Summer 2018 - HS 477 D100

War in the Shadows: Espionage, Insurgency, & Violence in the Eastern Mediterranean (4)

Class Number: 7322

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 7 – Aug 3, 2018: Tue, 5:30–8:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    Successful completion of 45 credit hours or permission of the instructor.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Espionage was a major aspect of the Second World War. Spies accomplished incredible feats and acts of sabotage. This course will address the challenges that intelligence organizations confronted in dealing with the occupation of Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean from the Second World War through to the early Cold War.

COURSE DETAILS:

NB: The bulk of the work for this course will be conducted online; weekly lectures will be offered in person and via videoconferencing.

War in the Shadows will delve into the early beginnings of modern intelligence history. We will explore the origins of what some consider to be the world’s greatest intelligence agencies at one point or another, including but not limited to, the SOE, Britain’s special ops and espionage organization, the OSS which would eventually morph into the CIA, Germany’s disciplined but flawed Abwehr, and red Russia’s cutthroat Cheka, amongst others. Students will gain an insight into the many challenges these organizations faced during their developments due to difficult geopolitical contexts, such as the First and Second World War as well as the initial installments of the Cold War. Though this class will provide a high-level view of the activities that took place within the shadows from the late 19th c. up until the early 1960s, it will focus on addressing events within the Balkans, where copious amounts of sabotage, deceit, and other clandestine activities were undertaken. Both the readings and assignments in this class are designed to stimulate students’ interests in a world often cloaked in secrecy, while also encouraging them to question how their new knowledge of this world alters and changes their current understanding of the present. Students will have a unique opportunity in this class to engage with a database filled with supplementary resources, films, links, maps, and charts, related to the topic at hand.

Grading

  • Participation 20%
  • Book Review I 15%
  • Book Review II 15%
  • Final Essay Proposal 10%
  • Final Essay 40%

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS