Keele Badge

PIR-40156 - Module Specification
School of Social, Political and Global Studies
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

For academic year: 2023/24 Last Updated: 13 February 2024

PIR-40156 - The international politics of war and memory
Coordinator: Harry Mace Room: N/A Tel: 01782733365
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 7
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office:

Programme/Approved Electives for 2023/24

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

none


Barred Combinations

none

Description for 2023/24

The module explores the social and political forces that enable and perpetuate wars and the international, national and local politics that influence the memorialisations of war in varied settings. It examines particular case studies in-depth as examples of the themes and invites students to research their own case studies further to explore the themes examined. The module will provide students with an advanced level understanding of why wars happen, how and why violence occurs, and the long aftermaths of violent conflict, examining how different wars have been memorialised, and the ways that war memory shape and is shaped by contemporary politics.

Aims
The module aims to:
- provide students with an advanced exploration of the social and political forces that enable and perpetuate wars and the international and local politics that shape the memorialisations of war in varied settings.
- broaden understanding of the causes of war by examining in -depth particular case studies
- explore the relationships between war and forces that could be thought to perpetuate violence, such as military cultures, nationalisms, masculinity and gender
- examine in-depth specific case studies, and deepening understanding of how war memory inter-relates with contemporary international and national politics

Intended Learning Outcomes

apply a sophisticated knowledge of relevant approaches to the analysis of issues in war and memory: 1,2
orally communicate complex ideas effectively and facilitate informed discussion and debates: 1
conduct independent research, including the development of hypotheses in an original and innovative manner: 1,2
communicate complex ideas effectively in written form: 2
evaluate the relative merits of the various perspectives on the study of war and memory: 1,2

Study hours

Active Learning 55 hours:
24 hours attendance at interactive lectures and tutorials
26 hours structured engagement with online resources in preparation for interactive lectures and tutorials
5 hours fieldwork - trip to the National Memorial Arboretum
Independent Study 95 hours:
35 independent study hours in preparation of presentation
60 hours independent study in preparation of project


School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Oral Presentation weighted 30%
Oral presentation in which the student presents a particular case study of war and memory
Each student will give an individual ten minute presentation to the class, evaluating a particular case study in war and memory

2: Project weighted 70%
The project requires the student to explore the causes and the factors enabling the violence of a particular war.
A project of 3,000 words enabling the student to investigate in-depth a case study, and to apply the themes of the module to it, to explore the causes of conflict, the reasons enabling the violence to endure, and/or the factors governing its memory. The project enables the students to investigate a particular case in-depth.

Please note that for the 2022/23 Academic Year programmes may be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there may be some changes made to how modules are delivered and assessed. The latest information will be provided to you by your School in module handbooks. We endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes and details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/student-terms-and-conditions/

Last Updated: 13 February 2024