In this course students will explore multiple scholarly interpretations of the Cold War. As a class we will assess the Cold War as well as the historiography of the Cold War, or the ways in which historians have written about the Cold War from 1945 to the present. We will be looking at the impact of the Cold War on American foreign policy, on American society as a whole and on the American people. Along the way, we will discuss the tools and methods historians use to write good history and we will struggle with the process of understanding history. Class will be based on student discussion.
Attendance is essential.
The reading load will be heavy and this course is writing intensive. 222 or permission of instructor. This capstone course examines historical and historiographical problems, philosophical issues pertaining to substance and methods of history as a discipline, and the process of research and writing history. A long analytical paper, written critiques, oral presentations, and active class participation are required.