What is military history? How has it developed and grown as an important subfield of historical enquiry? By exploring some of the key themes and historiographical debates that have shaped – and continue to shape – the study of war, you will develop your knowledge about how military history work. You will understand more about the 'war and society' approach to military history, reflecting on the nature of armies as institutions and the degree to which they reflect their parent societies. You’ll deepen your knowledge about how social history, cultural history, political and diplomatic history, race and war, gender and war, as well as environmental history, have all influenced the development of military history as a field. From the macro/strategic factors that have shaped the waging of war to the micro/tactical levels of military experience on the ground, students will be empowered to question and comment upon the fundamentals of studying war and conflict in the modern world.
Lecture 24, Seminar 8
1,000 words Website Review. Assessment Details: Critique a non-academic piece of history (e.g. Wikipedia entry or AI-generated article). worth 40%.
1,500 words Essay. Assessment Details: Write a question-based essay. worth 60%.
Reassessment Method:
On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:
1) Differentiate between popular and academic military history and articulate why the study of war must be placed in its broader context.
2) Illustrate how the study of war has changed in the historiography over time, recognising the importance of the ‘cultural turn’ and the ‘army and society’ school of thought in the development of ‘new military history’.
3) Analyse a range of primary and secondary sources relating to political, military, economic, social and cultural history and demonstrating an awareness in the contested nature of the historical record itself.
4) Work individually and/or collaboratively in questioning and analysing the merits of historical epistemological and methodological approaches and construct arguments to defend interpretations of them.
5) Communicate cogently and with purpose to a variety of audiences in several forms.
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