How has the Second World War shaped post-war Europe? Nearly eighty years after Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender, we are still living in the shadow of the Second World War. The end of the Cold War has seen an upsurge in commemorative activity ranging from new memorials to court cases. This special subject invites you to explore and reflect on the impact of the Second World War on European societies (including Britain) between 1945 and the present day. Together we will examine and compare the ways in which contemporaries and later generations have tried to make sense of the upheaval and horrors of the Second World War. Over the course to two terms, we will explore a host of commemorative practices and media (ranging from architecture and popular histories to film and war memorials) and their socio-cultural contexts. Methodologically, the module enables you to explore the cultural history of the legacy of war. Cultural history here means the study of languages, practices, artefacts and gestures through which events are encoded by those who live through them or in their aftermath.
Lecture/Seminar - 64 hours
Main Assessment Methods:
15 minutes + slides Oral presentation (individual) and report. Assessment Details: Students give an oral presentation on a particular topic for a specified length of time. They will also submit a report (summary) of their presentation. Oral presentations, incl. planning and preparation, take place over two terms (20%).
3,000 words Essay. Assessment Details: Students write an essay during the first term on specified or agreed topics within given parameters of the course (40%).
1,500 words Source Commentaries. Assessment Details: Students comment on a selection of primary sources.
This assignment takes place in the second term, building on the students' learning over the first term (20%).
1,500 words Source Commentaries. Assessment Details: Students comment on a selection of primary sources. This assignment takes place in the second term, building on the students' learning over the first term (20%).
Reassessment Method: Single Instrument 100% written assessment / essay (5,000 words)
On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:
1) Systematically understand and interpret the legacy of the Second World War.
2) Accurately deploy established techniques of analysis to dissect primary sources ranging from written documents to feature films.
3) Critically evaluate secondary sources and scholarly debates.
4) Individually and/or collectively review, consolidate, extend and apply their knowledge with regard to historiographical debates about the long-term legacy of the Second World War and the Holocaust.
5) Effectively communicate information, ideas, and interpretations concerning scholarly debates using written and visual primary evidence and to a variety of audiences.
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