Applied Strategy in the Contemporary World
| Module title | Applied Strategy in the Contemporary World |
|---|---|
| Module code | POLM233 |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Dr Martin Robson (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 | 1 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 25 |
|---|
Module description
This module is focussed upon the challenges of ‘doing’ strategy in the real world and the Risk Based approach to decision making. It provides you with a ‘strategic sandbox’ to develop your applied strategic skillset by exposing you to a number of ‘tools of the trade’ available to the strategist.
Module aims - intentions of the module
By the end of this module you will have developed some of the skills necessary for strategic decision making in the contemporary world. Initial focus will be on the acquisition of strategic skills, the 'tools of the trade', which you will deploy during engaging problem solving throughout the module. Skills will be acquired in a building block approach allowing you to develop a keenly focussed range of applied skills which you draw upon to apply to specific issues and challenges. Learning will be reinforced with engaging and immersive exercises.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Critically evaluate the multitude of factors that facilitate and inhibit the formulation and implementation of strategic planning and decision-making;
- 2. Formulate and present applied security strategy;
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Devise and articulate arguments about how real-world strategic decisions might be located within the broader empirical and theoretical context;
- 4. Analyse the significance of multidisciplinary and cross-sector concerns and questions for the implementation of strategy in crisis and conflict;
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Undertake independent/self-directed learning (with effective time management) to achieve consistent, proficient and sustained attainment and critically evaluate and engage with academic and policy sources;
- 6. Communicate your own original and evidenced arguments logically and effectively.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some of the following topics:
Term 2
1: What is applied strategy? Ice-breaking exercise
2: Why is strategy difficult?
3: Analytical Tools – SWOT, PEST/DIME, TOWS, Boston Matrix, Stakeholder Analysis
4: Analytical Tools – Strategic Appreciations, Systems Thinking, Design Thinking
5: Analytical Tools – Risk and Risk Registers
6: Analytical Tools – Scenario planning, Pre Mortems, Mission Analysis, McKinsey 7-Step, Tactical Estimate
7: Products – MINSUBs, strategic documents, Policy Writing
8: Products – STRATCOM
9: Applied strategy in a Crisis, Crisis Management
10: Sanctions Exercise
11: Field Trip
Term 3
Simulation
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | 256 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 20 | 10 x 2 hour per week Seminars: Small group work, presentations, discussion |
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 16 | 2-day Simulated Exercise |
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 8 | 1-day Field Trip |
| Guided Independent study | 256 | Reading, reflection, essay writing, presentation preparation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Strategy Portfolio Plan | 750 words | 1-6 | Written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Strategy Portfolio Part 1 | 40 | 2000 words | 1-6 | Written |
| Applied Strategy Portfolio Part 2 | 60 | 3000 words | 1-6 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Strategy Portfolio Part 1 | Applied Strategy Portfolio Part 1 (40%) | 1-6 | August/September re-assessment period. |
| Applied Strategy Portfolio Part 2 | Applied Strategy Portfolio Part 2 (60%) | 1-6 | August/September re-assessment period. |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Library resources:
Auerswald, D., Breslin?Smith, J., and Thornhill, P., ‘Teaching strategy through theory and practice’, Defence Studies (2004) 4:1.
Bolinger Alexander R. and Stanton Julie V. Role-Play Simulations (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2020)
Boyne, S.M., (2012). ‘Crisis in the Classroom: Using Simulations to Enhance Decision-Making Skills.’ Journal of Legal Education 62, no. 2 311-22. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42894285.
Cohen, Eliot. 2002.?Supreme Command: Soldiers, Statesmen and Wartime Leadership, New York: Free Press.
Gray, C., Schools for Strategy: Teaching Strategy for 21st Century Conflict, (UWASC, SSI monograph), p.20. http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubID=947
Harrigan, Pat and Kirschenbaum, Matthew G. Zones of control: perspectives on wargaming (MIT Press, 2016)
Hunzeker, M., & Harkness, K. (2014). ‘The Strategy Project: Teaching Strategic Thinking through Crisis Simulation’. PS: Political Science & Politics, 47(2), 513-517. doi:10.1017/S104909651400047X
Lacey, J. (2016). ‘Wargaming in the Classroom: An Odyssey’, https://warontherocks.com/2016/04/wargaming-in-theclassroom-an-odyssey/
Martínez Ordóñez, Lucía Military Operational Planning and Strategic Moves (Springer, 2017)
McCarthy, J. P., and Anderson, L., (2000). ‘Active Learning Techniques Versus Traditional Teaching Styles: Two Experiments from History and Political Science.’ Innovative Higher Education 24: 279–94.
Montgomery, K., Brown, S., & Deery, C. (1997). ‘Simulations: Using experiential learning to add relevancy and meaning to introductory courses’. Innovative Higher Education 21: 217–229.
Rubel, R.C., ‘The Epistemology of War Gaming’, Naval War College Review, (2006), 59:2, p.108. M. Vego, 'German War Gaming', Naval War College Review, (2012), 65:4.
Sabin, P., Simulating War: Studying Conflict through Simulation Games (London and New York: Continuum, 2012)
Wintjes, J., ‘Europe’s Earliest Kriegsspiel? Book Seven of Reinhard Graf zu Solms’ Kriegsregierung and the ‘Prehistory’ of Professional War Gaming’, British Journal for Military History, (2015), 2:1
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/wargaming-network
https://paxsims.wordpress.com/
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 01/08/2022 |
| Last revision date | 03/07/2025 |
