This is a course about the impact of war on Americans and American society during the twentieth century.  It is not a course about the individual wars, about weapons, or about battles.  In that sense then it is a social history of the nature of the war experience and what effects it has had on American society at various times in the twentieth century rather than a military history of the conflicts.

Given the sweeping chronological nature of the course we will be selective in the wars and topics that we examine.  For purposes of this course we will be examining four wars in particular:  The Spanish-American War; World War One; World War Two; and the Vietnam War.  Within that framework we will examine topics such the economic impact of war, the American soldiers' experience,  propaganda and information during wartime, American imperialism and the opposition to war, and women at war.  The final course content will be set in the course lecture and reading schedule available the first week of class.

While there is no American history prerequisite for this course, it is expected that students will have a working background in twentieth century American history.  Basic American history is expected and not explained at this level and students may find themselves at a disadvantage in weekly readings and discussions without such background.  Students will be responsible for the basic twentieth century American history and if they are lacking they should be preparing themselves for this course by reading some surveys of twentieth century American history.