Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL2082: The Changing Character of Warfare

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

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

What is War?
The Causes of Warfare
Interstate versus Intrastate Warfare
The Military and the Nature of Civil-Military Relations
Change and Continuity in Warfare
The ‘Revolution in Military Affairs’ and ‘Transformation’ Agendas
Outsourcing War: the Rise of Private Military Companies
Asymmetric Challenges I: Terrorism
Asymmetric Challenges II: Insurgency and Guerrilla Warfare
Military Adaptation and Innovation
Summation, Revision, and Student Module Evaluation

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
26.5	123.5	0

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning & Teaching Activity	16.5	11 x 1.5 hour lectures
Scheduled Learning & Teaching Activity	10	10 x 1 hour tutorials
Guided Independent Study	40	Tutorial preparation
Guided Independent Study	83.5	Assessment preparation and completion

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

Complex Terrain Laboratory: http://www.terraplexic.org/
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute: http://www.sipri.org/
Combating Terrorism Centre (Westpoint): http://ctc.usma.edu/sentinel/
UK Defence Academy: http://www.da.mod.uk/podcasts
‘MERLIN’ US National Defence University: http://merln.ndu.edu/
US Institute of Peace: http://www.usip.org/
Institute for War and Peace Reporting: http://www.iwpr.org
US Army War College: http://www.carlisle.army.mil/
International Studies Association web resources: http://www.isanet.org/links/
US Naval Postgraduate School: http://www.nps.edu/
US Homeland Security: http://www.inhomelandsecurity.com/
UK Resilience (Cabinet Office Civil Contingencies Secretariat):
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/ukresilience.aspx
RAND Corps: http://www.rand.org/
Center for Strategic and International Studies: http://csis.org/
Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies: http://www.rusi.org
Chatham House (Royal Institute for International Affairs): http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk
International Institute for Strategic Studies: http://www.iiss.org
Brookings Institute: http://www.brookings.edu/
Arms Control Resources: http://www.armscontrol.org/
Bitter Lemons: http://www.bitterlemons.org/
Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies: http://www.ciss.ca/
Centre for Defence Information: http://www.cdi.org/
CIA Factbook: http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Human Rights Watch http://www.hrw.org/
International Crisis Group: http://www.icg.org/home/index.cfm
Rand Corporation: http://www.rand.org/

Other Learning Resources

Other materials and resources will be identified by the module convener in lectures and via ELE and by tutors in tutorials.