Module overview
The history of the post-war world has been powerfully shaped by the decisions and actions of American political and military leaders, and by the deployment of American defense technologies. This module considers the significance of humanitarian concerns within US national security discourse from the fire-bombing of Germany and Japan during the Second World War through to the start of the Vietnam War. It also examines the actual impacts of American war-making and war-fighting technologies upon the lives of others, including the population of Hiroshima, the victims of napalm in Korea, those exposed to radioactive fallout from US nuclear tests, and the inhabitants of strategic hamlets in Vietnam.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- engage with the secondary literature on post-war American foreign policy, and contribute to the debates relating to the historiography of that policy and its impact on the wider world
- analyse critically a variety of textual, visual and material culture sources
- structure your ideas and research findings into well-ordered essays
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- locate and use effective textual, visual and material culture sources in the library and on-line, synthesising this material in order to develop cogent arguments
- utilise and develop your time-management skills
- research historical questions and communicate your findings convincingly and concisely in written essays and reports
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- Knowledge and understanding of the ethical issues surrounding modern warfare
- Knowledge and understanding of the impacts of American war-making upon other societies
- Knowledge and understanding of the changing technologies of American warfare from 1945-1963
Syllabus
This module will focus on two particular themes: the role played by humanitarian concerns in American national security policy since the Second World War; and the actual impact of American national security policy and practices on the 'lives of others'. These themes will be explored with particular reference to the fire-bombing of Germany and Japan, the use of nuclear weapons and the evolution of early nuclear strategy, the Korean War, concerns about nuclear conflict and the effects of nuclear tests, the Berlin and Cuban Missile crises, and initial US counter-insurgency policy in Vietnam.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
2 x 2-hour face-to-face seminars per week, encompassing a blend of plenary class and small group discussion, document analysis, and class exercises.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Seminar | 48 |
| Independent Study | 252 |
| Total study time | 300 |
Resources & Reading list
Journal Articles
John Lewis Gaddis (1986). The Long Peace. International Security.
Textbooks
John Tirman (2011). The Deaths of Others.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Timed Assignment | 50% |
| Written assignment | 50% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Written assignment | 50% |
| Timed Assignment | 50% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Timed Assignment | 50% |
| Written assignment | 50% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External