The Evolution of War
GOVT 303
Fall 2015 not offered
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| Certificates: International Relations |
While most societies condemn physical violence between individuals, they condone and encourage collectively organized violence in the form of warfare. War is obscene, yet all modern societies have engaged in warfare. This course will examine war as a social, political, and historical phenomenon. We will look at the way in which wars have led to the consolidation of political power and the acceleration of social change, at the relationship between military service and the concept of citizenship. The course also examines the crucial role played by technology in the interaction between war and society. Films and novels will be examined to test to what extent these literary works accurately reflect, or obscure, the political, social, and technological logic driving the evolution of war. Our examples will include warfare in premodern society, the gunpowder revolution in early modern Europe and Japan, the American Civil War, colonial wars, World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and Iraq. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS GOVT |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (GOVT)(GOVT-Comparativ)(GOVT-Intl.)(HRAD-MN) |
Major Readings:
Barbara Ehrenreich, BLOOD RITES: ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF THE PASSIONS OF WAR
Robert L. O'Connell, OF ARMS AND MEN
Charles Tilly, COERCION, CAPITAL AND EUROPEAN STATES
John Keegan, THE FACE OF BATTLE
John Ellis, THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF THE MACHINE GUN
A.C. Grayling, AMONG THE DEAD CITIES
Anonymous, A WOMAN IN BERLIN
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Examinations and Assignments:
three papers, i-movie presentation |
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