Course Description
The history of warfare in the context of the warring societies from 1500 to the present in world history.
Athena Title
WAR & SOC 1500-2000
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
This course requires students to: 1.Study and understand the history of how various societies have fought war from 1500 to the present in world history. 2.Comprehend various approaches to the history of warfare over time and then apply this knowledge to America at war in the final decades of the 20th century and to the first decade of the 21st century. 3.Comprehend, analyze, and synthesize a significant amount of reading material from a variety of sources with information complementary to that from lecture. 4.Participate knowledgeably in class discussions, informed by mastery of the course materials. 5.Demonstrate critical and analytical skills in writing long papers using the class information as the essential sources.
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 a 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.
Syllabus