HIST 325 Outline

THE KING'S UNIVERSITY

COURSE NUMBER:

HIST 325

COURSE TITLE:

Cold War

NAME OF INSTRUCTOR:

Dr. Mark Sandle

CREDIT WEIGHT AND WEEKLY TIME DISTRIBUTION:

credits 3(hrs lect 3 - hrs sem 0 - hrs lab 0)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course examines the Cold War from its origins to its denouement. It examines the escalation of the conflict from the end of the Second World War through the ERP, the Korean War, Cuba and Vietnam, up to and including the collapse of communism and the fall of the Berlin Wall. This course explicitly focuses upon key hotspots (Cuba, Vietnam), the main protagonists (Kennedy and Khrushchev, Reagan and Gorbachev) and social, cultural and economic aspects of the Cold War (including music, film, literature) to build an integrated view of the Cold War by examining it from different disciplinary perspectives. It includes a sustained engagement with both the historiography of the Cold War, and the relevant primary sources from the period.

Prerequisites: HIST 204

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Edward Judge & John Langdon: The Cold War: A Global History (Prentice Hall, 2011)

MARK DISTRIBUTION IN PERCENT:


Paper One (2500 words)	25%
Paper Two (2500 words)	25%
Film Review (2000 words)	20%
Final Exam	30%

	100%

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

demonstrate knowledge of specific topics within the context of the Cold War
relate within these specific topics the key historical issues, concepts, dates, figures, evidence, and historiographical debates
assess the impact of the Cold War on the politics, society, culture and economy of the different nations under consideration.
understand the complex nature of the Cold War, and consider its impact on the world.
Further refine their Christian perspective and outlook through an extended engagement with the past

COURSE OUTLINE:

The Origins of the Cold War 1917 – 49

Ideology; WW2; the Iron Curtain; the division of Germany; the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan

The Cold War Gets Hot 1949-68

Korea, Eastern Europe (Hungary, Yugoslavia), Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, the Communist Cold War, Afghanistan

The “other” Cold Wars: culture, sport and space 1949-85

Culture, sport, space race, technology, espionage, nuclear threat, propaganda

Endgame 1985-1991

Reagan and Gorbachev; the fall of the Wall; who won?

Required texts, assignments, and grade distributions may vary from one offering of this course to the next. Please consult the course instructor for up to date details.