HI249 Online Course The Impact of the Second World War,

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1 HI249 Online Course The Impact of the Second World War, The course examines the impact of the Second World War away from the front lines of battle by concentrating on the role of civilians in the conflict. An attempt will be made to focus on the most controversial issues in the social, political, economic and diplomatic realms that arose in the decade from 1939 to Course Overview & Introduction: The Second World War ( ) was the most ferocious of the total wars of the twentieth century. Whole populations, and all the resources of the combatants, were mobilised and committed to complete victory. This course examines the profound effects in the social, political and economic spheres of this terrible war on civilian populations and on soldiers away from the front lines. It investigates the crucially ideological nature of the war, which not only had major consequences in the diplomatic arena for the ordering of the postwar world, but appalling repercussions for whole groups of people deemed undesirable' for reasons of their race, class, religion, nationality, sexual orientation or political persuasion. The nature of resistance and collaboration under enemy occupation is discussed, as is the impact of hostilities on the infrastructures of the belligerents, as well as that of strategic bombing, shelling and looting on historic monuments and other cultural treasures. The war ended with the dropping of the atomic bomb which, apart from the horrific human cost, potentially changed for ever the nature of warfare and played its part in hardening Cold War alignments. These developments are also reviewed, as are the painful and potentially divisive issues of commemoration and remembrance in the years following the end of the war. Course Goals: Since the war embraced almost the whole world, the range of societies which could be examined is far too large to be handled in a single term, so this course concentrates on a representative selection, namely, those of Canada, Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, France, Germany and Japan. History 249 aims not only at introducing students to many of the controversial issues relating to the home fronts and to diplomatic relations during the Second World War, but equally has as its objective the inculcation of the universally valuable skills of analysis, research, critical reading and good writing. Exercises with documents and book reviews form an integral part of the course and are intended to hone skills in historical methodology.

2 Learning Objectives: At the end of this course you will be able to: $ critically read, write and analyse historical materials connected to the Second World War. $ describe your understanding of the social impacts of the Second World War. $ express your knowledge gained about life on the home fronts of both Allied and Axis nations, $ analyse the dimensions of two of the greatest catastrophes of the Second World War: the Holocaust and the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan $ explore related literature on the affect that the Second World War had on the post-1945 world. $ identify and explain the significance of persons, events or institutions in short answer form, and reproduce more detailed restatements of the interpretative structure and supportive evidence of course material in essay form in response to set questions. Course Tools and Learning Materials: Texts: Jeremy Noakes, ed. The Civilian in War: The Home Front in Europe, Japan and the USA in World War II (Exeter, UK: The University of Exeter Press, 1992). Mark A. Stoler & Melanie S. Gustafson, eds., Major Problems in the History of World War II (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003). Kenneth D. Rose, Myth and the Greatest Generation: A Social History of Americans in World War II (New York: Routledge, 2008) Online: Select readings listed on WebCT course website (links provided). Additional required readings are listed in the form of articles. These articles can all be found through the WLU library databases (America: History and Life; and/or Historical Abstracts). Media: Documentary Film - The World at War - two episodes: Reckoning & Genocide Documentary Film - The Rape of Europa

3 Grade Distribution & Assessment Scheme: The following is a breakdown of the material covered in each exam and its contribution towards your final mark in the course Participation 15% Documentary Film Review 20% Research Essay 35% Final Exam 30% Total 100% Evaluation Criteria A % - Shows advanced competency in meeting the research and/or analytical and/or communications and/or cognitive and/or technical requirements of the assignment or examination. (The work is of exceptional quality. It is insightful, detailed, articulate, grammatically correct, technically correct and well organized.) B % - Exhibits a good effort in meeting the requirements of the assignment or examination. (The work may be less focussed, detailed, organized or less widely researched than a paper worthy of a higher grade or communicates fewer ideas, less detailed analysis and less successfully than an assignment or exam worthy of a higher grade.) C % - Average approach and level of success in communicating analysis, factual material and ideas. (A C grade indicates less detailed analysis and/or a lack of sufficient research, and/or a less articulate or less clearly focussed argument and/or significant technical flaws.) D % - A poor level of competency in meeting the requirements of an assignment or examination. (Poorly organized and/or written, generalized statements, lacks supporting details and/or critical analysis and may have technical flaws.) F - A failure to meet the requirements of the assignment. Additional details on the grading system may be found on the WLU website: ng_system Participation: The participation mark for this course is based on two elements: 1. Each student is required to participate in online discussions. This participation will be active and will require the student to post material they have written, as well as to take part in discussion questions posed by the course instructor. At the

