Module description
This module covers the history of war from as far back as the thirteenth century right up to the height of large-scale, industrialised warfare in World War Two and the global, colonial violence of the twentieth century. It does not strive to provide what would end up inevitably being a superficial coverage of all wars in all regions of the world. Rather, different, select periods or conflicts will be considered as illustrations to help us explore the central theme of escalation over time and the emergence globally of modern war and violence. We will look at common explanations given for the changing character of war and the role of political, social, economic and technological factors in the growing complexity and scale of warfare from medieval times to the industrial age. We will be asking why wars are conducted in the way they are. What forces affect changes in the conduct of war over time? How do we account for the sheer scale and violence of modern war and empire? What do we even mean by 'modernity' in war? It is proposed that by reflecting, in this way, on the nature of changes in war in the past, we can better understand war in the present.
Assessment details
30%
Essay 1 (2000 words)
30%
Essay 2 (2000 words)
40%
Essay 3 (2000 words)
Educational aims & objectives
The module aims to introduce students to different approaches to the study of war as a political and social phenomenon and to key aspects of, and developments in, understandings of the nature of warfare and changes in its conduct over time.
Learning outcomes
The student who successfully completes this module will:
- describe the principal changes in the conduct of war since the thirteenth century
- engage critically with different perspectives and debates concerning changes in the conduct of war
- describe the global nature of the long-term escalation of warfare and violence
- demonstrate an awareness of the range and complexity of the influences shaping the way that wars have been fought in the past
Teaching pattern
The module is taught through a combination of weekly lectures and seminars in terms 1 and 2. The seminar topics have been chosen to enable students to consider how the general ideas presented in lectures relate to historical cases. An incidental benefit of these case studies is to increase students' familiarity with a variety of historical examples, but this is not a history survey module. The seminar tasks are to gather general information about the case under study and to think how this information relates to the general ideas to which the module as a whole is an introduction. The seminars also provide students with an opportunity to practice and develop their oral presentation skills, to raise general questions in a relatively small group and to get feedback on their essay-writing and seminar performance.