Time Schedule:
Susan A Glenn
HIST 388
Seattle Campus
Introduction to the discipline of history for new or prospective majors. Emphasizes the basic skills of reading, analysis, and communication (both verbal and written) that are central to the historian's craft. Each seminar discusses a different subject or problem.
Class description
War Stories: Recording, Remembering, and Reimagining WWII:
In the United States the lore and legacy that constitute the national memory of World War II is so familiar to many people that it remains important touchstone into our own time. In this course we will examine the legacy of World War II from locations often neglected in America's collective memory of that time, including the initial indifference of many Americans to the rise of European fascism and the persecution of Jews and the impact of ethnic and racial animosities on the battlefields and on the American home front. We will read or view a wide range of primary works from and about America and World War II, as well as turning our attention to the contemporary recycling of the meaning of that period in our nation's past. Readings include accounts by journalists, novelists, filmmakers, and works by historians. Though them we hope to gain a better understanding of the myriad ways in which the war and its effects have been recorded, remembered, and re-imagined. This is a "W" course.
Student learning goals
Students will improve their oral and written communication skills.
Students will gain confidence and competency in analyzing primary sources and in forming arguments about them.
Students will hone their critical thinking skills.
General method of instruction
Discussion-based.
Recommended preparation
None
Class assignments and grading
This is a reading, discussion, and writing course.
Grades will be based on contributions to class discussion and writing assignments.
