Honors 2013: Twentieth Century: U.S. Combat Infantrymen in WWII

The primary objective of this course will be the development of the basis for a better understanding of the experiences of the US combat infantryman of World War II. Unlike a typical World War II course that tends to focus on the major events and outcomes of the war and the heads of state and generals who directed these events, this course will focus instead on the common soldiers (privates, privates first class, corporals), NCOs (sergeants), and junior officers (lieutenants and captains) who risked their lives in the infantry squads, platoons, and companies that served on the front lines. To achieve a better understanding of the combat experiences of these men, students will read a variety of literary and historical works produced by those who fought the war and experienced it first hand (such as Harry Brown, Norman Mailer, Kurt Vonnegut, E. B. Sledge, and Paul Fussell). They will also study a selection of unpublished accounts of the war: 1.) formerly classified military documents and records that were created by infantry regiments and companies involved in combat; 2.) personal letters that were written on the front lines during the war; and 3.) retrospective memoirs that were composed after the war.