HISTORY
144
THE
WORLD AT WAR: 1939-1945
Spring Semester 2007
Class meets Tuesday/Thursday
1-2.15pm
101 Althouse
Philip Jenkins
407 Weaver
Building
phone:
863-8946
I check my e-mail regularly
(obsessively?) and this is an excellent way to get in touch with me if you have
a quick question or if you want to make an appointment for a more substantial
discussion. I can be reached at jpj1@psu.edu
.
The Course
This course offers a
wide-ranging description and analysis of the Second World War, combining
military history with political, social and cultural approaches. One major goal
is to describe how large-scale war serves as a revolutionary social and
cultural force in its own right, massively accelerating social change. In the
case of the Second World War, the course will describe how the conflict did
much to create what we think of as the modern world, not only in political
terms (the roots of the cold war, the collapse of European imperialism) but
also in radically changing attitudes towards such basic matters as gender
relations and generational conflict. Also vital were the new scientific
advances of the war years, in nuclear energy, radar, aviation, and perhaps most
critical of all, the computer. We will also explore the construction of
historical memory. The course will assess and challenge many of the myths
surrounding the war, and to show how subsequent accounts of the conflict were
shaped by political and cultural needs. For example, the course will stress the
critical importance of the Eastern Front throughout, a phenomenon understated
in the West because of the patriotic Anglo-American emphasis on D-Day and the
Western campaigns. It will also explore the ÒResistance MythÓ, and explore the
moral compromises necessary to survive in occupied societies of Europe and
Asia. Throughout, the course will stress the impacts of war on the home front
and civilian society. The course will not address the history of the Holocaust
in any detail, since this critical topic is already covered in a separate
course offering.
Grading
There are three components to
this course:
a. two essay exams. Both will be in take-home format, and will draw on
both classroom materials and outside readings. Please note, there will NOT be a
final exam.
b. book review. You will also be expected to write a
substantial book review, which will constitute a discussion paper. This is a
REVIEW, not a book report, and I will explain the difference, both in what
follows, and in class. The paper should be about twelve to fifteen pages in
length. You should choose a RECENT book, one published since 2002. You can find
a list of some possible titles at http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/j/p/jpj1/ww2books.htm
: if you choose any of these titles, they are automatically approved. If
you want to do some other title, you need to check with me first BEFORE
FEBRUARY 15. Whatever book you choose, you should then try to answer most or
all of the following questions:
1. First, obviously, what is
the book about, and what is its central theme or point?
2. Does the author make his/her
case well and clearly? Is the book well-written and well-argued? (the two
points are not necessarily the same!) If not, why not?
3. The fact that the book was
published indicates that somebody thought it made an important and innovative
point – thereÕs no point in just rehashing old familiar arguments, or so
we would think. WhatÕs new about this book? Is it a controversial study?
4. What did the book tell us
that was not previously known? What can we learn about how the book fits into
the existing literature, yet advances beyond previous knowledge? What earlier
or established position is it arguing against?
5. Why are people studying this
kind of topic right now? What does this tell us about the state of historical
writing and scholarship?
6. Does the author push the
evidence to make it fit into contemporary concerns and obsessions? How?
7. What major questions and
issues about the history of the Second World War surface?
8. Is the book of any interest
or significance beyond the immediate scope of the study addressed?
9. Are there questions that you
would like to ask that the author does not deal with, or covers poorly?
10. What can we learn from the
footnotes and acknowledgments about how the author went about his/her research?
Needless to say, grading will
take account of issues such as grammar and punctuation.
Grading for the course will
therefore be based on these components:
a. Two essay examinations, each
25% of the total grade
= 50%
b. Book review.
= 40%
d. Class
participation = 10%
100%
Note About Class
Participation
"Participation"
carries a substantial 10 percent of the grade. What this means in practice is
that I expect you to do the readings for every class, and I will be calling on
people individually through the term to comment or respond on particular texts,
or issues arising from them. If you do the readings, and take a full and
regular part in class discussions, then that will have a major positive impact
on your grade. On the other hand, consistently not participating, not doing the
readings - or repeatedly being absent from discussions - is equivalent to
missing an exam or failing to do the term paper. I donÕt expect perfect, 100
percent, attendance, but consistent non-participation will have serious
consequences. It does NOT just mean that you will receive a slightly lower
grade: just like refusing to do a paper or an exam, it means that you would
simply have not completed the class, and would therefore receive a grade of F
for the entire course. It's important to spell out that expectation from the
outset. If you are not prepared to do the readings and participate fully, then
please drop the class now.
Class Policies
Deadlines matter, and I intend
to enforce them strictly. If you miss a deadline without getting an extension
in advance, you get a non-negotiable grade of F on that particular exam, paper
or project. Do not get in touch with me after the fact to explain why you
missed an exam, unless you produce a proper medical note. Excuses must always
be supported by documentation. Valid reasons include medical problems and the
like.
