AMH 5905: Cold War Culture, Media, and Propaganda

W 6:00-9:35 pm, AH 105

Instructor: Dr. Kenneth Osgood

Office Hours: W, 4-6pm, HU 151 (and by appointment!)

Phone: (561) 297-2816

Home: (561) 243-9377

* COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This readings course examines the impact of the Cold War on life and culture in the United States and abroad—a major theme in much of the recent “cutting-edge” literature on Cold War history. Readings will cover such issues as the impact of the Cold War on gender relations, the civil rights movement, popular culture, and the mass media. Readings will also explore propaganda, “the bomb”, civil defense, and other issues pertaining to the early days of the Cold War.

* COURSE FORMAT AND REQUIREMENTS:

This is a reading and discussion course, not a lecture course. The major requirements are therefore that you complete the readings before class and participate in discussion.

At the end of the semester, all students will hand in a paper (8-10 pgs) that explores some theme or themes arising from the course readings. It may also be written as a “review essay” of the books from class, or a critique of some aspect of the readings. You may use additional readings (other than those discussed in class), but you are not required to do so.

You are also required to lead (or co-lead) one of the discussions and to write and circulate a book review that week (see below).

* DISCUSSION LEADERS AND BOOK REVIEWS:

Each week, one or two students will be in charge of leading discussion for the week. When it is your turn, please prepare a short (approx. 10 minutes) set of comments—highlighting arguments, ideas, historiography, reactions, or anything else that interests you—to initiate the discussion.

When it is your turn to lead discussion, you should also write a two-page book review of the book in question. Your review should follow standard review formats as used in the Journal of American History, Diplomatic History, Journal of Cold War Studies, the American Historical Review, etc. (You may wish to look at these journals before writing your review.) Begin with a brief summary of the main argument of the book, point out strengths, and raise points of contention, things to think about, contrary ideas, criticisms, etc. This review should be circulated to the other members of the class via email at least 24 hrs. before class. (There are links to the class email list below.)

Optional, but strongly encouraged: If applicable, when it is your turn to lead discussion, bring in a relevant primary source to share with the class. Possibilities include film clips, music, posters, magazine clippings, documents, comic books, etc. Feel free to consult with me for suggestions, and let me know if you need A/V equipment.

BOOKS:

Most of the course books will be put on reserve at the Boca campus library. You may also wish to look online for used copies. In addition to Amazon and Barnes&Noble, a great place to find used books at low prices is: www.abebooks.com.

Stephen J.Whitfield, The Culture of the Cold War (Johns Hopkins UP; ISBN: 0801851955).

Hilton Kramer, The Twilight of the Intellectuals (Ivan R. Dee, ISBN: 1566633117).

Peter J. Kuznick and James Burkhart Gilbert, eds., Rethinking Cold War Culture (Smithsonian Institution Press; ISBN: 1560988959).

Peter Biskind, Seeing is Believing: How Hollywood Taught Us to Stop Worrying and Love the Fifties (Owl Books; ISBN: 0805065636).

Nancy Bernhard, U.S. Television News and Cold War Propaganda, 1947-1960 (Cambridge University Press; ISBN: 0521594154). (Note: this book is expensive so it will be on reserve!)

Paul Boyer, By the Bomb’s Early Light: American Thought and Culture at the Dawn of the Nuclear Age (University of North Carolina Press; ISBN: 0807844802).

Laura McEnaney, Civil Defense Begins at Home (Princeton University Press; ISBN: 0691001383).

Thomas Borstelmann, The Cold War and the Color Line: American Race Relations in the Global Arena (Harvard University Press; ISBN: 067400597X).

Walter Hixson, Parting the Curtain: Propaganda, Culture and the Cold War, 1945-1961 (Palgrave; ISBN: 0312176805).

Jessica Gienow-Hecht, Transmission Impossible: American Journalism As Cultural Diplomacy in Postwar Germany, 1945-1955 (Louisiana State University Press; ISBN: 0807124095).

