HISTORY DEPARTMENT
TRENT UNIVERSITY
HIST 3361H: World War II
Summer 2014
Online
Instructor: Dr. Mark Celinscak
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 748-1011 (x. 7119)
Campus: Peterborough
Office Location: Champlain
College E 1.4
Office Hours: By appointment
only
Secretary: Christine Quigley
Email: [email protected]
Office Location: Lady Eaton College, S 101.3
Telephone: 705-748-1011 (x. 7706)
Course Description: As modern history’s deadliest conflict, World War II encompassed the globe.
More than any battle before it, industrial centres and civilian populations were targeted by lethal
and effective strategic weapons. Unlike the war of 1914-1918, World War II killed twice as many
civilians as soldiers. It was a war for national liberation and decolonization; a confrontation in
which old powers fell and new ones emerged. It was also a brutal clash between ethnic groups that
forever altered the demographics of the world. Indeed, the ramifications of the war continue to
influence world affairs. Consequently, the history of the war is still being written and contested. As
a third year, online course of study, World War II will examine the conflict in both eastern and
western Europe, the battle in the Pacific and the war’s impact in North America. This course will
provide an overview of the historical, cultural and social conditions of the war. It will also offer an
analysis of the responses to and representations of these wartime conditions.
Learning Objectives: As a third year course of study, World War II provides students with an
opportunity to explore, in depth, a major event in world history through class discussion of the
scholarship in the field and through advanced independent research. Students should be able to use
their knowledge of the field and skills in critical thinking, historical writing, historical approaches
and methodologies to research a topic in depth, produce an original analytical argument based on
the evidence and situate it in the appropriate historiographical and theoretical contexts. Students
should be able to communicate their arguments to the instructor and their peers with clarity,
accuracy and logic through major research papers and class presentations. Upon successful
completion of the World War II, students should understand the conventions of historical writing,
the rules of academic integrity and professionalism, the importance of personal initiative and
accountability, as well as the evolving nature of historical knowledge. They should be able to
evaluate historical writing effectively through examinations of sources, arguments, and
methodologies. By the end of the course a successful student should:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Explain and analyze key features of the history of World War II
Situate significant texts in both their social and historical contexts
Evaluate and interpret primary and secondary source documents
Demonstrate clear and effective writing
Refine rhetorical skills through online discussion forums
Required Text:

Murray, Williamson and Allan R. Millet, A War to Be Won: Fighting the Second World
War. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2000.
*The above text is available in paperback at the Trent University Bookstore. It is also available
from Amazon Canada in Kindle format (which can then be read on any PC for free).
Recommended Texts:

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Gilbert, Martin. The Routledge Atlas of the Second World War. London: Routledge, 2008.
Hilberg, Raul. The Destruction of the European Jews. Third Edition. New Haven: Yale
University Press, 1961; 2003.
Keegan, John. The Second World War. London: Hutchinson, 1989.
Roberts, Andrew. The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War. New York:
Harper, 2011.
Weinberg, Gerhard L. A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1994; 2005.
Course Format (Peterborough Campus)
Type
Day
Time
Location
Web Course
Weekly
Ongoing
Online
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Course Evaluation
Assignment
Description
Value
Contribution to This activity asks students to contribute two online discussion posts per week.
Students are required to complete the assigned readings and should be prepared to
Discussion
discuss the material in an online forum on a weekly basis. See Appendix A below
Forums
for further details. Ongoing.
Assignment #1
Secondary
Source
Analysis
Assignment #2
Primary
Source
Analysis
Take Home
Exam
30%
This assignment asks students to examine a pair of readings that explore the
scholarly study of “war experience.” Papers will compare how two scholars tackle
the question of experience and war in historical study from a particular viewpoint.
Students will assess not only the conclusions, but also the theoretical approaches of
each author. See Appendix B below for further details. Due 7 July 2014.
20%
This assignment asks students to examine and compare two reports, either print or
broadcast, on a specific topic by journalists covering World War II. Students will
consider the role and importance of war journalism, as well as the similarities and
differences of the two accounts. See Appendix C below for further details. Due 21
July 2014.
