The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941-45 - HIS00092C

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Module summary

This course will provide an introduction to the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941-45. The Soviet Union bore the brunt of the war against Nazi Germany and contributed more to victory than any other nation. The war on the Eastern Front was the most savage conflict in human history and was seared into the experience of the generation that fought it and subsequent generations. 27 million Soviet citizens died as a direct result of the war, including 9 million Red Army soldiers. Among other topics we will look at the Soviet state, the military conflict, gender roles, the experience of ordinary people and the Holocaust in the Soviet Union. This course will provide an understanding of a conflict that is still poorly understood in the West, but became the defining event in the history of the Soviet Union and continues to exert a profound influence over all the successor states of the Soviet Union, especially Russia.

Module will run

Occurrence	Teaching period
A	Spring Term 2022-23

Module aims

The aims of this module are:

• To give an intensive introduction to an unfamiliar period and/or approach to the study of history;
• To offer experience in the use of primary source materials;
• To develop skills in analysing historiography; and
• To develop core skills such as: bibliographical search techniques; source analysis; essay writing; giving presentations; and, undertaking independent research.

Module learning outcomes

Students who complete this module successfully will:

• Acquire an insight into an unfamiliar period and/or approach to history through intensive study of an aspect of the period and/or an approach to it;
• Gain experience of analysing primary source materials;
• Be able to evaluate an historical explanation;
• Have further developed work undertaken in the Autumn Term lecture courses and skills portfolios, including historical analysis, note-taking, using primary sources, presenting to groups, and leading discussions in seminars;
• Be able to construct a coherent historical argument in oral and written forms

Module content

Teaching Programme:

Teaching will be in weekly 2-hour seminars taught over nine weeks, plus an overview and revision session in Week 2 of Summer Term. Each week students will do reading and preparation in order to be able to contribute to discussion.

Seminar topics are subject to variation, but are likely to include the following:

1. Introductory session: Stalin, the Soviet Union and War

2. The Approach of War

3. The War on the Eastern Front

4. The Blockade of Leningrad

5. Women and the War

6. Life in the Occupied Territories

7. The Holocaust in the Soviet Union

8. Relations with the Western Allies

9. The Legacy of the War

Indicative assessment

Task	% of module mark
Online Exam - 24 hrs (Centrally scheduled)	100

Special assessment rules

None

Additional assessment information

Formative work:

During the Spring Term students will prepare a presentation in pairs or small groups. Tutors will determine the formative work for the course: all groups will present on a primary source. Formative work will be completed in one or more sessions at the tutor’s discretion.

Summative assessment:

An open exam in the Common Assessment Period, comprising one essay question chosen from five options

Indicative reassessment

Task	% of module mark
Online Exam - 24 hrs (Centrally scheduled)	100

Module feedback

Following their formative assessment task, students will typically receive written feedback that will include comments and a mark within 10 working days of submission.

Work will be returned to students in their discussion groups and may be supplemented by the tutor giving some oral feedback to the whole group. All students are encouraged, if they wish, to discuss the feedback on their procedural work with their tutor (or module convenor) during student hours. For more information, see the Statement on Feedback.

For the summative assessment task, students will receive their provisional mark and written feedback within 20 working days of the submission deadline. The tutor will then be available during student hours for follow-up guidance if required. For more information, see the Statement of Assessment.

Indicative reading

For term time reading, please refer to the module VLE site. Should you wish to do any preliminary reading, you could look at the following:

Catherine Merridale, Ivan’s War: The Red Army at War 1939-45 (London, 2006)

Richard Overy Russia’s War: A History of the Soviet War Effort 1941-1945 (London, 1998)