AP/HIST1010 6.0 A: War, Revolution and Society
Offered by: HIST
Session
Fall 2025
Term
Y
Format
LECT
Instructor
Calendar Description / Prerequisite / Co-Requisite
A study of the major political and social upheavals which have helped to shape the contemporary world. The course will concentrate on the origins of the two World Wars and the Cold War, and on their consequences. Topics chosen for detailed examination will vary from year to year.
Course Start Up
Course Websites hosted on York's "eClass" are accessible to students during the first week of the term. It takes two business days from the time of your enrolment to access your course website. Course materials begin to be released on the course website during the first week. To log in to your eClass course visit the York U eClass Portal and login with your Student Passport York Account. If you are creating and participating in Zoom meetings you may also go directly to the York U Zoom Portal.
For further course Start Up details, review the Getting Started webpage.
For IT support, students may contact University Information Technology Client Services via askit@yorku.ca or (416) 736-5800. Please also visit UIT Student Services or the Getting Help - UIT webpages.
email: dneill@yorku.ca
In this course we explore the most violent century in human history. We will pay special attention to the two defining wars of the 20th century, World Wars I and II, and we also aim to contextualize and understand the world-changing revolutions in Russia, China and Latin America. We will discuss the crucial development of colonialism and the consequences of decolonization, the impact of the Cold War, and the roots of horrific genocides such as the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide, and in Cambodia. We will also explore the ways in which societies have sought to deal with the impact of the traumas they have faced and discuss how concepts of human rights have developed and changed as a result of the horrors of the twentieth century.
As we learn about the major social, political, and economic upheavals of the twentieth century, we will also hone our historical skills, with an emphasis on reading primary and secondary materials, learning the basics of historical research, and preparing essays and other written assignments.
Tentative:
Daniel R. Brower and Thomas Saunders, The World in the Twentieth Century: From Empires to Nations, Seventh Edition.
Many of the readings will be excerpts from primary and secondary sources and available on e-class. This is designed to give you access to many readings and to reduce textbook costs.
The course includes several short written assignments that explore key primary and secondary sources. We also have a high participation grade (to encourage weekly engagement in tutorials) and a final exam. This year we are introducing several innovations with possibilities for multimedia assignments. Stay tuned!
This course is built using a 24-week format, with a final week dedicated to review for the exam. We have two lectures per week, each on a different topic, and a one-hour tutorial that you will have with 24 fellow students and a Teaching Assistant who has expertise in the course subject matter. Attendance is mandatory for both lectures and tutorials. All of the meetings are in person unless otherwise stated for a particular week.
We seek to learn factual information about the world in the 20th century, names, dates, and key events;
We aim to learn how historical arguments are constructed and construct our own arguments using both primary and secondary sources
- Academic Honesty
- Student Rights and Responsibilities
- Religious Observance
- Grading Scheme and Feedback
- 20% Rule
No examinations or tests collectively worth more than 20% of the final grade in a course will be given during the final 14 calendar days of classes in a term. The exceptions to the rule are classes which regularly meet Friday evenings or on Saturday and/or Sunday at any time, and courses offered in the compressed summer terms. - Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
