This course approaches the war as a conflict of two cultures, each trying to define itself and its world role. This course is framed by those questions. Requirements include interpretive papers and in-class tests. This course will introduce students to many different modes of historical writing and problems in historical interpretation by exploring the history of the U.S. from 1915 to 1945 and focusing especially on the American experience in the two World Wars. This course will consist mainly of class discussion and projects, with occasional lectures.
Attendance is absolutely essential.
Students are expected to take an active part in class, raise questions and form opinions based on material presented in class and in the reading assignments. Students will be evaluated on their participation in class and on their timely completion of all written and oral assignments. This course will compare and contrast the myths which have fueled present-day Serbian nationalism, especially those that stem from the 14th century battle of Kosovo and the Serbian role in World Wars I and II, with historical accounts of the those same subjects. The reading material will consist of both primary and secondary sources, and the grade will be based on class participation, several short papers, a mid-term and a final. More recently, historians have begun looking beyond the experiences of elites to try to uncover how common people lived and their experiences in the past.