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Module Catalogue

HI2K7-15 Accidental President: Harry S Truman and Mid-Century America

Department
History
Level
Undergraduate Level 2
Module leader
Rebecca Stone
Credit value
15
Module duration
10 weeks
Assessment
100% coursework
Study location
University of Warwick main campus, Coventry

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Introductory description

This second year module will explore and examine the presidency of Harry S Truman (1945-1952). Each weekly lecture will introduce a new facet of Truman's presidency; the corresponding seminars will then invite students to consider Truman's impact on the topic alongside the topic's impact on post war and cold war US history (and global history). It will address key themes such as presidential power, race and resistance, hot and cold war, peacemaking and re-conversion, post war foreign and domestic policy, american exceptionalism and presidential legacies. This module will focus on Truman's first and second administrations (1945-1952) but will consider his whole lifetime (1884 - 1972) and beyond.

Module aims

This module will examine the development of the American presidency, and post war US history and politics through the lense of Harry Truman's presidency. This period represents a vital turning point in modern history through which many modern geopolitical and sociological developments can be better understood. Truman oversaw the end of WWII and the beginning of the Cold War, the atomic bomb and ensuing arms race, proxy wars, anticommunism, the early civil rights movement and the beginnings of desegregation, consideration of the American 'welfare state' and the USA as a global superpower. Yet Truman was not elected to his first term and did not expect to win his second. He was not a successful politician, a skilled policymaker or an experienced statesman. Using Truman's presidency as an example, this module will also consider the role of The President in foreign and domestic policy, the reach and limits of presidential power, the significance of the postholder and the fragility of the office.

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

  1. The First Sixty Years – Seminar: Failure
  2. Accidental President – Seminar: The Atomic Bomb
  3. Cold War – Seminar: The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan
  4. The Fair Deal – Seminar: Education
  5. Truman and Civil Rights – Seminar: Desegregation
  6. Reading Week
  7. 1948 Election – Seminar: 'Dewey Defeats Truman'
  8. Korea – Seminar: NSC-68 and Escalation
  9. Anticommunism - Seminar: McCarthyism
  10. Memory and Legacy – Seminar: The Truman Library.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

  • Understand Harry Truman's life and work, his path to the Presidency, impact on US social development and global politics.
  • Critically analyse historical writing about Truman and identify what has typically drawn focus, how Truman has been memorialised and how the historiography has developed over time and in response to contemporary understanding.
  • Critically engage with the reach and restrictions of presidential power.
  • Develop a deeper understanding of mid-century American history, its relevance and importance to contemporary understanding.
  • Improve study, research and communication skills.

Indicative reading list

Reading lists can be found in Talis

Research element

See Assessment.

Interdisciplinary

This module explores an explicitly political focus on a period often characterised through social experience. Students will be asked to consider historical developments alongside examinations of political power; how it is gained, wielded and lost within the context of US governance. Students will explore the importance of individual and system to their historical engagements.

International

This module will focus on the history of the USA.

Subject specific skills

See learning outcomes.

Transferable skills

Use a range of tools to conduct second year appropriate primary and secondary research. Develop strong analytical and evaluation skills. Further develop critical thinking skills. Communicate clearly and effectively in small and large group discussions. Build understanding of research processes and interdisciplinary research methods. Build digital research skills.

Study time

Type Required
Lectures 10 sessions of 1 hour (7%)
Seminars 10 sessions of 1 hour (7%)
Other activity 130 hours (87%)
Total 150 hours

Private study description

No private study requirements defined for this module.

Other activity description

Private Study

Costs

No further costs have been identified for this module.

You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.

Assessment group A
Weighting Study time Eligible for self-certification
Assessment component
1500 Word Applied Task 40% Yes (extension)
Reassessment component is the same
Assessment component
3000 Word Essay 50% Yes (extension)
Reassessment component is the same
Assessment component
Seminar Contribution 10% No

Self-assessment of student engagement in seminars and other learning activities across the teaching terms.
Reassessment component
1000 word reflective piece in lieu of seminar contribution Yes (extension)

Reflection on experience of module, what students have learned and how their thinking has developed.
Feedback on assessment

Feedback will be provided through Tabula and in class. Feedback meetings will be available to all students.

Courses

This module is Optional for:

  • Year 2 of UENA-VQ32 Undergraduate English and History
  • Year 2 of UENA-VQ34 Undergraduate English and History (with a term in Venice)
  • Year 2 of UHIA-V102 Undergraduate History (Renaissance and Modern History Stream)
  • Year 2 of UHIA-V1V5 Undergraduate History and Philosophy
  • Year 2 of UHIA-VM11 Undergraduate History and Politics
  • Year 2 of UHIA-VM13 Undergraduate History and Politics (with a term in Venice)
  • Year 2 of UHIA-VL13 Undergraduate History and Sociology
  • Year 2 of UHIA-VL15 Undergraduate History and Sociology (with a term in Venice)

This module is Option list A for:

  • Year 2 of UHIA-V1V7 Undergraduate History and Philosophy (with a term in Venice)

This module is Option list B for:

  • Year 2 of UHIA-V100 Undergraduate History

This module is Option list C for:

  • Year 2 of UHIA-V100 Undergraduate History
  • Year 2 of UHIA-V102 Undergraduate History (Renaissance and Modern History Stream)