HIST 478
Cold War Landscapes Spring 2025
Division II
Cross-listed AMST 478 / ENVI 478

Class Details

The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union set in motion dramatic changes to the natural and built environments of many nations between 1945 and 1991. Nuclear test and missile launch sites, naval installations, military production operations, and border securitizations are just a few of the most obvious ways in which the stand-off between the two countries altered rural and urban landscapes around the world. But one can also see the Cold War as setting in motion less immediately direct but nonetheless profound changes to the way that many people saw and planned for the environments around them, as evidenced, for instance, by the rise of American suburbs, the reconstruction of postwar Europe, and agricultural and industrial initiatives in nations across the globe. We will begin this seminar by exploring several distinct “Cold War landscapes” in the United States and North America. We will then move on to briefly examining other areas around the world. Our approach to our topics will be interdisciplinary throughout the semester, with the additional goal of helping students frame and complete their final projects. Students are encouraged to write their research papers on any geographical area of the world that interests them.
The Class: Format: seminar
Limit: 12
Expected: 10
Class#: 3476
Grading: no pass/fail option, no fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: Class participation and semi-weekly critical writing on the reading; students will also be expected to keep up through the stages of the research paper process, which will involve submitting a short research plan, annotated bibliography, outline, and a rough draft, as well as the final 20- to 25-page paper.
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment Preferences: History, ENVI, and AMST majors if over-enrolled
Distributions: Divison II
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
AMST 478 Division II ENVI 478 Division II HIST 478 Division II
Attributes: AMST Space and Place Electives
ENVI Humanities, Arts + Social Science Electives
HIST Group C Electives - Europe and Russia
HIST Group F Electives - U.S. + Canada

Class Grid

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