This year is the one-hundred-fifth anniversary of the end of World War I. Yet, the Great War, as it was called, is often overshadowed by the world war that followed. As a result, few people are aware of the Great War's significance, the legacy of which is still with us. Nor do many people know about the events of that war, such as that one of its first naval battles was fought off the coast of Chile or that the effective deployment of chlorine gas at Ypres led to the suicide of the inventor's wife in Berlin. In this course, we undertake a thematic exploration of the war and its time through feature films, primary sources, and scholarly interpretations. This course seeks to provide the means for analyzing and evaluating what one reads or sees about World War I in regard to historical accuracy and for gaining a broader understanding of different perspectives. Themes include the origins of the war, what made it a world war, the impact of war on soldiers and civilians; the home front; women in war; the war in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa; and post-war issues. Films include All Quiet on the Western Front, The Big Parade, Dr. Zhivago, A Farewell to Arms, Mare Nostrum, and Le Grande Illusion.
