The Second World War

Mary Louise Roberts, United States Military Academy

The Second World War is arguably the most important global event in the twentieth century.  It brought nearly the entire world into its vortex of violence, hatred and industrial killing.  It was a racial war begun by Germany and Japan in their quests for dominance.   It was also a total war  which demanded complete loyalty to the state and which consumed the natural, material and human resources of combatant nations.  This  course will explore these three themes of violence, racism and total war during the years 1939-1945.   Lectures, screenings and readings will emphasize the war as a turning point in global politics; the role of leaders such as Hitler,  Winston  Churchill,  Joseph Stalin and Charles de Gaulle, the lived experience of war and occupation for soldiers,  civilians, and prisoners, and the execution of Nazi genocide and Japanese atrocities.    During weekly screenings of popular films,  students will come to distinguish “popular” from “historical” memory of the Second World War,  and gain critical distance on how the war has been remembered personally, officially,  and in American culture. This is a 4 credit course which meets as a group for 4 hours per week and carries the expectation that you will spend an average of 2 hours outside of class for every hour in the classroom. In other words, in addition to class time, plan to allot an average of 8 hours per week for reading, writing, preparing for discussions, and/or studying for quizzes and exams for this class.