HIST 300/500 C – War and Society: 1688 – Present
11:00 – 12:15 PM – TR
HC 006 – Washburn University
Instructor – Dr. Nicholas A. Krehbiel
Office – Henderson 311P
Office Hours – TT, 9:00-11:00 AM, 2:30-3:30 PM
E-mail – nicholas.krehbiel@washburn.edu (preferred method if I am not in my office)
Office Phone – 670-2061
***My office door is always open (in a figurative sense). Knock if the door is shut. I am more than willing to meet with students to discuss matters pertaining to the course, or other general pontifications that may be on your mind. Unfortunately, I live in Manhattan and I will be on campus on only the rarest of days on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. I strongly suggest that if you cannot meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, that you send me an email to answer any questions that you may have. Do not in any way feel as though you are inconveniencing me. I am here to help you succeed in this course.***
***This syllabus contains the course policies and requirements for the upcoming semester. Your continued enrollment in this course after the first day of class signifies your understanding and acceptance of these policies and requirements. Please pay close attention to them.***
Course Goals – The study of military history traditionally covers what military historians refer to as the “Drums and Trumpets,” or the study of battles, tactics, strategy, and famous military personalities. Over the last three decades, owing much to the Civil Rights Movement and the call for examining “history from the ground up,” the so-called New Military History emerged, which emphasizes studying the social history of the military, what affected it, and how the military shaped American society. This social emphasis on military history manifested itself in many ways. Some study the lives of common soldiers. Others examine race and gender in military history. Some look at the role of religion while others still consider literature, television, films, art, and music as a part of military history. The opportunities for the study of the military as a social organism are limitless. Throughout this semester, we are going to examine, deconstruct, and pontificate on small slivers of this massive amount of material. Through this examination, students will be exposed to the incredible influence the military has had on the American society and culture.
In terms of the objectives of the course, students will develop their writing, research, evaluative, and critical thinking skills through book reviews, exams, and a final research paper covering some aspect of war and society. Students will also develop their public speaking abilities through the oral presentations, complete with visual aids and a question and answer period.
Texts
Beidler, Philip. The Good War’s Greatest Hits: World War II and American Remembering. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1998. 0820320013
Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. Prestwick, 2004. 1580495869
Faust, Drew Gilpin. This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War. Vintage, 2009. 0375703837
Gamble, Richard. The War for Righteousness: Progressive Christianity, the Great War, and the Rise of the Messianic Nation. Wilmington, DE: ISI Books, 2003. 1932236163
LePore, Jill. In the Name of War: King Philip’s War and the Origins of American Identity. Vintage, 1999. 0375702628
Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse Five, Or the Children’s Crusade. Dial Press Trade Paperback, 1999. 0385333846
The Following Books are Strongly Recommended
Marius, Richard. A Short Guide to Writing About History. Longman, 2009. 0205673708
Turabian, Kate, et al. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007. Seventh Edition. 0226823377 (Your research paper MUST be written in this format. If you do not have it, you need to get it.)
Course Requirements and Guidelines
Readings – In the assignment listing below is a breakdown of the projects/exams for the course. In addition to the course presentations, there will also be extensive discussions of the assigned readings in addition to the lecture material that I provide. The large majority of the discussions will be held on Thursdays throughout the semester. It is imperative that you come to class prepared to discuss the assigned reading material. Lack of preparation on your part not only detracts from the dynamics of a class discussion, it could cause you to miss out on easy points from possible pop quizzes!
Attendance – Show up to class! Although I do not technically take attendance, the reading quizzes are easy points and serve as an attendance check. You are now in college and it is your responsibility to attend class and be fully prepared, not mine. Just showing up is not enough either. I expect you to pay attention and participate when relevant. Please do not read a newspaper or magazine, work on other assignments, talk to your neighbor, start your daily yoga exercises, or contemplate the great celestial questions like, “Is Kansas City ever going to have a winning Major League Baseball team again?” If you have a question, please ask me. I love to create a dialogue in a classroom. Any questions relevant to the material being presented are welcomed and encouraged.
Assignments
Oral Presentations (50 pts) – During many of the class periods throughout the semester, students will give a twenty (20) minute lecture, complete with visual aids. There will be a question and answer period following your presentation. During the first week of class, I will assign a selection number at random, and students will select from the topics listed in the class schedule at the end of this syllabus, much like a professional sports draft. There are more subjects than students so as to allow some degree of flexibility for student interest. The guidelines and requirements for this will be handed out separately.
Book Reviews (1 @ 40 pts and 1 @ 60 pts) – Students will review Drew Gilpin Faust’s This Republic of Suffering and Richard Gamble’s The War for Righteousness. The differentiation in point values are to factor in the learning curve after you receive feedback from your first review. As with the oral presentations, the guidelines for your review will be handed out separately.
