The Second World War
HIST 352
MW(F) 11:00-11:50 | Wilson 301
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| This
course examines the origins, nature, and impact of the Second World
War. Beginning with a survey of The Great War and its aftermath, it
traces the onset of World War II through the eyes of its many participants.
As an international history of the war, this course covers all military
theaters, devoting roughly equal time to operations in Europe and
the Pacific. It also examines the war's impact on civilian populations
and the manner in which the conflict transformed the economic, social,
and political realities of domestic life for the major combatants. Class meetings on Mondays and Wednesdays will be devoted largely to lectures. Discussion sections will take place on Thursdays and Fridays. |
|
There are no formal prerequisites, but the course does assume a basic familiarity with world events in the twentieth century. Students wondering about their fitness for the course should contact the instructor for recommended background reading. |
| Readings
will average 75-125 pages per week and will draw on a range of materials
including primary documents, scholarly articles, interpretive essays,
and narrative texts. The following volumes will be required reading
for the course: |
| Inga
Clendinnen, Reading the Holocaust (New York: Cambridge University
Press, 1999).
Ewen
Montagu, The Man Who Never Was (Annapolis: Naval Institute
Press, 1999). Richard Overy and Andrew Wheatcroft, The Road to War (London, Penguin, 2nd ed., 1999). Richard Overy, Russia's War: A History of the Soviet War Effort, 1941-1945 (New York: Penguin, 1997). David
Reynolds, From Munich to Pearl Harbor: Roosevelt's America and
the Origins of the Second World War (Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2001). |
Class Listserve
| You
may also participate in online discussions of class and related material
via the class listserve. The address for the listserve is:
HIST352-100@toolkit.virginia.edu Please
note that any message you send to this address will be delivered
to everyone in the class. If you wish to contact the instructor
directly and exclusively, please use the instructor's individual
e-mail address listed on the homepage. To send a message to the
listserve, insert the listserve password in the first non-blank
line (only) of the message text. Password/access
information for both the website and the listserve will be provided
in class. |