War Studies MSc

An understanding of war, for good or ill, is of vital importance to our understanding of how states and societies have evolved. This unique Masters offers the opportunity to study the history, theory and practice of war and armed conflict in a wide range of aspects, from the Middle Ages to the present day, and from causes, course, to consequences. The programme is designed to offer breadth as well as specialism and will allow you to explore the history of war and armed conflict from a variety of perspectives.<br/><br/>**WHY THIS PROGRAMME**<br/><br/><br/>- This Masters aims to challenge, educate and engage by exposing you to a wide range of ideas about war, armed conflict, and their impact. It is designed to broaden and deepen your understanding of the nature of war, and its place in history.<br/><br/><br/>- The Masters will introduce you to different conceptual and methodological approaches to the study of the history of war and armed conflict. You will learn about the foundations of the military sciences, and how to apply political, social and cultural perspectives to the study of war.<br/><br/><br/>- All our courses are designed to expose you to detailed research topics, source criticism and current debate, and are led by internationally acknowledged experts.<br/><br/><br/>- Our courses will also help you hone a range of practical, professional and intellectual skills that will prepare you for independent postgraduate research, enhance your employability, and benefit your career development..<br/><br/><br/>- You will be able to choose from courses that cover a broad chronological, geographical and thematic range.<br/><br/><br/>- The University of Glasgow is home to the Scottish Centre for War Studies, which is based within the subject of History in the School of Humanities but has affiliated members from a range of subject areas. You will be able to participate in regular research seminars on critical themes related to war and armed conflict as well as to related conferences.<br/><br/><br/>**PROGRAMME STRUCTURE**<br/><br/>You will take:<br/>- The War Studies core course (60 credits)<br/><br/><br/>- Three optional courses (20 credits each)<br/><br/><br/>- Dissertation (60 credits)<br/><br/><br/>**Semester 1: September to December**<br/>You will spend the first semester studying the programme core course.<br/><br/>This course will examine some of the most important developments that have transformed the nature of warfare and armed conflict, focusing mostly but not exclusively, on the western world. Each week a different historical case study will highlight one important battle, broadly defined, which will then be examined from a variety of perspectives. In this manner, students will be introduced both to evolutions in the theory and practice of war and armed conflict as well as to conceptual approaches focusing more on the political, social and cultural afterlives of battles.<br/><br/>Some of the key questions we aim to address in this course include:<br/><br/>Why do battles matter (and do they matter)?<br/>What role, if any, do they play in the wider scheme of war and armed conflict?<br/>What can they tell us about the nature of warfare/armed conflict and how it has evolved?<br/>What has their long-term impact and legacy been?<br/>Why do we remember them the way we do and why do we remember some over others?<br/>Subject to availability and approval, you may enrol on one optional course in addition to the core course.<br/><br/>**Semester 2: January to March**<br/><br/>In the second semester, you will take three optional courses (two, if you chose to take one in semester 1), which delve in greater detail into a particular aspect of military, strategic, or international history. <br/>**See course page for options**<br/><br/>Subject to availability and approval, one of your options may also be taken from a list of courses offered by colleagues in other subject areas such as Archaeology or Politics.<br/><br/>**Summer: April to September**<br/><br/>You will complete the programme by writing a 15,000 word dissertation based on your own research. This requires you to engage in original research. You will be guided by an expert supervisor in the field.