4 end of each course unit is a short activity. You will be asked to post the written work generated though this exercise online and this material will form the basis of a question (or series of questions) posted on the discussion board of WebCT by the course instructor. The question will be based on the previous weeks readings. Each student will be required to participate in the online discussion and will be graded on the quality and depth of their online contributions. 2. At the end of each unit of the course is a short activity to help you understand the main points of the material under consideration. Completion of all these exercises is not mandatory, but there will be an online drop box available in WebCT for you to submit your completed exercises. The quality of your work along with the frequency with which you submit these completed exercises will reflect positively on your final participation grade. Documentary Film Review: You are to view the film The Rape of Europa and write a critical review of film. This review should address the major themes and ideas contained in the film. State the thesis of the film clearly near the beginning of your review. Avoid excessive summary. This assignment is not a summary, it is a critical review. Having stated the thesis and the basic premise(s) of the film, no further summary of the film is necessary. Use the allotted space for analysis rather than summary. In a short assignment such as this one, avoid lengthy and frequent direct quotations. Learn to paraphrase. Use footnotes or endnotes to cite the ideas you quote or paraphrase. To help you contextualize the film, you may wish to consult the resources available on the film s website at Length: no more than 3 pages. Your review will be graded out of 20 marks as follows: 10 marks for style and content 10 marks for quality and suitability of analysis Note: Complete your assignment and it to onlineassign@wlu.ca. Please mention your name and student ID on the first page of your assignment. The subject line of your must include: HI249 & the Assignment Title Research Essay: Documentary Film Review is due by 11:59 pm on the Friday of week four. You are to write an essay which outlines the framework for an exhibit on an aspect of the US war effort in the Second World War that is related to a theme explored in this course. The core of your paper should be based on a chapter from Kenneth D. Rose, Myth and the Greatest Generation and should also incorporate other readings from the course. The Stoler and Gustafson

5 textbook in particular will be a useful source for this assignment. You will find additional material through standard research avenues such as the university library or online sources (hint: check the WLU library journal databases, especially America: History and Life and/or Historical Abstracts). Background: In 2000, riding on the upsurge in public interest caused in part by the popularity of Saving Private Ryan a new museum was opened in New Orleans to commemorate the events of 6 June The National D-Day Museum has since evolved into an institution which seeks to explore all aspects of the American Second World War experience. As a result, its name has been changed to The National World War II Museum and it is seeking to expand its exhibits to reflect its new mandate. In particular, they need to create exhibits on various themes related to such issues as the American home front, perceptions of the Holocaust, the dawn of the Nuclear Age (i.e. Hiroshima) and the impact of the war on the United States. Your exhibit plan should take the form of an essay, organized into sections with sub-headings and may include pictures, artifacts and other visual images such as maps and air photographs. The primary focus of your assignment is to explain why your topic is important, what your exhibit will cover, why such an exhibit is needed, what ideas you wish to convey and why you want to convey them. The paper will be approximately words. Standard essay format (double space, 12 point type, 1-inch margins) will be followed. Please use footnote/endnote method of citation. Do not use MLA citations. Note: Complete your assignment and it to onlineassign@wlu.ca.please mention your name and student ID on the first page of your assignment. The subject line of your must include: HI249 & the Assignment Title Final examination: Research Essay is due by 11:59 pm on the Friday of week eight Will cover all material from units 1-10 (texts and readings). One unit in the final exam will be tested by an essay-type question. The remaining units will be tested by short answer-type questions. Further details about the final exam will be released in week nine. Late Penalty: A late penalty of 3% per day will be applied to papers not received or postmarked by the due date unless approval of the instructor has been obtained because of an emergency that can be documented according to WLU policy. Note: Complete your assignment and it to onlineassign@wlu.ca. Please mention your name and student ID on the first page of your assignment. The subject line of your must include: HI249 & the Assignment Title Research Essay is due by 11:59 pm on the Friday of week eight.

6 Course and University Policies: Academic Integrity/Misconduct (cheating): Laurier is committed to a culture of integrity within and beyond the classroom. This culture values trustworthiness (i.e., honesty, integrity, reliability), fairness, caring, respect, responsibility and citizenship. Together, we have a shared responsibility to uphold this culture in our academic and nonacademic behaviour. The University has a defined policy with respect to academic misconduct. You are responsible for familiarizing yourself with this policy and the penalty guidelines, and are cautioned that in addition to failure in a course, a student may be suspended or expelled from the University for academic misconduct and the offence may appear on their transcript. The relevant policy can be found at Laurier's academic integrity website ( along with resources to educate and support you in upholding a culture of integrity. Ignorance of Laurier s academic misconduct policy is not a defence. Special Needs: Students with disabilities or special needs are advised to contact Laurier s Accessible Learning Centre <see: > for information regarding its services and resources. Students are encouraged to review the Calendar <see: for information regarding all services available on campus. Plagiarism: Wilfrid Laurier University uses software that can check for plagiarism. Students may be asked to submit their written work in electronic form and have it checked for plagiarism. Weekly Schedule: Class schedule: There are 12 weeks in the term and 10 units and 2 assignments in the course meaning that you should complete on average one unit or assignment per week. You will need to stay up-to-date in the course readings to ensure adequate preparation for online discussions. Be sure to plan your work schedule from the outset as the paper assignments and exams will add to the normal workload of some units. Unit One (Week 1) - TOTAL WAR, HOME FRONTS AND HITLER'S WAR Noakes, ed., pp Stoler & Gustafson (eds), Major Problems in the History of World War II, pp Michael Howard, A Thirty Years War?: The Two World Wars in Historical Perspective, Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 6th Series, 3, 1993, pp < Unit Two (Week 2) - HOME FRONTS: BRITAIN

7 Noakes, ed., pp Juliet Gardiner, Spitfire Summer, in Wartime Britain , (London: Headline Publishing, 2004), pp Unit Three (Week 3) - HOME FRONTS: GERMANY and the USSR Noakes, ed., pp.35-61; Phillips O Brien, East versus West in the Defeat of Nazi Germany, Journal of Strategic Studies 2000, 23(2), pp < &issue=2&spage=89> Overy, Richard J. "Mobilization for Total War in Germany ," English Historical Review [Great Britain] (408): < Unit Four (Week 4) - HOME FRONTS: UNITED STATES Noakes, ed., pp Stoler & Gustafson (eds), Major Problems in the History of World War II, pp Chapter 4 Gearing Up For War in Kenneth D. Rose, Myth and the Greatest Generation (2008) REMEMBER: Your documentary film review is due this week. Unit Five (Week 5) - THE NATURE OF RESISTANCE IN OCCUPIED TERRITORIES Noakes, ed., pp ; Gerhard Weinberg, A World at Arms, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994), pp Unit Six (Week 6) - ORIGINS OF THE COLD WAR READING & MEDIA: Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Origins of the Cold War, Foreign Affairs (1), pp < =309&VName=PQD> Film: The World at War : Reckoning

8 10: : : :52 8:18 Unit Seven (Week 7) - THE COST & IMPACT OF STRATEGIC BOMBING Werrell, Kenneth P. "The Strategic Bombing of Germany in World War II: Costs and Accomplishments," Journal of American History (3): < Nicholas Stargardt, Victims of Bombing and Retaliation, German Historical Institute London, Bulletin, 26, pp < choenberger/bu2004_no2.pdf&t= &hash=0d ec20e46f0c5cf00b88c 9b> Neil Gregor, A Schicksalsgemeinschaft? Allied Bombing, Civilian Morale, and Social Dissolution in Nuremberg, , The Historical Journal, 43(4), pp < Research Essay (Week 8) The main assignment for the course is due this week so it makes sense to pause in our regular unit work and focus on this paper. The complete instructions for this assignment can be found in the course syllabus. If you have any questions or concerns about this assignment please make use of the available resources. The WebCT bulletin board is a good forum to post questions to other students who may be asking the same questions. You can also contact the instructor either through the function of WebCT or by phone. It is recommended that you contact the instructor prior to settling on a topic to ensure that you are on the right path for this assignment. Your assignment is due by 11:59 pm on the Friday of this week. Unit Eight (Week 9) - THE FINAL SOLUTION READING & MEDIA: Martin Gilbert, Final Solution, contained in I.C.B. Dear, ed., The Oxford Companion to World War II (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995), pp

9 Michael R. Marrus, The Holocaust in History (New York: Penguin (Meridian), 1987), Chapter 3, pp Film: The World at War : Genocide 10: : : :40 8:30 Unit Nine (Week 10) - THE ATOMIC BOMB Stoler & Gustafson (eds), Major Problems in the History of World War II, pp Unit Ten (Week 11) - PUBLIC COMMEMORATION, PRIVATE MEMORY AND HISTORY Stoler & Gustafson (eds), Major Problems in the History of World War II, pp Review of the course (Week 12): This course has covered a great deal of material related to the social, political, economic and diplomatic realms of the Second World War. If you have been keeping up with the work in the course and completing your readings and weekly assignments according to the schedule set out for this course, you will be in good shape for the final examination. You can use this week to review your notes and prepare for the final examination. Hint: The weekly assignments you have been completing will serve as an excellent method to review the main issues explored in the course.