569 syllabus--class info

History 569: Great War B. Farley/541-276-6962/baf007@gmail.com. I’m not at campus that often, because I live with health-challenged 86 and 90 year olds, but I have a massive communications empire at home and you should feel free to email any time. Welcome to this term’s field course on the Great War. Whatever your area of specialization, you won’t be wasting your time getting to know this conflict “up close and personal” because it produced so many of the most consequential issues and problems associated with the 20th century and beyond. A partial list would include Communism in Russia, the modern middle East(fake states like Iraq and Syria, the Israel-Palestine conflict), the first genocide, industrial-strength slaughter and the cheapening of life, air power/tank warfare, the first shots in the Cold War(arguably)and(also arguably)the “worst peace treaty in modern history,” the Versailles settlements. That’’s just for starters. Class M.O…This is my first grad course, so it will necessarily be a work in progress, but I am sure that our joint efforts will make it a success. Here’s what I am thinking about organization : I will lead off each session with some brief remarks about the subject in question and/or show some relevant video—there’s too much good stuff out there not to. Then, one of you will present the week’s book and we’ll discuss the issues in question. On occasion, I will pitch in and present a book that’s hard to find or outrageously expensive. In addition, I will present from time to time video clips or and/ commentary to stress a point that might not be obvious from the reading. The Great War is SUCH a rich vein… I will come to Pullman at some point in the semester and have class with you there, preferably over some nice food. This will definitely be before the snow flies. In terms of written assignments, you will choose two required books, any two, on which to write a 2-3 page review identifying the major issue(s)they treat and evaluating how the authors succeeded or failed. And each person will identify an area of interest to explore in depth—as in, read 5-10 books—and write a New York Review of Books-style essay reviewing the topic(s) in question and the ways in which the authors approach it. Some possible areas of inquiry include: the changing nature of warfare, WMD in WWI, gender/role of women, propaganda and film(then and now), commemoration, impact of colonial or Dominion soldiers, during and after the war, the war on the American homefront, the making of new nations(Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Iraq), impact of the Russian revolution, accounting for and memorializing the missing, shell shock, “shot at dawn” cases, battlefield medicine and plastic surgery, the origins and history of the “unknown” soldier, poetry and poets in the Great War, Balfour declaration and the making of the postwar Middle East, the Armenian genocide(for example, how was this covered in America?) When you undertake this assignment, bear in mind that the centennial of this war is nearly upon us—August 2014 is less than two years away, so there will be a market for books, articles and briefer op-eds in the local newspapers. Why shouldn’t you get in on the action? My goals for this term are, in random order: a) to explore with you some of the major issues and controversies of the Great War; b) to introduce the newest materials and media on this conflict, so that you can teach this phenomenon competently and well, if you dare; c) to inspire you to do some great work on this period, whether it’s a book, article or just personal enlightenment; d) to convince you of the virtues of visiting the battlefields of the Great War, so as to personalize and deepen your connection with this most fundamental event in modern history.