HIST 2014 (Fall, 2015)
The First World War: How It Changed Our World
Syllabus
“Field Uniforms of Our Enemies in the West and East”
Course Coordinator: Dr. Colin Mitchell
Office: 2169 McCain Building (Department of History)
Phone No.: 902-494-2788
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: Fridays, 1:30-3:30
Drop-Off Box No.: 90
1. Description
This course was first offered in 2014 to mark the centenary of the beginning of the Great War in 1914.
Until 1914, conflicts were between nation-states and empires, but the emergence of the great alliance
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system in the late 19 century determined that the first serious European conflict of the 20 century
would explode as a truly global conflagration. Concomitant with the grand alliance system was the
phenomenon of overseas empires and systemized colonies in the Americas, Africa, and Asia; as a result,
the colonies of East Africa, North Africa, South Asia, and elsewhere were called upon to contribute
personnel, materiel, resources, and money. Overseas dominions and allies – like Canada, Newfoundland,
Australia, New Zealand, and the United States – likewise contributed to the war effort.
It is for the above reasons that this class is dedicated to exploring the phenomenon of WW1 as a global
event, rather than focusing on the Western European theater as is so often the case with classes
dedicated to the Great War. Moreover, this class is dedicated to exploring beyond the diplomatic-military
impact of WW1 (i.e. Wilson’s 14 points, the League of Nations, the creation of the Wiemar Republic), and
in turn explores the impact of the First World War with regard to literature, drama, art, aesthetics, film,
science, technology, and engineering.
Note: This is a team-taught course.
2. Text Book
There is one textbook for this course and it is available in the Dalhousie University Bookstore:
William K. Storey, The First World War: A Concise Global History (Rowman and
Littlefield, 2009).
Other readings and podcasts will be made available via the online component of the course.
3. Evaluation
A) Midterm – multiple choice, fill-in-the-blanks, short essays, maps
Date: Oct. 15, 2015
Value: 15%
B) Written Response Paper #1 (see Appendix A)
Due Date: Oct. 8, 2015
Value: 25%
C) Written Response Paper #2 (see Appendix A)
Due Date: Dec. 1, 2015
Value: 25%
D) In-Class Final – essay questions
Date: Dec. 8, 2015
Value: 25%
E) Attendance/Participation
Value: 10%
Note on submissions and deadlines:
 All assignments are due on their respective due dates; no extensions will be granted.
 Failure to submit an essay on its proper due date result in a 3% per day penalty (5% per
weekend) for a maximum of 1 week. If students are having difficulty with an assignment, they
are encouraged to approach the instructor as soon as possible.
***Note***: Students must fulfill every portion of this course (book review, research paper, final) to
receive a grade. Non-completion of any major assignment for this course will result in a failure (F).
4. Attendance
Students must attend class, and absenteeism will jeopardize a student’s performance. Poor attendance
affects the final grade in the following ways:
1. 3-5 unexcused absences = final grade will be reduced by an order of one (i.e. a grade of B
becomes a B-; a C+ becomes a C; a C- becomes a D)
2. 6-7 unexcused absences = final grade will be reduced by an order of two (i.e. a grade of Abecomes a B; a B becomes a C+; a C becomes a D)
3. 8+ unexcused absences = final grade will be reduced by an order of three (i.e. a grade of Bbecomes a C-; a C+ becomes a D; a grade lower than C- will revert to a F.
An attendance ledger will be circulated at the beginning of class. If a student fails to sign in, the student is
counted absent. If a student wants an absence counted as excused, he/she must submit a valid written
excuse within one week of the absence. Medical excuses will be accepted; all other excuses are subject to
scrutiny.
Note that attendance is more than a student’s physical presence. Students who check Facebook, surf the
net, send text messages, or otherwise ignore or interrupt the lecture will be counted as absent and this
behavior will be noted. Students should not attend if they are going to be more than ten minutes late.
5. Accommodation and Academic Integrity
Accommodation Statement:
Students may request accommodation as a result of barriers related to disability, religious obligation, or
any characteristic under the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act. Students who require academic
accommodation for either classroom participation or the writing of tests and exams should make their
request to the Advising and Access Services Center (AASC) prior to or at the outset of the regular
academic year. Please visit www.dal.ca/access for more information and to obtain the Request for
Accommodation – Form A.
A note taker may be required as part of a student’s accommodation. There is an honorarium of
$75/course/term (with some exceptions). If you are interested, please contact AASC at 494-2836 for more
information.
