What is War (L2072A)

30 credits, Level 6

Autumn teaching

What is war? How does war shape our societies? How do specific social and political orders shape what war is?

On this module, you will gain an advanced understanding of war as a social phenomenon. We will scrutinise what war is and how, if at all, it is different from other forms of violence. We will also explore connections between war and law, gender, technology, culture and media, and resistance and peace.

You will use this knowledge to examine specific case studies, gaining in-depth insight into the multifaceted nature of war. During the module, you will develop transferrable skills, from research and analysis to presentation, which will help you think, talk and write in an informed and critical manner about war.

Teaching

100%: Seminar

Assessment

30%: Coursework (Essay, Group presentation)
70%: Written assessment (Essay)

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 300 hours of work. This breaks down into about 30 hours of contact time and about 270 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

Courses

This module is offered on the following courses: