History 01:512:242 World War II Spring Tentative Course Syllabus

Transcription

1 History 01:512:242 World War II Spring 2016 Tentative Course Syllabus Instructor: Richard Grippaldi, Ph.D. Mondays & Thursdays 8:10 9:30 am Office: Van Dyck 002D (College Avenue) Scott Hall 115 (College Avenue) Office Hours: Mon & Thurs 9:30 11:00am & by appointment Course Description: This is a study of the causes, course, and aftermath of World War II, with particular emphasis on the place of American culture and foreign policy within world politics. In addition to discussing American grand strategy and the course of the war in both Europe and the Pacific, the class will consider topics such as the United States mobilization for war; roles of women and minority groups in the war effort; the use of submarine and strategic air warfare; and the use of nuclear weapons against Japan. Special Permission Numbers: The enrollment capacity of this course is tied directly to the number of desks in the classroom. When it closes, there will be no desks available for additional students. DO NOT ASK FOR A SPECIAL PERMISSION NUMBER. Course Readings: The following books are required. These can be purchased from the campus bookstore, or special ordered from your local bookstore or Internet bookseller. Kennedy, Paul. Engineers of Victory: The Problem Solvers Who Turned the Tide in the Second World War. New York: Random House, ISBN Murray, Williamson, and Allan R. Millett. A War to Be Won: Fighting the Second World War. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, ISBN Sledge, E. B. With the Old Breed, at Peleliu and Okinawa. New York: Random House, ISBN Walker, J. Samuel. Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and the Use of Atomic Bombs against Japan, revised ed. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, ISBN The instructor also may make additional readings and documents available from the course Sakai site. The course will regularly make use of maps from the West Point Atlas of American Wars. As a work produced by the federal government, the Atlas is in the public domain, and is reproduced on the U. S. Military Academy s web site: (Europe) and

2 (Asia Pacific). Course Requirements: Students will complete a mid-term examination, worth 22%; a final examination, worth 28%; two short papers, each worth 10%; and a course project, worth 20%. Class attendance and participation will determine the remaining 10%. The grading breakdown, therefore, is: Exams 50% Short Papers 20% Course Project 20% Attendance 8% Participation 2% Total 100% Examinations: Each student will take a mid-term and a final examination. The midterm will take place in class on March 10. The final will be given on a date to be determined. Both examinations will cover readings, lectures, and discussion material. On the midterm, students will answer five identifications and two essay questions; on the final, ten identifications and two essay questions. The instructor will provide an identification term study guide at least two classes before each exam. Students will not be allowed to make up missed examinations unless a) their absence would otherwise be excused (see Class Attendance and Participation, below) or b) they arrange with the instructor for a make-up examination in advance of their absence. Short Papers: In each short paper, you will answer the posed question using evidence from readings, discussions, and lecture. The purpose of these assignments is to display your ability to dissect historical works and offer complex interpretations of their meanings. The papers are due at the beginning of the class listed. All late papers will be penalized ten points for each class late, from the moment they are late, up to a maximum lateness penalty of fifty points. Except by prior arrangement between the student and the instructor, the instructor will not accept assignments ed to him. Short Paper #1 due February 15. Length: 3 5 pages. Which person or institution should bear the primary responsibility for the ineffective American defense of the Hawaiian Islands in December 1941? (Note: while the instructor is open to arguments that blame Franklin Roosevelt, the vast sea of Pearl Harbor conspiracy literature produced over the past seventy years has failed to convince him of its correctness.) Short Paper #2 due April 11. Length: 3 5 pages. Was the fall 1944 invasion of the Palau Islands justified? 2

3 Each paper will be evaluated in six separate categories: Mechanics (10 points), Thesis (25 points), Argument & Organization (20 points), Evidence (20 points), Citations (10 points), and Proofreading (15 points). For more details on the instructor s expectations and tips on writing, see the Writing a History Paper handout posted on the course Sakai site. Course Project: The use of nuclear weapons against Japan remains one of the most controversial aspects of American participation in World War II. The course project is designed to educate students on the options American defense officials considered in trying to compel the Japanese to surrender. The course project has two parts. Each student will write a four- to six-page paper on one of the five options (invasion, blockade, conventional bombing, negotiated surrender, or atomic bombing). The paper is worth 75 percent of the project grade (15 percent of the course grade). On April 25, the instructor will break the class into groups. Each student will brief other members of the group on her or his option. The group will then recommend one of the presented options and briefly explain their decision in writing. The group portion of the project is worth 25 percent of the project grade (5 percent of the course grade). The course project is explained in greater detail in the Course Project Instructions handout on the course Sakai site. Class Attendance and Participation: Attendance is mandatory. The instructor believes you will benefit from exposure to lectures and class discussions. Unexcused absences will hurt your attendance grade. Excused absences will not lower your attendance grade. These include but are not limited to religious observances; being under a doctor s care; attending the funeral of a loved one; performing military service; or travelling as a member of a university-sponsored group. You should inform the instructor about absences as soon as possible, and where available provide documentation when you return to class. The readings for each unit are listed on the course schedule. While the instructor encourages you to complete all of the readings before a unit begins, he will tell you what must be read for the next lecture. He will regularly set aside time for discussion of course material and/or student questions. Students that demonstrate a firm grasp of the readings and course issues will earn the highest participation grades. The instructor s definition of class participation includes relevant discussions by , before or after class, or during office hours. The attendance grade is calculated simply: ([Lectures attended + excused absences] / total number of lectures) x 8 3

