance. |
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Villanova
Counseling Center in Corr Hall:
610.519.4050 The
Counseling Center is managed by caring and committed individuals who can help
you make an adjustment in your study habits, deal with a crisis, or establish
a long-term relationship to address an ongoing personal matter. |
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Lecture/Reading
Schedule |
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Read
all assignments before the class
for which they are scheduled. Please note: as much as this syllabus strives
to be complete, I will on occasion alter this schedule. Any changes will be
announced and included in the online version of the syllabus. |
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Tue.,
Aug. 28 |
Introduction:
Envisioning World War II |
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Thu.,
Aug. 30 |
Historical precedents and historiographical context Reading: Eksteins, Walking
since daybreak, ix-32. |
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Proseminar Exercise: En
route to a topic: cultivating a network of sources |
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Tue.,
Sept., 4 |
Wartime enthusiasm, wartime
despair: between World Wars Reading:
Ernst Jünger, “Total Mobilization” (electronic reserve) Film: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930);
excerpts to be viewed in class. |
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Proseminar Exercise:
Reading for Comprehension |
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Thu.,
Sept. 6 |
Trying to avoid war? Reading: Selected historical
journals (in conjunction with proseminar exercise) |
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Proseminar Exercise: Historical journals and book reviews |
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Tue.,
Sept. 11 |
Crisis renewed in Europe:
the Spanish Civil War Images: Spanish Civil
War Posters Optional Reading: R. A. C. Parker, The Second
World War, chapter 1 |
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Proseminar Exercise: Reading images |
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Thu.,
Sept. 13 |
No Class |
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Tue.,
Sept. 18 |
Accelerating crisis in Asia New York Times report on the “Nanking massacre” Optional Reading: R. A. C. Parker, The Second
World War, chapter 5 |
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Proseminar Exercise: Newspapers as Sources |
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Thu.,
Sept. 20 |
War
returns to Europe Listening assignment: Robert
Trout reports on the fall of France (NPR website) (click
on “Listen”) Optional Reading: R. A. C. Parker, The Second World War, chapters 2-3 |
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Proseminar
Exercise: Historical contingency |
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Tue.,
Sept. 25 |
American visions of war Reading: Michael C. C. Adams, The Best War Ever, pp. xi-68 |
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Proseminar Exercise: Narrative and argument |
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Thu.,
Sept. 27 |
Normal brutality: The Battle of San Pietro Reading:
John Dower, War without mercy, pp.
33-73 |
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Proseminar Exercise: Reading sources “against the grain” |
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Tue.,
Oct. 2 |
Displacements: locating war
experiences Reading:
Eksteins, Walking since daybreak,
pp. 33-170. |
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Proseminar Exercise: Historical Starting and Ending Points |
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Thu.,
Oct. 4 |
War of annihilation: from
Operation Barbarossa to Stalingrad Reading: Von
Reichenau to his forces (1941) Optional Reading: R. A. C. Parker, The Second
World War, chapters 4, 7 DUE: Preliminary bibliography |
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Proseminar Exercise: Historical methodologies |
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Tue.,
Oct. 9 |
National Socialism and the
racist state Reading: The
Nuremberg Laws on Citizenship and Race Optional reading: R. A. C. Parker, The Second
World War, chapter 17 |
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Proseminar Exercise: Historiography of the Holocaust |
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Thu.,
Oct. 11 |
Midterm Exam |
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Oct.
15-19 |
Fall Break |
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Tue.,
Oct. 23 |
Mass killing as an everyday
activity Reading:
Christopher Browning, Ordinary Men (entire
book) |
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Proseminar Exercise: Everyday life history |
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Thu.,
Oct. 25 |
Race and the Pacific War I |
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Proseminar Exercise: TBD |
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Tue.,
Oct. 30 |
Finding a way to the end of
the war |
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Proseminar Exercise: TBD |
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Thu.,
Nov. 1 |
Hiroshima and Nagasaki Reading: Excerpts
from the Truman Diaries Optional Reading: R. A. C. Parker, The Second
World War, chapter 14 |
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Proseminar Exercise: TBD |
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Tue.,
Nov. 6 |
Topic shifted to November 8 |
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Proseminar Exercise: TBD |
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Thu.,
Nov. 8 |
The War’s end in historical
debate Reading: Selections
from The
Journal of American History (Dec. 1995) |
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Proseminar Exercise: TBD |
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Tue.,
Nov. 13 |
War crimes and postwar justice Reading: Charter of the
International Military Tribunal (at Nuremberg) |
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Proseminar Exercise: Making ethical judgments |
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Thu.,
Nov. 15 |
Myth and memory Reading: Michael C. C. Adams, The Best War Ever, pp. 69-end. Optional
reading: Sarah Bennett Farmer, “Oradour-sur-Glane:
Memory in a Preserved Landscape” |
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Proseminar Exercise: Presentation, critique, revision |
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Tue.,
Nov. 20 |
Student
Presentations |
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Nov.
21-23 |
Thanksgiving Break |
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Tue.,
Nov. 27 |
Student
Presentations |
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Thu.,
Nov. 29 |
Student
Presentations |
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Tue.,
Dec. 4 |
Student
Presentations |
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Thu.,
Dec. 6 |
Student
Presentations |
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Tue.,
Dec. 11 |
No Class—Friday
Classes Meet |
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Thu.,
Dec. 13 |
Final
discussion: Locating World War II in history |
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