BA3 Optional Modules - Academic Year 2015-16
6SSW0004 Worlds of Security
Tutor:Dr Médéric Martin-Mazé
The module is about security, security professionals and the worlds that they live in. Indeed, policemen, border guards, military officers, intelligence analysts, but also security consultants of private firms and security advisers of international organizations operate in universes that have become highly differentiated over time. This is a module for students interested in developing their critical understanding of the contemporary practice of security in these diverse fields.
6SSW2029 Warfare in the Ancient World
Tutor: Professor Philip Sabin
For over two millennia, the campaigns of 'great captains' such as Alexander the Great, Hannibal and Julius Caesar have fascinated soldiers, historians and armchair scholars alike. Over the past generation, there has been a flood of literature re-evaluating these classic campaigns and seeking to gain a better understanding of ancient warfare despite the inescapable limitations of the surviving literary and archaeological evidence.
This module covers a very broad span of distance and time, addressing the whole Mediterranean and Middle East from 500 BC to the time of Christ. It focuses on the strategy and tactics of Greek and Roman warfare, rather than other equally important 'war and society' aspects such as the causes of war or military forces as institutions.
The distinctive challenge of the module is to come to grips with the paucity and unreliability of the ancient source material. Unlike when studying more recent conflicts, you will be able to read for yourself all of the surviving primary accounts, and make up your own mind about the widely varying hypotheses of modern scholars. The module thus offers an unusual and engaging combination of breadth and access to the frontiers of scholarship.
6SSW2030 The USA and World War II
Tutor:Prof. Brian Holden Reid
We will assess the ways in which the United States coped with the challenges of waging a world war over two oceans. We will consider the relationship between land, air and sea power; we will study the interaction between personalities and structures in the evolutions of methods of waging war, especially in the creation of effective coalition relationships, especially with Great Britain. Finally, we will study the relationship between the executive and legislative branches of government. Our main focus will be on conduct at the battle-front and due attention will be devoted to naval history as well as the evolution of amphibious operations.
6SSW2041 Security Issues in the Middle East since WWII
Tutor:Dr. Reinoud Leenders
This module will examine the background to the dynamics of security and conflict in the Middle East and North Africa and consider prospects for the region’s future. The topics covered will give you both a strong historical knowledge about the region since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire following WWI until the Arab uprisings in 2011 and thereafter. The course will take us from the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Algerian war of independence, armed conflict generally, to political Islam and issues of governance and conflict in the context of the region’s oil and gas resources.
6SSW2046 Guerrillas in the Mist: Insurgency and Counter-insurgency in the Modern World
Tutor:Professor Michael Rainsborough
Insurgency and counter-insurgency are notions that have received considerable prominence in recent years. But what do these terms really mean? Where do they come from? How have people understood them? This module examines these types of questions. It surveys the theory and evolution of the form of war called insurgency, or guerrilla warfare. It will investigate the issues of definition and the conceptual challenges posed by trying to identify this particular facet of war. The module will evaluate individual theorists of guerrilla warfare and analyse contending theories of insurgency. Conversely, attention will also be given to how political actors have sought to counter and defeat insurgent activity. Emphasis will be placed on evaluating the theories and methods of insurgency and counter-insurgency practice through the examination of a broad range of notable and not so notable campaigns. The principal aim of the module is to cover the material utilising a) a strategic approach to comprehend the definition, uses and objectives of so-called insurgent and counter-insurgent activity b) an historical approach to understand the evolution of insurgency and counter-insurgency and c) an ethical appreciation of the peculiar moral dilemmas involved in this mode of warfare.
6SSW3004War and International Politics in Africa
Tutor:Dr. Flavia Gasbarri
The African continent is one of the most marginalized areas in Global Politics, though it is still the theatre of some of the most dramatic conflicts of the contemporary world. This module focuses on this neglected region. What is the international dimension of the crises and wars which have been affecting Africa since Decolonization? In which way the main systemic transformations of the international system have influenced the nature and the dynamics of the African wars? That's what this module is all about.In order to answer these questions, you will be offered with (and you will enjoy!) a module which combines an historical approach with the study of the most recent political and military developments in the continent.