The First World War was called the “war to end all wars”, but was soon reviled as a senseless slaughter that solved nothing and created problems that plagued the rest of the twentieth century. This course focuses on the War and its immediate aftermath, and will use a number of perspectives from diplomatic, military, social and intellectual history. The course will also take a comparative approach to acquaint students with the similarities and differences between the major protagonists’ first experiences of total war. The course will end by examining the Treaty of Versailles and its legacies for the modern age.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
After completion of this course, students should be able to:1. Demonstrate detailed knowledge of the causes, conduct, and outcomes of the Great War;
2. Understand the development of key interpretations of the causes, conduct and consequences of the Great War;
3. Demonstrate continued development in your research, analytic, and writing skills;
4. Improve your ability to reflect critically on the Great War's historiography and its key primary sources;
5. Demonstrate and improve your oral presentation skills; and
6. Show your understanding of the historical significance of the Great War.
Other Information
This course may be counted towards a History, Contemporary Europe or International Relations major, and is a designated course for the BA (European Studies).
Indicative Assessment
1. A research essay of 3,000 words (50%), [Assesses Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6].
2. A formal examination (40%) [Assesses Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 4 and 6].
3. Tutorial performance (10%) [Assesses Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 4 and 5].
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 30 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 18 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials; and b) 100 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.Requisite and Incompatibility
Preliminary Reading
Keegan, John, The First World War, Vintage Books, 1998.
Strachan, Hew, The Oxford Illustrated History of the First World War, Oxford University Press, 1998.
Majors
Minors
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $3180 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $4890 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.