World War II
Syllabus and Survival Guide
History 441 – Fall 2018
Tuesday/Thursday
11:00 am – 12:15 pm, Sierra Hall 102
Instructor
Dr. Thomas Devine
Phone: (818) 677-3550 Email: tom.devine@csun.edu
Office Hours: 624 Sierra Tower, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:30-3:30 and by
appointment gladly given.
Spirit of the Course
This course will offer an interpretive survey of the
origins, conduct, and legacies of the Second World War. We will approach these
topics from an international perspective, discussing the war as a global event
experienced differently by different people and cultures around the world. Though we will spend some time exploring events on the home
front in the United States and in various other nations – since domestic
political and social developments undoubtedly affect the conduct of the war –
the emphasis will be on the conflict’s diplomatic, geopolitical, and military
aspects.
For the
most part we will proceed chronologically, but there will be some
discontinuities in the timeline as we explore specific topics and themes in
more detail. Rather than emphasize “coverage” (i.e. what happened), the course will focus on why and how certain events
shaped the course of the war and the new world that emerged in its wake.
Throughout
the course we will consider the extent to which contingency, ideological
rigidity, arrogance, ignorance, and even inadvertent blundering influenced both
the shaping and implementation of wartime strategy and the experiences of
soldiers and civilians. We will also scrutinize the notion of the “good war”
and the myths that have arisen about the war on all sides.
Required
Reading
You should purchase the books listed
below. All other assigned readings will be posted in pdf format on the web
syllabus and can be accessed using the course password.
• Margaret Lamb and Nicholas Tarling, From Versailles to Pearl Harbor: The Origins of the Second World War in
Europe and Asia
• Ronald Story, Concise
Historical Atlas of World War Two
• P. M. H. Bell, Twelve
Turning Points of the Second World War
• Paul Fussell, Wartime
To resist the hegemony of the
rapacious Follett corporation (and to save yourself some money) you should consider
buying used copies of the
books at any of the following web sites: www.bookfinder.com/; www.amazon.com/; or www.half.com/.
Requirements and Grading
Class Participation, Reading Quizzes 25%
Short Writing Assignments 10%
First Exam [October 2] 15%
Essay 10%
Primary Source Analysis 10%
Final Exam [December 18] 30%
• All grading is based on 100 points
and will be done on the +/ – system.
• Late assignments will be penalized. Any assignment turned
in more than a week late will not be accepted.
• Any assignment not
turned in or not accepted will receive a grade of ZERO in the
calculation of the final grade.
Explanation of Requirements
Class
Participation
Though this course will include some
lectures, it is not primarily a “lecture course.” The emphasis will be on
discussion and classroom interaction rather than listening to the professor – or daydreaming, or playing with
your phone, or sleeping. Have the reading done BEFORE you come to class and be ready to comment on it. The course
will be far more enjoyable for you and your classmates (and for me!) if we can
sustain a lively discussion. Since not everyone is comfortable speaking in
front of others, your performance on the quizzes will also be considered in
calculating your participation grade.
Quizzes
The purpose of the quizzes is to
ascertain who has read and who hasn’t. If you have done the reading and
comprehended what you have read, you should have no difficulty getting a high
score. Doing well on the quizzes is the easiest way to raise your overall grade
for the course.
Short Writing Assignments
In order to help you get the most
out of the reading and to prepare you to discuss it in class, there will be
occasional short written homework assignments that you will complete as you do
the reading. These assignments should be typed and will be collected in class.
Other short writing assignments will be completed in class.
Examinations
The examinations will consist of
short answer questions and long essays. You will have a choice of topics for the
long essays. I will provide review questions that will help you study for the
exams. You are responsible for bringing an unmarked green book to each exam.
The final exam will be cumulative, but will emphasize material from the last
third of the course.
Surviving
History 441…
Attendance
Since active student participation
is crucial to the class’s success, you are expected to be at every meeting. I
do take attendance. Frequent
absences will dramatically lower your course grade. Excessive absences
will put you in jeopardy of failing the course, regardless of your grades on
the written assignments.
No
Laptops or Tablets
I do not allow you to use a laptop
or tablet in my classroom unless you have a medical note stating that you must
have one. This is not an arbitrary or capricious policy. Nearly all of the
research – excluding that funded by Apple and Microsoft – suggests that using a
laptop or tablet in class is more of a distraction than an aid. A recent study
concludes, for example, that taking notes by hand is far more beneficial than
typing them on a computer. I trust that you have the mental discipline to stay
off your computer or your phone for 75 minutes. Please don’t prove me wrong.
Common
Courtesy
You are at a university among professional
people. Act like you belong here. Do not embarrass yourself by behaving
disrespectfully. Please turn off and put away all cell phones, headphones, and
other electronic gadgets while you are in class. Texting or playing with your
phone during class is rude, reflects poorly on you, and annoys the people
around you. Arrive on time and do not walk out in the middle of class unless it
is an emergency or you have spoken to me about it ahead of time. Do not
distract others by beginning to gather up your things before the end of class.
In short, act courteously and professionally. It’s part of being an educated
person.
