BA (Hons) History and War Studies with Foundation Year

This module introduces students to key issues and debates concerning the origins, nature, and conduct of war. The contributions of political philosophers are discussed, as is the concept of 'Just War', which is applied to recent conflicts. Other contemporary issues in how war is waged are also covered. This module provides an ideal opportunity to develop your thinking about the causes, conduct, and nature of war.

The module provides the foundation for the War Studies programme by examining key issues such as strategic thought, definitions of war, and trends and themes in global conflict in the modern era. Particular attention is given to the rise of western styles of warfare and its interaction with differing cultural approaches to war. The importance of analytical skills and the type and nature of source material is also strongly emphasised.

This module shows students how to make sense of the past through archival and oral sources. It provides an opportunity for students to gain an appreciation of the way historical evidence is drawn from the contested space of the archive and the multiple historical perspectives that exist in memory. It will explore relationships between past and present, memory and history, popular and scholarly discourses, and individual and group identities. Students will be introduced to local archives, oral history collections and how to conduct their own oral history interviews. In doing so, they explore how the use of archival collections and oral history can help to challenge gender, class and racial stereotypes and promote cross-cultural and cross-generational understanding.

The module aims to acquaint students with the changing nature of battlefield command in the period from the fifteenth century to the current day. Issues focusing on the manner in which command has been exercised in battle, how such methods have changed and adapted, and how they have reflected the desire to seek decisiveness in war, will be central themes to the module.

The twentieth century witnessed momentous shifts. As empires collapsed and new countries were born, technology, economic change and new societal norms radically altered the way people lived their lives. In this module, we will explore some of this social, economic, political and cultural change by looking at a diverse selection of historical episodes from around the world. In doing so, we will ask questions about the ways the changes of the last century shaped the world in which we live today.

This module surveys the history of Europe and the Americas between 1776 and 1914 by exploring major areas of intersection and interdependence in the historical development of both continents. It examines similarities in the use of forced labour, the complex web of economic relations between the continents, and sheds light upon the flow of people and ideas across the Atlantic. In addition, the module also considers the consequences that nation-building and imperialism in Europe and the Americas had for ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples.

Terrorism was, is and will continue to be a technique used by aggrieved individuals, groups and rogue states that cannot see, or refuse to see, any other way of influencing political developments. Drawing on first-hand research, this module will offer students an opportunity to engage with a wide range of causes/concepts/ debates surrounding the subject and identify the characteristics that make terrorism the distinct phenomenon that it is.

This module explores the history of America and the Cold War between 1947 and 1991. The module traces the course of conflict from the Truman Administration, through periods of crisis and detente, to its end during the George H.W. Bush administration in 1991. At the same time, the module explores the evolving ramifications of the Cold War upon domestic politics and society across these decades.

This module explores the history of feminism by examining some of the ways women have organised to challenge their subordination in national, imperial and international contexts. Students will study movements to promote different and evolving visions of women’s rights in the realms of politics, work, education, and the family. The module will also analyse women’s involvement in wider movements for social, economic and political change such as abolitionism, anti-colonialism, workers’ rights, and disarmament. Through a series of case studies, students will encounter women activists from Britain and their counterparts in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas to analyse narratives of internal tension and set-back alongside more positive histories of solidarity and historic achievement.

The module provides a critique of pre-industrial and early-industrial consumerism using a range of primary sources and artefacts to examine the extent to which a 'consumer revolution' in culture and society occurred during the period. It examines the acquisition of new goods and commodities and the agencies and motivations through which these were obtained and deployed. The module is concerned with the theoretical underpinnings to the development of consumerist attitudes. The focus is primarily on the lower and middling sorts of England and Wales, though comparisons with elite culture as well as contemporary non-British modes of consumption will also be considered.

The ‘traditional’ image of wars and conflicts tend to be of large confrontations where states’ forces are pitted against each other, but how accurate is this perception in the contemporary world? This module examines the reality of modern war and conflicts, highlighting its changing nature and examining why modern conflict is overwhelmingly intrastate rather than interstate. It encourages students to consider the shifting nature of war and conflict in terms of where wars occur, who are the likely victims of modern campaigns and the ways in which the causes, impacts and outcomes of modern warfare are significantly altered over recent decades.

This module draws upon the different sub-disciplines of historical research to explore the Great War from a variety of perspectives. It makes use of the work of traditional military historians, as well as the research of social, gender and cultural historians, all of whom have provided valuable insights into the war-time experience of civilians and soldiers. Teaching sessions explore the impact of war on British society and also trace its devastating and transformational effect on the populations of Continental Europe, examining the War’s prosecution, its social consequences, and the manner in which it has been commemorated since 1918. Along with an emphasis on the different aims and methodologies that inform historical work in this field, the module invites students to explore the period by engaging with the primary source base; the written material, visual sources and artifacts that have survived the conflict, and with which we construct its histories.

