HIST 542 Readings in World History
The Great War
Dr. Jerry W. Jones
Founder’s Hall, Room 217 R
Phone 519-5446
e-mail –
Course Description
This course examines the outbreak of the Great War, the prosecution of the war, and the immediate aftermath. We will discuss topics such as war plans, and the relationships the political leadership had with their military staffs. We will study the revolutionary nature of the war itself, and the war aims of the principal powers as expressed in their wartime diplomacy. We will examine the controversial issues that still occupy historians: Why the failure to achieve a negotiated peace earlier in the war given the relative stalemate on the Western Front, and why did Germany lose in the last year of the war after waging the war so successfully since 1914?
Course Objectives
1.Identify and Become familiar with the major events, personalities, and political forces of the Great War.
2.Examine the historiography of the Great War.
3.Investigate the Great War as first modern, industrial war
4.Explain the reasons for repeated stalemate on several fronts and the role that technology played in shaping the course of the war.
5.Analyze the many controversial topics and questions of debate that surround the First World War.
6.Explain how World War I was a watershed in modern history, and that its legacy endures.
7.Develop academic writing skills
Required Textbooks
Hew Strachan, The First World War, New York: Viking, 2003
Alistaire Horne, The Price of Glory, New York: Penguin Books, 1994
Niall Fergusson, The Pity of War: Explaining World War I, New York: Basic Books, 1999
Recommended Text
Strunk, W., Jr., & White, E. B. The elements of style (any ed.). New York: McMillan, 1959.
―A student of this institution is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from a university-affiliated bookstore
Course Requirements
Through class participation and written exams students should exhibit mastery of the texts. During class discussions I will ask members of the class questions about the major events, forces, influences and personalities involved in the reading for that segment of the course. Your participation grade is based upon the quality of your responses. There will be a midterm and a final exam. The final is not comprehensive. Both exams will be essay exams. Students should demonstrate familiarity with both the readings covered for that exam (see course schedule) and lectures/discussion to that point. The written assignment is a 20+ page academic review of the readings.
Literature Review Guidelines
Reviews should be 20 or more pages and conform to the style of academic reviews. Your review will cover the three required books and six elective books from the approved list (below). You should not only analyze the books individually but compare them in the context of the literature.
There is no cover page. Heading is the bibliographical information of the book. Text is double-spaced with one-inch margins and 12-point type, usually the default on your word processor. There should be no sub-headings. Your name and “Texas A&M University - Central Texas” should be at the end of your review. I cannot accept papers in formats other than Microsoft Word.
Papers must be submitted in Blackboard as a turnitin assignment.
Good style and grammar are expected. Papers should follow the standards in Strunk and White Elements of Style..
The objective of the review is critical analysis of the merits of the books. You must address the basic questions of author’s thesis, purpose, and objectivity. Further, you should compare and contrast how the books treat the subject, or how they complement one another.
Be specific and support your conclusions. Appraise the author’s style and extent of research, including an evaluation of sources. As a rule avoid quotes, especially lengthy ones. Further guidance for writing reviews is linked from our department webpage by permission from:
Attendance
Students are expected to attend all classes and are fully responsible for their attendance. Make-up work may only be done for valid and verifiable reasons such as illness, death in the immediate family, legal proceedings, participation in University-sponsored activities, and military deployment. If possible, notification should be in advance.
Drop Policy
If you discover that you need to drop this class, you must go to the Records Office and ask for the necessary paperwork. Professors cannot drop students; this is always the responsibility of the student. The record’s office will give a deadline for which the form must be returned, completely signed. Once you return the signed form to the records office and wait 24 hours, you must go into Duck Trax and confirm that you are no longer enrolled. If you are still enrolled, FOLLOW-UP with the records office immediately. You are to attend class until the procedure is complete to avoid penalty for absence. Should you miss the deadline or fail to follow the procedure, you will receive an F in the course.
