Studying at York
The Public in Conflict: War and American Society in the Long 20th Century - Semester 2 - HIS00217H
- Department: History
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: H
- Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
Module summary
Throughout the long 20th century most of the American public only encountered war from a distance, in its mediated form. Through media channels including news, film, letters, and cartoons, among many others, Americans constructed their understanding of a conflict and their own personal role within it. In this module, we will examine war not primarily as a military concern, but rather as a social enterprise. We will do so by employing analytical lenses related to gender, class, race, and culture. Some of the questions we will consider include – how did military service define changing models of masculinity? What were the myriad labours women were assigned during wartime? What meanings did the iconic Rosie the Riveter carry, and how was motherhood mobilised to support the war effort, or to resist it? How did domestic race relations shape, and were in turn shaped by, military campaigns overseas? Why is the Vietnam War remembered as a ‘working class war’? How did consumerism come to represent a form of participation in the war, or in activities against it? And does the public’s lack of direct engagement in military labour and warfare make war more, or less likely?
The module moves chronologically from the Spanish-American War to the Iraq War, with the onset of the Cold War serving as the cut off point between semester 1 and semester 2. Beyond chronological linkage alone, terms and methods established in semester 1 will serve and inform our discussions in semester 2 as well. During our sessions, we will study a range of primary sources related to the arena of popular culture – including motion pictures, songs, cartoons, prose, as well as newspaper archives. Aside from the module readings, students will be required to analyse sources in various media both in preparation for class and in class.
Related modules
Students taking this module must also take the first part in Semester 1.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 2 2024-25 |
Module aims
The aims of this module are:
- To introduce students to in depth study of a specific historical topic using primary and secondary material;
- To enable students to explore the topic through discussion and writing; and
- To enable students to evaluate and analyse primary sources.
Module learning outcomes
Students who complete this module successfully will:
- Grasp key themes, issues and debates relevant to the topic being studied;
- Have acquired knowledge and understanding about that topic;
- Be able to comment on and analyse original sources;
- Be able to relate the primary and secondary material to one another; and
- Have acquired skills and confidence in close reading and discussion of texts and debates.
Module content
Students will attend a 3-hour seminar in weeks 2-4, 6-8 and 10-11 of semester 2. Weeks 5 & 9 are Reading and Writing Weeks (RAW). Students prepare for and participate in eight three-hour seminars in all. A one-to-one meeting between tutor and students will also be held to discuss assessments.
Seminar topics are subject to variation, but are likely to include the following:
- Brainwashing Paranoia and the Korean War
- Fatherhood and the Draft
- Gender Politics of the Vietnam War
- Anti-War Protests
- The Roots of the All-Volunteer Force
- Inventing the Warrior Ethos
- Whose Army Fought in Iraq?
- The War Coming Home
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
For formative assessment, students submit an essay draft of 2000-words.
For summative assessment, students complete a 4000-word essay relating to the themes and issues of the module. This comprises 100% of the overall module mark. Summative assessments will be due in the assessment period.
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Following their formative assessment task, students will receive a one-to-one meeting with the tutor to discuss the essay and their plans for the assessed essay.
Work will be returned to students with written comments in their tutorial and may be supplemented by the tutor giving some oral feedback to the whole group. All students are encouraged, if they wish, to make use of their tutor’s student hours. For more information, see the Statement on Feedback.
For summative assessment tasks, students will receive their provisional mark and written feedback within 25 working days of the submission deadline. For more information, see the Statement of Assessment.
Indicative reading
For semester time reading, please refer to the module VLE site. Before the course starts, we encourage you to look at the following items of preliminary reading:
- Bailey, Beth. An Army Afire: How the U.S. Army Confronted its Racial Crisis in the Vietnam Era. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press, 2023.
- Macleish, Kenneth T. Making War at Fort Hood: Life and Uncertainty in a Military Community. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013.
- Vuic, Kara Dixon. The Girls Next Door: Bringing the Homefront to the Front Lines. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2019.