Objective: To convey an understanding of the American military experience in the twentieth century and-by a study of the Gulf War, Hannibal at Cannae, the writings of Clausewitz, and the lessons of World War I and II and Vietnam- to provide a basis for judging military policy. The thematic question is why the United States, so tragically deficient in Vietnam, was so successful in both World War II and the war with Iraq.
Mechanics: Careful mastery of assigned readings (underlining key passages and making notes in the journals), participation in class discussions to develop and refine feelings and opinions about the issues under consideration (20%), listening to the instructor's clarification and elaboration of key points, and actually doing history--writing two hour exams (20%), a take home final exam or journal (20%), a research paper (30%), and group participation/presentation (10%).
Class Discussions: For class discussion, students will participate both as individuals and as members of discussion/research groups. Student discussion groups and the instructor will determine questions to guide the reading and be answered in class discussion. These also will be the basis for the hour and final exams.
Exams: The exams will be a combination of essay and short-answer. The essays should contain a topic paragraph with a thesis statement. The paragraphs that follow should contain evidence from the reading and class discussion (notebooks) that supports the thesis.
Journals and Take-home Finals: Students are invited to keep a journal for answers to both information terms (IT's) and discussion questions (KQ's), reflections on how the past relates to their current knowledge, and the quality of the learning experience. The instructor will grade the journals in the first half of the course and again, if the student elects this option, at the end. It is acceptable for a student, in lieu of a journal, to elect to take a take-home final exam for the same credit (20%). A student may also, for extra credit (10%), take both a journal and a take-home final.
Research Papers: The research paper is the most important part of the course. It allows the student to perform the activities of the historian--the collecting, sifting, analyzing, synthesizing of evidence and relating it to that which others have discovered. Each student will select a research topic and submit it to the instructor on Monday of the second week of class. It should be in the form of a question and contain a three-item preliminary bibliography and an example of evidence that will be used (an artifact with one-paragraph explanation). In carrying out these tasks each student should first consult the bibliographies and notes of the assigned books and then check LUIS in the library. A second research artifact and one-paragraph explanation is due at the end of the sixth week.
On Monday of the seventh week, as the first in a two-step revision process each student will submit his paper doublespaced, 2,000 - 3,000 words (eight to twelve pages) to be read, evaluated, and graded by a classmate. The student reviewers will complete their work by Thursday and return the paper (along with the critique) to the author so he can make any changes he deems necessary.
On Tuesday of the eighth week each student submits his or her revised paper and critique to the instructor for l0% of the course grade. The instructor will mark and grade the paper and the critiques, returning them as soon as possible. Each student, after making any additional revisions, will hand in the final paper on the last day of classes, along with the one with the instructor's marks, for final grading (20% of the course grade). Critique grades will be part of the class discussion grade. At this time each student must hand in to the instructor his or her note cards.
Study-Discussion-Research Groups: During the first day of class the instructor will divide the class into discussion groups in which students will participate during the first three weeks. During the third week the instructor will organize the class into study, discussion, research (SDR) groups based on similarity of topics. The original discussion groups will then disband, each student participating from that time onward as a member of his or her SDR group for both class discussion and research. On the tenth week, SDR groups will present their group project using an overhead transparency to give the thesis, bibliography, and five point outline. Each group member will also answer questions about his or her individual research thesis and how it relates to the group project.
Grading Distribution for Group Participation: Each student will receive 10% of his or her total grade based on his or her participation in class discussion as part of a group and as an individual. (Each student's participation as part of a group will count 5% and his participation as an individual will count 5%). In addition, each student also will receive a grade based on his or her research as part of a group and as an individual. Students will receive 10% for contribution to the group research project and final oral presentation [including developing the group's thesis and five point outline]. Grades for group participation will derive from a written peer critique by fellow group members as well as from evaluation by the instructor.
Readings:
Addington, Larry. The Patterns of War Since the Eighteenth Century. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1984.
Howard, Michael. Clausewitz. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983.
Karnow, Stanley. Vietnam: A History. New York: Penguin Books, 1983.
Keegan, John. The Second World War. New York: Penguin Books, 1989.
Pyle, Richard. Schwarzkopf: The Man, the Mission, the Triumph. New York: Penguin, 1991. (class handout)
Sagan, Scott D. and Kenneth N. Waltz. The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1995.
Yocherer, Greg. "Classic Battle Joined." (class handout)
Outline of Topics:
Grades: For computation purposes written work will receive numerical equivalents for letter grades as follows: 5 = A, 4 = B, 3 = C, 2 = D, 1 = F.
Note: While students are encouraged to discuss among themselves the issues raised by the course to solidify and refine their grasp of the material, it is assumed each student will do his own work, knows that any instance of plagiarism will bring an automatic "F" on the assignment where it is found and also result in disciplinary action; that work done in fulfillment of requirements for another course may not be submitted for this one; and that each student will meet on time all deadlines. The grade "I" will not as a rule be awarded. The definition of plagiarism and the style for both footnotes and bibilographic citations are found in The MLA Guide on sale in the Rose-Hulman bookstore. Failure to heed one of these guides or the instructor in matters of style will detract from the grade of written work. Failure to complete any graded, written component of the course (i.e. exams, journal, research paper (any of the 3 submittals), etc. will result in a zero for that assignment and an "F" in the course.
Students, especially those having difficulty with any aspect of the course or in meeting deadlines, are invited to see the instructor to talk over the problem after class or by appointment in room A 204. Feel free to contact the instructor at home 234-8462 (before 10 p.m.) or in his office 8303 to make an appointment. There is nothing more important to him than the progress of the students in his class.