The undergraduate courses I have developed and convene include Fascism and Natonal Socialism, Reel History: World War II in film, Ethnic Cleansing and Genoicde in World History, and Modern France: From Revolution to Resistance.

HIST 2057 - Fascism and National Socialism

Extreme right wing ideologies of the twentieth century and European social movements or parties that claimed to be based on them provide the focus of this course. Broadly, it covers the period 1900-1945. Major themes discussed in lectures and seminars include the intellectual and cultural origins of fascism; political and social dislocation following World War I; Italian fascism, its nature, its appeal and its leaders; the distinguishing features of National Socialism in Germany (notably anti-Semitism and policies of exclusion and repression); social and cultural life in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany (with particular emphasis on young people, women and the Churches); and degrees of cooperation, collaboration and resistance in occupied Europe. We will also discuss the changing perceptions of Fascism over time and current debates on its nature.

HIST 2054 - Reel History: World War II in Film

The aim of this course is to explore the relationship between the past and its representation on film with particular emphasis on World War II. It takes various themes in the history of the war to examine how film has represented, reconstructed and interpreted the mid-twentieth century crisis. The course compares feature and documentary films with more traditional historical texts and sources in order to chart how filmmakers have approached the war. Why did some aspects of the war draw more attention than others? How did different people address the same subjects? Who has been responsible for shaping our understanding of the war and why was so much invested in its recreation on the screen? Students will address such questions and should complete the course with an understanding of the influence of film on popular perceptions of the war and an awareness of the dynamic process of remembering and forgetting history that is inherent in the production of historical films.

HIST 2058 - Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide in History

This course will explore the nature of ethnic cleansing and genocide and seek to discover the common historical, political and sociological threads that unite these tragedies. Students will analyse and discuss a series of case studies including, among others: the near extermination of First Nations people by colonisers of the New World, the Armenian genocide, the man-made famine in Ukraine, the Holocaust, the displacement of peoples in the aftermath of the Second World War in Europe and Africa, the Cambodian genocide and the case of ethnic cleansing and genocide during the wars of Yugoslav succession.

The Honours courses I convene include, Resistance and Collaboration in World War II and Living the Second World War in Europe.