Military Revolutions and Political Change

Module title	Military Revolutions and Political Change
Module code	POL3233
Academic year	2019/0
Credits	15
Module staff	Dr Brieg Powel (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks	11

Number students taking module (anticipated)	30

Module description

This module explores the relationship between war, state, and society throughout human history. Drawing on works from many disciplines, the module approaches its subject matter from a global perspective, encouraging non-Eurocentric analysis and an awareness of a broad span of human time. It asks a number of conceptual questions that require you to deepen your empirical-historical awareness. Such questions include: what is the difference between a ‘military revolution’ and a ‘revolution in military affairs’?; what are the impacts of such ‘revolutions’ on the relationship between war, state, and society?; how ‘global’ have these ‘revolutions’ been?; and how do changes in politics and society affect warfare?. It explores topics including: the role of war in state formation; the importance of the so-called ‘military revolution’ in Europe and beyond; the evolution of military administration and logistics; the interplay between war, finance, and the broader economy; the role of nationalism in both war and the state; the technologies of war and rule; the importance of territory and population; war commemoration; the socio-political effects of war; and the figure of the soldier as combatant, citizen, and subject.

In terms of teaching method, the module will involve 2-hour workshops which merge lectures and seminars into a single, more interactive learning experience. The workshops will involve multimedia delivery in the form of audio-visual resources and experiential learning through simulations. These will be supported by links to further optional online material.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module aims to introduce you to the dynamic relationship between war, the state, and society. In so doing it will encourage you to consider: the association between politics, authority and violence; the impact of war on our social and political institutions; the role of individuals and populations in war; the impact of changes in warfare, politics, culture, and economics on each other; and the legacies of war(s) on states and societies.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. Critically understand the interplay between war, state, and society, over the long term and from a global perspective.
2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the military, political, and social impact of various military revolutions.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

3. Critically reflect on key elements of the debate regarding state, sovereignty, and monopoly over the use of force.
4. Display strong awareness of a range of conceptual frameworks to understand the complex and changing interaction between war and societies.
5. Demonstrate awareness of contingency in historical sociological processes.
6. Problematize settled truths and assumptions about political order, violence, and our knowledge of these.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

7. Study independently and manage time and assessment deadlines effectively.
8. Communicate effectively in speech and writing.
9. Demonstrate critical and analytical skills through tutorial discussions and module assessments.
10. Demonstrate proficiency in the use of the internet, online journal databases and other IT resources for the purposes of tutorial and assessment preparation.
11. Demonstrate effective applied writing.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

defining military revolutions
approaches to studying war and the state
the origins of war
violence, sovereignty and state formation
‘mercenaries’, ‘contractors’, and ‘pirates’
asymmetric, colonial, and low-intensity warfare
nuclear weapons
nationalism
war and the democratic state

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
22	128	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning & Teaching Activity	22	11 x 2 hour seminars
Guided independent study	50	Private study reading and preparing for seminars
Guided independent study	78	Preparation for essay and pre-seen exam including researching and collating relevant sources; planning the structure and argument; writing up the essay

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Essay outline	500 words	1-11	Peer-assessed

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
50	50	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Essay	50	2,000 words	1-11	Written
Pre-seen exam	50	2 hours/2 questions	1-11	Written

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Essay	Essay (2,000 words)	1-11	August/September reassessment period
Pre-seen exam	Pre-seen exam (2 hours/2 questions)	1-11	August/September reassessment period

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Asch RG. 2010. ‘War and state-building’. In: F Tallett and DJB Trim (eds.). European Warfare 1350-1750. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 322-337.

von Clausewitz C. 1976. On War [trns. Howard, M. and Paret, P.]. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

DeGroot GJ. 2010. ‘”Killing is easy”: the atomic bomb and the temptation of terror’. In: H Strachan and S Scheipers (eds.). The Changing Character of War. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 90-108.Rogers CJ. 1995. The Military Revolution Debate: Readings on the Military Transformation of Early Modern Europe. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Knox, M & Murray, W. (eds) 2001. The Dynamics of Military Revolution 1300-2050. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

MaleševiÄ? S. 2010. The Sociology of War and Violence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Mann M. 1986. The Sources of Social Power, Volume 1: A History of Power from the Beginning to AD 1760. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Parker G. 1999. The Military Revolution: Military Innovation and the Rise of the West 1500-1800 [Second edition, reprinted]. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Porter, BD. 1994. War and the Rise of the State: The Military Foundations of Modern Politics. New York: The Free Press, 105-147.

Singer PW. 2008. Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

Tilly, C. 1992. Coercion, Capital, and European States AD 990-1992. Oxford: Blackwell.

Luttwak EN. 1995. ‘Toward post-heroic warfare’. Foreign Affairs 74(3), 109-22.

Luttwak EN. 1996. ‘A post-heroic military policy’. Foreign Affairs 75(4), 33-44.

Key words search

War, peace, strategy, historical sociology, global history, politics, society, violence

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	6
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	30/08/2018
Last revision date	30/08/2018