This course explores the upheavals of modern history through the eyes of some of those who were most profoundly affected: Itinerants, migrants and refugees. With a focus on the available primary sources, we will examine the different ways that historians have attempted to reconstruct the perspective and agency of the men, women and children in question, and also consider the manner in which governments have sought to control this movement of people. The course takes as its two main themes the geographical mobility that came in the wake of nineteenth century industrialisation and the displacement of populations that resulted from war and persecution in the twentieth century.

This module examines a core, controversial element of modern British national identity: the Empire at its height in especially the Victorian era. It will examine the so-called 'Pax' from the Battle of Waterloo and Peace of Paris in 1815 to the peak of British interventionism under Palmerston, the subsequent period of 'Splendid Isolation', and the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Conflicts such as the Crimean War (1853-6) will be discussed in the context of the pursuit of a 'Balance of Power' and the breakdown of the 'Concert of Europe', as well as colonial struggles worldwide including the Indian 'Mutiny' of 1857-8, the 'Opium' Wars against China (1839-42 and 1856-60), the Ashanti Wars (1823-31, 1863-4 and 1873-4), the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, and the Boer Wars of 1880-1 and 1899-1902. Further study will also be made of the complicated nature of peace and 'gunboat diplomacy' in this period, from various Anglo-American crises including the American Civil War (1861-5), periodic 'invasion scares' of France, and the 'Great Game' with Imperial Russia over Central Asia and beyond.

The course will offer students an opportunity to engage with a range of debates surrounding political violence in a variety of manifestations. The course themes include conventional and civil warfare, colonial violence and the violence of decolonisation, counterinsurgencies, torture and domestic repression, demonstrations and riots, and terrorism.

This module traces the development of popular perceptions of war and conflict through a variety of evolving cultural mediums: namely, literature, the press, films and games. In so doing, the module will examine how conflicts influenced popular culture while they were being fought and how they subsequently appear in popular memory. For instance, how did the First World War appear in popular culture while it was being fought? How does the conflict appear in popular culture now? What accounts for the significant differences between its representation in popular culture in these two periods? The module also examines the representation of key images and motifs associated with war in popular culture. For example, why has the tank been seen as both a symbol of victory and political oppression? Why has the Spitfire become so iconic in British popular culture?

This module allows students to understand and analyse the origins, course and conduct of the Second World War, of how a major war in Asia begun in 1937 became fused with a major war in Europe begun in 1939, to expand and create the most devastating global war in history, together with its outcome.

This module provides opportunities for community-based learning through voluntary community engagement. This activity will enable you to understand the relevance of your studies within a community context, combining practical experience with academic studies. In addition, it is an opportunity to develop a critical understanding of the Third Sector, and the notion of citizenship. Both subject specific and transferable skills will be developed and utilised throughout this module, thus developing graduate employment attributes.

The way wars are fought and won has been radically changed with the advent of air power. As it has become an indispensable feature of contemporary warfare, it is now hard to imagine a conflict conducted without an employment of aircraft. However, air power’s ability to deliver ‘strategic’ objectives has recently been debated. With advancing technological innovation its capabilities are being strengthened, however with changing strategic and security environment and new, asymmetric threats emerging, they may prove to no longer be relevant. This module allows the students to critically assess the potential and limitations of air power in contemporary warfare. To start with, it will explore the development of air power theory since World War I and, using relevant case studies, discuss the limits of its practical applications. Then, in order to explore air power’s role and utility in contemporary warfare, the module will focus on its post-Cold War employment.

The final decades of British rule in India were tumultuous times. From the iconic civil disobedience campaigns of Mahatma Gandhi to violent revolutionary activity, the imperial state was rocked by protest. At the same time the international legitimacy of colonial rule was dissolving in the wake of the Bolshevik revolution, the rise of the United States of America and the turmoil of the two World Wars. This module examines the ‘local’ and ‘global’ dimensions of decolonisation in South Asia, exploring the history of anti-colonial activism alongside the experiences of ordinary people who lived through the end of empire. In doing so, students will learn about the importance of gender, caste, class and religion in anti-colonial politics.

