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Academic Year 2001/2002


The Cold War and Political Culture
HIST 341 SP

Crosslistings:
AMST 344

The end of World War II initiated what many have referred to as a "cult of secrecy" in the United States, marking the initiation of a Cold War between blocs of nations forming around the United States and the Soviet Union. Beginning with the use of a nuclear bomb on Japan and ending with the fall of Saigon, this seminar will examine the first two phases of United States-Soviet relations characterized by containment, the development and use of covert intelligence apparatuses, and the displacement of conflict into "hot war" zones in the Third World. We will also address domestic ideologies that supported and opposed Cold War policies, among them McCarthyism, consumer culture, civil rights, and the New Left.

MAJOR READINGS

Carolyn Eisenberg, DRAWING THE LINE: THE AMERICAN DECISON TO DIVIDE GERMANY
Walter Hixson, PROPAGANDA, CULTURE AND THE COLD WAR
Eugene Burdick, THE UGLY AMERICAN
Peter Bacon Hales, ATOMIC SPACES: LIVING ON THE MANHATTAN PROJECT

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Three 5-7 pp. papers or one 15-20 pp. paper.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

Class attendance is mandatory; students will occasionally be asked to view a film outside of class.

Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.

COURSE FORMAT: Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS HIST    Grading Mode: Graded   

Prerequisites: HIST233 OR AMST200 OR HIST240 Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-19-2002


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