Hist 3950/4950-01—Dr. Brian D. McKnight
War and Memory in America
Fall 2011/Tuesday and Thursday, 2:00-3:15 p.m. (Zehmer 225)
Office Hours and Contact Information:
 Office: Zehmer Hall 220
 Hours: MWF 8:00-9:00 a.m., and T/Th 8:00-9:30 a.m. Also, whenever my door is open, you’re welcome to
drop in.
 Telephone: 276-376-4574
 Email: bdm2e@uvawise.edu
Course Description and Objectives:
 Memory may seem to be a strange way to study history. After all, every history class is a recounting of some
form of memory. However, for the purposes of this class, we will examine how America and Americans have
remembered its military experiences. We will look at the broad social, cultural, and political results of these
wars and use books, newspapers, magazines, music, television, and movies in order to understand them. We
will also do some self-examination too. As Americans, we consider ourselves to be a gentle and peace-loving
people; however, only one nation in the history of the world has ever used nuclear weapons against
another…and we did it twice. Furthermore, we will examine our own nature in regard to the place of warfare
in American society and its increasing importance. For the first 158 years of the United States’ existence, we
were at war for 13 years. Since our entry into World War II however, we have fought 24 years. The United
States in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, like Rome in the early first millenium, is either a great civilization
requiring substantial efforts to maintain its current state of greatness or a declining civilization feeling
compelled to fight its way back to importance.
 By the time we complete our study, you should have an in-depth understanding of what the phrase “history
and memory” means. Additionally, you will have been exposed the concepts both great and small involving
how Americans remember their wars and the results that those wars have brought and currently bring to our
society.
Required Texts:
 Horwitz, Confederates in the Attic
 Turabian, A Manual for Writers…
 Waldstreicker, In the Midst of Perpetual Fetes
 Wolff, In Pharoah’s Army
Class Format:
 This would be an extremely difficult class to lecture so it will be offered in a seminar format. This means that
we will carry the class with discussion. You are expected to contribute to the class and offer insights.
 As you can see, this course is reading intensive. If you don’t plan to read each and every one of these
selections, you will likely fail the class.
Assignments and Grading:
 Examinations: (30%)—You will take a mid-term exam and a final exam (15% each). These tests will cover the
readings and topics of discussion that have preceded the exam.
 Participation: (10%)—You are expected to contribute to the course by taking an active part in the regular class
discussions. Your poor attendance can doom you in this regard, but simply attending without contribution is
not enough to achieve maximum credit.
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Book Reviews (15%)—You will write two book reviews (7.5% each) for this class. They can and should be
reviews of books that are important to your research paper. You must clear your books through me in
advance.
Research Paper: (35%)—You will be responsible for an original piece of scholarship as a result of this class.
The paper will be between 10-12 pages and the topic must be cleared through me. The paper is due in class on
Tuesday, November 29, 2011. After Fall break, I expect you to meet with me outside of class each week to
discuss your progress on the paper. Paper topics can be taken from the following local suggestions or drawn
from your own interests: Cumberland Gap NHP, the Battle of Saltville, the Saltville Massacre, Frontier Indian
conflict in southwestern Virginia, or local Civil War preservation and memory.
Peer Review: (10%)—You will read and critique the final paper of one of your fellow students. This exercise
will introduce you to the critical thought required to effectively judge the work of your peers. You will also
benefit from the same, as your fellow students will review your work. The purpose is to help students improve
their research, writing, and analysis. Also, if you are not here to receive a peer review paper or to submit your
paper for peer review, you will lose all of the points.
Important notes:
 ADA Statement: If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have
emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must
be evacuated, please make an appointment to talk with me as soon as possible.
 It is imperative that you attend regularly and participate fully in class.
 No encyclopedia or online sources (I will deduct points). If you need to use an online source, you must get it
cleared through me. This is an upper-division college course and you should do your research in the library
among books and journals of intellectual substance.
 No late assignments will be accepted.
 Seek perfection in your writing. Go the extra mile to eliminate grammatical and technical errors.
 Become familiar with the Chicago/Turabian citation style. No MLA, APA, or any other will be accepted.
 Consult with me frequently to make sure you are moving in the right direction and have examined the best
available sources for your paper.
 Plagiarism will not be tolerated, nor will any other form of cheating. If caught, you will fail this class and your
case will be forwarded to the Honor Court for further adjudication. For more information, consult the Student
Handbook.
Course Schedule: Date corresponds with the Monday of each week.
Date
Reading
8/22
8/29
9/5
9/12
9/19
9/26
Topics
Notes
Introduction
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Howard Preface
Thelen article
Waldstreicher, ch 1
Fanning the Loyalist
Saratoga memory
Waldstreicher, chs 2-3
Hewes part 1
Hewes part 2
Waldstreicher, chs 4-6
Jackson as Hero
Rossiter article
Horwitz, chs 1-5
Hymns
Time Civil War Article
Horwitz, chs 6-10
General concepts,
colonial conflicts
American Revolution,
loyalty,
War of 1812, maturity
and final
independence
Mexican War, racial
and ethnic
components
Reenacting wars,
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Book Review 1 due
10/3
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Alexander criticism
Fahs
CW soldier memories
Horwitz, chs 11-15
UDC catechism
Whitman
Blight
Sandage
mortality,
memorializing
Constructing memory
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Mid-term exam
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Fall Break—No Class
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Research Papers due
11/28
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Peer Reviews
Exam
Week
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Final Exam
10/10
10/17
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Little Big Horn
Diary vs Official Report
10/24
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Piehler, ch 3
10/31
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Sherwin and Linenthal
11/7
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Vietnam advisor
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
Sheehan
Collapse of S Vietnam
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Ron Kovic
Ford Carter Nixon
11/14
11/21
Good and evil
Indians, justification,
race and religion
The war to end all
wars, pacifism
Having good villains,
bad memories and
good wars
Korea and Vietnam
compared, why fight
in these?
Dealing with defeat
Remembering and
memorializing