Course overview
Warfare has been an important part of human life for at least 5,000 years. In this course, we look at the evolution of warfare over time and explore issues such as military technology, generalship, fortifications, supply, decisive battles, irregular warfare, as well as the experiences of common soldiers and the interaction of soldiers with civilians. The course is designed to be highly flexible to allow students to focus on a conflict of their choice (for example the Napoleonic Wars, the American Civil War, World War I or World War II). But we shall also be pooling our knowledge of specific wars in order to address larger questions about the character, development, and outcome of military conflicts.
Course learning outcomes
- Demonstrate a broad knowledge of the evolution of warfare.
- Demonstrate an understanding of a range of relevant theories about the character and evolution of warfare.
- Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of a specific military conflict in the context of wider issues pertaining to the evolution and character of warfare.
- Gather relevant data from a wide range of primary and secondary sources for the purpose of analysing a specific military conflict.
- Develop independent analytical positions based on a systematic evaluation of relevant primary and secondary sources.
- Work effectively as part of a research team the context of a larger collaborative research project.
- Communicate findings in a range of formats.