PO2WAP1-War and Peace Since 1800
Module Provider: School of Politics, Economics and International Relations
Number of credits: 10 [5 ECTS credits]
Level:5
Terms in which taught: Autumn term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2020/1
Email: p.finnegan@reading.ac.uk
Type of module:
Summary module description:
This module aims to enable students to appreciate both the roles played by war in modern history and the ways in which warfare has evolved over a two-hundred year period. The strongly empirical, historical thrust of the module will be used to introduce students to the ideas key to understanding (a) why, how, and with what consequences wars occur, and (b) how peace can be "caused" and sometimes maintained.
Aims:
The aims of this module are to not only show students how conflict over two hundred years has influenced us in our day-to-day lives but also how to understand how conflict has changed and how our understanding needs to change with it. We will also examine different approaches to peace and throughout the module tackle the question of whether peace is the absence of war or whether war may in fact be the natural state of human and international relations.
Assessable learning outcomes:
By the end of the module it is expected that students will be able to:
- understand how war has evolved since c.1800;
- identify critically the different approaches to peace that have been attempted;
- relate appreciation of the changing phenomena of war to a broad grasp of international relations;
- organise and articulate arguments effectively in writing, both under timed conditions and in assessed essays.
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Additional outcomes:
The module also aims to encourage the development of oral communication skills and the students' effectiveness in group situations, with some analytical procedures carried out as part of a team. Students will also develop their IT skills by use of relevant web resources.
Outline content:
This module introduces students to the significance of war in modern international relations, and to the evolution of theory and practice bearing upon the establishment and preservation of peace with security. The historical backbone of the module supports critical presentation of important ideas from the realms of scholarly International Relations and strategic studies. In historical context, the module will address such issues as: the relationships between force and policy; changing attitud es towards the use of force; and technological change and war aims.
Brief description of teaching and learning methods:
A combination of lectures and seminars.
| Autumn | Spring | Summer | |
| Lectures | 10 | ||
| Seminars | 20 | ||
| Guided independent study: | 70 | ||
| Total hours by term | 100 | ||
| Total hours for module | 100 |
| Method | Percentage |
| Written assignment including essay | 100 |
Summative assessment- Examinations:
There is no examination for this module.
Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:
Number and length of assignments and in-class tests, and submission date for each assignment (expressed as a week of a specific Term):
Coursework: Students will write one essay of 3,000 words. Non-submitted essays will be awarded a mark of zero.
Formative Assessment Methods (Work which provides opportunities to improve performance (e.g. through feedback provided) but which does not necessarily always contribute towards the overall module mark):
Students will prepare a one-page essay plan for discussion with the group/convenor. This plan will then form the basis for the 3000-word essay.
Formative assessment methods:
Penalties for late submission:
The Module Convenor will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:
- where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day[1] (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
- where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.
Assessment requirements for a pass:
40% overall.
Reassessment arrangements:
If a student fails to pass the year at the first attempt there is an opportunity to be re-assessed on one further occasion at the next opportunity in those modules achieving a mark of less than 40%. Students who are eligible for re-assessment have the right to re-assessment in all elements even if they have previously passed one of those elements. It is expected, however, that the majority of students would probably elect not to repeat an element in which they had already passed, in which case the confirmed marks would be carried forward.
Examination: Re-examination takes place in August/September of the same year.
Coursework: Failed or missing coursework should be re- on Blackboard within the specified deadline.
Additional Costs (specified where applicable):
Required text books
War, Peace and International Relations An introduction to strategic history, 2nd edition, by Colin S Gray - £29.99
Last updated: 4 April 2020
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MODULE DESCRIPTION DOES NOT FORM ANY PART OF A STUDENT'S CONTRACT.