Module overview
In order to address any contemporary global challenge, it is vital that we understand the roots of the problem and its historical context. This module explores the broad history of conflict, enabling you to place global events within a wider context and consider how best to address them considering this historical background. It will introduce you to the history of civil and international war and consider the evolution of great-power conflict both prior to and since the Cold War. The module will also consider contemporary and future threats, such as new waves of terrorism and cyber conflict.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- apply your developed knowledge, structuring your ideas and research findings into well-ordered assignments.
- engage with historiography and theoretical frameworks, contributing to the debates relating to the history of conflict and its relationship to future threats.
- undertake a thorough critical analysis and assessment of a variety of textual, visual and material culture sources.
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- the history of conflict, in particular the evolution of great-power conflict.
- a wide variety of primary sources relating to the history of conflict.
- a wide variety of secondary source material relating to the history of conflict, including theoretical frameworks used in the field.
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- utilise and develop your time-management skills.
- research complex historical questions and communicate your findings convincingly and concisely in assignments.
- use to good effect textual, visual and material culture sources, synthesising this material to develop cogent and persuasive arguments.
Syllabus
Topics to be explored on the module may include terrorism, cyber conflict, the cold war, and the history of conflict.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include lectures and seminars.
Learning methods include close analysis of a range of primary sources and discussion of key themes and ideas.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Completion of assessment task | 50 |
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 50 |
| Seminar | 12 |
| Wider reading or practice | 26 |
| Lecture | 12 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
A J Coates (2016). The Ethics of War. Manchester.
Bruce Hoffman (2017). Inside Terrorism. Columbia UP.
P.W. Singer and Emerson T. Brooking (2018). Like War: The Weaponization of Social Media. HMH.
Odd Arne Westad (2018). The Cold War: A World History. Penguin.
Ann Hironaka (2017). Tokens of Power: Rethinking War. Cambridge UP.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| 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.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Resubmit assessments | 100% |
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.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 60% |
| Written assignment | 40% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External