Course Syllabus
| The Day After: Rewriting the History of WW2, 1945-1950 |
How representative is this photograph from the Liberation of Copenhagen, taken on the 4th of May 1945?
| Semester & Location: |
Fall 2024 - DIS Copenhagen |
| Type & Credits: |
Elective Course - 3 credits |
| Major Disciplines: |
History, Political Science, Philosophy |
| Prerequisite(s): |
None. |
| Faculty Members: |
Christopher Sparshott (current students please use the Canvas Inbox) |
| Time & Place: |
Tuesday, Friday 8:30-9:45 in classroom: Fi6-Metro 102 |
Course Description
What happens when the fighting stops? This course starts the day after WW2 ended in Europe and is about national myth-making. During the War, many people collaborated with Nazi rule and a few resisted. After the war, liberated countries rewrote their wartime histories to promote a nationalist story of reluctant collaboration and widespread resistance. With remarkable speed, people adopted these national myths, and a strange type of collective amnesia took hold. This course explores how Germany, France and Czechoslovakia transitioned from war to peace to myth after WW2 before finishing with an in-depth investigation of the Scandinavian experience.
Learning Objectives
- Students will analyse and demonstrate knowledge of the history of Europe during and immediately after WW2.
- Students will acquire and demonstrate skills in critical analysis of primary and secondary historical sources.
- Students will be able to articulate historical arguments orally.
- Students will be able to develop written papers with well-reasoned historical arguments supported by judicious use of sources.
- Students will be able to conduct in-depth research in primary and secondary sources and complete a research project on an original topic.
Faculty
PhD (Modern History, Northwestern University, 2007). MA (Modern History, Northwestern University, 2002). BA (Modern History, Oxford University, 2001). For two decades, I have taught courses in modern history at Northwestern University in the United States and Qatar in the Middle East. My teaching emphasises creative approaches to learning that build bridges to the past. I am passionate about bringing history to life and introducing students to new places, people and ideas through innovative, student-focused pedagogy. Secretly, my goal is to turn all students into historians! I am continuing my academic journey in Denmark as a teaching and learning specialist and a faculty member in the European Humanities Department focusing on 20th Century Europe at DIS.
Readings
Over the term we will read parts of six core texts focusing on Denmark and each of our European case studies.
- Richard Bessel, Germany 1945: From War to Peace
- Benjamin Frommer, National Cleansing: Retribution against Nazi Collaborators in Postwar Czechoslovakia
- Carsten Holbraad's Danish Reactions to German Occupation
- Keith Lowe, The Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of World War II
- Olivier Wieviorka, The French Resistance
- Turen Går Til Besættelsestidens København ("The Tour Goes to Copenhagen During the Occupation")
Additional articles and primary sources will also be distributed throughout the term.
Field Studies
Much of the history you will study happened in Copenhagen. Throughout the course, we will use the city around DIS to explore how Copenhageners experienced German occupation during WW2 and its immediate aftermath. By finding statutes, visiting museums and uncovering the wartime history of spaces and buildings, you will investigate how Copenhagen has publically chosen to remember WW2 and the complicated story of the Danish resistance and collaboration with Nazi Germany. You can find details about the field studies posted in the calendar.
Approach to Teaching
"What would I have done?" This is the best question you can ask about the past. My teaching focuses on building bridges to the past that encourage students to leave behind the modern world and immerse themselves in the past. My goal is to reconstruct the past through primary sources and put students at the centre of major moments in history. To achieve this, I avoid lectures and focus on a combination of discussion, investigations, roleplaying and many other forms of interactive class that encourage students to become historians for a term (and hopefully longer).
Expectations of the Students
Students often complain that history classes are boring because they spend all their time learning the dates on a timeline. In this course, I am not interested in what you remember. Instead, I am much more interested in what you can say about the past. This is what I call your "historical voice". I encourage students to actively engage with the history and be willing to develop and share their findings with the class.
Specifically, active engagement in this class is defined as your active participation in the learning process, as well as your willingness to take responsibility for your own learning. In this course, you will be expected to attend all lessons, participate in class discussions, and complete assignments on time.
By actively engaging in this course, you will not only develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter, but you will also develop critical thinking skills, communication skills, and a passion for lifelong learning.
AI Statement
This course encourages the partial use of AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Scribe, Microsoft Bing, and Google Bard. Although AI tools are valuable, they should support human creativity and critical thinking, not replace them. Therefore, using AI tools is permitted within defined contexts if you include proper attribution. Usage outside of the predefined contexts and without attribution will be considered a breach of our Academic Honesty Policy. Detailed instructions will be provided during the course.
Evaluation
Discussion: 20%
Your discussion grade requires you to attend classes and actively engage in class discussions in person and online, demonstrating a good knowledge of the material. You will be given two discussion grades over the term, the first in the middle of the term worth 10% and a second at the end of the term worth 10%. You can read more about your discussion grade in assignments.
WW2 Denmark: 30%
Three assignments based on three different ways Copenhagen remembers WW2 in three different locations: Churchillian Park, Mindelunden Memorial and spread throughout the city 92 "stumbling stones". We will explore each of these sites and investigate how Denmark has chosen to frame its WW2 experiences. The assignments will include a mixture of research, writing and presentations.
Roleplaying Assignments: 30%
During the term, you will complete three role-playing assignments exploring the national myths created in Germany, Czechoslovakia and France. Each assignment will be worth 10%. You can learn more about the short papers by reading the prompts and accompanying rubrics in assignments.
Research Project: 20%
The research project is where you take control of the class. Over the term, you will investigate Denmark's experiences at the end of WW2. Your goal is to carry out independent research informed by the course but based on your own findings from primary and secondary sources. You will start by pitching your research ideas in a proposal along with a short bibliography (5%) before submitting a rough draft of your project and a final draft at the end of the term (5%). Your research project can be either a 5-8 page paper, a 10-minute podcast, or a multi-media project decided upon with the instructor (10%). You can find out more about the different stages of the research project and how they will be graded in assignments.
Grading
| Assignment |
Percent |
| Discussion |
20% |
|
Denmark in WW2 |
30% |
|
European Case Studies |
30% |
|
Research Project |
20% |
Late assignments will not be accepted unless an extension has been discussed with the instructor in advance of the deadline. Students are responsible for contacting the instructor if they believe they have a valid reason for an extension. Please note that poor time management does not count as a valid reason for an extension.
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on the following:
DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
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