Exams (2 @ 50 pts each) – There will be two exams: a midterm and a final. The exams will consist of an ID/Significance section and an essay. You will have 75 minutes to complete each exam.
Final Paper (100 pts) – The assignments in this course will culminate in a research paper of the student’s choosing, subject to approval from me. The deadline for topic approval appears in the course schedule below. As with the other typewritten assignments, the guidelines will be handed out separately.
Those taking this course for graduate credit
will have two extra reading assignments and a historiographical essay as a part
of their course requirements. Graduate
students are required to meet with me to discuss the extra readings and essay
outside of class at a time chosen by all involved (the students and Dr.
Krehbiel). The extra requirements will
be given to the student as an addition to the syllabus.
Grading
Course
Breakdown
Oral Presentation – 50 pts.
Book Review #1 – 40 pts.
Book Review #2 – 60 pts.
Midterm Exam – 50 pts.
Final Exam – 50 pts.
Final Paper – 100 pts.
Total = 350 pts.
Grades – The final grades will be determined from percentages based on the following scale:
90-100% = A
80-89% = B
70-79% = C
60-69% = D
59% and below = F
Final Exam
Wednesday, December 9, 1:30 PM – Henderson 006
Other Important Information
Rarely do I grant extensions on assignments or give incompletes for courses. That said, if there are circumstances that require either extensions or incompletes, let me know and we will see what can be done.
You may ONLY miss the scheduled deadlines for in-class activities, such as the exams and the oral presentations if you are going to a university function in which you are participating. Leaving early for vacation, missing class b/c you have to make it back home for lunch with a high school buddy, and being gone to get choice seats in Denver for the Chiefs/Broncos game are not legitimate excuses for missing class. That said, I will work with you for family emergencies/tragedies and dire sickness. If you miss a class in which a quiz or exam is given. You have one week to make it up and in the case of the quizzes, it will be a different format from what the rest of the class took. Deadlines for such assignments as the book reviews and the final paper must still be met, but you may hand them in outside of class if absolutely necessary. Trust me, it is much easier to complete the requirements if you are in class.
The exams will be written in Blue Books. You are responsible to bring your own Blue Books to class on the day of the exam. Please do not forget about this. Make sure to buy a large enough book to write your exam in. I suggest the 8 leaf, 16 page booklet, but that is just a guideline. In my exams, more is not better. I believe in tightly constructed, concise answers on both IDs and essays. You should not need more than 16 pages, unless you have exceptionally large handwriting.
One last note about the exams and it pertains to the final. There is large window for the exam to be given, but I do not give a cumulative final. You will have 75 minutes to complete the midterm, and the same will pertain for the final. The exam begins at the time on the schedule and will be collected after 75 minutes later. Late arrivals will not be given extra time to complete the final.
WASHBURN UNIVERSITY ADDITIONS – COURSE SYLLABUS
Select Mission of the
University:
Washburn University shall prepare qualified individuals for
careers, further study and life long learning through excellence in teaching
and scholarly work. Washburn University
shall make a special effort to help individuals reach their full academic
potential. Washburn University Board of Regents, 1999
Academic Misconduct
Policy:
All students are expected to conduct themselves appropriately and ethically in their academic work. Inappropriate and unethical behavior includes (but is not limited to) giving or receiving unauthorized aid on examinations or in the preparation of papers or other assignments, or knowingly misrepresenting the source of academic work. Washburn University’s Academic Impropriety Policy describes academically unethical behavior in greater detail and explains the actions that may be taken when such behavior occurs. For guidelines regarding protection of copyright, consultwww.washburn.edu/copyright/students. For a complete copy of the Academic Impropriety Policy, contact the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Bradbury Thompson Alumni Center Suite 200, or go on-line to: www.washburn.edu/admin/vpaa/fachdbk/FHsec7.html#VIII
Disability Services:
The Student Services Office is responsible for assisting in arranging accommodations and for identifying resources on campus for persons with disabilities. Qualified students with disabilities must register with the office to be eligible for services. The office MUST have appropriate documentation on file in order to provide services. Accommodations may include in-class note takers, test readers and/or scribes, adaptive computer technology, brailled materials. Requests for accommodations should be submitted at least two months before services should begin; however, if you need an accommodation this semester, please contact the Student Services Office immediately.
Location: Student Services, Morgan Hall Room 135 (new location)
Phone: 785-670-1629 or TDD 785-670-1025
E-Mail: student-services@washburn.edu
Students may voluntarily identify themselves to the instructor for a referral to the Student Services Office.