TEXTS
(both are in paperback, both
are required)
1. John Keegan, The Second
World War (Penguin Books, 1989: now in a
2005 reprint edition).
ISBN: 0143035738
2. Samuel Hynes et al, Reporting
World War II (Library of America,
2001).
ISBN: 1-931082-05-7
THREE DIMENSIONS
Let me explain my approach to
using the various materials discussed here, and why we are studying this
material in the form of a class as opposed to just having you read materials at
home and doing everything online. Think of the class as having three
dimensions, each of which serves different purposes, but each is essential in
its own way: each appeals to different parts of the mind and memory, and all
three must be integrated:
Lectures. If you come to class regularly, you will hear
lectures that tell the story, try to explain issues, and raise questions for
analysis and debate. I also tell stories and describe incidents that should
help you remember the main points. I try to lecture well (I win awards), but
even the best teacher in the world could only cover a limited amount within the
fixed time. If you did not attend
lectures, you would find the other material very tough to get through, and you
would not be able to ask questions that would allow you to assess your
comprehension of the material. Hence, lectures are necessary, BUT if you just
attended lectures and did nothing else, you would only get a limited and
shallow sketch of the subject matter. Therefore you also need:
The Keegan book. This is an excellent example of readable secondary
scholarship, the considered judgment of a first class historian who describes
the material in far, far, greater detail than a professor could possibly do in
class. You donÕt have to agree with every word, but his judgments are very well
thought through, and always worth considering. Yet you couldnÕt just rely on
this book alone to trace the story, since you probably donÕt have the
background to assess which parts of the book are most important, or to discern
the broad themes that will emerge from lectures and discussion. And when youÕve
got everything you can from my lectures and the Keegan book, you also need:
The Hynes book. If the first two elements represent length and
breadth, then the Hynes book provides depth. Even the best secondary accounts
can only provide a filter from the real experience, and it is the original
first-hand stories that give you the authentic flavor of events, the first
drafts of history. This book offers a superb selection of the best memoirs and
journalism from the World War II years.
In order to achieve the highest
grades, your written work – your exam answers – must integrate all
three dimensions, the length, breadth and depth. Ideally, you should take what
I say in lectures as a framework, bulk it out with readings from Keegan, and
then illustrate with relevant selections from Hynes. Of course you can disagree
or debate with any of the arguments made, and present your own opinions and
evaluations, but you need to take account of the various sources, and of other
possible views.
Note On Reading Samuel Hynes
et al, Reporting World War II.
We will be using this book to a
greater or lesser degree in virtually every class. I think it is an enormously
rewarding book, and I hope you agree – some of the selections are also
enthralling. This is not a history book in the sense of later analysis, but
rather a contemporary collection of journalistic observations, often by some
leading writers. In using this book, then, I donÕt expect you to gather
dates and facts, which you can find elsewhere, but rather think about this kind
of questions:
What strikes you about these accounts?
What moments or observations
are really memorable, or would grab the attention of contemporary readers?
What do we find here that we
might miss in later grand histories?
How do the journalists portray
themselves, knowingly or otherwise, as the heroes of their own lives?
Are they reliable? How can we
tell? What are their obvious biases?
Some of these writers became
very famous –which strike you as the best, the most effective, the best
observers?
Why do you think these accounts
were chosen for inclusion in a collection like this as opposed to others?
How far are their writings
conditioned by censorship?
Are there things that they
might be expected to talk about when describing war that are curiously absent?
Why? What kinds of action or behavior might they be expected to over- or
understate?
How far were these writers
working for their own political agendas, eg for or against US intervention? Are
accounts left or right wing? How do these assumptions affect their reporting,
especially before the US entry into war?
How far do these journalists
reflect some of the moral issues and dilemmas that might strike a modern reader
as critical about what they are describing, eg about violence inflicted on
non-combatants? Do they strike you as sensitive about racial and gender
concerns, or not?
What do these accounts tell you
about changing tastes and interests in journalism? How might modern accounts of
war in eg Iraq or Afghanistan differ from these world war II stories? Has the
nature of war changed, or the nature of the military experience? Or the tastes
and expectations of the reading public?
Incidentally, can I also alert
you to the excellent reference materials at the end of this book, including
some detailed maps, and a good chronology.
INTERNET RESOURCES
I could easily have used lots
more collections of documents, readings etc, but that seems foolish given the
unimaginably vast range of texts available for free on the Internet, which
cover every conceivable topic you might be researching. Please use them. You
can find an extensive listing of sites at
http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/j/p/jpj1/144material.html
SYLLABUS OF CLASSES
1. January 16
Issues and debates.
