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Abraham Lincoln Civil War speeches.pdf | Readings for Week 2: American Civil War | Bruce Berglund |
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Bacevich_The_New_American_Militarism_How_Americans_Are_Sedu..._----_(1_Wilsonians_under_Arms).pdf | Reading for Week 3: Bacevich, Wilsonians Under Arms | Bruce Berglund |
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ShermanMemoirs.pdf | Readings for Week 2: American Civil War | Bruce Berglund |
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War & Society in the US - 2025 UPDATED.pdf | syllabus | Bruce Berglund |
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This is not a military history course. Rather, we will study the social, cultural, economic, and moral—as well as political and diplomatic—contexts of selected military conflicts involving the United States. The aim of the course is to understand how America’s wars have affected American society, culture, and politics. The course will focus on the American experience of the two World Wars, the Cold War, and Vietnam. But our focus will be on the last quarter-century, keeping in mind that the U.S. experienced an "act of war" on September 11, 2001, and has been a society at war ever since then.
Among the issues we will consider during the semester are: the relationship between America’s warriors and the larger society, civil-military relations in American politics, the mobilization of economic resources for the U.S. military, the ways in which American society justifies and commemorates war, and the depiction of warfare and the military in media and culture. Our discussions of war and society in the U.S.––past and present––will give us insight into the current political environment in America. The course is open only for students of master's degree programmes. Poslední úprava: Hrubá Kateřina, Mgr. (28.01.2026)
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Course Requirements: Participation (10%): Students are required to attend classes regularly, read assigned texts, and participate in class discussions. Class sessions will include both presentations from the instructor and discussion among students. Film Presentation (30%): Americans’ collective perspective of warfare is shaped more by movies than by any other media source. Americans know more of World War II, for instance, from Saving Private Ryan or Schindler’s List than from the work of any historian. For this project, all students will watch Saving Private Ryan, widely regarded as the best American war movie ever produced. In addition, you will choose one film from three of the following groups: World War II: Sands of Iwo Jima (1949), The Great Escape (1963), The Dirty Dozen (1967), Patton (1970) 1980s Cold War: Red Dawn (1984), Top Gun (1986), Rambo III (1988), The Hunt for Red October (1990) For your presentation, you will examine the common themes in the four films you watch. How do these films depict American warriors and their motivations? And what is the picture these films offer of America’s place in the world? In your analysis, use the films you have watched as primary sources. In addition, you should consult scholarly and critical writings about war films and these films in particular. You will present your findings in class in a presentation. In addition to making the presentation, you will submit your visual presentation, a two-page summary of your presentation or your speaking notes, and an annotated list of sources used for the project. Students will make their presentations on 12 November. Final Paper (30%): In preparation for your final paper, you will read the writings of two American commentators from the early 2000s: conservative historian (and former Army officer) Andrew Bacevich and left-wing journalist Chris Hedges. After reading their opinions of Americans at war, you will look back the films you’ve watched, the short texts you have read, and the discussions we have had. You will evaluate the material we have studied in the light of Bacevich’s and Hedge’s distinct perspectives. In your view, which writer makes the most criticism of war, society, and politics in the United States? What are the roots of American militarism? And is there any possibility of changing American culture? The paper will be 1700–2000 words. Exam (30%). Students will complete the final exam during the exam term. This will be a written, comprehensive exam, completed in the classroom, based on material presented in class sessions as well as the assigned readings. Poslední úprava: Berglund Bruce (15.09.2025)
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Seminar/lecture Use of generative AI tools: The use and citation of generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT or MS Copilot) in seminar papers and other coursework must comply with the decrees of the IMS Director No. 7/2023 and 9/2023. Generative AI tools may be used unless explicitly prohibited by the instructor. However, they may not be used to generate substantial sections of the text or replace the student’s own intellectual contribution. The student remains fully responsible for any content generated with assistance of AI tools. Presenting AI-generated content, whether verbatim, rephrased, or only slightly modified, as one's own work constitutes plagiarism. Every submitted paper must include a transparent statement specifying which generative AI tools were used, in which stage of the work they were employed, and how they were used, or confirming that no generative AI tools were used. If this statement is missing or incomplete, the instructor is not permitted to accept the paper for evaluation. Unless the instructor explicitly prohibits the use of generative AI tools, the decision to use or not to use them rests fully with the student. The student has the right to request that the instructor does not use AI assistance for evaluating their work.
Poslední úprava: Lochmanová Sára, Mgr. (08.10.2025)
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Participation (10%): Students are required to attend classes regularly, read assigned texts, and participate in class discussions. Class sessions will include both presentations from the instructor and discussion among students. Film Project (30%): Americans’ collective perspective of warfare is shaped more by movies than by any other media source. Americans know more of World War II, for instance, from Saving Private Ryan or Schindler’s List than from the work of any historian. For this paper, all students will watch Saving Private Ryan, widely regarded as the best American war movie ever produced. In addition, you will choose one film from three of the following groups: World War II: Sands of Iwo Jima (1949), The Great Escape (1963), The Dirty Dozen (1967), Patton (1970) Vietnam: The Deer Hunter (1978), Apocalypse Now (1979), Platoon (1986), Full Metal Jacket (1987) 1980s Cold War: Red Dawn (1984), Top Gun (1986), Rambo III (1988), The Hunt for Red October (1990) 1990s to the present: Black Hawk Down (2000), The Hurt Locker (2008), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), American Sniper (2014) For your paper, you will examine the common themes in the four films you watch. How do these films depict American warriors and their motivations? And what is the picture these films offer of America’s place in the world? In your analysis, use the films you have watched as primary sources. In addition, you should consult critical writings about war films and these films in particular. The paper will be 1300–1500 words. Final Paper (30%): In preparation for your final paper, you will read the writings of two American commentators from the early 2000s: conservative historian (and former Army officer) Andrew Bacevich and left-wing journalist Chris Hedges. After reading their opinions of Americans at war, you will look back the films you’ve watched, the short texts you have read, and the discussions we have had. You will evaluate the material we have studied in the light of Bacevich’s and Hedges's distinct perspectives. In your view, which writer makes the most criticism of war, society, and politics in the United States? What are the roots of American militarism? And is there any possibility of changing American culture? The paper will be 1500–2000 words. Exam (30%). Students will complete the final exam during the exam term. This will be a written, comprehensive exam, completed in the classroom, based on material presented in class sessions as well as the assigned readings. Use of AI: The professor knows from experience that AI writing tools can be helpful resources for thinking as well as writing. However, AI is a weak writing tool. The papers generated by AI have a bland, mechanical style, and they are often factually inaccurate. AI is the most helpful when the user knows how to submit detailed prompts, detect errors, and edit the final output––in other words, all the skills you gain from researching and writing your own assignments. For that reason, all submitted work must show the student approached the assignment from their own perspective, engaged with the source material, and presented a final output in their own voice.
FINAL EXAM: Monday 12 January at 12:30, in room B328 FINAL ESSAY DUE: 15 February Poslední úprava: Berglund Bruce (09.12.2025)
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Tentative Schedule & Readings: 30 September: Course Introduction: The Warrior in American Society 7 October: Legacies of the Civil War 14 October: World War I and America’s Mission 21 October: “The Good War”: The U.S. in World War II 28 October: State holiday: No class 5 November: Celebrating Victory: World War II in American Memory 12 November: Film Paper 19 November: The Early Cold War and the Militarized Society 25 November: America Defeated: The Legacy of Vietnam 2 December: The World’s Policeman: America in the 1990s Read Chris Hedges, “Introduction” and “The Myth of War” from War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning 9 December: America after 9/11: Return of the Righteous Cause Read: Bacevich, “The Real World War IV,” Wilson Quarterly (2005) and “The War on Terror Properly Understood,” World Policy Institute (2007); and Hedges, “Hearts and Minds” from Collateral Damage: America's War Against Iraqi Civilians 16 December: The Costs of Empire Read Bacevich, “The Old Normal,” Harper’s Magazine (2020); and Hedges, “The End of Empire,” from truthdig.com (2017), https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-end-of-empire/ Final Paper Due: 15 February Exam: Monday 12 January at 12:30, in room B328. Poslední úprava: Berglund Bruce (09.12.2025)
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