Military History

The programme reviews the evidence for conflict from the medieval period through to the present day and will consider a breadth of geographical situations. Although questions of technological advances are important, it is recognized that the study of military history is more than just learning about weapons and battles, to that end the course will support students as they develop an understanding of the wider social, ethical and political contexts of warfare. The programme equips students with a wider range of critical and analytical skills through the in-depth study of the incidence, formation and operation of military institutions and organizational structures in naval, land-based, airborne and civilian contexts.

A number of topics and subjects will be studied such as: medieval warfare, the English Civil War, the history of espionage, the Vietnam War and civil rights, warfare on land and at sea during the 19th century, the ethics of conflict, the 20th century civilian experience of warfare, war in the air, and the Cold War. Students also take a ‘special subject’ study and write a personal research-based dissertation during their final year.