Center for Undergraduate Studies and Programs (CUSP):As a Washburn student, you may experience difficulty with issues such as studying, personal problems, time management, or choice of major, classes, or employment. The Center for Undergraduate Studies and Programs (Office of Academic Advising , Educational Opportunity Program, and Office of Career Counseling, Testing and Assessment) is available to help students either directly through academic advising, mentoring, career counseling, testing and developing learning strategies or by identifying the appropriate University resource. If you feel you need someone with whom to discuss an issue confidentially and free of charge, contact CUSP in Morgan 122, 785-670-2299, advising@washburn.edu.
Withdrawal Policy:
During fall and spring semesters, students may withdraw from full semester courses through the second week of class with no recorded grade. From the third through the eleventh week a “W” is recorded for any dropped course. Beginning with the start of the twelfth week, there are NO withdrawals, and a grade will be assigned for the course. For short-term or summer course deadlines, please check the appropriate Semester/Session Course Bulletin Web Site (www.washburn.edu/schedule)
Official E-Mail
Address:
Your Washburn University e-mail address will be the official address used by the University for relaying important messages regarding academic and financial information and the University will consider this your official notification for important information. It may also be used by your instructors to provide specific course information. If you prefer to use an alternate e-mail address to receive official University notices, you can access your MyWashburn e-mail account, choose the "Options" tab, and select "Settings", scroll to the bottom of the screen, click enable forwarding and enter the e-mail address you would like your Washburn emails forwarded to in the “mail forwarding” area. Click add and the click on save changes. This will complete the process of forwarding your Washburn e-mail. It is your responsibility to ensure that your official e-mail box does not exceed your message quota resulting in the inability of e-mail messages to be accepted into your mailbox
Course Schedule
Week 1 – August 18, 20
Course Introduction
The Social Aspects of War
Week 2 – August 25, 27
The Colonial Era
Thursday
Discussion: Lepore, The Name of War
Oral
Presentation Topics: Thursday
The Militia in the Colonial Era
Week 3 – Sep. 1, 3
Seven Years War and the Social Consequences
Oral
Presentation Topics: Thursday
Native Americans in the French and Indian War
Discontent in the Colonies
Week 4 – Sep. 8, 10
The Revolutionary Era
Oral
Presentation Topics: Thursday
The Soldiers of the Continental Army
Women in the Revolution
Week 5 – Sep. 15, 17
The Early Republic
Oral
Presentation Topics: Thursday
Ideology and the New Nation’s Military
Internal Rebellion in a Young Nation
Week 6 – Sep. 22, 24
Wars of Expansion
Oral
Presentation Topics: Thursday
Manifest Destiny in Society and Culture
The American Soldier in the Mexican War
Week 7 – Sep. 29, October 1
The Civil War
Thursday Discussion: Faust, This Republic of Suffering
Oral
Presentation Topics: Thursday
The Northern Homefront during the Civil War
The Southern Homefront during the Civil War
Week 8 – Oct. 6 No Class Thursday October 8 – Fall Break
MIDTERM EXAM
Week 9 – Oct. 13, 15
War and Empire
Thursday Discussion: Crane, The Red Badge of Courage
Oral
Presentation Topics: Thursday
American Expansion and the Plains Indians
Yellow Journalism and the Spanish-American War
Week 10 – Oct. 20, 22
World War I
Thursday
Discussion: Gamble, The War for Righteousness
Oral
Presentation Topics: Thursday
Suppression of Civil Rights during World War I
Anti-German Hysteria during World War I
Week 11 – Oct. 27, 29
World War II
Oral
Presentation Topics: Thursday
Race and the Armed Services during World War II
Rationing
and the Homefront during World War II
Week 12 – November 3, 5
The Atomic Cold War
Thursday
Discussion: Beidler, The Good War’s
Greatest Hits
Oral
Presentation Topics: Thursday
The Cold War and Religion
Communism and Hollywood
Week 13 – Nov. 10, 12
Korea
Oral
Presentation Topics: Thursday
The Draft in the Twentieth Century
War and Film in the Twentieth Century
Week 14 – Nov. 17, 19
Vietnam
Thursday
Discussion: Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse
Five
Oral
Presentation Topics: Thursday
The Anti-war Movement
The Music of Vietnam
Week 15 – Nov. 24 – No Class
Nov. 26, Thanksgiving Holiday
Recent Military Action
Week 16 – December 1, 3
Challenges for Tomorrow
Oral
Presentation Topics: Thursday
Soldiers in the All-Volunteer Force
The Military-Industrial Complex
Final Exam Wednesday, December 9, 1:30 PM – Henderson 006