Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POC3020: The Politics of War

This module descriptor refers to the 2017/8 academic year.

Please note that this module is only delivered on the Penryn Campus.

Module Aims

The aim of this module is to introduce you to contemporary interdisciplinary approaches war, with a particular focus on critical interventions made by scholars within the humanities and social sciences. The module will locate war within its wider social, economic and political context, encouraging a broader understanding of the causes, consequences and legacies of war. You will be introduced to a range of theoretical approaches to war, for example feminism. You will engage with a number of case studies, including: the contemporary wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Remembrance Day in Britain, the Holocaust and the protests against the Vietnam War. Cultural representations of war in art, novel, film and museums will be critically interrogated, with a focus on race, gender and class. The ultimate aim of the module is to encourage you to think critically about war-making, commemoration and militarism.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. demonstrate breadth and depth in the understanding of various strands of critical thought as they have been applied to the social, political and economic legacies of war
2. demonstrate detailed and comprehensive understanding of how war has been theorized and evaluated from different critical perspectives
3. demonstrate excellence in the application of various theoretical perspectives in the analysis of concrete examples of war and its consequences
Discipline-Specific Skills4. relate the academic study of politics to questions of public concern in order to develop well-reasoned arguments and conclusions
5. apply concepts, theories and methods used in the study of politics to offer comprehensive analysis
6. think critically and independently about events, ideas and institutions with minimal guidance
Personal and Key Skills7. synthesize challenging literature and effectively articulate complex ideas in written and oral form
8. demonstrate ability to plan and undertake tasks, individually and with others, with minimum guidance, to reflect critically on the learning process and make use of feedback
9. identify, retrieve and use efficiently a range of library-based and electronic resources with minimum guidance
10. design and deliver presentations to peers with minimal guidance
11. demonstrate ability to interact effectively within a team/ learning group, facilitate group discussions and to select appropriate material suitable for inclusion in discussion