The Second World War has had a decisive impact on European and global geographies, politics and international relations. Memories of this conflict, conceptualised through monuments and ceremonies, as well as television, film and novels, continue to play an important role in European national cultures. This course will explore the Second World War from both a historic and contemporary perspective. Central themes of the conflict and the legacies of the conflict.

"15x1hr lectures; 5x1hr seminars over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus. This is one of the Honours options in History and may not run every year. The options that are running this session are available on MyCampus".

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The standard assessments for this course are:

■ Two Essay (2000 words each) - 90%

■ Seminar Presentation (8 minutes, focussing on primary source analysis, 800 words) - 10%

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:

■ There is no alternative to the essays, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustments (students should follow the usual process for extensions)

■ 1:1 presentation / Q&A with course convenor or recorded presentation as alternative to seminar presentation.

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.

The course aims to:

■ Introduce students to core themes and debates in the history and legacies of the Second World War.

■ Enhance research and critical analysis skills through the in-depth assessment of primary and secondary texts, via both independent study and group debate. 

■ Provide opportunities for interdisciplinary research through the assessment of contemporary cultural and political sources.

■ Apply enhanced levels of knowledge and creativity to both written and verbal course components.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Explain the significance of central historiographical debates in the context of the history of the Second World War, 1939-1945.

■ Describe key events that took place in the context of the Second World War and analyse their wider significance within the framework of victories and defeats.

■ Recognise the contemporary social and political impact of the Second World War by applying interdisciplinary approaches from myth and memory studies.

■ Produce critical arguments in both verbal and written from that combine a variety of primary and secondary documents relating to the history and legacies of the Second World War.