Cold War Cultures:
Ideological Visions of the “Good Life”
History 477: Scarboro
Komar and Melamid, Ideal Slogan, from their Sots Art Series, 1972
Class Meetings: MWF 11:00-11:50; H-M 301
Office: Hafey-Marian Hall 312
Office Hours: MWF 8:30-10:30 or by appointment
TT 9:30-12:00 or by appointment
E-mail: cristoferscarboro@kings.edu
Phone: 208-5900 ext. 5637
Sharepoint: http://sharepoint.kings.edu/sites/coldwar/default.aspx
I. Course Description
World (Cold) War: the Cultures of the Cold War
This course explores the cold war as a global ideological phenomenon premised on differing visions of the “good life.” Each actor in the cold war was continually engaged in defining what it meant to live well: how to balance the needs of the individual and society, to arrive at correct understandings of consumption and leisure, to balance the needs of the public and private spheres. How these understandings were envisioned, enforced and transformed through culture will be the focus of our investigation. How did people live the cold war? What were its comforts and horrors? How were the intentions of Moscow and Washington met in the streets of Kabul, Prague and Paris? How were these conceptions of the good life expressed through official, unofficial and dissident culture?
Special attention will be paid to Europe as a central field of contestation over these questions. As Europeans rebuilt from the devastation of the Second World War, they were forced to accommodate themselves to the military, economic and cultural power of the Soviet Union and the United States. How did Europeans come to terms with the constraints of the cold war? What opportunities did it afford? How did it transform the meaning of “Europe”? How does the end of the cold war and its result impact our understanding of it as a historical period?
We will trace the Cold War’s development through movies, architecture, visual art and novels and through competing visions of the “good life” manifested in consumer culture and leisure: art galleries (both public and private), vacations, housing, washing machines, automobiles and televisions.
A. Objectives for the student:
This course will ask the student to make sense of the cold war as a historical
phenomenon. He or she is to become familiar with the major cultural, social, political
and economic trends of the cold war and to be able to interpret them in historical context.
Extensive use of primary source documents with give the student an opportunity to
engage with artifacts of the time as a historian placing them in conversation with one
another and a range of historiographical interpretations. The student will be asked to research a topic of particular interest both individually and in group and to present their findings in both written and oral presentations. In short, you will engage in the creation of historical narrative as an academic historian. These everyday tools of the historian will serve you well in any field you chose to enter.
B. Goals for the student:
This course is intended to both introduce students to the historical content of the cold war and its interpretation, but also to help foster their own skills as critical readers and writers of history. Students will be asked to organize major events, actors and social and cultural trends in historical context, explain their transformation over time, and interpret them from several differing perspectives. To that end we will explore basic elements of historical practice: how to define a problem for historical study; how to find relevant evidence upon which to base your findings; how to write up this research into an informed, judicious and convincing representation of the past. This will culminate in both a written research paper and in a group oral presentation at the end of the semester.
C. General Learning Outcomes for the student:
In researching and writing the cold war, this course will ask students to sift through many differing types of data and interpretations and to form from this morass a well articulated and defensible understanding of the past. Broadly speaking this course is intended to foster a greater facility in organizing, prioritizing, synthesizing and reporting information.
A. Course Readings:
Us:
Le Carré, John, The Spy who Came in from the Cold, Scribner’s, 2001 (reprint edition). paper $14.00 (ISBN-10: 0743442539; ISBN-13: 978-0743442534)
Gaddis, John Lewis, The Cold War: A New History, Penguin, 2006. paper, $16.00 (ISBN-10: 0143038273; ISBN-13: 978-0143038276)
Green, Graham, The Quiet American, Penguin Classics, 2004 (reprint edition). paper $14.00 (ISBN-10: 0143039024; ISBN-13: 978-0143039020)
Them:
Pelevin, Victor, Omon Ra, trans. by Andrew Bromfield, New Directions Publishing Company, 1998. paper, $11.95 (ISBN-10: 0811213641; ISBN-13: 978-0811213646)
Us:
Siegel, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1956
Stallone, Rocky IV, 1985
Loader and Rafferty, Atomic Café, 2002
Them:
Kalatoshizvili, I am Cuba, 1964
Menshov, Moscow does not believe in Tears, 1979
Pichul, Little Vera, 1988
Balabanov, Brat 2, 2000
C. Sharepoint and Internet Sources:
Beyond the listed course books and films you will also be responsible for sources posted online either through the course sharepoint site:
http://sharepoint.kings.edu/sites/coldwar/default.aspx (You will need to go to the "Shared Documents" folder and then open the "Primary Sources for Discussion" folder within it).
or at the listed web address.
