Warning! This unit contains mature content and may not be suitable for some students. Any student under the age of 16 who would like to enrol in this unit must first complete a Parental Consent Form.

Subject details

At the completion of this subject you will be able to:

  1. identify central themes in the history of war;
  2. understand the place of war in world historical context;
  3. recognise and compare the different ways in which war is narrated historically;
  4. employ analytical thinking skills and reflect critically and ethically on the above issues;
  5. apply ways of thinking about war to thinking about world history;
  6. employ analytical thinking skills and reflect critically and ethically on the above issues;
  7. analyse, evaluate and synthesise a range of historical images and texts;
  8. develop sustained, logical and informed arguments;
  9. appreciate and evaluate the variety of approaches to the  history of war;
  10. draw on a knowledge of ideas and texts to understand the complexities and dynamics of war throughout human history.
    • War and violence
    • War on the battlefield
    • War and authority
    • War and annihilation
    • War and peace
    • War and memory

  • Study resources

    • Instructional methods

      • Discussion forum/Discussion Board
      • Online assignment submission
      • Podcasting/Lecture capture
      • Web links

    • Online materials

      • Resources and Links
      • Printable format materials
      • Online Assessment

Others

Note: Level 3 subjects normally assume a moderate level of prior knowledge in this area, eg from studying related Level 1 and 2 subjects or other relevant experience.

Special requirements

No special requirements

For millennia humans have waged war and come to understand themselves and others through the experience of war. This subject explores the different ways that we can understand what war means – how it has changed across time, what are the rights and wrongs of war, who are its victims, and how it has shaped the modern world. Understanding this history enables us to think more clearly about how war has shaped the modern world, and how the changing nature of war remains central to humanity's hopes for the future.

  • Essay 1 (30%)
  • Essay 2 (40%)
  • Online Discussion (20%)
  • Review (10%)

Textbooks are subject to change within the academic year. Students are advised to purchase their books no earlier than one to two months before the start of a subject.

View textbooks