This seminar course studies the development of U.S. Cold War policies, with special attention paid to the decisions regarding nuclear weapons and the arms race. From a variety of scholarly perspectives, the course examines key diplomatic, strategic, political, social, and environmental implications of these policies from the 1930s to the present. Using a wide range of sources, we analyze several topics including: the international race for an atomic bomb, the creation of the Manhattan Project during World War Two, the decision to drop nuclear weapons on Japan, the bomb and the origins of the Cold War, anti-nuclear activism and arms control, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the impact of the arms race on American society and the environment. Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hoursPrerequisite(s): 6 credit units of senior-level HIST of which 3 credit units must Note Students with credit for HIST 471.6 may not take this course for credit.
This seminar course studies the development of U.S. Cold War policies, with special attention paid to the decisions regarding nuclear weapons and the arms race. From a variety of scholarly perspectives, the course examines key diplomatic, strategic, political, social, and environmental implications of these policies from the 1930s to the present. Using a wide range of sources, we analyze several topics including: the international race for an atomic bomb, the creation of the Manhattan Project during World War Two, the decision to drop nuclear weapons on Japan, the bomb and the origins of the Cold War, anti-nuclear activism and arms control, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the impact of the arms race on American society and the environment. Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hoursPrerequisite(s): 6 credit units of senior-level HIST of which 3 credit units must Note Students with credit for HIST 471.6 may not take this course for credit.
