A Global History of World War II:
Ideology, Culture, Politics (HIST3096H)
University Honors Program | University of Cincinnati
Jeffrey T. Zalar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History
Jessica King, M.A., Senior Assistant Director & Academic Advisor, UHP
Jeffrey T. Zalar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History
Jessica King, M.A., Senior Assistant Director & Academic Advisor, UHP
Purpose
Despite the new possibilities offered by Distance Learning, Massive Open Online Courses, and other forms of computer-based instruction, seminars featuring direct interpersonal engagements remain essential to truly transformative higher education. When students enrolled in such courses travel to the physical locations pertaining to their topics of study, the impact of embodied scholarship only deepens. This class outreach project demonstrates the power of these seminars to achieve the tripartite aims of holistic undergraduate learning: the transmission of knowledge, the refinement of intellectual skills, and the cultivation of moral excellence.
The Course & Its Aims
The Second World War (1939-1945) was the greatest single tragedy and the most indiscriminate destroyer of resources in human history. It claimed sixty million lives worldwide and affected countless more through economic disruption, family separation, physical and emotional suffering, and grievous loss. This interdisciplinary seminar examined the war in its global contexts. It emphasized the comprehensive impact of warfare not only on the battlefield, but on civilians in everyday life. The course culminated with a week-long study tour of museums and other relevant sites in London, England and the D-Day assault beaches in Normandy, France.
"The study of the war touches all of who we are as intellectual, feeling, and ethical human persons, placing heavy demands upon those who undertake it. These students had the courage to meet these demands in an imposing display of their promise as tomorrow’s leaders."
- Dr. Jeff Zalar
Despite the new possibilities offered by Distance Learning, Massive Open Online Courses, and other forms of computer-based instruction, seminars featuring direct interpersonal engagements remain essential to truly transformative higher education. When students enrolled in such courses travel to the physical locations pertaining to their topics of study, the impact of embodied scholarship only deepens. This class outreach project demonstrates the power of these seminars to achieve the tripartite aims of holistic undergraduate learning: the transmission of knowledge, the refinement of intellectual skills, and the cultivation of moral excellence.
The Course & Its Aims
The Second World War (1939-1945) was the greatest single tragedy and the most indiscriminate destroyer of resources in human history. It claimed sixty million lives worldwide and affected countless more through economic disruption, family separation, physical and emotional suffering, and grievous loss. This interdisciplinary seminar examined the war in its global contexts. It emphasized the comprehensive impact of warfare not only on the battlefield, but on civilians in everyday life. The course culminated with a week-long study tour of museums and other relevant sites in London, England and the D-Day assault beaches in Normandy, France.
"The study of the war touches all of who we are as intellectual, feeling, and ethical human persons, placing heavy demands upon those who undertake it. These students had the courage to meet these demands in an imposing display of their promise as tomorrow’s leaders."
- Dr. Jeff Zalar
The Students
Madeline Adams Miriam Baker Elizabeth Boeckman Ashley Bosse Patrick Girvin Mia Jacobs Ashley Johns Benedetta Khoury Benjamin Knollman Jeffrey Maler Charles McCombs Emely Ortiz Karla Park Aaron Rolph Tori Roser Evan Sale Hannah Toler Teresa Whitaker |
Special Thanks To:
Raj Mehta, Vice Provost for Int'l & Director, UHP Debbie Brawn, Administrative Director, UHP André Durham, Asst. Director & Academic Advisor, UHP Willard Sunderland, Chair, Department of History Mark Raider, Professor of History Anne Fugard, Director, International Programs |