Spring 2000

History 500/700CXI

World War II: The Global Revolution

History 500/700 Dr. R. E. Rook
World War II FHSU--Spring 2000
Office: RH343 (Ph. 5671) Office Hours: TBA

COURSE SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES

This course will examine World War II within the contexts of world history and military history emphasizing two major premises. First, World War Two was THE watershed event of the 20th century. Contemporary world society is much more easily understood within the context of World War II and the changes it wrought. Second, World War II was the world's first and, thus far, only global war fought between fully mobilized and industrialized nation-states. No less significant was the way in which World War II fostered contemporary conceptualizations of how wars begin, progress, and end. Although the course will concentrate on the years between 1933 and 1946, it will also explore both the roots and the consequences of World War II during the late 19th and late 20th centuries repectively.

REQUIRED READINGS

All Students must read the following:

James Stokesbury, A Short History of World War II
Richard Overy, Why the Allies Won
John Dower, War Without Mercy
Omer Bartov, Hitler's Army

Students taking this course for graduate credit2 must also read the following in addition to the above:

Irish Chang, The Rape of Nanking
Paul Fussel, Wartime

CLASS MEETINGS

This class will meet every Tuesday evening from 4:30 to 6:20pm at Fort Hays State University. For students unable to attend class on campus, this course will be broadcast over Interactive Television (ITV).

EXAMINATIONS

There will be a midterm and a final exam. A portion of the final will be comprehensive. Both exams will be primarily essay and short answer.

In addition there will be regularly on-line quizzes that will be accessible via this web page.

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

For students taking this course for undergraduate credit there will be (2) writing assignments. For students taking this course for graduate credit there will be (3 ) writing assignments. Individual details of these assignments will provided at a later date.

ELECTRONIC CLASSROOM

This course has a special electronic bulletin board and discussion list that can either be accessed via the campus computer system or over the internet via the worldwide web. All students enrolled in the course are required to participate in these higly important components of the class.

COURSE GRADING

Coursework will have the following values in determining your grade average:

First Written Assignment-------15%

Midterm Exam--------------------20%

Second Written Assignment---15%

Final Exam-------------------------25%

On-Line Quizzes------------------25%

NOTE: For students taking this course for graduate credit there will be three (3) writing assignments worth 10% each. Also, students taking the course for graduate credit See below for instructions on the additional writing assignment.

Failure to complete any of the four assignments listed above will result in automatic failure of the course.

SCHEDULE OF LECTURES

WEEK ONE--Introduction to the Course and Prelude to War Part, I

WEEK TWO--Prelude to War, Part II

WEEK THREE--War Begins in Asia and Europe

WEEK FOUR--Blitzkrieg, Sitzkrieg, and the Sleeping Giant

WEEK FIVE--From June to December, 1941: The USSR and USA

WEEK SIX--The Critical Year: 1942

WEEK SEVEN--Cultures, Societies, & Economies at War

WEEK EIGHT--The War at Sea and in the Air

WEEK NINE--Science and Technology at War

WEEK TEN--Germany and Japan Under Siege; The Axis Responses

WEEK ELEVEN--The Holocaust

WEEK TWELVE--War's End

WEEK THIRTEEN--Dawn of the American Century, the Cold War, & Conclusions

FINAL EXAM: Tuesday, May 9 4:30 to 6:10PM

PROVISOS

1. Continued enrollment after receipt of this syllabus signifies your understanding of and
acceptance of the definition and consequences of plagiarism and cheating.

The History Department adheres to Fort Hays State University’s policy on academic
honesty published in the Fort Hays State University handbook.

Please contact the instructor if you are in any way uncertain of either the definition of these academic crimes and their consequences, i.e. no credit on the assignment, failure in the course, or possible expulsion from the university.

2. If you are an individual requiring accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA), it is your responsibility to notify the instructor immediately regarding any
accommodations that you may require.

3. Make-up examinations require either a medical excuse or prior arrangement with the
instructor.