Learning outcomes: after completing the course, students will have attained the following learning outcomes:
- knowledge of a relevant historical case study pertaining to the specialised topic;
- knowledge and understanding of the historical context of the specialised topic;
- knowledge of the theoretical discourse around the course topic;
- knowledge of methods relevant to the study of the course topic;
- knowledge of the latest scholarship: current historiographical issues;
- enhanced skills to conduct independent research on a historical topic on the basis of a research question formulated on their own and using historical sources;
- skills in the application of theories to historical material;
- skills in data analysis and use of requisite tools in a historical context;
- a skills set enabling them to think, act and communicate at an academic level and in line with academic standards of conduct ('academic integrity').
Learning objectives and skills: after completing the course, students will be able to:
- find and assess relevant scholarly articles and historical sources;
- independently define their own research topic that fits within the course topic;
- independently formulate a clear research question;
- conduct research based on primary and other sources and anchored in the historiography;
- independently plan and conduct research;
- critically analyse primary sources and literature in relation to the research question;
- draw scientifically valid conclusions and formulate well-founded viewpoints on the basis of secondary and primary literature;
- present the results of this research in writing at an academic level;
- assess research results in the light of the latest scholarship;
- give and receive feedback (peer review) on parts of research papers.
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This is the fourth course of Specialisation 5: Europe: Integration and Disintegration
(English track International Relations/History).
After the divided Europe from pre-1945, the high degree of international organisation since the Second World War is very striking. The Cold War brought an era of multilateral collaboration at political, military and diplomatic level. Initially, parallel alliances formed on both sides of the Iron Curtain that seemed to be dominated by the relevant superpower, such as NATO or the Warsaw Pact. After a short time, the relationships between the blocks shifted, and a multilateral structure emerged that transcended the blocks, i.e. the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). This course provides a comprehensive analysis of the history of multilateralism during the Cold War. In addition, we call into question the common view of the US and the Soviet Union as superpowers who unilaterally made their mark on the Cold War, and even examine the role of the smaller member states and issues extending beyond the Iron Curtain. From the over-arching perspective of multilateralism, the students examine specific cases as part of individual research projects, e.g. the positions taken by various member states as part of the Warsaw Pact, NATO and the OSCE. In their papers, the students must base their views on their own research on primary sources in order to arrive at an independent analysis.
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