20%
The final exam will consist of a series of essay questions which will cover the
entirety of the course, including the weekly readings and the material covered in the
assignments. The questions will be posted towards the end of the course. See
Appendix D below for further details. Due 5 August 2014.
30%
*Please submit assignments #1 (secondary source analysis), #2 (primary source
analysis) and the take home exam to the following email address:
[email protected]
Submissions should be sent as a Word (.doc or .docx) file. Please include your
first and last name in the document title (ex. MarkCelinscak.docx).
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Course Schedule
* Please note: [B] designates availability on “BlackBoard”
Hyperlink designates online availability in the library catalogue
Week
World War II
~ Summer Term ~
1939/1940: From the Invasion of Poland to the Battle of France and Britain
(1)
23-27 June
Seminar Readings:
 Williamson Murray and Allan R. Millet, A War to Be Won: Fighting the Second World
War, pp. 1-17, 44-90 (Chapters 1, 3 and 4).
 David Reynolds, “1940: Fulcrum of the Twentieth Century?” International Affairs 66, No.
2 (April 1990): 325-350.
 Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, “An Open Letter to Frenchmen Everywhere.” New York Times
Magazine (29 November 1942): 7.
1940/1941: From American Neutrality to the War in the Pacific
(2)
30 June-4 July
Seminar Reading:
 Murray and Millet, A War to Be Won, pp. 169-195 (Ch. 8).
 Ken Kotani, “Pearl Harbor: Japanese Planning and Command Structure.” In The Pacific
War Companion: From Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima. Edited by Daniel Marston (Oxford:
Osprey, 2005), pp. 31-46. [B]
 Der Fuehrer's Face. Walt Disney Productions. RKO Radio Pictures (1 January 1943).
1941/1942: From Operation Barbarossa to the Battle of Stalingrad
(3)
7-11 July
Seminar Readings:
 Murray and Millet, A War to Be Won, pp. 110-142 (Ch. 6).
 Teddy J. Uldricks, “The Icebreaker Controversy: Did Stalin Plan to Attack Hitler?” Slavic
Review 58, No. 3 (Autumn 1999): 626-643.
 Vasily Grossman, “The Old Man.” In The Road: Stories, Journals, and Essays. Translated
by Robert and Elizabeth Chandler with Olga Mukovnikova (New York: New York Review
Books, 2010), pp. 77-83. [B]
1942/1943: From the Invasion of North Africa to the Armistice with Italy
(4)
14-18 July
Readings:
 Murray and Millet, A War to Be Won, pp. 374-410 (Ch. 14).
 Lucio Ceva, “The North African Campaign 1940–43: A Reconsideration.” Journal of
Strategic Studies, 13, No. 1 (1990): 84-104. [B]
 Bill Mauldin, Up Front (New York: W.W. Norton, 1945; 2000), pp. 64-74. [B]
1943/1944: From the Allied Bombing Offensive to the Normandy Landings
(5)
21-25 July
Seminar Readings:
 Murray and Millet, A War to Be Won, pp. 411-445 (Ch. 15).
 Thomas Childers, “‘Facilis descensus averni est’: The Allied Bombing of Germany and the
Issue of German Suffering.” Central European History 38, No. 1 (2005): 75-105.
 Randall Jarrell, “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner,” “Eighth Air Force” and “Losses.”
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1945: The Surrender of Germany and Japan
(6)
28 July –
31 July
Seminar Readings:
 Murray and Millet, A War to Be Won, pp. 446-483, 527-553 (Ch. 16 and 19).
 John W. Dower, Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II (New York: W.W.
Norton, 1999), pp. 33-45. [B]
 Paul Fussell, “Almost Beyond Human Conception.” In The Norton Book of Modern War
(New York: Norton, 1991), pp. 308-314. [B]
Course Policies: Students are expected to contribute to the online discussion forums. A significant
portion of the final grade involves weekly online discussions. The online discussions and
instruction relate directly to the various assignments in the course. In addition, students are required
to participate in the online forums having completed the readings and should be prepared to discuss
the material on a weekly basis.
Students will provide the instructor with a digital copy of each assignment. Submissions of all
assignments are expected by the due date. Late submissions will be penalized two percentage
points per day.
Useful Course-Related Websites:
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The Second World War Experience Centre
Group for War and Culture Studies
Society for Military History
Internet History Sourcebook Project
Hyperwar Project
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
University Policies
Academic Integrity:
Academic dishonesty, which includes plagiarism and cheating, is an extremely serious academic
offence and carries penalties varying from a 0 grade on an assignment to expulsion from the
University. Definitions, penalties, and procedures for dealing with plagiarism and cheating are set
out in Trent University’s Academic Integrity Policy. You have a responsibility to educate yourself –
unfamiliarity with the policy is not an excuse. You are strongly encouraged to visit Trent’s
Academic Integrity website to learn more: www.trentu.ca/academicintegrity.
Access to Instruction:
It is Trent University's intent to create an inclusive learning environment. If a student has
a disability and/or health consideration and feels that he/she may need accommodations
to succeed in this course, the student should contact the Student Accessibility Services
Office (SAS), (BH Suite 132, 705-748-1281 or email [email protected]).
For Trent University in Oshawa Student Accessibility Services Office contact 905-4355102 ext. 5024. Complete text can be found under Access to Instruction in the Academic
Calendar.
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Appendix A – Discussion Forum Posts
Students are required to complete the assigned readings and should be prepared to discuss the
material on a weekly basis. This ongoing assignment asks students to contribute TWO online
discussion posts PER WEEK. The instructor will offer a series of questions by Sunday evening
before the start of that week’s readings. Students can respond to one, some or all of the questions
presented by the instructor. Responses should demonstrate an understanding of the readings and
offer an assessment of the authors’ point of view. Student posts should make connections
between each of the assigned readings for that week. Above all, students are expected to offer
informed opinions of the readings, as well as demonstrate active engagement with other student
responses.
Students are required to make their FIRST weekly discussion posting no later than Wednesday
evening and preferably earlier. The sooner students offer their first post, the greater the opportunity
for students to respond to it. Students are required to make their SECOND discussion posting no
later than SATURDAY. This second offering can be a response to a specific post or it can simply
refer to student reactions as a whole. Each discussion post should be between 200 to 300 words.
Discussion posts will be graded on the quality of the argument, the connections made between the
weekly readings and on the reflection to other student postings.
Students are expected to be respectful and keep an open mind at all times during online discussions.
Moreover, students are encouraged to ask questions of one another, present opinions and offer
counter arguments. Posts should be written formally and not in point form. Lack of participation
will negatively impact a student’s grade. Please ensure to keep up with the readings and your
discussion posts.
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Assignment #1 – Secondary Source Analysis: Investigating “War Experience”
How do historians understand the “experience of war”? This assignment asks students to examine a
pair of readings that explore “war experience” from a particular perspective: men and combat;
prisoners of war; or women and combat. Papers will compare how two scholars tackle the issue of
experience and war in historical study. Students will assess not only the conclusions, but also the
theoretical approach of each author.
For background on issues concerning the study of war experience, it is recommended that students
first read the following:
 Henry Rousso, “A New Perspective on the War.” In Experience and Memory: The Second
World War in Europe. Edited by Jorg Echternkamp and Stefan Martens (New York:
Berghahn Books, 2010), pp. 1-9. [B]
Students will then select ONE of the topics below and read BOTH articles:
Men and Combat
 Omer Bartov, “The Conduct of War: Soldiers and the Barbarization of Warfare.” Journal of
Modern History 64 (December 1992): 32-45.
 Catherine Merridale, “Culture, Ideology and Combat in the Red Army, 1939-1945.” Journal
of Contemporary History 41, No. 2 (April 2006): 305-324.
