WAR & SOCIETY: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

WAR & SOCIETY: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

INTRODUCTION:This course offers advanced subject matter looking at various questions on war and society in American experienece.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:This course explores the major themes in war and society in American History. The class proceeds assuming the students are aware of the major historical events in the US. From the Revolutionary War to the current US involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, the US has been on and off engaging in various wars. The class focuses on major issues of the American notion of military engagements, wars�f impacts on society and culture, and historical representations of wars as well as dealing with memories.

REQUIRED READINGS:

Millet & Peter Maslowski. For the Common Defense: A Military History of the United States of America. New York: The Free Press, 1984, 1994.

Carrol, Andrew, ed. War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:At the end of the semester, you should be able to analyze critically on various historical questions coming out of the War's impact on the politics, military, society and culture as well as vice versa.

GRADING:: Attendance----------------------5%; Research Paper Assignment-------50%; Mid-Term Exam-------------------20%; Final Exam----------------------25%

The gradings depend on your attendance, writing assignment, mid-term exam, and final exam. You are required to come to class. Writing assignment and exams are essays.

RRSEARCH PAPRR ASSIGNMENT Write 12-15 page research paper exploring various themes in War and Society, major debates over military history questions, wars�f impacts on American society and culture. Sources can include books, periodicals, news sources, literatures, novels, TV programs, arts of various kinds as such as photographs, paintings, poems, and movies.
EXAMS:Exams are take home. You are given the questions on certain days beforehand. You are required to build up to answer questions at home.

COURSE SCHEDULE

DAY 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE: History of the US Armed Forces in Brief; American Academic Perspective in Military History: An Unnecessary, Technical or a Trivial History

DAY 2: Colonial Wars and the Colonial Society:: Conflicts Between the Colonists and the Natives; Conflicts Among the Colonists Themselves

DAY 3: The American Revolution: the Emergence of National ArmyMilitia vs. Regulars; Support Groups; Reactions of American Society

DAY 4: Westward Expansion, Manifest Destiny and the US Colonialism: US-Indian Wars; US-Mexian Wars

DAY 5: Industrialization, Modernization, Urbanization: Emergence of the Civil War Racial Tension and the Civil War: Racial Tension; North v. South; War and Technological Advancements

DAY 6: The Civil WarWas the Civil War Really Civil?: Black Soldiers and Racial Relations; Development of Medical Treatments; Dealing with Deaths; War and Media; Cultural Representation of the Civil War and Memory

DAY7: The Great War: US Isolationism and Involvement: Was the Great War really great?; New Technology, Mobilization and the Rise of Technocracy

DAY 8: The Second World War: The Great Depression and WWII; Media Propaganda; Change in the Roles of Women; Racism and Nationalism

DAY 9: The Second World War: Technological Advancements; The Rise of Efficiency; The Notion of Good War, Cultural Representation and Memory

DAY 10: The Atomic Culture: The Impact of the Atomic Weapons over Strategic Thinking; American Atomic Society and Culture

DAY 11: The Cold WarMcArthyism: Integration of Segregated Units and the Korean War; The Korean War as a Forgotten War

DAY 12: The US-Indochina War: The Idea of Limited Warfare; Agent Orange, Mind Altering Drugs; Emergence of the Notion of PTSD

DAY 13: Small Wars and Secrecy: The Bay of Pigs, Grenada, Afghanistan and the CIA, Iran HOstage Situation and the Iran Contra Affairs: Brief Mapping Out of Secret Operations; Political Implication of Small Wars

DAY 14: The Persian Gulf War: The Rise of New American Militarism; The Gulf War

DAY 15: Somalia and Bosnia: Humanitarian Hawks; The Peace Keeping Operations

DAY 16: The Current Wars: September 11th Attack and the Memory of Pearl Harbor; The War on TerrorismGlobalization and the New World Order

DAY 17: Privatization of the Military: Mercenaries; Corporate Warriors; War as a Capitalistic Opportunity

DAY 18: Military Organization: Class Differences in the US Armed Forces; Inter-Service Rivalries

DAY 19: Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen and Women: Personal Experience and Memoirs; Soldiers vs. Civilians; Disability, PTSD and Domestic Problems

DAY 20: Death, MIA, POW, and Medical Issues in Depth: Dealings with Death; Missing in Action; Prisoners of Wars and Their Treatments; Diseases and Disabilities; Psychological Problems

DAY 21: Race and Gender: Women in the Military; Women's Roles; Recial Segregation, Integration and Tension

DAY 22: War and Economics: Logistics; Financing the War; Military Industrial Complex

DAY 23: War and Ideology: Politics; Religion and Institutional Justification; Warrior Culture

DAY 24: War and Education: Military Schools and Studies; War in Academia

DAY 25: Media and Information Warfare: Censorship and Control of Information; War Propaganda; Movies and Hollywood

DAY 26: War and Films: John Waynism and the American Masculinity; Propaganda Films; Anti-War Films

DAY 27: War and Cultural Representation: War Fictions v. Memoirs; War Letters; War Poems, Literatures and Songs; Memories and Imageries

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