This aims to provide a global and comparative history of the war, seeking to study the conflict from multiple facets and approaches. As well as studying the empires and nation-states of Europe, we will consider the war in Africa, the Middle East and across the Atlantic. 

The course will focus on a number of key scholarly debates in order to explain and understand the war: was war inevitable in 1914? Why did trench warfare develop, and why did the war last so long? Why did Germany lose? Was the entry of the USA decisive and if so how? And how far is it fair to say that the Second World War grew out of the First World War, and of the peace treaties signed at the end of it? We will focus on these areas of historical debate in class discussion and in assignments.

By the end of the course students should:

* have direct experience of considering and engaging with contrasting interpretations of historical events

* have learned how to engage with historical debates in secondary literature and in developing useful historical comparisons;

* have gained experience in accessing digital source collections and critically examining primary materials;

* understand different kinds of historical approach including cultural, economic and social history;

* have improved their skills in orally expressing an argument, through class discussion and oral presentations;

* further develop transferable skills in research, interpretation, analysis and writing.

Effective class participation is central to this class, so attendance is mandatory.  More than 3 unauthorised absences will cause your final overall grade to be reduced (ie. A- to B+, B+ to B etc). An excused absence requires a doctor's note or official confirmation from the university that you have had an illness, family emergency or legal obligation which prevents you from attending class.

Travel plans, or mistakes in travel plans, are not an acceptable reason for missing class.

Students must sign in on the class attendance sheet at the start of each class. Students arriving more than 10 minutes after the start of class will be recorded as absent. Please be punctual. Attendance records are based on the sign-in sheet so it is your responsibility to make sure you sign it every class.

It is not possible to arrange make-ups for mid-term or final exams. See catalogue for further details.

NB Supplementary Class Policy: Laptops or other computers may NOT be used in class EXCEPT when we are working on the digital project.

                 PROVISIONAL CLASS SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS - likely to be substantially modified

W. Mulligan, The Origins of the First World War (2010)                                                       [WM]

M. Neiberg (ed). The World War I Reader (2006) [also e-version]                                    [Reader]

L. Sondhaus, World War One: The Global Revolution (2011)                                                 [LS]

On Reserve:

H. Strachan, The First World War: A New History (2006)                                                     [HS]

H. Strachan (ed), The Oxford illustrated history of the First World War (2000)                     [OX]                                                                   

It is important that you have a general sense of the war as a whole, from reading a complete narrative history. We will NOT cover every single event of the war in class so it is important that you fill in the gaps yourself by ensuring you complete the Global Revolution textbook or Hew Strachan's "New History".