Drawing upon an extensive English-language scholarship, and through analysis of translated contemporary sources, students are invited to explore German history in what was a period of profound social and political change, but one also marked by important continuities. The topics to be addressed include: The economic growth that transformed the new state from 1871 and the high levels of geographical mobility this generated, including the mass emigration of Germans overseas. The manner in which ethnicity, gender and social class shaped the life course of German subjects throughout the period 1871-1945. The emergence of the labour movement, and the mass political participation characteristic of the peace-time Wilhelmine era (1890-1914) and of the Weimar Republic (1919-1933). Society in WW1 and the revolution that accompanied defeat in 1918. The political, social and economic developments in Weimar Germany which led to the rise of the NSDAP. The combination of coercion and consent which helped the Nazis secure and retain control and the possibilities that existed for opposing the regime. The continuities between colonialism and Nazi practices of warfare and occupation in WW2. The Nazi persecution of social outsiders and racial enemies, including the development of policy towards German and European Jews, the ideology which drove this, and the process of cumulative radicalization that led to their mass murder.

This module allows students to analyse how conflicts end. It will consider and critique the debates around the theory and outcomes of conflict resolution. The module adopts a case study approach and critically analyses the extent to which peace processes in the modern world have followed similar or unique patterns. It will consider whether examining peace processes in a comparative manner can provide ‘models’ or ‘best practice’ that may be extrapolated from the case studies considered and potentially applied to future peace processes in different states.

Changing the world, or trying to, has a long history. This module will focus on British campaigning and social action since the the anti-slavery movement of the late-eighteenth century. Students will explore how those campaigners faced similar challenges and adopted similar tactics to those seeking to expand democracy, to provide aid to those in war zones, to end poverty, racism and starvation at home and around the world. Equally, students will be introduced to ongoing debates about the contradictions and complexities of attempts to do good. In addition to learning about the history of humanitarian efforts to relieve suffering and improve society, locally and globally, students will take a deep dive into their own small-scale research project on a single case study from the modern British history of humanitarianism and protest.

The module provides you with the opportunity to explore a historical topic or a topic related to the use of the past independently and in depth. It is normally taken during the final semester of study, thereby allowing you to draw on the skills developed and honed throughout your earlier studies. The choice of research topic should be guided by your interest as well as the feasibility of undertaking the project given the availability of relevant primary and secondary sources and the expertise of potential supervisors. The findings of your Independent Study are usually presented in the form of a written dissertation. However, in the spirit of inclusivity and creativity, alternatives are possible with the approval of the supervisor and the module leader. In seeking approval, you will need to demonstrate that it would still be possible to meet the module’s Learning Outcomes. Approval for any alternative should be secured before work on the Independent Study begins. The discussion of feasible topics, possible supervisors and modes of presentation will normally have started at Level 5 in the ‘Research in Action’ module.

This module will critically analyse the political, social, economic and diplomatic changes to the United States of America and the place of the US in world affairs over the late-nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Most people do not learn about the past in university lecture halls and seminar rooms. This module offers an introduction to the field of public history, broadly defined to cover encounters with the past outside of the academic discipline. Students will learn to be critical consumers of representations of the past in museums and at heritage sites, in fiction, on screen and online, as well as community history projects. After surveying different public history approaches to the past, students will undertake and reflect on their own small-scale original project in curating historical materials or presenting historical insights for non-academic audiences, depicting the past in creative work or on a short-term placement. In doing so, students will be encouraged to think critically about the limits and the potential of non-academic encounters with the past.

This module examines the planning and prosecution of the D-Day landings in Normandy, the subsequent battles, and the impact of the fighting on the soldiers and local population. A key element is a fieldtrip to the Normandy battlesites, which will include tours and visits to relevant museums.

This module allows students to study the nature of combat in the First World War with a focus on the operations conducted by the forces of the British Empire. The module adopts a case study approach and critically analyses the key phases of the conflict, exploring how militaries adapted to the new challenges of modern warfare. The module uses a variety of academic theories to explore how armies sought technological and tactical advantages over their opponents.

The module draws upon successive generations of English-language scholarship and a wealth of contemporary sources in translation to explore the genesis, development and murderous outcome of policy towards the Jews and others targeted by the Nazi regime. It first examines the Nazi persecution of German Jews and other racial and social enemies in Germany in the inter-war years, then charts the transition to systematic mass murder across occupied Europe during World War Two. Throughout the module students will study the motives and actions of the perpetrators of these crimes, and attempt through extensive engagement with the source record to piece together the experience of the many who suffered at their hands.

The Project allows the student to explore in depth a relevant topic, theme or debate in War Studies which has generated particular academic and intellectual interest, and which is not covered in appropriate detail in a conventional course of lectures and seminars.