Unit information: Cold War History (Level C Special Topic) in 2011/12

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Unit name Cold War History (Level C Special Topic)
Unit code HIST10019
Credit points 20
Level of study C/4
Teaching block(s) Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director Dr. Cervantes
Open unit status Not open
Pre-requisites

None
Co-requisites

HIST13003
School/department Department of History (Historical Studies)
Faculty Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences

Description including Unit Aims

Special Topic units place students in direct contact with the research interests of academic tutors and allow them to explore issues surrounding the current state of research in the field. They introduce students to working with primary sources and place those sources in context.

This particular unit will examine the Cold War in Europe through the lenses of the ‘Americanization’, which is currently one of the most debated concepts among economic and cultural historians, and continues to generate a body of literature in disciplines including history. Was Europe ‘Americanized’? In what ways, if any, does this concept contribute to define the history of Europe during the Cold War? We will start by discussing what the Cold War meant for Europe, and then we will compare and contrast both primary (such as material from the NARA, Washington, as well as the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan) and secondary sources, to analyze the Americanization of Europe focusing on economic modernization and cultural developments. Leading historians will help us to appraise the actual impact of Americanization in Cold War Europe.

By the end of the unit students will have:

  • The ability to demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of Europe’s role as the central forum of the Cold War.
  • The ability to identify the key sources and different viewpoints on the subject.
  • The ability to evaluate and appraise the impact of Americanization on Europe in the Cold War and the viewpoints of contemporary research and historiography in the field.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the unit students should have:

  • identified, analysed, and deepened their understanding of the significance of some key themes in Cold War history
  • understood the historiographical debates that surround the topic
  • learned how to work with primary sources
  • developed their skills in contributing to and learning from discussion in a small-group environment

Teaching Information

Weekly 2-hour seminar

Access to tutorial consultation with unit tutor in office hours

Assessment Information

2-hour unseen written examination (summative, 100%)

The examination will assess their understanding of the unit’s key themes, the related historiography as developed during their reading and participation in / learning from small group seminars, and relevant primary sources. Further assessment of their handling of the relevant primary sources will be provided by the co-requisite Special Topic Project (HIST 13003)

Reading and References

Berghahn V.R., “The debate on ‘Americanization’ among economic and cultural historians” in Cold War History, vol. 10, n. 1 (2010).

De Grazia V., Irresistible Empire. America’s Advance Through 20th Century Europe, Cambridge: Harvard University Press (2005).

Ellwood D., Rebuilding Europe. Western Europe, America and Post-war Reconstruction, London: Longman (1992).

Special Issue “Europe Americanized?”, Cold War History, vol. 11, n. 1 (2011).

Young J.W., Cold War Europe, 1945-1991: a political history, London: Edward Arnold (1996).

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