07:20 PM to 10:00 PM T
Section Information for Spring 2012
The course explores the historical evolution of the academic-military-industrial complex in the United States beginning with light arms production at government armories prior to the Civil War and concluding with the successful creation of the world’s first thermonuclear weapon, less than ninety years later, during the Cold War. Through a series of chronological and topical case studies, the history of weapons development will be used as a platform to investigate the cultural impact on the nation and its citizens resulting from the continual creation and deployment of increasingly complex and ever more powerful weapons and weapons systems. The seminar will pay particular attention to the relationship between research and development practices carried out by scientists, engineers, and physicians and the often times unintended consequences on both the body and the environment. Case studies will include the armory system, railroad construction, environmental warfare, naval architecture, chemical warfare, military medicine, human subject testing, strategic bombing, biological weapons, the Manhattan Project, and thermonuclear weapons.This course fulfills the “1861-1914” or the “1914-Present” distribution requirement in U.S. History, but not both.View 9 Other Sections of this Course in this Semester »
Credits: 1-6
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
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