War in International Politics (L2138)

15 credits, Level 5

Autumn teaching

War is a violent expression of international politics, causing thousands of deaths each year. On this module, you'll study war to understand how it can be made more humane and less common.

You'll explore different perspectives within International Relations on why and how war occurs, covering a range of conflicts, including:

  • interstate war
  • civil war
  • insurgencies
  • other forms of conflict.

You’ll also examine recent developments in warfare, such as the introduction of drones and the potential for cyberattacks, considering how these changes affect the nature of war.

Teaching

100%: Practical (Workshop)

Assessment

30%: Coursework (Essay, Test)
70%: Written assessment (Essay)

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 20 hours of contact time and about 130 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.