D. Class Participation and Attendance Policy:
As well as providing you with the methodological and analytical tools for engaging in historical thinking, this class will ask you to actively take part in a larger conversation of historical issues within the class. I expect this class to allow us to delve deeply into the historical topics of each week’s readings. To that end you need to make sure that you arrive to class on time ready to discuss the weekly readings, having carefully read and thought over the material. You must take an active role in the class discussions. Thus a portion of your grade will depend on your in-class performance and presence.
In a class of this nature it goes without saying that a classroom environment in which everyone feels comfortable is essential. You should treat your fellow classmates with respect, listen carefully to their comments and respond to them in a polite manner.
King’s College regards student participation in class as essential to the learning process. Therefore, regular class attendance is required of all students. After three unexcused absences your class participation grade will drop a letter grade (from A to B). Each subsequent absence will result in another letter grade deduction. Please see the King’s College student Handbook for policies regarding excusing absences and campus attendance policies.
Students are responsible for making up any work they miss while absent from class. Work missed should be turned in the day you return from an excused absence (unless otherwise agreed to). Late work due to an unexcused absence will be penalized a 1/3 a grade (from A to A-) for each day late.
If you miss an exam, contact the instructor as soon as possible. You may take a missed exam at the discretion of the instructor.
E. Leading Class Discussions:
You will be responsible for leading class discussion once during this semester. This will entail reading the assigned text, song collection or film closely, arranging a list of topics and themes to discuss in class and preparing a series of questions to discuss during class. You will e-mail a list of 8-10 questions to me and your classmates no later than 5:00 the evening before class so that we will have time to reflect on them and prepare responses. Responses sent in after the deadline will not be accepted for course credit.
F. Written Assignments:
On the first day of class you will chose two other people with whom you will be working closely together both in preparing for your paper and in preparing and presenting your final group project. Your first paper topic will be closely coordinated with the other two members of your group as part of a larger theme that will link all three of your papers and the larger group project. As a group you will meet with me either September 6th or 7th to chose your topics and lay the foundation for the rest of the semester’s group work. Your individual papers will all contribute to the final project so you should be sure to closely collaborate with your peers.
General Topics and sub-topics are listed on the last page of the syllabus.
Your paper will be completed in several stages:
1) Working as a group you will each come up with a PRELIMINARY BIBLIOGRAPHY for your paper. These should be at least three printed scholarly, detailed works (namely, not electronic from the internet or CD-ROM and not tertiary such as the textbook, handbooks or encyclopedias) per person. These should be history books and/or journal articles written by professional historians and which closely examine your topic. If you, as a group, have any doubts about the appropriateness of your professional sources, see the instructor. This will be due in class on SEPTEMBER 17th.
2) On SEPTEMBER 24th you will turn in a THESIS for your paper. You should coordinate your thesis with your group-mates to insure that the three individual papers lead towards a unified final project.
3) On OCTOBER 15th you will turn in COPIES of your ROUGH DRAFT (one copy to me and one each to your group-mates).
4) On OCTOBER 29th you will turn in peer reviews of each of your group-mates rough drafts giving constructive criticism on ways to improve the paper. Your comments should include a grade for the paper. Make a copy of your comments—you will return the original to the author and a copy to me. You will be graded on your performance as a peer-reviewer.
5) The FINAL DRAFT of the paper will be due in class NOVEMBER 5th.
G. Final Group Presentation
You will chose your final group project in your first meeting with me during the first week of September and will be working on it in some fashion the entire semester. Your papers will all deal with some aspect of the project and give you the foundation for the final in class presentation to be held the last meetings of the class. Your project will be allotted for 20-25 minutes with a question and answer session to follow. You project should be multi-media and can include power-point images, music and video clips. Like your paper your final Project will take place in several steps:
1) On either SEPTEMBER 6th or 7th the group will meet with me to plan the work for the group project.
2) On either NOVEMBER 12th, 13th or 14th the group will meet with me a second time to formulate a plan prospectus for the final presentation.
3) On NOVEMBER 19th the group will present a written PLAN PROSPECTUS for the final project including detailed outlines of the topics covered and responsibilities designated to each group member.
3) Your FINAL GROUP PRESENTATION will take place in class between DECEMBER 3rd and 10th. After the presentation you will be required to turn in a letter grade for each of your group-mates’ work on the project. This grade will factor into the final grade of each member for his/her work on the project.
H. Exams:
There will be two exams in this class: a midterm on October 23rd and a final to be given during finals week. You will make up the exams as a class—prior to the exam you will turn in a set of 3-4 potential questions. I will chose questions from this list for the exam.
