The United States and World War II
University of Oregon : History 399
Required texts :
O'Neill, William, A Democracy At War
Sledge, E.B., With the Old Breed
Lyons, Michael, World War II: A Short History
Course goals and objectives : The purpose of this class is to examine the role of the United States in World War II and the war's effects on the nation. It will examine issues such as 1) just war and waging war justly; 2) consequences of the war on American society such as race and gender issues; 3) why the Cold War followed on the heels of victory in 1945, 4) the role of science and technology in modern war; 5) war and civil rights; 6) individual combat experience.
Format : This will be primarily a lecture/discussion class. Basic knowledge of US history is expected. A great deal of reading, writing and discussion will be expected of you! The first part of class may be used for some lecture to provide greater context of the materials covered in the reading, but the rest will be used for critical discussion.
Grades : There will be a total of 1000 points to be earned in this class divided in the following manner:
• Final: 200
• Midterm: 200
• Book review 1
• Book Review 2
• O'Neill essay
A-: 929-900 C+: 799-770 D: 669-630
B+: 899-870 C: 769-730 D-: 629-600
B: 869-830 C-: 729-700 F: 599 or below
Midterm and Final Exam : tests are not designed to find out what you don't know. They are strictly objective exams in order to reaffirm your knowledge of the major people, events and ideas of the period. They will consist of map questions, multiple choice and chronology where you will place a series of events in the correct order and will cover topics in both the readings and from class. Short answers questions will also be included. Exams will be on Thursday weeks 2 and 4.
Book reviews: two reviews will be required, the first due Thursday week 2 and the last Thursday week 4. A reading list will be provided to choose from. These shoud be 3-5 pages, standard margins, etc…
How to Approach a Book Review
A book review at the university level in no way resembles the type of report done in grade school in which the student reads a book, describes the events covered in the first 90 pages and leaves the ending untold so the suspense will not be broken for the reader. On the contrary, the object of writing a book review on a historical text is to point out the conclusions that the author presents in the book, and to assess the validity of the conclusions.
In order to do a competent review, it is best to read quickly through the book for general content, noting anything that seems significant and/or controversial. Then go back and consider more thoroughly the basic structure and thesis of the book. As you are reading, keep several questions in mind:
Remember, you are posing as an expert and it is your job to be critical. However, do not expect the author to have written the book you have in mind. Pay particular attention to what the author says is the focus of the book in the Introduction and judge how well the stated goals are carried out.
Style and Organization of a Book Review
A book review should be presented in the same way as any other essay with a title page giving title (eg., Review of Louis Hartz' Founding of New Societies ), your name, course and date.
When quoting from or referring to a particular section of the book you are reviewing, give the page number in a formal footnote. If you draw upon other books for comparison, be sure you supply sufficient information to enable the reader to locate the book. A formal footnote is the simplest way of doing this.*
You are not held to any specific order in presenting your book review. However, you will find that it is helpful to check that you have discussed the following in some logical sequence:
Aids to Writing Book Reviews
There are available in the Library several valuable aids which can be most useful to the student who is attempting to assess a book. These include a host of periodicals and journals which contain reviews of books by professional historians. In order to locate published reviews it is helpful to consult either the Book Review Digest or the Book Review Index , both of which are located in the reference section of the Library and which list publications that review any given book. If you have difficulty using these reference materials, ask the Librarian to help you. No student should escape university without a thorough knowledge of these research aids.
It is useful to check on what other professional historians have to say about a new book, keeping always in mind, of course, that reviewers are human and may have their own biases. Of necessity, your formal review will be more detailed than many of the journalistic efforts which should serve only as a jumping off point for your own views and organization. (Be careful not to copy directly from published book reviews as your professor probably relies very heavily upon such reports and usually can spot plagiarism ).
*Just as for a research paper, the student writing a book review should have a guide to method and mechanics. The most comprehensive guide is The Chicago Manual of Style , 14th Ed. (1993)
The following are also useful:
A book review is much more than a book report. Rather than a simple summary of a book's contents, a review is a critical essay evaluating a historical work. Its purpose is not to prove that you read the book-although you still need to do that-but to show that you can think critically about what you read. You should write a coherent analysis of the book, illustrating its strengths and weaknesses.
You can see examples of reviews in virtually any historical journal, which may help you to write your own paper. Reviews are not simply busywork, but a vital part of academic life, as you will see in the journals. Most professors regularly read and write reviews to find interesting books, stay informed of new work, and ensure that their voices continue to be heard.
A book review requires a lot of thought and effort, which this handout will help you with. The process can be broken into three main stages: as you read; as you prepare to write; and, as you write. Within each stage there are a series of questions and factors to consider as you work on your review. Many of these issues are interrelated, however, in this guide they are broken up to make them easier to understand.
You should consider the following issues while you are reading the book to help you better evaluate it. Make notes as you read, so you don't forget your observations or have to go back and hunt out references.
a) Purpose: What was the author's intent behind the book? Did she or he state it explicitly, or did you have to infer it? Does the book have a clear central thesis?
b) Interpretation: One of the key parts of writing history is interpreting what happened, drawing connections, and explaining the significance of events. How does the author do this? Does she or he make explicit use of a mode of analysis or theory, or are the bases of analysis implied, "common sense" ideas? Do you think the author's interpretations are logical and consistent? Do they help you understand better or do they obscure more than they clarify? Can you think of alternative ways to explain what happened or analyze developments?
c) Contextualization: How well does the author explain the wider context of the events or developments that he or she is discussing? Is the book narrowly focused or does the author try to connect to wider developments? Does the focus make sense to you? Does it help you better understand what happened?
d) Silences: What does the author omit, exclude, or overlook? Does that weaken the book? Does this help you understand the author's purpose?
e) Style: Is the book well written? Is it easy to understand? Does it flow well? Is the writing dense and heavy with jargon, making it hard to grasp? Does the author show a flair that goes beyond simple communication? Does the writing make the book more effective or more interesting?
f) Sources: What kind of sources does the author use? Are they mainly published documents, or do they include archival records? Does the author draw on other materials such as novels, interviews, or artwork? Do you think he or she has tapped all the major sources available or are there omissions?
g) Fit: How does the book relate to other historical literature? Does the book break new ground or advance knowledge in significant ways? Does it modify common understandings, or does it reiterate and uphold accepted views? Does it bring a new methodology or theoretical approach to the topic? Is it a contentious work? If it is an older book, was it controversial when it was published? Have the author's ideas been widely accepted since then? Why or why not?
You may have to do some additional reading to answer these questions. Ask your instructor what she or he expects, but you should also consider whether you know enough about the field to write an effective review. Academic journals in relevant areas will be very helpful; you should look at the book reviews and substantive articles. You can identify the journals from the library catalogue, and individual articles from the databases linked to the library home page.
h) Author's background: Many professors will expect you to look into the author's qualifications and experience - you should check with your instructor if this is not clear. The web and the library catalogue, especially the publication databases, are invaluable tools. Use them to explore what other works the author has published, and what topics they addressed. Is he or she a young scholar, or an established one? Is the author working on a new topic, or in an area where he or she has a lot of experience?
STAGE 2: AS YOU PREPARE TO WRITE
Once you've read the book and thought about it, you should start developing the main parts of your review before you start writing. Think about the following elements and how to include them in your essay. Then you should make a plan laying out the main points in the introduction, body, and conclusion of your paper.
a) Major Points: Look back through your notes to pull out your most important observations; this may help you to find a central argument or theme for your review. As you think about the main points that you want to make, consider what would be the most effective order in which to present them. You should also think about how you will support your points, as you do in any other essay. Look for specific examples and short effective quotes that could illustrate your ideas, or think about how to summarize sections of the book to support your argument. You need to substantiate and illustrate any claims that you make.
b) Theme: Your review needs a central argument, like any academic essay. How can you sum up your evaluation of the book, providing a theme around which you can organize your review? How can you use this central argument in your introduction and conclusion?
c) Profile: As part of your review, you should provide a brief synopsis of the book's main argument and themes. This will be roughly one paragraph in length and should not be a summary of the different sections or chapters. Rather you should concentrate on the author's central intention behind the book to find an effective way to sum up the work for your reader.
Your review is a short critical essay. As you write and edit your paper, you should ensure that you include the following:
a) A brief, effective introduction that lays out the theme or central argument of your review.
b) A concise profile of the book. Most reviewers make this the second paragraph of the review, although you can include it elsewhere. It should not be the introduction.
c) The body of the essay should be a series of observations about the book, pointing out its strengths and weaknesses, as well as how it fits into the wider literature. Your ideas should flow in a logical order and be connected to one another. Don't just jumble ideas together; look for a way to organize your ideas effectively.
d) A short conclusion summing up your main ideas. Ideally it should leave your reader with something to reflect on.
e) Acceptable styles for citations vary widely. Check with your instructor to see which format he or she prefers.
f) Your review should be grammatical and clear. Read it over carefully before you print the final copy. Don't trust the computer's spell check and grammar check functions (they will miss many mistakes and will not catch wrong words spelled correctly).
O'Neill essay: This is a 5-7 pg essay and should be seen as a review of the course. Comment on O'Neill's conclusion that America won the war “…despite its late start, cumbersome political system, and debilitating prejudices.” Is this an accurate statement, what were these problems and how were they overcome?
Students with documented disabilities who may need accommodations, who have
any emergency medical information the instructor should know of, or who need
special arrangements in the event of evacuation, should make an appointment
with the instructor as early as possible, no later than the first week of
the term.
Please, no cell phones.
Week Lyons O'Neill Sledge
1 1-9 1-5
2 10-16 6-11
3 17-23 12-17 complete
4 24-Aftermath 18-20