HS1DDD-Doomsday Dystopias: Nuclear Disaster in the Cold War Imagination

Module Provider: History
Number of credits: 10 [5 ECTS credits]
Level:4
Terms in which taught: Autumn term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2023/4

Module Convenor: Prof Patrick Major
Email: p.major@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

The module will consider episodes of nuclear war and disaster across the second half of the twentieth century, and examine how those episodes have shaped popular culture across various media including films, science fiction writing, and computer games. It will compare evidence from both sides of the Iron Curtain to explore the cultural impact of the nuclear age from multiple international perspectives. This module is optional for SINGLE HONOURS STUDENTS ONLY.

Aims:

The module aims to compare real-world events such as the dropping of the 1945 A-bombs, 1962’s Cuban Missile Crisis, 1983’s ‘Able Archer’ war scare, and 1986’s Chernobyl reactor meltdown, with the popular culture of films and science fiction writing which accompanied them. How seriously did citizens take the threat of nuclear war? Was it peculiarly ‘American’, playing to conspiracy theories, or did nuclear fear exist in Britain and the eastern bloc, where citizens were reminded that Hiroshima was ‘made in America’? Was popular culture a vehicle for the national-security state to drill its citizenry to ‘duck and cover’, or did it become a medium for critique? Students will develop a comparative appreciation of nuclear fear on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and practise cultural-historical skills in reading filmic and literary texts, alongside more traditional political and social history.

Assessable learning outcomes:

By the end of the module, students will be able to:

• identify the sources of the topic in question


• trace its historical development


• be aware of the differing – and often competing – historiographical interpretations of the nature and causes of this development


• understand how ideas and events are shaped by their historical contexts


• organise material and articulate arguments effectively in writing, both in timed exam conditions and assessed coursework


• demonstrate familiarity with bibliographical conventions and mastery of library skills. 

Additional outcomes:

The module also aims:

• to encourage students to think independently


• to help students develop good oral and written communication skills


• to develop the effectiveness of students in group situations


• to develop IT skills through the use of relevant resources

Outline content:

This module examines four real Cold War nuclear episodes – the 1945 Hiroshima/Nagasaki A-bombings which ushered in civil defence in 1950s America; 1962’s Cuban Missile Crisis; 1983’s ‘Able Archer’ NATO exercise that almost triggered war, and 1986’s Chernobyl disaster in the USSR. It then uses this context to explore the science fiction imagination of disaster, including Kramer’s On the Beach (1959), Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove (1964), Watkins’ The War Game (1965), and Jackson’s Threads (1984). It also considers how the Cold War imaginary shaped the ‘silver age’ superhero comic book culture of the 1960s, as well as the ‘dark’ science fiction of Philip K. Dick and J.G. Ballard, and the absurdist writings of Stanislaw Lem. It concludes with the 21st-century nuclear nostalgia in the gaming universe, from 1988’s PC pioneer, Wasteland, to its spiritual successors, Fallout and Half-Life.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

Teaching is by eight two-hour seminars over one term. Students are reminded to email their tutors for help and advice whenever needed and to note office hours.

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Seminars	16		1
Tutorials	1
Guided independent study:
Wider reading (directed)	16
Exam revision/preparation			25
Preparation for seminars	8
Completion of formative assessment tasks	8
Essay preparation	25
Total hours by term	74	0	26
Total hours for module	100

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written exam	50
Written assignment including essay	50

Summative assessment- Examinations:

One 1-hour unseen paper requiring 1 answer.

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

One written assignment of c. 1,250 words, to be submitted via Blackboard on Turnitin, by 12 noon on the submission deadline in Week 11 specified on the module site on Blackboard. Five marks will be deducted if the coursework exceeds 1,312 words (i.e. 5% over the word limit).

Formative assessment methods:

Penalties for late submission:

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

A mark of 40% overall. 

Reassessment arrangements:

Where a re-sit is permitted, students will be assessed on the failed element(s) only in August. Any element(s) already passed will be carried forward if it bears a confirmed mark of 40% or more. The module mark will be capped at a maximum of 40%. Failed coursework must be re-submitted by 12 noon on the third Friday of August.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

1) Required text books: 

2) Specialist equipment or materials: 

3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: 

4) Printing and binding: 

5) Computers and devices with a particular specification: 

6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence: 

Last updated: 30 March 2023