Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2021 - HIST 338 OL01

World War II (4)

Class Number: 7559

Delivery Method: Distance Education

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Online

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Oct 29, 2021
    Fri, 7:00–10:00 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • 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: The Human Cost of Total War

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.

Please note: with the exception of my weekly office hours on Zoom and the quizzes, 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). Note that academic honesty and integrity remain as important to the quality of your education and your degree at this time as at any other.

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%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Cambridge History of the Second World War, in three volumes (2015) (available online via SFU library)

Plus various additional readings made available via Canvas.


Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/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

TEACHING AT SFU IN FALL 2021

Teaching at SFU in fall 2021 will involve primarily in-person instruction, with approximately 70 to 80 per cent of classes in person/on campus, with safety plans in place.  Whether your course will be in-person or through remote methods will be clearly identified in the schedule of classes.  You will also know at enrollment whether remote course components will be “live” (synchronous) or at your own pace (asynchronous).

Enrolling in a course acknowledges that you are able to attend in whatever format is required.  You should not enroll in a course that is in-person if you are not able to return to campus, and should be aware that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who may need class or exam accommodations, including in the context of remote learning, are advised to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112) as early as possible in order to prepare for the fall 2021 term.