Your questions for the mid-term are due: October 19th
Your questions for the final are due: November 30th
I. Grading:
It is your responsibility to understand why you have achieved a certain grade, and what
steps you can take to maintain or improve your grade. You should consult with the
instructor during office hours or by appointment before and after exams and written
assignments.
For your protection, in case of errors in record keeping, you should keep copies of all
exams and assignments until you have received official notice of your final grade.
**Your final grade will be based on the following percentages
100-98 A+
97-95 A
94-92 A-
91-89 B+
88-85 B
83-84 B-
80-82 C+
77-79 C
75-78 C-
74-70 D
69< F
**Your grade distribution for assignments is as follows:
Class Participation 10%
Leading Class Discussion 10%
Paper 20%
Group Presentation 25%
Midterm 15%
Final 20%
J. Academic Integrity:
The Department of History adheres to guidelines on academic integrity outlined in the Student Conduct Code in the Student Handbook: http://www.kings.edu/student_handbook/studentregulations_rights/conductcode.htm
Cheating and plagiarism will be penalized in accord with the penalties and procedures indicated in that source. All students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the definition of these infractions of academic honesty.
K. Disabilities:
King’s College and this instructor will make every effort to accommodate students with a bona-fide disability that impacts on their ability to learn the course material. Please meet with me privately so that appropriate arrangements can be made to help in the learning process.
IV. Course Schedule:
Part I: Setting the Stage
Introduction
Monday, August 27th
Setting the Stage (with Howard Federick)
Wednesday, August 29th
Soviet Ideologies: Marx to “Socialism in One Country” to the "Soviet Zone"
Friday August 31st
Last Day to Add Classes
Labor Day: No Class
Monday, September, 3rd
American Ideologies: Middle Class Manifest Destiny
Wednesday, September 5th
First Meeting for Group Presentation:
No Class (Sign up for scheduled meeting times on September 6th or 7th)
Friday, September 7th
The Atomic Freeze
Monday, September 10th
***Readings: Gaddis, “The Return of Fear,” in Cold War: A New History, 5-43
Last day to Drop Classes
Atomic Café
Wednesday, September 12th
***Film: Loader and Rafferty, Atomic Café, 2002
***Readings: Gaddis, “Deathboats and Lifeboats,” in Cold War, 48-83
~Discussant(s):
The “Normalization” of Western Europe
Friday, September 14th
***Readings: Gaddis, “Command versus Spontaneity,” in Cold War, 84-118
The “Sovietization” of Eastern Europe
Monday, September 17th
***Readings: Gaddis, “Command versus Spontaneity,” in Cold War, 84-118
***PRELIMINARY BIBLIOGRAPHIES DUE IN CLASS***
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Wednesday, September 19th
***Film: Siegel, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1956
~Discussant(s):
1) Drew Croesus
2) Autumn DeBiasi
Part II: Official Solaces (and Discontents)
Socialist Realism (1930s & 1940s)
Friday, September 21st
1) "Socialist Realism 1930s and 1940s"
~Discussant(s):
1) Gerald Pender
Pop Art
Monday, September 24th
1) "Pop Art"
~Discussant(s):
1) Vito Malacari
***PRELIMINARY THESIS DUE IN CLASS***
The “Thaw”
Wednesday, September 26th
Kitchen Debate: The “Good Life,” Consumer Culture and Advertising
Friday, September 28th
Olympic Movement (Alicia Kemnitz Guest Lecture)
Monday, October 1st
Levittown and Blocks
Wednesday, October 3rd
Fissures
Friday, October 5th
***Readings: Gaddis, “The Emergence of Autonomy,” in Cold War, 119-155
1968, Part I, Prague
Monday, October 8th
1968, Part II, Paris
Wednesday, October 10th
1) Paris Graffiti
2) Paris Posters
~Discussant(s):
1) Lauren Petrone
Fall Recess: No Class
Friday, October 12th
Socialist Realism (1960s & 1970s)
Monday, October 15th