2. January 18
The rise of dictatorship and
totalitarian ideology. Military theories and debates between the wars. Areas of
crisis in the late 1930s.
DISCUSS: Keegan, The Second
World War, 10-87.
3. January 23
The outbreak of war and the
fall of France.
DISCUSS: Reporting World War
II, 1-39
4. January 25
Battle of Britain.
DISCUSS: Keegan, The Second
World War, 88-102; Reporting
World War II, 40-48
5. January 30
1940-42 – Africa and the
Balkans.
DISCUSS: Keegan, The Second
World War, 127-72; Reporting
World War II, 48-62
6. February 1
Operation Barbarossa.
DISCUSS: Keegan, The Second
World War, 173-219; Reporting
World War II, 69-93, 115-28
7. February 6
The US and the entry into war.
DISCUSS: Keegan, The Second
World War, 240-67; Reporting
World War II, 94-101
8. February 8
The first phase in the Pacific
war.
DISCUSS: Keegan, The Second
World War, 268-78; Reporting
World War II, 63-68, 101-114, 129-45,
153-63
9. February 13
Air wars 1941-44.
DISCUSS: Keegan, The Second
World War, 415-35; Reporting
World War II, 306-18, 363-70, 513-28
10. February 15
Battle of the Atlantic
DISCUSS: Keegan, The Second
World War, 103-26; Reporting
World War II, 146-52
11. February 20
The Mediterranean 1942-44.
DISCUSS: Keegan, The Second
World War, 310-43; Reporting
World War II, 245-306, 319-33, 371-96,
407-20
12. February 22
EXAM ONE
13. February 27
Home fronts and the social
impact of war.
DISCUSS: Reporting World War
II, 168-73, 211-44, 421-51, 509-12
14. March 1
The struggle for oil and
resources
15. March 6
Occupation and collaboration.
DISCUSS: Keegan, The Second
World War, 279-89, 344-68
16. March 8
Resistance.
DISCUSS: Keegan, The Second
World War, 483-502
MARCH 12-16 * SPRING BREAK * NO
CLASSES
17. March 20
The war and the Jews.
DISCUSS: Reporting World War
II, 164-67, 570-76
18. March 22
Film and propaganda. The war,
art and literature.
DISCUSS: Reporting World War
II, 490-508
19. March 27
The Eastern front 1942-44.
DISCUSS: Keegan, The Second
World War, pp.220-39, 450-482
20. March 29
From D-Day to the fall of
Paris.
DISCUSS: Keegan, The Second
World War, 369-414; Reporting
World War II, 452-86
21. April 3
The Western Front 1944-45.
DISCUSS: Keegan, The Second
World War, 436-47; Reporting
World War II, 567-69, 577-90, 596-605,
608-30
22. April 5
The Russians and the East
European campaigns 1944-45.
DISCUSS: Keegan, The Second
World War, 503-535; Reporting
World War II, 633-55
23. April 10
The Pacific 1942-43
Keegan, The Second World War, 290-307; Reporting World War II, 174-210, 333-62
24. April 12
The Pacific 1943-45.
DISCUSS: Reporting World War
II, 397-406, 529-66
25. April 17
Burma and the Philippines
DISCUSS: Keegan, The Second
World War, 536-73
26. April 19
Iwo Jima and Okinawa
DISCUSS: Reporting World War
II, pp.591-95, 606-607, 656-62
27. April 24
EXAM TWO
28. April 26
Diplomacy: Tehran, Yalta and
Potsdam.
29. May 1
The atomic bombs.
DISCUSS: Reporting World War
II, 663-756
30. May 3
After the Rain: the aftermaths
of war in Europe and Asia.
DISCUSS: Keegan, The Second
World War, 574-95
BOOK REVIEW PAPERS ARE DUE IN
THE FIRST MONDAY OF FINAL EXAM WEEK.
SELECTED UNIVERSITY POLICIES
Academic Integrity Policy
Academic integrity is the
pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception and is an
educational objective of this institution. Academic dishonesty includes (but is
not limited to) cheating, plagiarism, fabrication of information or citations,
facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, unauthorized prior
possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work
previously used without informing the instructor, and tampering with the
academic work of other students (see Policies and Rules for Students, Section
49-20). Academically dishonest students may be punished with a minor penalty,
typically a zero on a quiz or test, or with a major penalty such as a grade of
"F" in a course. Please note that a student may not be forced to
withdraw from a course for an academic integrity violation by the teacher
alone. Students who are punished with major penalties may appeal the
decision. Cases that are sufficiently serious to warrant disciplinary actions
beyond academic sanctions may be referred by the faculty member to the Office
of Judicial Affairs for further review.
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