History 349 - World War One - Fall 2013
Instructor: Rob Kirchubel - [email protected]
Office: REC 419, hours: M/W 12:30-1:30
I. Overview: History 349 is a military history class. As in the real world where the
military does not exist in a vacuum - separate from politics, economics, culture and other
considerations, so it is with military history. While the majority of the course will deal
with military operations, personalities and technologies we will also cover the major
combatants’ diplomacy (which does not automatically end once the shooting begins),
domestic politics, home fronts and occupation policies.
History 349 and 351 (WW II, Spring 2014) will treat the period 1914-1945 as a
modern Thirty Years War, therefore both will deal with the interwar period. Although
WW I was truly global, most action took place in Europe. It was heavily gendered toward
white men. Further, despite significant episodes of naval combat and the infancy of
military aviation present during WWI, most fighting took place on land so our course will
reflect that emphasis.
Although there are no prerequisites for our course, before we begin students
should be familiar with the history of “the long nineteenth century” (1789-1914) and
European geography. As with any specialized discipline, military history has its own
vocabulary: students will learn to distinguish between admirals and colonels, corps and
squadrons or battleships and cruisers. Military history also has specialized tools: students
will become comfortable with those two-dimensional representations of the earth’s
surface known as maps – I will use many maps.
War is a terrible thing and our course is not meant to glorify it. The World Wars
were tremendously destructive so students must accept death on a massive, almost
abstract scale. Casualties, measured in thousands or tens of thousand per day were the
principal currency of both conflicts, completely dwarfing America’s losses on 9/11 and in
Afghanistan/Iraq.
II. Objectives: At the conclusion of this course students will understand:
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Distinctive features of the major combatants.
Underlying and immediate causes of WW I.
War’s opening moves and reasons for stalemate at the end of 1914.
Secondary theaters in Africa, Asia, the Near East.
The war at sea, including Britain’s blockade and Germany’s U-boat war.
Efforts by major combatants to break stalemate from 1915-17.
War’s effect on the home front, “battles” for food and production, role of women.
Collapse of Russia and entry of United States.
Final operations in 1918.
Various peace treaties.
1920s: Russian bolshevism, German chaos, Italian Fascism, Japanese militarism.
III. Schedule: See separate spreadsheet.
IV. Text: Hew Strachan, The First World War, Viking, 2004. (Note: Text does not
exactly follow lecture, use the index!)
V. Grading: We will play hard (few things are as fun or rewarding as studying military
history) and work hard (the American education system requires periodic feedback from
students to measure learning). I’m assuming that all of you are here because you want to
be, NOT because you’re a business or engineering major who needs to “check the box”
by taking some humanities course. The major elements of grading are:
A. Quizzes, 10% of course grade: I will give periodic unannounced quizzes throughout
the course. Quizzes can be either at the beginning or end of a class, can deal either with
assigned readings, lecture material or general knowledge. They are also a tool to motivate
students to attend class since they cannot be made up.
B. Book analysis, 15% each: Every student will READ TWO PAIRS of books listed
below and write a comparative analysis of each pair based on questions I will provide and
are due 9 Oct & 22 Nov. Exam essay questions will also reflect these readings.
Specifically the book pairings are:
(i) Students interested in the causes and events leading up to WW I will read
Barbara Tuchman, The Guns of August AND Robert Massie, Dreadnought. (Note: If
you’re going to read these, perhaps buy/order before classes begin!)
(ii) Students interested British and German perspectives on life in the Western
Front trenches will read Robert Graves, Goodbye to All That AND Ernst Jünger, Storm
of Steel.
(iii) Students interested in higher level military operations will read Correlli
Barnett, The Swordbearers AND Norman Stone, The Eastern Front. (Note: The
Swordbearers is in short supply, if you want a good price, order it now!)
(iv) Students interested in WWI beyond Europe will read Russell Freedman, The
War to End All Wars AND T.E. Lawrence, Revolt in the Desert.
C. Exams: Exams will be made up of objective (fill in the blank, etc) and subjective
(essay) questions. I will provide a study guide ahead of each exam. You will have three
mid-terms (13% each, tentatively scheduled on 20 Sept., 18 Oct., 6 Nov) and one midterm/final exams (19%, 9 Dec.). By “mid-term/final” I mean that the mid-term portion
will cover material since the third mid-term plus have questions to tie together the entire
course.
D. Extra credit: Can be book review, research project, etc., negotiated ahead of time,
must be turned in before Thanksgiving break and is worth a maximum of 10% of the
course grade.
VI. Course Policies: Class behavior will be judged by my standards of adult courtesy
and mutual respect. Unfortunately, a small number of students make the following
caveats necessary: Arrive in class on time, prepared, well rested, with all personal drama
on hold for 50 minutes and do not start “closing shop” 5-10 minutes before the end of
class. Do not risk possible humiliation by texting, falling asleep, etc. in class. If you must
leave class early, be sure to sit near an aisle and door so you keep disruption to a
minimum.
Attendance is expected but I will not take roll. Absences from class are your business, I
will not ask you about an absence nor do I want you to “explain” it to me. Pay close
attention to the course schedule for important dates and plan ahead. Do not miss an exam;
make arrangements with me to take it ahead of time instead. Thanks to modern
technology you can submit assignments on time regardless of where you happen to be.
Late work will be penalized. However, if you will be absent on school business, such as
ROTC, sports, band, etc., do tell me in advance.
Learning is a participatory endeavor. Even though our class is technically a lecture,
student participation is encouraged. Actively listen to lectures and read course materials.
Feel free to initiate discussions and ask questions during class. Each class period I will
ask if students have questions and this is not an insincere gesture.
A final word on cheating and plagiarism: don’t. Make sure all work that you submit is
yours. You should all know that there are many technologies to detect intellectual
dishonesty. Plagiarized work will earn a “zero” and may lead to further consequences.
Disclaimer: In the event of a major campus emergency, the above requirements,
deadlines and grading policies are subject to changes.