***Sharepoint:
1) "Plotting the Self"
~Discussants
1) Jeff Searfass
2) Ryan Arcangeli
***ROUGH DRAFT DUE IN CLASS***
Part III: Cold War Fantasies
Secrets and Spies
Wednesday, October 17th
***Reading: Le Carré, The Spy who Came in from the Cold
~Discussant(s):
1) Chris Burridge
2) Jeff Massetti
Visions of Socialist Consumption
Friday, October 19th
***Film: Menshov, Moscow does not believe in Tears, 1979
~Discussant(s):
1) Nick Matthews
2) Jessica Walters
***QUESTIONS FOR MIDTERM DUE IN CLASS***
Midterm Examination
Monday, October 23rd
Sots Art
Wednesday, October 25th
Cold War and the Third World, Part I
Friday, October 27th
***Film: Kalatoshizvili, I am Cuba, 1964
~Discussant(s):
1) Chris O'Connor
Cold War and the Third World, Part II
Monday, October 29th
***Reading: Greene, The Quiet American
~Discussant(s):
1) Ryan Popovitch
***PEER EVALUATIONS DUE IN CLASS***
Berlin (Don Stevens Guest Lecture)
Wednesday, October 31st
Hippies, Sex Drugs and Rock and Roll
Friday, November 2nd
Stagnation
Monday, November 5th
***FINAL DRAFTS DUE IN CLASS***
Cold War in Reagan’s America
Wednesday, November 7th
***Film: Stallone, Rocky IV, 1985
~Discussant(s):
1) Joe Kovalewski
2) Bobby Baresse
Glasnost, Part I: Gorbachev and Reinvigoration
Friday, November 9th
***Readings: Gaddis, “Actors,” in Cold War, 195-236
Second Meeting for Group Presentation:
No Class (Sign up for Scheduled Meeting Times on November 12th, 13th or 14th)
Monday, November 12th
Glasnost, Part II: Decay
Wednesday, November 14th
***Film: Pichul, Little Vera, 1988
~Discussant(s):
1) Michael Lombardo
NO CLASS
Friday, November 16th
1989/1991
Monday, November 19th
***PLAN PROSPECTUS DUE IN CLASS***
Wednesday, November 21st
THANKSGIVING RECESS: NO CLASS
Friday, November 23rd
THANKSGIVING RECESS: NO CLASS
Making Sense of the Post Cold War World(?)
Monday, November 26th
***Readings: Gaddis, “The Triumph of Hope,” and “Epilogue,” in Cold War, 237-266
Fantasies Realized (!)(?)
Wednesday, November 28th
***Film: Balabanov, Brat 2, 2000
~Discussant(s):
1) Ryan Derry
2) Shawn Hannon
Remembering the Cold War
Friday, November 30th
***Reading: Pelevin, Omon Ra
~Discussant(s):
1) Gracjan Kraszewski
2) Brandon Placke
***QUESTIONS FOR FINAL DUE IN CLASS***
Monday, December 3rd
*** GROUP PRESENTATION***
Wednesday, December 5th
*** GROUP PRESENTATION***
Friday, December 7th
*** GROUP PRESENTATION***
Monday, December 10th
*** GROUP PRESENTATION***
V. Suggested Topics for Papers and Group Projects
Groups
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 |
| Gerald Pender | Shawn Hannon | Ryan Arcangeli | Lauren Petrone |
| Autumn DeBiasi | Brandon Placke | Jeff Searfass | Ryan Popovitch |
| Jeff Massetti | Ryan Derry | Chris Burridge | Nick Matthews |
| Bobby Baresse | Gracjan Kraszewski | Drew Croesus | Jessica Walters |
| Chris O'Connor | Joe Kovalewski | Michael Lombardo | Vito Malacari |
Topics
~Berlin
Berlin Airlift
Berlin Wall
Divided City
~Hot Wars
Korea
Vietnam
Afghanistan
~Secret (and not so Secret) Wars
Contras and Sandinistas
Mujahideen
Che Guevara and the Congo / Bolivia
~Non Aligned Movement
Yugoslavia
India
Egypt
~Arms Race and Arms Control
Bikini
Rosenbergs
Mutually Assured Destruction
SALT I & II
~Détente
Helsinki Movement
Nuclear Détente
~Sino-Soviet Split
Nixon in China
Beijing Tirana Axis
~NATO and the Warsaw Pact
~1989
Glasnost / Perestroika
Velvet Revolution
Solidarity
~Dissonanace
De Gaulle
Ceauşescu
Hoxa
Mao and Deng Xiaoping
Poland 1953 1980
East Germany 1953
Hungarian Revolution
~Dissidents
Kolmar and Melemid
Sakharov
Havel
Walesa
~Role of Propaganda
~Intolerance in America
Mitchell Palmer
Joe McCarthy
J.E. Hoover
J Mitchell
~American Dissidents
Malcolm X
Bob Dylan
ML King
Cesar Chavez
Betty Friedan
Jack Kerouac
Abby Hoffman
~Socialist Realism
~Abstract Expressionism
~Pop Art
~Sots Art
~Cold War Film
~Cold War Fiction