Cultural History of War in Britain and America between the First World War and the Conflict in Vietnam

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 7
• Convenor: Professor Joanna Bourke
• Assessment: one essay of 5000-5500 words (100%)

In this module we explore the major debates in the cultural history of warfare. We will be interrogating the experiences, representation and memory of war for British and American societies during the First World War, Second World War and the Vietnam War.

The first part of the course looks at aspects of war medicine and psychiatry, including the ways historians interpret the emotions of combat. We then turn to the position of women in military contexts, followed by wartime atrocities. The final classes examine representations of war in the contexts of literature, film and propaganda, and war memorials.

The module aims to promote and advance research into the relationships between war and culture.