America and the world, 1945-2020: technology, conflict and the lives of others (Part 1)

Learning Outcomes

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
• research historical questions and communicate your findings convincingly and concisely in written essays and reports
• utilise and develop your time-management skills

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
• structure your ideas and research findings into well-ordered essays
• analyse critically a variety of textual, visual and material culture sources

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Knowledge and understanding of the changing technologies of American warfare from 1945-2020
• Knowledge and understanding of the impacts of American war-making upon other societies
• Knowledge and understanding of the ethical issues surrounding modern warfare

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 three case studies: American nuclear policy; the Vietnam War; and American post-Cold War foreign policy. Indicative topics include: the decision to drop the atomic bomb; the decision to develop the hydrogen bomb; the anti-nuclear movement; counter-insurgency and attrition in Vietnam; the My Lai massacre; the Vietnam anti-war movement; the Vietnam syndrome; the First Gulf War; post-Cold War humanitarian interventions; and the war on terror.

Teaching and learning methods

The current intention is to deliver teaching for this module online. If circumstances allow, some form of blended delivery methods, including lectures, seminars, workshops, or individual tutorials may be introduced if it is safe for all concerned to do so. However, delivery will remain entirely online if face to face teaching is not possible or advisable.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.