Dept of War Studies | KCL | 2015-16
BA3 Optional Modules - Academic Year 2015-16
6SSW0004
Tutor:
Worlds of Security
Dr Médéric Martin-Mazé
The module is about security, security professionals and the worlds that they live in. Indeed,
policemen, border guards, military officers, intelligence analysts, but also security
consultants of private firms and security advisers of international organizations operate in
universes that have become highly differentiated over time. This is a module for students
interested in developing their critical understanding of the contemporary practice of security
in these diverse fields.
6SSW2029
Tutor:
Warfare in the Ancient World
Professor Philip Sabin
For over two millennia, the campaigns of 'great captains' such as Alexander the Great,
Hannibal and Julius Caesar have fascinated soldiers, historians and armchair scholars alike.
Over the past generation, there has been a flood of literature re-evaluating these classic
campaigns and seeking to gain a better understanding of ancient warfare despite the
inescapable limitations of the surviving literary and archaeological evidence.
This module covers a very broad span of distance and time, addressing the whole
Mediterranean and Middle East from 500 BC to the time of Christ. It focuses on the strategy
and tactics of Greek and Roman warfare, rather than other equally important 'war and
society' aspects such as the causes of war or military forces as institutions.
The distinctive challenge of the module is to come to grips with the paucity and unreliability
of the ancient source material. Unlike when studying more recent conflicts, you will be able
to read for yourself all of the surviving primary accounts, and make up your own mind about
the widely varying hypotheses of modern scholars. The module thus offers an unusual and
engaging combination of breadth and access to the frontiers of scholarship.
6SSW2030
Tutor:
The USA and World War II
Prof. Brian Holden Reid
We will assess the ways in which the United States coped with the challenges of waging a
world war over two oceans. We will consider the relationship between land, air and sea
power; we will study the interaction between personalities and structures in the evolutions
of methods of waging war, especially in the creation of effective coalition relationships,
especially with Great Britain. Finally, we will study the relationship between the executive
and legislative branches of government. Our main focus will be on conduct at the battlefront and due attention will be devoted to naval history as well as the evolution of
amphibious operations.
6SSW2041
Tutor:
Security Issues in the Middle East since WWII
Dr. Reinoud Leenders
This module will examine the background to the dynamics of security and conflict in the
Middle East and North Africa and consider prospects for the region’s future. The topics
Dept of War Studies | KCL | 2015-16
covered will give you both a strong historical knowledge about the region since the collapse
of the Ottoman Empire following WWI until the Arab uprisings in 2011 and thereafter. The
course will take us from the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Algerian war of independence, armed
conflict generally, to political Islam and issues of governance and conflict in the context of
the region’s oil and gas resources.
6SSW2046
Tutor:
Guerrillas in the Mist: Insurgency and Counter-insurgency in the Modern
World
Professor Michael Rainsborough
Insurgency and counter-insurgency are notions that have received considerable prominence
in recent years. But what do these terms really mean? Where do they come from? How have
people understood them? This module examines these types of questions. It surveys the
theory and evolution of the form of war called insurgency, or guerrilla warfare. It will
investigate the issues of definition and the conceptual challenges posed by trying to identify
this particular facet of war. The module will evaluate individual theorists of guerrilla warfare
and analyse contending theories of insurgency. Conversely, attention will also be given to
how political actors have sought to counter and defeat insurgent activity. Emphasis will be
placed on evaluating the theories and methods of insurgency and counter-insurgency
practice through the examination of a broad range of notable and not so notable campaigns.
The principal aim of the module is to cover the material utilising a) a strategic approach to
comprehend the definition, uses and objectives of so-called insurgent and counter-insurgent
activity b) an historical approach to understand the evolution of insurgency and counterinsurgency and c) an ethical appreciation of the peculiar moral dilemmas involved in this
mode of warfare.
6SSW3004
Tutor:
War and International Politics in Africa
Dr. Flavia Gasbarri
The African continent is one of the most marginalized areas in Global Politics, though it is
still the theatre of some of the most dramatic conflicts of the contemporary world. This
module focuses on this neglected region. What is the international dimension of the crises
and wars which have been affecting Africa since Decolonization? In which way the main
systemic transformations of the international system have influenced the nature and the
dynamics of the African wars? That's what this module is all about. In order to answer these
questions, you will be offered with (and you will enjoy!) a module which combines an
historical approach with the study of the most recent political and military developments in
the continent.