Prisoners of war
 Timothy K. Nenninger, “United States Prisoners of War and the Red Army, 1944-45: Myths
and Realities.” Journal of Military History 66, No. 3 (July 2002): 761-781.
 Felicia Yap, “Prisoners of War and Civilian Internees of the Japanese in British Asia: The
Similarities and Contrasts of Experience.” Journal of Contemporary History 47, No. 2
(April 2012): 317-346.
Women and Combat
 Paula Schwartz, “Partisanes and Gender Politics in Vichy France.” French Historical
Studies 16, No. 1 (Spring 1989): 126-151.
 D’Ann Campbell, “Women in Combat: The World War II Experience in the United States,
Great Britain, Germany, and the Soviet Union.” Journal of Military History 57, No. 2 (April
1993): 301-323.
Essays will be graded on the following three aspects: on the originality of the argument, on the
comparison of the two articles and on the assessment of the historians’ approach. Papers must
follow the formal aspects of academic writing, including attribution of sources, grammar, spelling,
style, punctuation, quotation, and citation. For formatting and citation, the Chicago Manual of Style
is preferred. Papers are expected to be four-to-six pages in length (approximately 1000-1500 words)
and are due on 7 July 2014.
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Assignment #2 – Primary Source Analysis: War Journalism
This assignment asks students to examine two reports, either print or broadcast, on a particular
topic by journalists covering World War II. Students will consider the role and importance of war
journalism, as well as the similarities and differences of the two accounts. The reports by the editors
of Life magazine and Ernie Pyle reflect on combat deaths during wartime; stories by Andy Rooney
and Edward R. Murrow consider the Allied bombing of civilians; Richard Dimbleby and Martha
Gellhorn, meanwhile, respond to the liberation of concentration camps.
For background on war journalism, it is recommended that all students first read the following:
 Harold Evans, “Reporting in the Time of Conflict: An Essay.” War Stories. Newseum.
Students are to select ONE out of a possible three war topics to analyze:
On Combat Deaths
 “Three Americans (21 September 1943).” Photo by George Strock. Life, pp. 34-35.
 Ernie Pyle, “The Death of Captain Waskow (10 January 1944).” In Ernie’s War: The Best
of Ernie Pyle's World War II Dispatches. Edited by David Nichols (New York: Random
House, 1986): pp. 195-97. For an innovative audio retelling click this link.
On Aerial Bombings
 Andy Rooney, “How it Feels to Bomb Germany (27 February 1943).” Stars and Stripes, pp.
1 and 4.
 Edward R. Murrow, “Orchestrated Hell (3 December 1943).” CBS. Radio Vault Collection.
On Liberating Concentration Camps
 Richard Dimbleby, “Despatch (17 April 1945).” Remembering Belsen. Edited by Ben
Flanagan and Donald Bloxham (London: Vallentine Mitchell, 2005), pp. xi-xiii. [B]
 Martha Gellhorn, “Dachau: Experimental Murder (23 June 1945).” Collier’s Weekly, pp. 16,
28, 30.
Students will briefly summarize the two accounts and reflect on the role of journalism during
wartime. Papers should discuss the thesis of each report and reveal how the two journalists compare
in their approach. Students must have a clear and coherent thesis statement.
Essays will be graded on originality of the argument and on the quality of the comparison between
the two reports. Papers must follow the formal aspects of academic writing, including attribution of
sources, grammar, spelling, style, punctuation, quotation, and citation. For formatting and citation,
the Chicago Manual of Style is preferred. Papers are expected to be four-to-six pages in length
(approximately 1000-1500 words) and are due on 21 July 2014.
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Appendix D – Take-Home Exam
The final assignment for this course is a take-home exam. The exam will consist of a series of short
essay questions which will cover the entirety of the course, including the readings and the material
covered in the assignments.
The questions will be posted towards the end of the course. Additional details will be provided once
the exam questions are posted.
The exam is to be submitted by 5 August 2014.
No. 32 Canadian Army (Basic) Training Centre
PETERBOROUGH, ONTARIO – DECEMBER 1942
The Memory Project Archives (Historica Canada)
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