HIST 3071 - History of Warfare
North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2022
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code HIST 3071 Course History of Warfare Coordinating Unit Historical and Classical Studies Term Semester 2 Level Undergraduate Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 3 hours per week Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y Prerequisites At least 6 units of Level II undergraduate study Assessment Primary source analysis 10%, Battle report (Group project) 20%, Take-home test 30%, Research essay 40% Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Dr Gareth Pritchard
Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.
1 x 1-hour weekly lecture
1 x 2-hour weekly workshop
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Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:
1. Demonstrate a broad knowledge of the evolution of warfare. 2. Demonstrate an understanding of a range of relevant theories about the character and evolution of warfare. 3. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of a specific military conflict in the context of wider issues pertaining to the evolution and character of warfare. 4. Gather relevant data from a wide range of primary and secondary sources for the purpose of analysing a specific military conflict. 5. Develop independent analytical positions based on a systematic evaluation of relevant primary and secondary sources. 6. Work effectively as part of a research team the context of a larger collaborative research project. 7. Communicate findings in a range of formats. University Graduate Attributes
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:
University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s) Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth
Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.
1, 2, 3 Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving
Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.
3, 4, 5 Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills
Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.
4, 7 Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness
Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.
5, 6 Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency
Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.
5, 6 Attribute 7: Digital capabilities
Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.
5, 6, 7 Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.
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Learning Resources
Required Resources
There are no required resources for this course.
Recommended Resources
The sources that relevant to students will vary greatly depending on the conflict on which they want to focus. It is anticipated that most students will want to study either the Napoleonic Wars, World War I, World War II, or post-war conflicts. Useful general books on these topics are:
David Gates, The Napoleonic Wars, 1803-1815 (2011).
Peter Hart, The Great War: A Combat History of the First World War (2013)
Gordon Corrigan, The Second World War: A Military History (2010)
Sterling Pavelec, War and Warfare Since 1945 (2017)Online Learning
The Canvas site for this course contains a wide range of relevant materials, including:
Bibliographies.
Discussion threads.
Examples of students' work.
Links to relevant external websites and databases.
Quizzes.
Recordings of lectures.
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Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
The course is built around two ongoing collaborative research projects. Students choose the project in which they want to participate.
Project #1: The Course of Battle. In this stream, we look at battles from across history in order to identify the factors that influenced their outcome. These included: numbers, training, technology, logistics, luck, generalship, morale etc. The purpose of the project is to build a database of battle analyses, drawn from numerous conflicts. We will be able to use the database to try and caclulate the 'algorithm of battle'.
Project #2: The Face of Battle. In this stream, we look at the human side of warfare. Why do humans fight in wars, and how does the experience of warfare change people? We cover topics such as morale, health, fear, obedience, hatred, alcohol, comradeship, and sexual behaviour. Students in this stream will base their studies on the memoirs or diaries of men and women who were directly involved in combat as regular soldiers/sailors/air crew, guerrillas, or nurses.
In the first six weeks of the course, we look at the evolution of warfare over the millenia, from ancient times to the present day. In the second six weeks, we will focus on a selection of themes from the two projects. Students in the course will vote on which themes they want to cover.Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
The course is designed on the assumption that each student will devote 156 hours to the course.
1 x 2-hour workshop per week 24 hours per semester 1 x 1-hour lecture (plenary session) per week 12 hours per semester 3 hours reading per week 36 hours per semester 2 hours writing exercises and practice per week 24 hours per semester 5 hours assignment prep per week 60 hours assignment prep per week TOTAL 156 HOURS Learning Activities Summary
The lectures will give basic historical background information, but they will also cover issues that the students themselves have raised in the workshops. As the course proceeds, students will have more and more control over what is covered in the lectures.
In the workshops, we cover a variety of topics that are related to the two streams into which the course is divided: (i) the course of battle, and (ii) the face of battle. There is a particular focus on primary sources.Specific Course Requirements
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Assessment
The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Summary
The assessment regime for HIST 3071 History of Warfare consists of four assignments.
ASSESSMENT TASK TASK TYPE WEIGHTING COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES Online test Formative and summative 20% 1,3 Essay Formative and summative 30% 1,2,3,4,5,7 Group assignment Formative and summative 20% 1,3,4,6,7 Take-home test Formative and summative 30% 1,2,5,7
N.B. The group assignment can be replaced with a comparable individual assignment. No student will be compelled to undertake a group assignment.
Assessment Related Requirements
N/AAssessment Detail
Assignment #1. Online test (20%)
An online test, taken at an early stage in the course, is designed to ensure that the students have a good factual knowledge of the conflict/s they are studying in the workshops.
Assignment #2. Essay (30%)
Short essay (2,000 words) in which students answer a question on the specific conflict they are studying in the seminars.
Assignment #3. Project (20%)
Students work in small teams to do ONE of the following:
(a) An analysis of a particular battle or engagement.
(b) An analysis of a particular memoir or diary.
(c) Lesson plan for Year 11/12 school students plus supporting learning materials. (This assignment is designed for students who are also studying Education.)
Assignment #4. Take-home test (30%)
Students are given three days to write two short texts (1,000 words each) that require them to synthesise what they have learned about the core themes of the course. The test paper will be divided into two sections: (A) The Course of Battle; (B) The Face of Battle. Students answer one question from each section.Submission
Submission of written assignments is the relevant submission portal in Myuni.Course Grading
Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:
M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme) Grade Mark Description FNS Fail No Submission F 1-49 Fail P 50-64 Pass C 65-74 Credit D 75-84 Distinction HD 85-100 High Distinction CN Continuing NFE No Formal Examination RP Result Pending Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.
Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.
Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.
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Student Feedback
The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.
SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
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