War Studies MSc
The American Way Of War HIST5021
- Academic Session: 2026-27
- School: School of Humanities
- Credits: 20
- Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
- Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
- Available to Visiting Students: No
- Collaborative Online International Learning: No
- Curriculum For Life: No
Short Description
This course examines changing American notions of war over time, to both educate the students about the how the power of America has developed, the role it played in many international wars, and how it has accumulated the military that it has today. The course is divided into ten sessions, each dealing with a different aspects and developments of the American military power.
Timetable
10 x 2 hours
Excluded Courses
None.
Co-requisites
None.
Assessment
The standard assessments for this course are:
■ 1 seminar presentation, to be accompanied by a 1,250 word seminar paper
■ 1 essay of 3,000 words
If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:
■ One-to-one presentation / discussion/Q&A with staff (recorded or in-person) as an alternative to the seminar presentation
■ There is no alternative to the essay, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustments (students should follow the usual process for extensions)
Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.
Are reassessment opportunities available for all summative assessments? No
It is the default expectation that all courses will offer opportunities for reassessment or deferred assessment. Where it is not possible to offer this in some assessment components, the grade achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade, and any exceptions for this course are described below.
[No exceptions]
Course Aims
This course aims to:
■ expose the student to different notions of American war and warfare from the Revolution to the War on Terror.
■ develop students' methodological and chronological grasp of how American ideas have changed over this time period.
■ provide skills and knowledge that would prepare the student for further graduate work of an advanced kind.
Intended Learning Outcomes of Course
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
■ apply knowledge of War Studies as a discipline, and the nature of American notions of warfare during the period from the Revolution to today.
■ Identify and evaluate how the scholarly profession has discussed American notions of war and warfare
■ evaluate a high degree of proficiency in the use of sources from different disciplines in seminar discussions and written work.