Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

This residential module will use the history of wars and conflicts to introduce students to key themes and issues in modern European history. It will consider how war, its conduct and experience, shaped states and societies in Europe. It will also investigate how the transformations of warfare reflected the evolutions of European societies since the late eighteenth century.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• To gain a broad understanding of the role of war and military conflicts in modern European history
• To be able to identify a range of related conceptual approaches and historiographical debates, including why scholars have now moved from military history to the history of warfare
• To be able to identify and engage with a range of relevant primary sources
• To gain interpersonal and communication skills through the delivery of a presentation

Indicative reading list

• T. C. W. Blanning (ed.), Europe, 1789-1914. The Nineteenth Century (Oxford ; New York, 2000).
• Manfred Boemeke, Roger Chickering, and Stig Förster (eds.), Anticipating Total War: The German and American Experiences, 1871-1914 (Washington, D.C.; Cambridge, U.K. ; New York, 1999)
• Stephen Broadberry and Mark Harrison (eds.), The Economics of World War I (Cambridge, 2009)
• Roger Chickering and Stig Förster (eds.), Great War, Total War. Combat and Mobilization on the Western Front, 1914-1918 (Cambridge - New York, 2000)
• Roger Chickering and Stig Förster (eds.), The Shadows of Total War: Europe, East Asia, and the United States, 1919-1939 (Cambridge, UK - New York, 2003)
• Roger Chickering, Stig Förster, and Bernd Greiner (eds.), A World at Total War: Global Conflict and the Politics of Destruction, 1937-1945 (Washington D.C. - Cambridge, 2005)
• Roger Chickering, Dennis E Showalter, and Hans J Van de Ven (eds.), The Cambridge History of War. Volume 4, War and the Modern World (Cambridge, 2012)
• Mary Fulbrook (ed.), Europe since 1945 (Oxford ; New York, 2001)
• Helen Graham, The Spanish Civil War: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford ; New York, 2005)
• Mark Harrison (ed.), The Economics of World War II: Six Great Powers in International Comparison (Cambridge, 1998)
• Eric J. Hobsbawm, Age of Extremes. The Short Twentieth Century. 1914-1991 (London, 1994)
• John Horne (ed.), A Companion to the First World War (Oxford, 2010)
• Michael Howard, War in European History (Oxford, 2001)
• Julian Jackson (ed.), Europe, 1900-1945 (Oxford [England] ; New York, 2002)
• Edward H. Judge and John W. Langdon, The Cold War: A Global History with Documents (Boston, 2011)
• Tony Judt, Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945 (New York, 2005)
• John Keegan, The Face of Battle. A Study of Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Somme (London, 1996)
• John Merriman, A History of Modern Europe. From the French Revolution to the Present, 2 vols. (New York - London, 2004)
• James J. Sheehan, Where Have All the Soldiers Gone?: The Transformation of Modern Europe (Boston, 2009)
• Odd Arne Westad (ed.), Reviewing the Cold War: Approaches, Interpretations, and Theory (London ; Portland, OR, 2000)

Research element

Students will be invited to consider museum collection and urban heritage as sources for the history of modern warfare.

Interdisciplinary

Students will be invited to engaged with concepts and debates elaborated by political scientists and defence studies specialists. The module is designed to provide the students with an understanding of relationships between the different disciplinary areas within the Humanities and Social Sciences, particularly History, Politics and Sociology. It also invites to the students to make connections with other disciplinary areas covered in their main study programme. It provides the students with a critical understanding of dominant traditions and methodologies associated with the main phenomena covered in the module and enables the students to transcend disciplinary boundaries. The interdisciplinary course cohort provides contact opportunities and learning to see from different perspectives is a core aspect of the learning experience.

International

The residential module in Brussels will be delivered in a cosmopolitan city and with the support of both non-UK and transnational institutions. Students will engage with comparative and transnational methodologies and will do so in an intercultural context.

The module draws on cases from different contexts and different geopolitical areas. The assessment involves students working in groups which will allow for a global and local outlook to be built into the module’s work. The international and diverse course cohort provides contact opportunities and learning to see from different perspectives is a core aspect of the learning experience.

Transferable skills

• Work effectively with others in group tasks and in teams
• Plan and manage time in projects
• Develop strong analytical skills
• Find, evaluate and use previous research at a level appropriate for an intermediate year module
• Use a range of tools and resources effectively in the preparation of course work
• Use appropriate analytic methods to analyse research data
• Read academic papers effectively in the context of an intensive programme
• Communicate clearly and effectively in discussions
• Communicate ideas effectively in writing.

Study time

Assessment

You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.

Feedback on assessment

• Feedback will provided in writing
• Further oral feedback and clarification will be provided upon request.

Before you apply

You can take a maximum of two WIISP modules, and cannot take them at the same time.

Please note

• Warwick students will need to check with their department before applying to take a WIISP module
• Students from partner institutions will need to apply via their home institution
• You are expected to fully engage and participate in the module, including in any group activities, if not your registration will be cancelled
• Module details provided on these pages are supplementary to module details in the module catalogueLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window. Subsequently individual module pages (moodle/my.wbs) will provide live details
• All modules require minimum numbers to run. This is set by each module leader.

How to apply

If you want to make an enquiry before applying, please contact the WIISP team at WIISP at warwick dot ac dot uk

Apply - Warwick students