This senior research seminar will focus on Britain during the Second World War, with particular emphasis on collective memory. The first half of the semester will serve as an introduction to both this rich historical topic and its historiography. Topics will include the Blitz, the evacuation out of Dunkirk, refugees and humanitarian efforts, rationing and provisioning, Winston Churchill and his legacy, gender and family life, and wartime propaganda. Students will learn about the myth of the blitz which, along with the concept of the people’s war, had political importance even decades later. The second half of the semester will be devoted to writing and revising research papers. Students will develop a research question, identify and engage with primary and secondary sources, and produce an original research paper.
