Syllabus


1. Wed. Sept. 7th

The heritage of World War I.

2. Mon. Sept. 12th

The world of the 1930’s.
Stokesbury, A Short History of World War II, pp. 15-46
“The Maginot Line,” Robert Doughty in MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History (Vol. 9, No. 2)
Start reading Christopher R. Browning’s Ordinary Men. A short commentary is due in two and a half weeks on Wed. Sept. 28th. Refer to the General Guide to the Reading as well as A General Guide to the Commentaries, both of which are in the syllabus, to understand the nature of the assignment.
Some DVDs of The Triumph of the Will are available. Ask Prof. Rose.

3. Wed. Sept. 14th

From Anschhluss to Blitzkrieg.
Stokesbury, pp. 47-69
“Poland 1939,” Caleb Carr in MHQ (Vol. 2, No. 1)

4. Mon. Sept. 19th

“Phony war;” real war.
Stokesbury, pp. 69-104
“Why Did France Fall?” Douglas Porch in MHQ (Vol. 2, No. 3)

5. Wed. Sept. 21st

Dunkirk . . . Petain, de Gaulle and Darlan.

6. Mon. Sept. 26th

The Battle of Britain.
Commentary on Browning’s Ordinary Men is due next class. Please read the instructions for preparation of the Commentary in the appropriate section of the syllabus.
See the DVD of Conspiracy. It is on reserve at the Audio Visual center at the Library. It is an important film. E-mail me one or two paragraphs with your impressions. The assignment is due on Mon. Oct 31st.
Stokesbury, pp. 105-114
“How Did the “The Few” Win?” Williamson Murray in MHQ (Vol. 2, No. 3)

7. Wed. Sept. 28th

Europe Under Hilter.
Commentary on Browning’s Ordinary Men is due. The next commentary on Sledge’s With the Old Breed is due in three weeks on Oct 19th.

8. Mon. Oct. 3rd

Mediterranean and North Africa.
Stokesbury, pp. 115-149
“Crete,” Williamson Murray in MHQ (Vol. 3, No. 4)

9. Wed. Oct. 5th

The German world view . . . the invasion of Russia.
Stokesbury, pp. 150-160
“Barbarossa,” Williamson Murray in MHQ (Vol. 4, No. 3)
View the DVD Conspiracy and email me your impressions. It is on reserve in the library Audio Visual Center

Mon. Oct. 10th

NO CLASS - National Holiday

10. Wed. Oct. 12th

Growing US involvement . . . British strategy.
Stokesbury, pp. 161-199

11. Mon. Oct. 17th

US-Japanese antagonism . . . Pearl Harbor.
“Why Weren’t We Warned?” David Kahn in MHQ (Vol.4, No. 1)
“The Might-Have-Beens of Pearl Harbor,” Eliot Cohen in MHQ (Vol. 4, No.1)

12. Wed. Oct. 19th

Germany and Japan at their zenith.
Your Commentary on With the Old Breed is due. Your next Commentary on War Without Mercy is due in three weeks on Wed. Nov. 9th. It is longer so don't leave it to the last minute.
Stokesbury, pp. 200-216

13. Mon. Oct 24th

The Pacific boils over: the Philippines, Singapore . . . The tide turns: Coral Sea and Midway.
See the DVD of The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter. It is on reserve at the Library. E-mail me your comments by Monday, Oct. 31st

14. Wed. Oct. 26th

The Holocaust.
If you have never seen Schindler’s List, it is a “must.” It will give greater meaning to our discussion of the Holocaust. I have a VCR tape. Also recommended is The Pianist.

15. Mon. Oct. 31st

The war at sea . . . North Africa.
Stokesbury, pp. 217-244
E-mail me one or two paragraphs about your impressions of the DVD of The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter.

16. Wed. Nov. 2nd

Two turning points: El Alamein and Stalingrad.
Stokesbury, pp. 245-260
“Stalingrad,” Peter G. Tsouras, MHQ (Vol. 5, No. 2)
“A Lousy Story,” Vladimir Lemport in MHQ (Vol. 3, No. 2)

17. Mon. Nov. 7th

The strategic controversy between Admiral Nimitz and General MacArthur.
Your Commentary on War Without Mercy is due next class.

18. Wed. Nov. 9th

The Casablanca Conference . . . Unconditional Surrender . . the end in North Africa . .
Your Commentary on War Without Mercy is due today. Start thinking about your term paper. You have four weeks. It is due on Nov. 30th with no excuses. It’s a good idea to run your topic by me.
“The End in North Africa,” Hans von Luck in MHQ (Vol. 1, No.4)
“The Tragedy of Unconditional Surrender,” Charles Crozier in MHQ (Vol. 2, No. 3)

19. Mon. Nov. 14th

June 6th, 1944: D-day.
“Secrets of Overlord,” Stephen Ambrose, MHQ (Vol. 1, No. 4)

20. Wed. Nov. 16th

The July 20th plot against Hitler’s life . . . the destruction of Warsaw.
“Why Didn’t the Soviets Take Warsaw?” Marshall Brement in MHQ (Vol. 6, No. 3)
“Women, Combat and the Gender Line,” D’Ann Campbell in MHQ (Vol.6 No.1)
Have you run your paper topic by me?

21. Mon. Nov. 21st

The Air War.
Stokesbury, pp. 261-287
“The Lonely Passion of Bomber Harris,” Max Hastings in MHQ (Vol. 6, No. 2)

22. Wed. Nov. 23rd

The island campaign in the Pacific . . . Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf.
Stokesbury, pp. 288-326

23. Mon. Nov. 28th

The Battle of the Bulge and the disintegration of the German Army.
“The Bulge,” Stephen Ambrose in MHQ (Vol. 1, No. 3)
Stokesbury, pp. 327-348
Your term papers are due next class. NO extensions.

24. Wed. Nov. 30th

The end in Europe.
Stokesbury, pp. 349-363
Term papers due. NO Extensions; don’t even think about asking

25. Mon. Dec. 5th

The end in the Pacific.

26. Wed. Dec. 7th

The Meaning of World War II.
Your comments on the USS Intrepid are due.

27. Mon. Dec. 12th

Memories

28. Mon. Dec. 14th

Final examination (in regular class period)