MA Seminar

Prof. David M. K. Sheinin                       dsheinin@trentu.ca

 

Course Description

 

Traditionally, the Cold War has been understood as a period defined in geostrategic terms by the onset of the nuclear age and the associated, ongoing confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States -- standard bearers respectively of communism and capitalism. While that definition stands, it has at the same time come unwound in the decentering of international conflict and the recognition that the Cold War was, in fact, a period of heated military conflict in much of the world. This course concerns a more ranging unspooling of the binary Cold War that has emerged more gradually, and has focused on attendant cultural shifts, national and international, on a range of problems that include the atomic menace, the cultural turn, racial conflict, urban change, gendered social change, and a range of other problems.

 

Course Format

Seminar

Course Goals

Students will leave the course with

a) Tangibly superior reading, writing, and analytical skills.

b) An effective mastery of course themes.

c) The ability to apply skills and knowledge learned to a range of courses in History, and beyond.

Marks Breakdown

Essay – 60%

Participation – 40%

The Essay will be 15-17 pages not including notes. It will be on any topic of relevance to the course. You will draw on at least 15 strong, current sources.