Dept of War Studies | KCL | 2015-16
BA2 Optional modules - Academic Year 2015-16
5SSW2050
Tutor:
Intelligence in War Studies
Dr Marcus Faulkner
Intelligence is the missing dimension of international relations and history as well as
being the hidden hand of government that shapes decision-making and ensures the
survival of the state. The term intelligence conjures up images of spies and cloakand-dagger operations and is very much part of everyday news reporting and
popular culture. Intelligence today though is more than espionage and this module
explores how intelligence communities have evolved and what role they play in
conventional and unconventional warfare. The peacetime function is equally
important so the use of intelligence in protecting national security, counterterrorism and other new emerging security threats is also covered. If you would like
an introduction to how intelligence is collected, analysed and has influenced world
affairs over the past decades this is the module for you.
5SSW2049
Tutor:
War in International Order
Dr Claudia Aradau
War is one of the most challenging events that a society can encounter. If wars had
long been thought of as exceptional occurrences that were clearly delimited in time
(times of war) and space (the battlefield), contemporary wars are increasingly
becoming more extensive, dispersed and ‘normalised’. They challenge boundaries
and distinctions between inside/outside, civilian/combatant, normal/exceptional,
and order/disorder. This module aims to introduce students to the most important
challenges that war poses for international order. It draws on ideas from
international relations, sociology, political theory and philosophy to equip students
with the necessary theoretical frameworks and conceptual toolboxes to understand
wars in the international order.
5SSW2055
Tutor:
World War Two in Europe
Professor Philip Sabin
World War II is the greatest conflict there has ever been, and hopefully the greatest
conflict there ever will be. Any War Studies student must engage to some extent
with this ultimate example of total warfare between the greatest powers of the
world, which took place just two generations ago and which still shapes our 21st
century world in so many ways. Even though it lasted less than six years, World War
II was such a massive and all-encompassing conflict that we need to focus on only a
few of the many possible dimensions of analysis. In this module, we concentrate on
Europe rather than the Pacific, and we focus on strategic and operational analysis of
Dept of War Studies | KCL | 2015-16
the various military campaigns, rather than on other equally important perspectives
such as politics, diplomacy, sociology, ethics, individual experience, or the dynamics
of tactics or technology. The ultimate aim of the module is to explore what made the
War tick. Why did the campaigns go as they did, and were they bound to do so?
What were the military and strategic dynamics which underpinned this terrible
conflict?
5SSW 2054
Tutor:
War and Global Conflict in the Contemporary World
Dr Peter Busch
War & Global Conflict in the Contemporary world is about the in-depth study of crises
and conflicts in the 20th and 21st century. The general idea behind it is to give you a
thorough grounding in the history of conflicts that are still of particular relevance
today. This is why we focus on the Middle East and South and East Asia. Here are a few
of the central questions we are going to explore: What are the origins of the ArabIsraeli conflict? How has it developed and affected the wider Middle Eastern area until
today? What are we to make of India as an emerging new, democratic power and its
‘third way’ in foreign policy? What is the position of Pakistan and Afghanistan in
relation to global security architectures? How can we understand the history of
Chinese communism, its successes and failures and how this history shapes the
security situation in East Asia today? How important are media and ‘propaganda’?
How has terrorism changed security concerns in the 21st Century? These are some of
the issue you will explore.
5SSW2002
Tutor:
War and Society
Dr Simon Anglim
We will be looking at the relationship between societies and the kind of wars they
fight since 1800, from the total wars of the twentieth century to the interventions of
today, focusing particularly on what societies and armies think of each other and
how this affects the ways in which military operations are carried out. We will detail
the often complicated relationship between soldiers and politicians, the gradual end
of mass armed forces and what may replace them in the 21st century, the role of
leaders in the military, and how and why insurgency and irregular warfare have
become so important today. There will also be a strong ethical element to the
course, examining such issues as torture, atrocities and how classical ideas about
‘just war’ can be applied to recent conflicts.
5SSW2056
Tutor:
Military Strategy
Dr John Stone
Have you ever wondered why even the most stunning military victories rarely lead to
clear political success? If you have, then this module might just be for you. Military
Dept of War Studies | KCL | 2015-16
strategy is the process by which armed force is translated into intended political
outcomes. As such it provides the key to making war a continuation of politics.
However, in doing so, it necessarily introduces political considerations into military
operations. The challenge for strategists is, therefore, to reconcile differing military
and political claims on the conduct of operations. In this module we’ll be asking
exactly why this challenge is frequently so difficult to overcome, and how failures to
do so have compromised war’s political instrumentality.