Undergraduate Course: A 'Special Relationship'?: US-UK Relations From World War II to the War on Terror (HIST10377)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Politicians, diplomats, and journalists on both sides of the Atlantic frequently refer to the 'special relationship' between the United States and the United Kingdom. However, is there really a 'special relationship'? If there is one, what form does it take and what influence does it have? Does such a relationship only exist because of specific circumstances and interpersonal relationships?
This course examines the 'special relationship' from World War to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, analysing key moments of Anglo-American friendship and tension. From Lend-Lease to the Skybolt Crisis, from Suez to the War on Terror, this course will allow students to develop a thorough understanding of the often celebrated, derided, and misunderstood 'special relationship'. |
| Course description |
Seminar 1: Introduction/World War II
Seminar 2: In Bombs We Trust: The Not-So-Special Nuclear Relationship to 1957
Seminar 3: Asia, 1945-1964
Seminar 4: The Middle East, 1945-1960
Seminar 5: In Spies We Trust: The Special Intelligence Relationship
Seminar 6: The Mac and Jack Show: Harold MacMillan and John F Kennedy
Seminar 7: Crises: Skybolt and Vietnam
Seminar 8: Stagnation?: Edward Heath and Richard Nixon
Seminar 9: The Iron Lady and the Great Communicator: Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan
Seminar 10: The Wall Comes Down: The end of the Special Relationship?
Seminar 11: Tony and George: Blair, Bush, Iraq, and the War on Terror
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 History courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course ** |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2014/15, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 52 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
172 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
40 %,
Coursework
60 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
One essay of no more than 3000 words (40% of overall assessment); class participation across the semester (10% of overall assessment); presentation (10% of overall assessment); one two-hour examination paper (40% of overall assessment).
Visiting Student Variant Assessment:
When this course is taught in Semester 1, the Visiting Student assessment will be:
One essay of no more than 3000 words (40% of overall assessment); class participation across the semester (10% of overall assessment); presentation (10% of overall assessment); one 'take home' examination paper (40% of overall assessment).
If taught in Semester 2, the assessment is as detailed for full year students. |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this course should be able to demonstrate by examination, the completion of an essay, the completion of a ten-minute presentation, and participation in class discussion an ability to:
- demonstrate a detailed understanding of the main features, themes, and events of Anglo-American relations from the mid-twentieth to the early twenty-first centuries;
- engage in historical arguments both orally and in writing;
- set their own historical research agenda in relation to the study of trans-Atlantic relations by: formulating seminar and essay questions; identifying the significance of key changes and continuities in policy and perception; understanding key theoretical concepts surrounding the position of nuclear weapons in international relations
- understand the utility of different types of primary materials, written and non-written, in evaluating historical processes;
- actively participate in group discussion;
- to access library and IT resources efficiently.
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Reading List
Baylis, John, Anglo-American Defence Relations 1939-1980, 2nd edition (London: Macmillan, 1984) - three copies available in main library
Clark, Ian, Nuclear Diplomacy and the Special Relationship: Britain's Deterrent and America, 1957-1962 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994)
Dickie, John, "Special" No More: Anglo-American Relations, Rhetoric and Reality (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1994)
Dumbrell, John, A Special Relationship: Anglo-American Relations in the Cold War and After (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 2001) - two copies available in the main library.
Jeffreys-Jones, Rhodri, In Spies We Trust: The Story of Western Intelligence (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013)
Ovendale, Ritchie, Anglo-American Relations in the Twentieth Century (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1998)
Powaski, Ronald E, Entangling Alliance: The United States and European Security, 1950-1993 (Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1994) ¿ one copy available in the main library.
Richardson, Louise, When Allies Differ: Anglo-American Relations During the Suez and Falklands Crises (New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, 1996) - one copy available in HUB reserve.
Rossbach, Niklas H., Heath, Nixon and the Rebirth of the Special Relationship: Britain, the US and the EC, 1969-74 (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009) - one copy available in the main library.
Svendsen, Adam D.M., Intelligence Cooperation and the War on Terror: Anglo-American Security Relations after 9/11 (London: Routledge, 2010)
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
The transferable skills for this course will consist of the following:
- Developing the students¿ ability to organize and lead meetings through taking control of seminar discussions on selected weeks
- Developing the ability to express complex arguments through giving oral presentations on selected weeks
- Developing student competency with IT resources and developing the necessary skills to conduct thoughtful and effective independent research
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| Keywords | Special Relationship |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Malcolm Craig
Tel:
Email: mcraig@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Marie-Therese Rafferty
Tel: (0131 6)50 3780
Email: M.T.Rafferty@ed.ac.uk |
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