Bachelor
2022/2023
Rethinking the Cold War
Category 'Best Course for New Knowledge and Skills'
Type:
Elective course (History)
Area of studies:
History
Delivered by:
Department of History
When:
4 year, 3, 4 module
Mode of studies:
offline
Open to:
students of all HSE University campuses
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
5
Contact hours:
60
Course Syllabus
Abstract
This network course examines the Cold War, commonly treated as a period of rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States. Considering a global context East-West context, we will explore the ideological conflict of communism/socialism and capitalism from late 1940s to the early 1990s. The course introduces cultural and technological dimensions of the Cold War which, as we will see, were not entirely subordinate to the political and diplomatic history of the period. This is a network course with Indiana University. Seminars will take place on zoom, and some topics will be discussed with American students. In order to complete the course successfully, students will have to prepare and present a research project on the Cold War together with students from Indiana.
Learning Objectives
- Within the course, students will master skills of critical reading, which is especially crucial for emerging scholars. Ultimately, the course will cover topics from cinema to space race in order to demonstrate the dramatic effects the Cold War produced onto various aspects of human activity. This course will interest students specializing in various areas from economics to history.
Expected Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate a wide range of generic skills, including skills in communication, information processing, teamwork, critical and creative thinking, computing independent learning
- Distinguish between different perspectives by drawing on their knowledge of the discipline
- Practice a range of research skills and scientific methods for studying history
- Take a creative approach to using new and existing technologies for educational purposes
Course Contents
- INTRODUCTION: COLD WAR STEREOTYPES
- ATOMIC SESSION
- SCIENCE
- COLD WAR KITCHEN
- TECHNOPOLITICS
- THE END OF THE COLD WAR
Assessment Elements
- Final essay and its presentation in 2 minutes*Final essay The creation of an original research paper is a key component of this class. The original essay must discuss any aspect of the scope of the course. The essential component of a student`s final assessment is an ability to formulate a topic and research question/s as part of scholarly discussion. Essay requirements: RECOMMENDED (can be longer or shorter) length: 3000-3500 words (incl. spaces) long reference list included (two-four scholarly article/books; original resources are welcome) Sample topics: The role of Gorbachev in ending the Cold War. Research question: did the end of Gorbachev's epoch lead to the end of the global conflict? Technopolitics of the Soviet Union in the 1960s. Research question: What was the intention of the Soviet leadership in building technical projects in Ghana? *Presentation of the essay The course requires a short presentation of your research essay. You can make it in any possible visual or audio form (video, audio, poster, scheme, etc) to present the key question, rationale of the topic, main thesis and conclusions. The aim of this assignment is to present your research in a concise and clear form.
- Attendance at lectures and participation in seminars, final essay
Interim Assessment
- 2022/2023 4th module0.5 * Attendance at lectures and participation in seminars, final essay + 0.5 * Final essay and its presentation in 2 minutes
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Harvey, D. (2014). Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=752620
- Hecht, G. (2012). Being nuclear : Africans and the global uranium trade / Gabrielle Hecht. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.38044755X
- Krige, J. (2006). American Hegemony and the Postwar Reconstruction of Science in Europe. Cambridge, Mass: The MIT Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=176844
- Rostow, W. W. (1991). The Stages of Economic Growth. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.b.cup.cbooks.9780521400701
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Sanchez-Sibony, O. (2014). Red Globalization : The Political Economy of the Soviet Cold War From Stalin to Khrushchev. New York: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=696274
- White, E. (2003). Kwame Nkrumah: Cold War Modernity, Pan-African Ideology and the Geopolitics of Development. Geopolitics, 8(2), 99–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/714001035