4 The 2 percent allotted to participation is based entirely on the instructor s judgment. Academic Integrity Statement: Academic integrity is essential to the success of the educational enterprise and breaches of academic integrity constitute serious offenses against the academic community. Violations of academic integrity include but are not limited to cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, denying others access to information or material, and facilitating others violations of academic integrity. The instructor assumes students will familiarize themselves with the policies and information posted by Rutgers at at the earliest opportunity. Disability Services Statement: Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, abides by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Section 508 of the Disabilities Act of 1998; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments of These mandate that reasonable accommodations be provided for qualified students with disabilities and accessibility of online information. If you have a disability and may require some type of instructional and/or examination accommodation, please contact the instructor early in the semester so that he can provide or facilitate in providing accommodations you may need. If you have not already done so, you will need to register with the Office of Disability Services, the designated office on campus to provide services and administer exams with accommodations for students with disabilities. The Office of Disability Services is located in Lucy Stone Hall, Livingston Campus, 54 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, Suite A145, phone number The instructor looks forward to talking with you soon to learn how he may be helpful in enhancing your academic success in this course. Pet Peeves: On top of his general expectations that you will treat him, your classmates, and your work with respect, the instructor asks you to avoid these two particularly irritating behaviors. 1) Using your cell phones or smartphones during lectures or class discussions. When the instructor sees you texting, or sees you staring at your lap intently for no obvious reason, he tends to believe you are not paying attention to him or your classmates. You will see the instructor turn off his cell phone before lecture begins. You should do the same. 2) Ignoring directions. The instructor assumes you are competent enough to follow directions precisely and responsible enough to suffer the consequences of not doing so. No one will ever be reprimanded for asking where to find the directions for an assignment, or for asking for clarification of those directions. Contacting the Instructor: After final grades are submitted, the instructor will not allow students to raise their course grade via additional assignments or alternative assessments of course knowledge. You may ask the instructor about your course standing at any time during the semester. If you are dissatisfied with the grades you have earned, it is upon you to contact the instructor for advice or help towards improving. 4

5 is the best way to contact the instructor. He will acknowledge receipt of your message with a reply. If you do not receive a reply within 24 hours, you should assume the instructor has not received your message and write again. Please include History 512:242 in your subject line. s sent without a subject will be ignored. Everyone, professors included, can benefit from reviewing etiquette from time to time. Wellesley College has published a handy guide at The instructor s office hours begin immediately at the conclusion of the day s class. If you would like to discuss matters with the instructor but are not available then, he encourages you to make an appointment to talk at a time that is convenient for you. Course Schedule Note that the instructor reserves the right to change the schedule, readings, and assignments. Unit I Course Introduction and Concepts January 21 Readings: Murray & Millett, preface; Kennedy, introduction Unit II American Military and Foreign Policy, January 25 & 28; February 1 Readings: Murray & Millett, ch. 1 2 (all), 7 (pp ), appendices 1 3; Kennedy, ch. 2 (pp ), 4 (pp ), 5 (pp ) Unit III Coming of War, February 4, 8 & 11 Readings: Murray & Millett, ch. 3 6 (all), 7 (pp ), 8 (pp ); Kennedy, ch. 2 (pp ), 3 (pp , 171 6) Unit IV Military and Economic Mobilization February 15 & 18 Readings: Murray & Millett, ch. 19 Short Paper #1 due February 15 Unit V 1942 February 22 & 25 (Wake and the Philippines, Arcadia Conference, Coral Sea & Midway, Guadalcanal, Invasion of North Africa) Readings: Murray & Millett ch. 8 (pp ), 9 (pp , ), 11 (pp ); Kennedy, ch. 3 (pp ), 4 (pp ), 5 (pp ) Unit VI Strategic Use of Bombers and Submarines February 29; March 3 (Battle of the Atlantic, Combined Bomber Offensive, Submarine Warfare in the Pacific) Readings: Murray & Millett ch. 9 (pp ), 10 (all), 12 (all), ch. 13 (pp ); Kennedy, ch. 1 (all), 2 (review pp ; read pp ), 3 (pp ), 5 (pp ) 5

6 Make-up / Midterm Review Day March 7 MIDTERM EXAMINATION March 10 NO CLASS March 14 & 17 (Spring Recess) Unit VII 1943 March 21 & 24 (Strategic Conferences, Solomon Islands, New Guinea, Sicily, Italy [August 1943 end of war], Tarawa) Readings: Murray & Millett ch. 9 (pp , , ), 11 (pp ), 13 (pp ), 14 (pp ); Kennedy, ch. 3 (pp ), 4 (pp ), 5 (pp , , 341 8) Unit VIII Maintaining the War Effort March 28 & 31 Readings: review Murray & Millett, ch. 19 Unit IX 1944 April 4, 7 & 11 (Marshall Islands, Mariana Islands, Normandy, Race to the German Border, Peleliu, Leyte) Readings: Murray & Millett, ch. 13 (pp , ), 14 (pp ), 15 (all); Kennedy, ch. 3 (pp ), 4 (pp ), 5 (review pp , 341 8; read pp ); Sledge, Part I Short Paper #2 due April 11 Unit X 1945 April 14, 18 & 21 (Luzon, Battle of the Bulge, Yalta, Iwo Jima, the German collapse, Okinawa, strategic bombing of Japan) Readings: Murray & Millett ch (all), 18 (pp ); Kennedy, ch. 5 (review pp , 341 8; read pp , ); Sledge, Part II Unit XI Course Project: Ending the Pacific War April 25 Readings: Murray & Millett ch. 18 (pp ); all of Walker Written component of Course Project due April 25 Unit XII War s Aftermath April 28 Readings: Murray & Millett, ch. 20 & epilogue; Unit XIII Course Conclusion December 8 Readings: Kennedy, conclusion; review Murray & Millett, epilogue Final Exam Review May 2 Final Examination to be determined. 6