This course is intended to traverse a broad spectrum of issues connected with the First World War. The following subject areas will be considered:

• an analysis of the causes of the war both from traditional and revisionist perspectives;
• the impact of industrialism on the progress of the conflict;
• the cost of social mobilization;
• the significance of technological advances to the successful prosecution of modern conflict;
• the impact of the war in popular memory.

Although we will be discussing a number of set-piece campaigns, we will always try and relate these to the ‘bigger picture’. Students should be prepared to undertake extensive readings and to discuss the same in a seminar-style class where participation will be assessed as a component of the final grade. If you fail to do your set reading and if you do not contribute to the discussions you will NOT do well in this class! Each candidate will also be required to submit both a book review (on which a class presentation will be given) and an assessed essay.

This course will be assessed by means of one assessed essay of 4,000 words worth 50% of the overall grade (the subject of such essay being discussed in advance with the course provider); a book review (1,200 words) of a book agreed in advance with the course provider worth 20% (inc. an element for the class presentation of the same); and an assessment of (worthwhile!) class participation representing the balancing 30% of the final grade. Each student will be expected to make one formal presentation to the class on the subject of his/her book review. The failure to complete any of these component elements will result in the awarding of an automatic F grade for the course as a whole. The deadlines (to be announced) for essay submission/book reviews should be regarded as absolute. Late submissions (defined as any work submitted to the course provider after 5pm on the due date) will be penalized with an automatic deduction of 5% per day (so, for example, if you hand in an essay 3 days late 15% will be subtracted from your grade). NOTE: no work will be accepted for marking more than 7 days after the due date. Requests for extensions based on legitimate medical/other grounds must be made in advance of the submission date and must be supported by appropriate documentation. Submissions must be BOTH via hard copy AND Turnitin.com. There will be NO opportunities for ‘make ups’ or ‘rewrites’.

Plagiarism:
Written work should be properly referenced throughout (include a full bibliography ideally employing the Harvard system of referencing). Please ensure that you restrict yourself to the quotation where relevant of single sentences or short passages only as these are relatively short assignments. Any work that is not the result of your own thought processes should be credited to the original source and any failure to observe this basic rule of academic discipline will be treated as plagiarism. Any student undertaking plagiarism of this nature will receive an automatic FAIL and will be reported to the appropriate authorities for further sanctions that may include the option of expulsion. Do not take a chance of copying another’s work…it is likely that you will be discovered and dealt with appropriately.

Compulsory Course Books:

Ferguson, Niall. 2000. The Pity of War. Basic Books. (pbk) ISBN 0465057128
Fussell, Paul. 2000. The Great War and Modern Memory. OUP (pbk). ISBN 0195133323
Horne, Alistair. 1994. The Price of Glory. Penguin USA (pbk) ISBN 0140170413
Joll, James. 2000. Origins of the First World War. Longman 2nd ed (pbk) ISBN 0582418666
Massie, Robert. 2004. Castles of Steel. Ballantine ISBN 0345408780
Paice, Edward. 2008. World War I: the African Front. Pegasus Books (2010 pbk) ISBN 1605980805
Stone, Norman, 2004. The Eastern Front. Penguin Global (2nd rev ed) pbk. ISBN 0140267255
Winter, Jay. 1995. Sites of Memory, Sites of Mourning. CUP (pbk) ISBN 0521639880

Recommended course book:

Gilbert, Martin. 2002 (2nd pbk ed). The Routledge Atlas of the First World War. ISBN 0415285089

Course Schedule (subject to alteration):