Please note that your classroom may contain specialized accessible furniture and equipment. It is
important that these items remain in the classroom, untouched, so that students who require their usage
will be able to participate in the class.
Academic Integrity Statement:
All students in this class are to read and understand the policies on academic integrity and plagiarism
referenced in the Policies and Student Resources sections of the academicintegrity.dal.ca website.
Ignorance of such policies is no excuse for violations.
Any paper submitted by a student at Dalhousie University may be checked for originality to confirm that
the student has not plagiarized from other sources. Plagiarism is considered a serious academic offence
which may lead to loss of credit, suspension or expulsion from the University, or even to the revocation of
a degree. It is essential that there be correct attribution of authorities from which facts and opinions
have been derived. At Dalhousie there are University Regulations which deal with plagiarism and, prior
to submitting any paper in a course, students should read the Policy on Intellectual Honesty contained in
the Calendar or on the Online Dalhousie website. The Senate has affirmed the right of any instructor to
require that student papers be submitted in both written and computer-readable format, and to submit
any paper to be checked electronically for originality. As a student in this class, you are to keep an
electronic copy of any paper you submit, and the course instructor may require you to submit that
electronic copy on demand.
6. Electronic Devices
Numerous studies and articles have appeared in recent years regarding the negative impact of screen
technology (laptops, smart phones, tablets, etc.) on students during lectures. For this reason, the
instructor asks that students do not bring such electronic devices to class. Part of tutorial will be
dedicated to explaining effective note-taking for students.
7. Agreement and Consent
By enrolling in this class you agree to accept the policies described in this document. You have the right
to withdraw if you do not accept these policies.
8. Lecture Schedule
Section 1: Context
S10 – Intro to Class
S15 – Putting the Pieces Together (Part 1) (C. Bell, Dept. of History, Dalhousie)
S17 – Putting the Pieces Together (Part 2) (C. Bell, Dept. of History, Dalhousie)
Section 2: From Sarajevo to Saskatoon: Cores and Peripheries in a Global War
S22 – Britain: An Empire and Society at War (C. Mitchell, Dept. of History, Dalhousie)
S24 - Great Expectations: The German Home Front (J. Bingham, Dept. of History, Dalhousie)
S29 - Into the Whirlwind: Russia and World War I (D. Kozlov, Dept. of History, Dalhousie)
O1 – The U.S. Confederacy’s Great War (J. Munro, Dept. of History, SMU)
O6 - Canada: the Empire and The Clash! (S. Tillotson, Dept. of History, Dalhousie)
O8 - Canada II (T. McCallum, Dept. of History, Dalhousie)
Response Paper #1 Due
O13 - War, Ethnicity and Race in South Africa (G. Kynoch, Dept. of History, Dalhousie)
O15 – Midterm
Section 3: From Istanbul to Delhi: Defining Empire, Colony, and Race in a Global War
O20 - The Unknown Soldiers: South Asians and the Impact of World War One on British India (C. Mitchell,
Dept. of History, Dalhousie)
O22 - The Ottoman Empire in WWI (A. Ghazal, Dept. of History, Dalhousie)
O27 - WWI and the Making of the Modern Middle East (A. Ghazal, Dept. of History, Dalhousie)
O29 – Who Owns the Commemoration of Gallipoli? Australia vs. Turkey (C. Mitchell/A. Ghazal, Dept. of
History, Dalhousie)
N3 – Africa and WW1 (P. Zachernuk, Dept. of History, Dalhousie)
N5 - Africa, Black Atlantic Politics, and Pan Africanism. (P. Zachernuk, Dept. of History, Dalhousie)
N10 – Newfoundland and WW1 (J. Bannister, Dept. of History, Dalhousie)
N12 – University Closed
Section 4: A Brave New World?
N17 – WW1 and the Revolt Against Drama (R. Barker, Fountain School of the Performing Arts, Dalhousie)
N19 - The Art of War (M. Holmlund, Dept. of History, Dalhousie)
N24 – How World War I Changed Art (M. Holmlund, Dept. of History, Dalhousie)
N26 - World War I in Film (J. Bingham, Dept. of History, Dalhousie)
D1 - The Dead Marshes: The Impact of World War I on Literature (K. Cawsey, Dept. of English, Dalhousie)
Response Paper #2 Due
D3 – To Heal the Wounds of War: Science and Humanism after WW1 (M. Frappier/S. Dodd, History of
Science and Technology Program, University of King’s College)
D8 – In-Class Final Exam