HSEM3252V

This class will study war films and the general question of historical representation, with a focus on the major films about Britain in WW II, such as The Battle of Britain, The Blitz, Dunkirk, The Cruel Sea, and Darkest Hour. The study abroad component will feature visits to major sites in London including The Imperial War Museum, Churchill War Rooms, Houses of Parliament, and H.M.S. Belfast as well as sites outside of London including Bletchley Park (home to the Enigma Codebreakers), Duxford Airfield (a British and American fighter base with a remarkable air museum), and Dover Castle (HQ for Operation Dynamo, the Dunkirk rescue operation).

We will study how the raw material of war is transformed into films, with characters and events incorporated into narratives that dramatize the full range of wartime experiences—public and private, military, and civilian. We will see how movies address topics such as leadership, courage and cowardice, individual survival and communal unity, and the basic challenge of keeping calm and carrying on in a wartime world. We will be especially concerned with how the basic elements of film are used to engage viewers and shape their view of the war. In England, we will undertake a similar consideration of the historical sites and museums, investigating exactly how history is being presented to guide the visitors’ understanding of the war.

A-F - A-F Grade Basis

000571

Yes

Periodic Spring