Academic
Honesty
Do not lie to me about why you
missed class or failed to turn in an assignment. Nobody likes to listen to
excuses – even semi-legitimate ones. Do not cheat on quizzes or tests. It’s
really not worth it. If you’re cheating to get through college, you need to ask
yourself why you’re even here, and, more to the point, you probably don’t
belong here. Do not plagiarize from written sources or from the web. Plagiarism
is always obvious and easily
caught (I know how to use google too.) It is far better to hand in your own
work and get a C- than someone else’s and get a zero. If you are unsure what
plagiarism is, please consult with me BEFORE you hand in an
assignment. Get in the habit of being honest with others and with yourself.
Problems
I appreciate that many CSUN students
are stretching themselves quite thin, often working full time while taking a
full load of classes. If you are feeling overwhelmed, find yourself falling
behind, or are having any problems outside of class that are adversely
affecting your performance in class, be sure to let me know. I am more than
willing to work with you to insure you “survive,” but you need to tell me you
are having difficulties. Do not wait until the end of the semester when it
will be too late. Either come to see me or send an email as soon as a
problem arises and we can work something out.
If you are struggling academically, I will gladly give you extra help.
Schedule
of Topics & Assignments
The
reading assignment listed for each day should be completed BEFORE you arrive at
class.
Tue. 28 Aug. Introduction:
An explanation of course objectives, mechanics, and procedures.
Thurs. 30 Aug. “From
One War to Another?” – The Treaty of Versailles and its Consequences
Reading: Lamb and Tarling, pp. ix-x,
21-44
Tues. 4 Sept. “Storm
Clouds Gather” – The 1920s
Reading: Lamb and Tarling, pp.
45-91
Thurs.
6 Sept. “The
Rise and Fall of Collective Security – The early to mid-1930s
Reading: Lamb and Tarling, pp.
92-137
Story, pp.14-15, 78-79
Tues.
11 Sept. Open Date
Thurs.
13 Sept. “From
Collective Security to Appeasement – The late 1930s
Reading: Lamb and Tarling, pp.
92-137
Story, pp.14-15, 78-79
QUIZ #1 – September 13 – Based on Assigned Reading
Tues.
18 Sept. “The Outbreak of War in Europe” – 1939-1940
Reading: Lamb and Tarling, pp. 138-159
Story, pp. 16-19
Thurs. 20 Sept. “Turning
Point” – The Fall of France, and the Battle of Britain
Reading: Lamb and Tarling, pp.
160-166
Story, pp. 20-25
Tues. 25 Sept. “Barbarossa”
– Germany Invades the Soviet Union
Reading: Lamb and Tarling, 166-170
Story, pp. 34-37
Thurs. 27 Sept. “Prelude to
Pearl Harbor” – 1940-1941
Reading: Lamb and Tarling, pp. 170-193
Tues. 2 Oct. FIRST EXAM
Thurs. 4 Oct. “Day
of Infamy” – The Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor
Reading: Bell,
pp. 59-80
Tues. 9 Oct. The Global Impact of
Pearl Harbor
Reading: Akira Iriye, “Pearl Harbor in
Global Context”
Essays from Akira Iriye, editor, Pearl Harbor and the Coming of the Pacific
War
Thurs. 11Oct. CLASS
CANCELLED
Tues. 16 Oct. “The Tide Begins to
Turn” – The Battle of Midway
Reading: Bell, pp. 81-94
Story, pp. 84-85
Thurs. 18 Oct. “Stalemate on the
Eastern Front” – The Battle of Stalingrad
Reading: Bell, pp. 95-108
Story, pp. 38-41
Tues 23 Oct. Outline
and Analytical Essay Writing Tutorial
Thurs. 25 Oct. “War on the Open Seas” – The Battle of the Atlantic
Reading: Bell, pp. 109-129
Story, pp. 26-27
Tues. 30 Oct. “Economic Warfare” –
The Battle of the Factories
Reading: Bell, pp 130-146
WRITING ASSIGNMENT #3 DUE IN CLASS
Thurs. 1 Nov. “Grand Alliance Diplomacy”
– The Teheran Conference
Reading: Bell, pp. 147-165
Tues. 6 Nov. “Italy and the East” –
1943-1944
Reading: Murray and Millett, A War to be Won, pp. 374-410
Thurs. 8 Nov. OPEN
DATE – PRIMARY SOURCE ANALYSIS DUE
Tues. 13 Nov. “D-Day” – The Allied
Invasion of Normandy
Reading: Bell,
pp. 166-187
Thurs. 15 Nov. “The Yalta Myths” –
Origins of the Cold War
Reading: Bell,
pp. 188-209
Tues. 20 Nov. “The Dropping of the
Atomic Bomb – Historical Controversy?
Reading: Bell, pp. 201-230
Thurs. 22 Nov. THANKSGIVING
Tues. 27 Nov. “World War II Myths and
Realities” – Precision Bombing and other Fallacies
Reading: Fussell, Preface, Chapters
1-3, 5, 7
Thurs. 29 Nov. “Marketing the War” – Type-casting and ad-making
Reading: Fussell, Chapters 9-11
Tues. 4 Dec. “The Story Remains Untold” – Home front vs. front line perceptions
of World War II
Reading: Fussell, Chapters 13, 18
QUIZ #2 – December 4th – Fussell, Wartime
(ONLY the assigned chapters: 1-3, 5, 7, 9-11, 13, 18)