War Studies & Philosophy

Year 1

Courses are divided into modules. Each year you will normally take modules totalling 120 credits.

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant courses of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on this course page for updates.

You will take 60 credits from War Studies and 60 credits from Philosophy.

War Studies:

You are required to take the following modules:

• Art of War Studies (15 credits)
• Contemporary Security Issues (15 credits)

Philosophy:

You are required to take at least one of the following modules:

• Modern Philosophy (15 credits)
• Greek Philosophy I (15 credits)

War Studies:

In addition, you will take 30 credits from a range of optional modules that may typically include:

• The Causes of War (30 Credits)
• The Conduct of War (30 Credits)
• The Experience of War (30 Credits)

Philosophy:

You are also required to take two optional modules, which may typically include:

• Ethics (15 credits)
• Political Philosophy (15 credits)
• Elementary Logic (15 credits)
• Metaphysics (15 credits)
• Epistemology (15 credits)
• Methodology (15 credits)
• You may also take 15 further credits of Philosophy modules listed above.

Year 2

You will take 60 credits from War Studies and 60 credits from Philosophy.

War Studies

You are required to take one of the following modules:

• Intelligence in War Studies (30 credits)

• World War II in Europe and War in International Order (30 credits)

Philosophy

You are required to take 45 credits from at least two of the following A-C lists. Modules may typically include:

List A

• Greek Philosophy II: Plato (15 credits)
• Greek Philosophy II: Aristotle (15 credits)
• Modern Philosophy II: Locke & Berkeley (15 credits)
• Modern Philosophy II: Spinoza & Leibniz (15 credits)

List B

• Ethics II: History of Ethical Philosophy (15 credits)
• Ethics II: Contemporary Ethical Philosophy (15 credits)
• Political Philosophy II: Theories of Justice / Theories of Freedom (15 credits)
• Political Philosophy II: History of Political Philosophy (15 credits)

List C

• Epistemology II (15 credits)
• Metaphysics II (15 credits)
• Philosophy of Logic & Language (15 credits)
• Philosophy of Mind (15 credits)

War Studies:

In addition, you are required to take 30 credits from a range of optional modules that may typically include:

• Empires, Imperialism & the History of the Modern World (30 credits)
• Intelligence in War Studies (30 credits)
• Military Strategy (30 credits)
• War in International Order (30 credits)
• War & Society (30 credits)
• World War Two in Europe (30 credits)
• War in the 20th Century (30 credits)

Philosophy:

You will take a further 15 credits from lists A-C (above) or from a range of optional philosophy modules which may typically include:

• Hellenistic Philosophy (15 credits)
• Indian Philosophy: The Orthodox Schools (15 credits)
• Philosophy of Mathematics (15 credits)
• Medieval Philosophy (15 credits)
• Aesthetics (15 credits)
• Gender & Philosophy (15 credits)
• Topics in Political Philosophy (15 credits)
• First Order Logic (15 credits)

You will have the opportunity to study abroad for your full second year. Partner institutions currently include:

• Georgetown University
• Hong Kong University
• Sciences Po, Paris (basic French language required)
• University of California
• University of North Carolina
• University of Sydney
• Ca'Foscari University of Venice
• Yonsei University
• Keio University
• Korea University

Year 3 Required Modules

You are required to take the following modules:

• Dissertation (you are required to complete a dissertation (30 credits) in either the Department of War Studies or the Department of Philosophy)

If you write your dissertation in Philosophy you will need to choose two optional modules (60 credits) in War Studies. If you write your dissertation in War Studies you should choose options worth 60 credits in Philosophy.

In addition, you are required to take sufficient credits to bring your total for the year to 120 credits, 60 from War Studies and 60 from Philosophy.

War Studies

Optional modules may typically include the following:

• War & Strategy in East Asia (30 credits)
• Warfare in the Ancient World (30 credits)
• The USA & World War II (30 credits)
• British Strategy 1815 - 1856 From the Congress of Vienna to the Peace of Paris (30 credits)
• Pirates off the Starboard Bow: Crime & Violence on the High Seas (30 credits)
• Security Issues in the Middle East since WWII (30 credits)
• War on Terror (30 credits)
• Guerrillas in the Mist (30 credits)
• Fighting in the Air (30 credits)
• Nature of Riots (30 credits)
• Philosophies of War (30 credits)
• American Civil War (30 credits)
• War & International Relations (30 credits)

Philosophy

Optional modules may typically include the following:

• 19th Century Continental Philosophy (15 credits)
• 20th Century Continental Philosophy (15 credits)
• Advanced Logic modules (15 credits)
• Aesthetics (15 credits)
• Dissertation (15 credits)
• Ethics of Science & Technology (15 credits)
• Formal Semantics (15 credits)
• Formal Syntax (15 credits)
• Foundations of Analytic Philosophy (15 credits)
• Gender & Philosophy (15 credits)
• Greek Philosophical Texts (15 credits)
• Hellenistic Philosophy (15 credits)
• Indian Philosophy: The Orthodox Schools (15 credits)
• Kant (15 credits)
• Medieval Philosophy (15 credits)
• Modal Logic (15 credits)
• Philosophy of Mathematics (15 credits)
• Philosophy of Psychology (15 credits)
• Philosophy of Psychology II (15 credits)
• Philosophy of Religion (15 credits)
• Philosophy of Science (15 credits)
• Topics in Greek Philosophy (15 credits)
• Topics in Metaphysics (15 credits)
• Topics in Modern Philosophy (15 credits)
• Topics in Philosophy of Mind (15 credits)