Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2026 - HIST 338 OL01

World War II (4)

Class Number: 3528

Delivery Method: Online

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Online

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units, including six units of lower division history. Recommended: HIST 225.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An introduction to the history of the origins and course of the second world war.

COURSE DETAILS:

The Second World War was a conflagration that touched all continents, devastated entire countries, and left millions dead and displaced, sometimes permanently. Its destruction was so pervasive that it renewed the international community’s commitment to a United Nations and ushered in the era of relative peace that continues today – no general European or world war has broken out since 1945. This commitment was underscored by the human experience of total war, which was effectively, and lethally, implemented by various belligerent countries between 1937 and 1945. This course examines the concept of total war, how different countries attempted to achieve a total-war economy leading up to and during the military confrontation, how the war affected both combatants and non-combatants in diverse theatres, the ways that total war lent itself to the perpetration of atrocities in both Europe and Asia, and how this war is remembered and commemorated in different places around the globe.

Grading

  • Short Paper 10%
  • Quizzes – (three quizzes total, each worth 10%) 30%
  • Discussion Board Portfolio – (in two installments, each worth 15%) 30%
  • Final Research Project 30%

NOTES:

Please note: this course will be delivered entirely asynchronously. There will be no live meeting sessions. Lectures are pre-recorded and available via Canvas. Quizzes will be scheduled for specific dates and students will have to complete them on those dates (there will be some flexibility with the start time).

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

  • Cambridge History of the Second World War, in three volumes (2015) (available free online via SFU library)
  • Hans Erich Nossack, The End: Hamburg 1943 (2006)
  • Marie Doduck, A Childhood Unspoken (2023)*

* Available for free from the professor – stay tuned for details in Week 1.

Plus various additional readings made available via Canvas.


REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Department Undergraduate Notes:

Learn more about studing History at SFU:

History areas of study


Why study History?

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.