Module Information

Module Identifier
HYM7820
Module Title
Understanding the Cold War
Academic Year
2016/2017
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1

Course Delivery

Delivery Type Delivery length / details
Seminar 10 x 2 Hour Seminars
 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment 3,000 word essay  50%
Semester Assessment 3,000 word essay  50%
Supplementary Assessment 3,000 word essay  50%
Supplementary Assessment 3,000 word essay  50%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

Demonstrate a critical understanding of relevant themes and approaches in the history and historiography of the Cold War

Marshal and understand the use of appropriate evidence in formulating historical arguments regarding the history of the Cold War.

Analyse a range of primary documents as they relate to the history of the Cold War and consider their strengths and weaknesses as historical sources and the challenges they present to historians.

Demonstrate through written work an ability to integrate methodological themes into their own research.

Brief description

This module will provide an understanding of the origins and contexts of the Cold War. It will familiarise students with key themes in the conflict and in the historiography surrounding it.

Content

Seminar titles:
1. What was the Cold War?
2. Origins I: 1920s/1930s
3. Origins II: The Grand Alliance
4. Onset: The 1940s
5. Contexts: East vs. West
6. Contexts: Global Cold War
7. Decolonisation and Displacement
8. Culture and Consumption
9. Arms and Espionage
10. Conclusions

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number
Communication Through seminar discussion and essay writing.
Improving own Learning and Performance By guided reflection during seminars and feedback sessions following submission of written work.
Information Technology Students will be encouraged and supported in making use of IT in their research and preparation of assessed work.
Personal Development and Career planning Students will deepen their understanding of the subject matter and its broader implications for the modern world.
Problem solving By understanding how historians of the Cold War employ a variety of different methodological approaches towards understanding problems within their field.
Research skills By undertaking research for essays and seminar discussion.
Subject Specific Skills By enhancing understanding of the Cold War and key historiographical debates.
Team work Through seminar work, which may involve team exercises.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7