The history of warfare in the context of the warring societies from 1500 to the present in world history.
Athena Title
War and Society Since 1500
Prerequisite
Any HIST course or ENGL 1101 or ENGL 1101E or ENGL 1101S or ENGL 1102 or ENGL 1102E or ENGL 1102S or POLS 1101 or POLS 1101E or POLS 1101H or POLS 1101S
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be able to arrive at conclusions about the evolving nature of war and society in the past five hundred years by gathering and weighing evidence, logical argument, and listening to counter argument.
By the end of this course, students will be able to write stylistically appropriate papers and essays. Students will be able to analyze ideas and evidence, organize their thoughts, and revise and edit their finished essays.
By the end of this course, students will be able to identify how the history of warfare shaped diverse social and cultural attitudes toward militarism and mortality, power and politics, and ethical values, encouraging them to understand diverse worldviews and experiences.
By the end of this course, students will be able to apply appropriate methodological approaches to their analysis of primary sources and to organize their evidence to show historical continuities and discontinuities.
Topical Outline
Three Approaches to the History of Warfare and Society from 1500 to the Present
The Interaction between Economic and Military Power
The Interaction between Technology and Military Power
From a Eurocentric to Global Approaches in the History of Modern Warfare
Contemporary America at War
A Liberal Interpretation
A Conservative Interpretation
An Investigative Reporter's Study of Military Contractors
A Documentary Study of the Military-Industrial Complex
Overview and Final Discussion
Students write two fifteen-page critical and analytical papers, the first on the approaches to the history of the war, the second applying the knowledge gained in this part of the course to the readings on contemporary America at war. They discuss regularly in class the material that they are reading, discussions which emphasize their formation of their thoughts on the basis of the critical and analytical study of the material. The papers require them not only to present a cogent analysis of the material they have studied, but also to develop a synthesis of their own beyond the material they have read.
Institutional Competencies
Analytical Thinking
The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
Communication
The ability to effectively develop, express, and exchange ideas in written, oral, interpersonal, or visual form.
Critical Thinking
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