Academic Integrity
Texas A&M University - Central Texas expects all students to maintain high standards of personal and scholarly conduct. Students found to have violated these standards are subject to disciplinary action. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic work, plagiarism, collusion, and the abuse of resource materials. The faculty member is responsible for initiating action for each case of academic dishonesty and report the incident to the Associate Director of Student Conduct. More information can be found at
Warning: Clear cases of plagiarism result in a failing grade for the course
For general guidance about what constitutes plagiarism or for tips on writing and citation see:
Disability Support Services
If you have or believe you have a disability and wish to self-identify, you can do so by providing documentation to the Disability Support Coordinator. Students are encouraged to seek information about accommodations to help assure success in their courses. Please contact Vanessa Snyder at (254) 501-5836 or visit Founder's Hall 114. Additional information at
Information literacy focuses on research skills which prepare individuals to live and work in an information-centered society. Librarians will work with students in the development of critical reasoning, ethical use of information, and the appropriate use of secondary research techniques. Help may include, yet is not limited to: exploration of information resources such as library collections and services, identification of subject databases and scholarly journals, and execution of effective search strategies Library Resources are outlined and accessed at:
The University Writing Center
The University Writing Center at Texas A&M University-Central Texas is a free workspace open to all TAMUCT students. The UWC is located in 416 Warrior Hall. The center is open 11am-6pm Monday-Thursday during the spring semester. Students may work independently in the UWC by checking out a laptop that runs Microsoft Office suite and connects to WIFI, or by consulting our resources on writing, including all of the relevant style guides. Students may also arrange a one-on-one session with a trained and experienced writing tutor. Tutorials can be arranged by visiting the UWC. Tutors are prepared to help writers of all levels and abilities at any stage of the writing process. Sessions typically last between 20-30 minutes. While tutors will not write, edit, or grade papers, they will help students develop more effective invention and revision strategies.
UNILERT
Emergency Warning System for Texas A&M University – Central Texas
UNILERT is an emergency notification service that gives Texas A&M University-Central Texas the ability to communicate health and safety emergency information quickly via email and text message. By enrolling in UNILERT, university officials can quickly pass on safety-related information, regardless of your location. Please enroll today at TAMUCT.org/UNILERT
To access our online components, please visit the following link ( click, “Course Log-In”; enter your username and password; and, find our course.
NOTE: If you are logging in the first time, your username is your university email address and your password is your university ID (UID). If you do not have login credentials for Blackboard (i.e. a username and password) you must resolve this immediately. No one—including your instructor—can do this for you. You will need to contact the good folks in our IT department.
General Conduct
All students are expected to behave in a courteous manner toward the instructor and other students at all times. Disruptive or disrespectful behavior will be grounds for dismissal from the class. Punctuality is expected. Tape recorders are permitted in class, if accompanied by their owners
Grading Criteria Rubric and Conversion:
Literature Review:100 points25%
Midterm:100 points25%
Final Exam100 Points25 %
Participation100 points25%
Total:400 points100%
Final grades will be computed according to the following scale:
A = 90-100%(360-400 points)
B = 80-89%(320-359 points)
C = 70-79%(280-319 points)
D = 60-69%(240-279 points)
F = 59-0%(240-0 points)
Class Schedule
Jan 20Introduction,
Jan 27Lecture: Coming of the War,
Feb 31914 – Lecture: The Marne, Frontiers, Tannenberg
Feb 101915 – Lecture: Gas, Gallipoli
Feb 171916 – Lecture: Verdun, Marne, Jutland
Feb 241917 – Lecture: Wilson, Lenin, and ideological war
Mar 21918 - Lecture: Kaisershclacht and defeat
Mar 9Midterm
Mar 16Spring Break
Mar23Discuss Strachen
Mar 30Discuss Fergusson
April 6Discuss Horne
April 13Discuss Elective Book 1
April 20Discuss Elective book 2
April 27Discuss Elective Books 3-4
May 4Discuss Elective Books 5-6
May 11Final Exam - Literature Review Due
World War I
Reading List
Must Read:
Hew StrachanFirst World War
FergusonPity of War
HorneThe Price of Glory: Verdun 1916
New and Notable:
Peter HartThe Great War
Alexander WatsonRing of Steel: Germany and Austria in World War I
Eugene RoganThe Fall of the Ottoman Empire
Lawrence SondhausThe Great War at Sea
Stood the Test of Time:
GilbertThe First World War
TuchmanGuns of August, Zimmerman Telegram
KennetThe First Air War
MassieCastles of Steel
Johnson1918: The Unexpected Victory, White Heat
John TerraineTo Win a War: 1918 the Year of Victory,
BarnettThe Swordbearers: Supreme Command in the First World War
JFC FullerThe First World War
KeeganThe First World War
BeckettThe Great War
GrotelueschenThe AEF Way of War
HalpernA Naval History of World War I
YokelsonBorrowed Soldiers
TraskThe AEF, The Supreme War Council
FerrelWoodrow Wilson and World War I
PaschallThe Defeat of Imperial Germany
AspreyThe German High Command
YatesFlawed Victory: Jutland 1916
CoffmanWar to End All Wars
Norman StoneThe Eastern Front
NeibergFighting the Great War
HerwigThe Marne
PreteStrategy and Command
PhilpottThree Armies on the Marne
SchindlerIsonzo
SlotkinLost Battles
OsbornBritain’s Economic Blockade of Germany
Miller, Lynn-Jones, Van Evera
Military Strategy and the Origins of the Great War
ShowalterTannenberg
MooreheadGallipoli
Note: Although it is unlikely, the instructor may make modifications to this syllabus at any time.