Contemporary Warfare
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| POLI4118 | Politics and International Relations | 4 | 20 | Autumn UK, Spring UK |
- Code
- POLI4118
- School
- Politics and International Relations
- Level
- 4
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Autumn UK, Spring UK
Summary
This module explores the dynamics of conflict in the modern world. It will primarily address the types of war we are seeing today as well as the changing actors who take part in it. It will introduce students to empirical analyses of numerous wars in the twenty-first century (including Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan, and more) as well as to theoretical understandings of conflict in the post-9/11 world. This module will enable students to engage with the concepts explaining the use of force in international relations and widen understanding of the multiple levels of global security. It looks at the increasingly blurred lines between war and peace today, taking account of the use of regular, irregular, conventional, and unconventional force in the prosecution of warfare today. This allows us to take stock of the application of different typologies of war, including hybrid war, proxy war, and cyber war, as well as particular actors who have shaped the way contemporary war looks, including Islamic State and private military companies. Advances in technology and broader shifts in the nature of global power have all altered the way in which states think about and undertake war. All of these developments will come under student scrutiny during this module.
Target Students
Available to PGT and Year 4 MSci International Relations and Global Issues students in the School of Politics and International Relations. Also available to students on the MRes Politics and International Relations plan, and incoming exchange students based in the School of Politics and International Relations.
Classes
This module is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars.
Assessment
- 50% Coursework 1: 2,000-policy brief
- 50% Coursework 2: 2,000-word essay
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
This module aims to give students:•A broad understanding of the role non-state actors play in contemporary global security• A conceptual and empirical appreciation of how states and non-state actors interact in the realm of contemporary global security•An understanding of how the influence and importance of non-state actors to the dynamics of global security has changed• An understanding as to the motives behind violent sub-state behaviour before and after 9/11.Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and understanding:
* Conceptually locate non-state actors in the realm of contemporary global security.
* Empirically identify the most influential and relevant non-state actors that affect contemporary global security.
Intellectual skills
* Argue cogently and reflect critically about how non-state actors have shaped the dynamic of contemporary global security.
* Appreciate the multiple levels of global security.
Professional and practical skills
* Demonstrate the ability to understand complex concepts and theories by engaging with specialist primary and secondary sources and undertaking independent research as preparation for weekly seminar discussions.
* Develop the ability to present ideas and opinions verbally, and defend and challenge different perspectives in seminar discussions and scenarios.
* Show skills in gathering evidence from a range of sources on a contemporary and contentious area, and critical writing skills to produce cogent, detailed arguments.
Transferable (key) skills
* Show innovation, commitment and independent thought by researching and critically evaluating a wide range of sources.
* Develop resilience, strong interpersonal skills and cooperation in seminar discussions and scenarios on a contemporary and challenging field of study.
* Demonstrate flexibility of thought in considering an issue from a range of perspectives.
* Show sound judgement in gathering and assimilating evidence to produce focused, well thought-out, reasoned arguments written fluently.
* Utilise interactive digital learning platforms to engage in academic content.