McCarthyism

Module overview

‘I have here in my hand a list of 205 names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping policy in that State Department.' With these words, asserting both the existence of an internal communist menace and the government failure to act against it, Senator Joseph McCarthy thrust himself into the centre of US national politics. His inquisition into communist subversives and spies lasted from 1950 to 1954. But ‘McCarthyism' as a phenomenon was more deeply-rooted, more enduring and much broader in scope than the career and campaigns of a single politician. This module explores the causes, course and effects of McCarthyism writ large, from the end of the Second World War through to the late 1950s.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

describe and assess the various approaches taken by scholars in the study of McCarthyism, and classify the sort of source materials used in those approaches
identify the key characteristics of McCarthyism

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

the key historical forces that produced McCarthyism
the historiographical controversies surrounding McCarthyism

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

write fluently and effectively, preparing assessed work independently
manage your own learning and your time effectively, meeting deadlines
find, assimilate and analyse diverse and complex information
formulate arguments that are clearly reasoned and based on evidence

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include - lectures - seminars You will be expected to discuss the issues raised by the lectures and your own reading, and to analyse primary and secondary materials in small and large groups. We will supply you with lists of seminar topics, essay questions and relevant books, articles and sources. Learning activities include - intensive reading, guided by annotated reading lists, by the lectures, and by active participation in seminars.

Study time
Type	Hours
Assessment tasks	60
Preparation for scheduled sessions	48
Wider reading or practice	18
Seminar	12
Lecture	12
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

David Caute. The Great Fear: the Anti-Communist Purge under Truman and Eisenhower.

Richard Hofstadter. The Paranoid Style in American Politics and Other Essays.

Ellen Schrecker. Many are the Crimes: McCarthyism in America.

M J Heale. McCarthy’s Americans: Red Scare Politics in State and Nation, 1935-1965.

Ted Morgan. Reds: McCarthyism in Twentieth Century America.

Ellen Schrecker. The Age of McCarthyism.

Athan Theoharis. Chasing Spies: How the FBI Failed in Counter-Intelligence but Promoted the Politics of McCarthyism in the Cold War Years.

Assessment

Assessment strategy

Assessments designed to provide informal, on-module feedback - You will be given informal feedback on your oral contributions and essay planning during the course of the module - In this option module you will be assessed informally on oral and group skills; communication skills form an important part of your learning and will be developed through interactive teaching and learning activities.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	60%
Written assignment	40%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	60%
Written assignment	40%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	60%
Written assignment	40%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External