History H091: War and Society
 
Dr. Jay Lockenour
MWF 11:40am-12:30pm
Spring 1999
Room # GH 946 
Office: 952 Gladfelter Hall
Office Hours MW 2-3pm or by appt.
tel: 204-7437
email: jlockeno@nimbus.ocis.temple.edu

This course is a thematic introduction to the history of warfare and its impact on society. We will examine such topics as the definition of warfare and its role in early human civilizations, changes in the nature of warfare over the past two millennia, the interplay between technology, warfare, and social change, and the future of warfare as a tool in politics. Students will not only read some of the classic secondary literature on these subjects, but will also be asked to engage key primary sources as well, in order better to understand some of the problems (and the rewards) involved in studying the past.

The course will be organized around six "units" of varying lengths. Students should read the assignments for each part of each unit by the due date in order to be prepared to participate in class discussions. Due dates are approximate and may change during the course of the semester, depending on how closely we can stay on schedule. Readings in BOLD type are available at the bookstore. Readings in ITALIC type are photocopied and are available in a course packet at the Student Copy Center, 601 Conwell Hall.

Unit 1: Definitions and "Primitive" Warfare
 
  Readings: 
Due Date
Part One: Practice of "Primitive" War Keeley, Warfare in Early Civilization, chs. 1-6, pp. 1-98.
1/27
Part Two: Motivations, Methods and Causes of War Keeley, Warfare in Early Civilization, chs. 7-12, pp. 99-184.
2/1

Unit 2: The "Western" Way of War
 
  Readings:
Due Date
Part One: The Greeks - The "Western" Way of War. Hansen, The Western Way of War.
2/12

Unit 3: Knights, Pikes, and Musketeers
 
  Readings:
Due Date
Part One: The Middle Ages - Representing Battle Film: Henry V (versions by both Olivier (1945)and Branagh (1989))

Keegan, Face of Battle (Agincourt) pp. 78-116
2/15 & 17
2/19
Part Two: The Middle Ages - The Reality of Knightly Combat Hall, Weapons and Warfare in the Renaissance, chapter 1
2/24
Part Three: Gunpowder: A Military Revolution?  McNeill, The Age of Gunpowder Empires, 1450-1800, entire
3/3

Unit 4: Total War
 
  Readings:
Due Date
Part One: Napoleon Keegan, Face of Battle (Waterloo) pp. 117-206
3/10
Part Two: American Civil War Linderman, Embattled Courage, Chapter 10, "A Warfare of Terror."
3/17
Part Three: The Great War, 1914-1918 Keegan, Face of Battle, (Somme) pp. 207-289
3/24

Unit 5: War Without Mercy - World War Two in the Pacific
 
  Readings:
Due Date
Part Two: The Pacific War Dower, "Race, Language, and War in Two Cultures: World War II in Asia"
4/5
Part Three: Experiences of War Half read Cook, Japan at War

Half read Terkel, Good War
4/12*
* see "Final Project and Paper" Assignment below for more information.

Reading list: (Available at Temple Bookstore)
 

  • Lawrence Keeley, Warfare Before Civilization, Oxford, 1997.
  • Victor D. Hansen, The Western Way of War, Oxford, 1990.
  • William H. McNeill, The Age of Gunpowder Empires, 1450-1800, Am. Hist. Assn., 1989.
  • John Keegan, The Face of Battle, Viking Press, 1995.

    • These next two books are required reading, but only half the class will read each book. Wait until you know which you will be reading before you buy. Keep in mind that the bookstore sells books back to their distributor about half-way through the semester, so buy the appropriate book as soon as it is assigned.
     

  • Theodore Cook, Japan At War, New Press, 1993.
  • Studs Terkel, The Good War, Paperback Reprint edition, New Press, 1997.

    • The course packet which contains selections from the following readings by Hall, Linderman, and Dower is available at the Student Copy Center, 601 Conwell Hall. Call 204-1548 for information.
     

  • Bert S. Hall, Weapons and Warfare in Renaissance Europe, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997.
  • Gerald Linderman, Embattled Courage, Free Press, 1987.
  • John Dower, "Race, Language and War in Two Cultures," in Lewis Erenberg (ed.), War in American Culture, Univ. of Chicago Press, 1996.

    • Assignments:

    In order to receive a satisfactory grade in this course, students must complete the following assignments:

    1. Do the reading and participate in class discussions. Each unit will consist of both lectures and class discussions, often mixed together in the same class period. Participation in these discussion of the reading and lecture material are essential to helping students understand the themes of the course and are therefore an important part of the each student's grade. Of course, good attendance is also part of this assignment as well, since you can't participate if you aren't there.

    2. Complete in-class and other weekly assignments. Throughout the semester, there will be short assignments handed out in class which may include role-playing games, film reviews, newspaper and library research assignments. Since this course is thematic and discussion-oriented, there will be no final exam nor any midterms, as such. As part of the in-class assignments, however, you may be asked briefly to outline the main points of specific readings or provide summaries of events from some of the more important periods that we study.

    3. Final Project and Paper - The capstone for this course will be a group project relating to the oral histories you read in the final unit. More information on this assignment can be found on the course website (described below).

         Grading:

    Grades will be based on the following percentages:

    Class participation 30%, In-class and other assignments 30%, final project 40%

    General Notes on Assignments and Grading:

    All written assignments must be type-written, double-spaced, with one inch margins in a standard 10- or 12- point font. Requirements regarding due dates and the number of pages of assignments are STRICT. Two pages means two pages, not one-and-a-half and not four. No makeups for in-class assignments are allowed without prior arrangements. Late assignments cannot receive a grade higher than "C". However, I do take into account that it is sometimes unavoidable for even the most diligent students to miss class or otherwise fail to complete an assignment. Therefore, in computing final grades for the in-class assignments (only), I drop the worst single grade. If a student misses an in-class assignment, then that is the grade I drop.

    Field Trip:

    Every semester during Unit Three, I take a group of students to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to see their fantastic arms and armor collection. Details of the trip and the extra credit involved are available on the course website (see below).

    Course Web site:

    I maintain a web site for all course materials. Check the site periodically for important announcements. If you lose or need extra copies of any materials handed out in class (including this syllabus), they can be found at: http://nimbus.temple.edu/~jlockeno. Follow the links to H091: War and Society.