Module SGIA2271: THE COLD WAR AND COLD WAR CULTURE IN EUROPE

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA2271: THE COLD WAR AND COLD WAR CULTURE IN EUROPE

Prerequisites

• Any Level 1 SGIA module

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To provide students with relevant knowledge and understanding of the Cold War order in Europe
• To enable students to critically analyse key aspects of post-war European political history
• To equip students with the necessary background knowledge to understand the post-Cold War order in Europe

Content

• The legacy of the Second World War
• The division of Germany • the sovietisation of Eastern Europe
• The quest for a European identity
• Dissent in east and west
• From the Cold War to détente and Ostpolitik
• The crisis and collapse of communism in the 1980s
• Memories and identities in post-war Europe

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the module students will have:
• the necessary background knowledge to understand the post-Cold War order
• an understanding and apprecation of the legacy of the Second World War in Europe
• knowledge and understanding of the development of the Cold War and its impact on post-war Europe
• an understanding of the position of the two Germanies within the Cold War order
• an appreciation of the memories and identities that characterised Cold War Europe
• an understanding of the key scholarly debates on particular aspects of the Cold War order and Cold War culture in Europe

• By the end of this module students will be able to demonstrate:
• the ability to accurately and effectively describe the legacy of the Second World War in Europe and the development of the Cold War in Europe
• an awareness of the multitude of factors which have shaped post-war European history and which are necessary to understand the post-Cold War order
• the ability to evaluate competing scholarly contributions to the debates

• By the end of this module students should be able to demonstrate:
• communication skills in their written work
• the above acquisitions in written form under pressure of time
• the ability to recall relevant material covered in the module
• the ability to write scholarly essays

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching will take place in the form of lectures and tutorials.
• The lectures introduce the relevant background and help to integrate the tutorial topics.
• Tutorials will allow students to engage with specific topics in more detail and to discuss different positions. Tutorial presentations will enhance students' ability to research topics, present their findings to their peers and stipulate debate. They will be formatively assessed in terms of the students' subject-specific knowledge and understanding as well as their intellectual, practical and transferable skills.
• The production of formative essays will give students the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and understanding of particular aspects of the Cold War and Cold War Culture in Europe and practise and further develop their intellectual and practical skills.
• The end of year exam will test this subject specific knowledge and understanding as well as the intellectual skills required to plan work, identifying and retrieving sources and selecting and displaying appropriate subject specific knowledge and understanding on their substantive content, and to start developing subject specific skills in interpretation and analysis. It also develops key skills in effective written communication and information presentation.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Two 1,500 word essays

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University