Dept of War Studies | KCL | 2015-16
BA2 Optional modules - Academic Year 2015-16
5SSW0011 A History of the European Cold War
Tutor: Prof. Malcolm Murfett
This module will examine the way in which the Cold War came to dominate the
European continent for much of the post-war world. It will mostly concentrate on the Soviet satellite states of Central and Eastern Europe and will investigate the major issues and evaluate the intriguing personalities that came to the fore in these years of ideological and military division. Heroes and villains rose and fell; perilous crises and personal catastrophe were never far away, but through it all Europe lurched on until a revolution from both above and below brought the Cold War to an end in the most extraordinary and largely unforeseen way. Why so few Western observers had seen it coming is one of the fascinating stories of this dynamic and arresting period in the 20th century.
5SSW2004 Grand Strategy and the Foundations of Anglo-American Statecraft
Tutor: Dr John Bew
Grand Strategy means ‘big picture’ or ‘long-term’ thinking. The core emphasis of
Grand Strategy is to secure the long-term security, peace and prosperity of a nation.
It does not get bogged down in theory but instead asks: how we got to this point, and in what direction should we go in the future. Grand Strategy combines all the traditional elements of War Studies – history, strategy, statecraft, warfare, and diplomacy. It is not about ‘hard’ versus ‘soft’ power but understanding how they all these things come together to serve the long-term goals of a nation, or a group of nations. It also emphasises the role play played by key statesman, or strategists – such as Winston Churchill or Henry Kissinger – in changing the course of history.
Politicians in the west are often heard talking about the need for a new Grand
Strategy in the face of new threats – the return of great power rivalries, the rise of
China, Russia’s invasion of Crimea, the implosion of the Middle East, and global terrorism. Grand Strategy Programmes exist at Yale, Duke, and Columbia
Universities. But Grand Strategic thinking is something for which the Department of
War Studies at King’s College London is already world famous.
5SSW2060 Global Politics
Tutor: Dr Nicholas Michelsen
This modules aims to provide students with detailed knowledge of well-established controversies surrounding the changing role of the state, and to ask whether
International Relations might be increasingly giving way to Global Politics. With this, students will be able to synthesise, compare, and critically discuss key concepts,

Dept of War Studies | KCL | 2015-16 academic debates, and approaches to global politics; examining the role and significance of International Organisations (such as the UN or NATO), the role and significance of non-state actors (such as Amnesty International or Al Qaeda), and the role and significance of the emerging powers or regions. We can then explore and critically assess mechanisms of governance existing, or emerging, at the global level.
Also how to improve analytical, problem-solving and academic skills through engagement with selected readings in whole-class discussion, group tasks, writing assignments and exams.
5SSW2061 Contemporary International Relations Theory
Tutor: Prof Ned Lebow
This course aims to provide students with advanced knowledge of theoretical controversies in the discipline of International Relations, and their significance for the analysis of policies, practices and issues in the global arena. The course synthesises, compares, and critically discusses advanced concepts, approaches and theoretical debates in International Relations through reading core texts. The module aims to improve analytical, problem-solving, academic and transferable skills through engagement with the selected readings in whole-class discussion, group tasks, writing assignments and exams.
5SSW2062 Statecraft, War and Diplomacy
Tutor: Dr Walter Ladwig III
The academic study of international relations and the actual conduct of foreign affairs are two separate endeavours. From the comfort of a seminar room it is relatively easy to advance simple theories or explanations as to how a state should conduct its foreign policy. It is quite another thing to know which of these abstract options is a government’s optimal choice. This course seeks to bridge the gap between theory and practice by offering an introduction into the world of diplomacy and statecraft. In particular, it examines the strengths and limitations of the tools of hard and soft power harnessed by statesmen to influence world politics. What is the best way for countries as diverse as the UK, China, or Nigeria to advance their interests in the world? What levers of influence are available for dealing with North
Korea, Iran, or the present conflicts in Syria, Ukraine, or the Congo? Is there an optimal strategy for maximizing short-term opportunity and long-term goals? Even if such a strategy can be conceived, can it be implemented?
5SSW2063 International Law, Human Rights and Intervention
Tutor: Dr Natasha Kuhrt
International Law (this includes: human rights law; international humanitarian law; international criminal law) is increasingly important in affecting the way policymakers approach everyday issues and its salience is evidenced in, for example,

Dept of War Studies | KCL | 2015-16 the wrangling over the intervention in Iraq, or the greater prominence given to
Humanitarian law in the ‘Global War on Terror’ around issues such as illegal detention of prisoners or the use of torture, as well as targeted killings.
The module seeks to bring together international law and international politics (it is not a law module per se) and demonstrate the importance of understanding them for today’s world.
There is also a strong emphasis on examining cases from different perspectives: so sometimes the same cases might be examined from the point of view of ethics and philosophy, or through the lens of international law.