MODULE SPECIFICATION TEMPLATE
1. The title of the module
Introduction to Military History (Part 1)
2. The Department which will be responsible for management of the module
School of History
3. The Start Date of the Module
September 2010
4. The cohort of students (onwards) to which the module will be applicable.
September 2010 Stage One
5. The number of students expected to take the module
50-60
6. Modules to be withdrawn on the introduction of this proposed module and consultation with
other relevant Departments and Faculties regarding the withdrawal
HI 403/413
7. The level of the module (eg Certificate [C], Intermediate [I], Honours [H] or Postgraduate [M])
C
8. The number of credits which the module represents
30
Note: undergraduate full-time students take modules amounting to 120 credits per year and
postgraduate full-time students take modules amounting to 180 credits per year for a Masters
award
9. Which term(s) the module is to be taught in (or other teaching pattern)
Autumn
10. Prerequisite and co-requisite modules
Prerequisite War Studies
11. The programmes of study to which the module contributes
War Studies
12. The intended subject specific learning outcomes and, as appropriate, their relationship to
programme learning outcomes
1) Students will gain the knowledge and conceptual tools to understand and interpret key aspects
of military history. Students will obtain a knowledge of the historiographical debates surrounding
these issues covered in the module. (See School of History handbook, 2009-10, Programme Aims,
Learning Outcomes and Methods, henceforth PA, LO, M, LO-A1)
2) Students will develop the ability to discuss issues that are raised in the module, and to present
their work in written and oral form. Through exposure to the distinctive nature of nineteenth
century culture, students will gain an enhanced understanding of the diversity of human societies.
(LO-A5)
3) Students will learn to use and evaluate relevant primary sources relating to political, military,
economic, social and cultural history. Through a diversity of sources, students will be exposed to
a variety of outlooks and learn about the importance of using diversity of sources in their
research into the past. (See LO – A2, A4, C1, M – 2)
13. The intended generic learning outcomes and, as appropriate, their relationship to programme
learning outcomes
1) Through this course students will develop a range of intellectual and transferable skills, and
acquire certain kinds of understanding. They will come to understand the problems that are
inherent in the historical record and the limits within which interpretation is possible. (LO – A3)
2) They will develop critical thought and independence of mind, the capacity to deploy arguments,
and the ability to challenge received opinions and conclusions. (LO – B2, C3).
3) Students will improve their essay and oral presentation skills. They will also learn how to make
good use of the relevant library resources and, where necessary, IT skills. (M – 4)
4) Students will gain transferable skills in the following four areas: communication, group working,
problem solving, improved learning and plans for improved learned. (LO – D1, 4, 5, 6)
14. A synopsis of the curriculum
See attached.
15. Indicative Reading List
Jeremy Black, Rethinking Military History
Azar Gat, A History of Military Thought
Michael Howard, Warfare in European History
Peter Paret (ed), The Makers of Modern Strategy
Hew Strachan, European Armies and the conduct of war
16. Learning and Teaching Methods, including the nature and number of contact hours and the
total study hours which will be expected of students, and how these relate to achievement of
the intended learning outcomes
The module will, in part, replace the function currently served by Making History for War Studies
students, and is therefore designed to impart study skills and assist in the transition from A2
/pre-university entry study to certificate and further university study. A vital element of the
module is historiography. This crucial issue is very patchily taught in schools and the attached
curriculum reveals the great emphasis placed on this subject, which will be of immense value
for subsequent study.
The module will consist of eleven one hour lectures and eleven one hour seminars. The lectures
will run during the autumn and spring terms, but the seminars will continue into the summer
term. The lectures will provide overviews of, and introductions to, the key issues in the study
of military history and study skills. As will be noted from the curriculum synopsis this includes
the very basics, which are often completely new to a student, such as the meaning, use and
structure of lectures and seminars through to essay preparation work.
The seminars will explore more fully the themes of the lectures. The seminars will be led by
assessed student papers thus encouraging confidence in public address, the ability to research
and condense information and answer questions effectively. At the end of the spring term
students will be asked to produce a group presentation. This will encourage effective
teamwork and the fine-honing of material to fit an overall, pre-agreed structure.
The assessments have been carefully structured to combine a full mixture of skills. Seminar
papers are covered above. In addition, students will write a 2,500-3,000 word essays which
will act as a building block towards a larger 4,500 word essay in the summer term (see
template for Introduction to Military History 2). The shorter essays will give the students
valuable practice in essay writing at the university level demanding careful preparation of
material and presentation of arguments. Students will then be allowed to pick a theme for
further development in the summer term essay. Guidance will be provided by three two-hour
summer term seminars. These will be run as informal ‘drop in’ sessions. The completion of a
larger scale piece of work will provide students with a useful stepping stone towards the final
year dissertation as they will be expected to think on a broader scale and mix primary and
secondary sources judiciously.
In order to ensure that students are capable of rapid response to intellectual problems (a key
transferable skill in a British economy dominated by information as a commodity, and also of
great importance to the increasing number of War Studies students destined for officer-level
entry in the armed forces), there will be a timed, in-class essay test. Students will be given
the title of the question at the commencement of the module in September and will be
allowed to bring notes into the room (which must be submitted at the end of the seminar).
The assessment is intended to give the students experience of examination conditions, writing
to a fixed time and putting their preparatory work into effective order rapidly.
Total contact hours: 22
Total study hours: 300
17. Assessment methods and how these relate to testing achievement of the intended learning
outcomes
See 16 above in which justifications and explanation of the assessments in relation to the
intended learning outcomes are outlined. The module will assessed through 100% coursework.
However, the coursework contains an element of timed work on a distinct topic, and thus gives
Stage One students some sense of the demands of examinations at this level. The breakdown of
the assessment components is as follows:
Essay: 70%
Presentation 10%
In class timed assignment 20%
18. Implications for learning resources, including staff, library, IT and space
The module can be taught by all staff associated with the core of the War Studies programme and
appropriately qualified War Studies postgraduate students according to the guidelines for their employment.
Most of the library resources are already in place.
The teaching and lecturing spaces do not require any alteration or up-grade from their present condition
19. A statement confirming that, as far as can be reasonably anticipated, the curriculum, learning
and teaching methods and forms of assessment do not present any non-justifiable
disadvantage to students with disabilities
No difficulties are envisaged.