Instructor: Dr. Katherine Rossy
Email: katherinerossy@cunet.carleton.ca
Course Description
The Second World War needs no introduction— it is the most infamous global conflict the world has witnessed to date. It brought about the near-total destruction of peoples and cities, re-organized entire political systems and economies, and led to the forging of new alliances and international organizations. This course will explore the global impact of the Second World War through the lens of ‘forgotten fronts’, that is, on actors and areas that are often reduced to footnotes in the pages of history. The aim of this course is to study the perspectives and experiences of ‘forgotten’ individuals and societies in Allied and Axis regimes between 1939 and 1945. This will be achieved by critically engaging with primary source material and historical scholarship on a range of topics, including race and racism, women and war, children and childhood and international justice. By the end of this course, students will have gained a clearer understanding of how people in all theatres of conflict not only experienced the war but managed to rebuild their lives after such colossal destruction and loss of life.
This is an asynchronous, online course that will be taught through a series of bi-weekly modules, assigned readings and course assessments. Pre-recorded lectures will be uploaded each Tuesday and Thursday for students to complete by the following Monday. Assigned readings and supporting course materials for each week’s modules will be uploaded on Ares and/or Brightspace the weekend before. Since this is a fully asynchronous class, students will be invited to drop into my virtual office hours on Brightspace chat every week. I also encourage students to contact me via e-mail with questions or to schedule to virtual Zoom meeting should they require more assistance.