Reinhold Wagnleitner and Elaine Tyler May, eds. Here, There, and Everywhere: The Foreign Politics of American Popular Culture (University Press of New England; ISBN: 1584650354).

ARTICLES:

There are a few required articles listed below. Copies of these articles are in a folder in the History Department mailroom (on top of the file cabinets). Please copy them and promptly return them so that others may access them. The articles are of course also available at the library.

COURSE SCHEDULE:

Week 1 (5/15): No Class.

Sign-up for dates to lead discussion with Zella.
Get syllabus, buy books, copy articles, and start reading!

Part I: Cold War Culture

Week 2 (5/22):

Melvyn P. Leffler, “New Approaches, Old Interpretations, and Prospective Reconfigurations.” Diplomatic History 19:2 (Spring 1995): 173-196. A copy of this article is in a folder in the History Department office.
Stephen J.Whitfield, The Culture of the Cold War.

Week 3 (5/29):

Hilton Kramer, The Twilight of the Intellectuals.
Peter J. Kuznick and James Burkhart Gilbert, eds., Rethinking Cold War Culture. Read introduction and chapters 1-3, 7, & 9.

Part II: Hollywood and Television

Week 4 (6/5):

Peter Biskind, Seeing is Believing: How Hollywood Taught Us to Stop Worrying and Love the Fifties.
Theodore A. Wilson, “Selling American via the Silver Screen? Efforts to Manage the Projection of American Culture Abroad, 1942-1947,” in Wagnleitner and May, eds. Here, There, and Everywhere, pgs 83-99.
Christian G. Appy, “’We’ll Follow the Old Man’: Strains of Sentimental Militarism in Popular Films of the Fifties,” in Kuznick and Gilbert, Rethinking Cold War Culture, chapter 4.

Week 5 (6/12):

Nancy Bernhard, U.S. Television News and Cold War Propaganda, 1947-1960.
Nose Owens-Ibie, “Programmed for Domination: U.S. Television Broadcasting and Its Effects on Nigerian Culture,” in Wagnleitner and May, eds. Here, There, and Everywhere, pgs 132-148.

Part III: Race and Gender

Week 6 (6/19):

Thomas Borstelmann, The Cold War and the Color Line: American Race Relations in the Global Arena.
Jason Parker, forthcoming article on decolonization and the Cold War from the International History Review.

Week 7 (6/25):

Various Authors, “Culture, Gender, and Foreign Policy: A Symposium,” Diplomatic History 18 (Winter 1994): 47-105.
Re-read Leffler, “New Approaches,” 181-183.
Joanne Meyeroqitz, “Sex, Gender, and the Cold War Language of Reform,” in Kuznick and Gilbert, eds. Rethinking Cold War Culture, chapter 5.
Jane DeHart, "Containment at Home: Gender, Sexuality and National Identity in Cold War America," in Kuznick and Gilbert, eds. Rethinking Cold War Culture, chapter 6.

Part IV: Civil Defense and the Bomb

Week 8 (7/3):

Paul Boyer, By the Bomb’s Early Light: American Thought and Culture at the Dawn of the Nuclear Age.
Please note: due to the July 4 holiday, this class meeting may be rescheduled.

Week 9 (7/10):

Laura McEnaney, Civil Defense Begins at Home.

Part V: Propaganda, the Media, and Culture

Week 10 (7/17):

Walter Hixson, Parting the Curtain: Propaganda, Culture and the Cold War, 1945-1961.
Scott Lucas, “Mobilizing Culture: The State-Private Network and the CIA in the Early Cold War,” in Dale Carter and Robin Clifton, eds. War and Cold War in American Foreign Policy, 1942-62 (Palgrave, 2002).

Week 11 (7/24):

Jessica Gienow-Hecht, Transmission Impossible: American Journalism As Cultural Diplomacy in Postwar Germany, 1945-1955.

Week 12: (7/31):

Reinhold Wagnleitner and Elaine Tyler May, eds. Here, There, and Everywhere: The Foreign Politics of American Popular Culture. Introduction, plus pages 149-178, 192-206, 242-328.