BA (Hons) History and War Studies with Foundation Year

Although war appears to be an ever-present aspect of the modern (and ancient) world, scholars and practitioners have long debated its causes, necessity, justifications and limitations. This module introduces students to these debates and asks whether they have any relevance to how war is prosecuted in the modern world. The arguments of key political philosophers of war are discussed to consider what the origins of wars are and what purpose it serves. The module also considers Just War Theory. Although war has historically been seen as a tool of dispute resolution, attempts have also been made to draw up ‘rules’ regarding what is and is not permissible in warfare. We will consider what, if any, impact such ‘rules’ have by examining them in relation to recent conflicts. Finally, the module considers contemporary developments in warfare and how war is waged. This module provides an ideal opportunity to develop your thinking about the causes, conduct, and nature of war

This extended induction module supports your transition into university, introducing you to your chosen discipline. You build confidence, develop your academic identity, and understand the expectations of university study. Through the theme GLOCAL you explore how global trends and events unfold in the West Midlands and make links across subject areas. You practice independent learning, digital literacy, and ethical academic conduct in line with university policy as well as reflecting on inclusive practice. The module is structured around themes identified by students as essential to their university experience: Ready to Study: Clear guidance on expectations, transitions, and workload planning. Academic Skills and Educational Gain: Development of time management, critical thinking, and digital fluency. Career Readiness and Professional Identity: Early exploration of career pathways, CV building, and professional behaviours. Personal Development and Belonging: Activities that foster confidence, inclusion, and identity within the university community. Social Engagement and Community Building: Opportunities to connect with peers, staff, and wider university life. Feedback and Reflective Practice: Structured opportunities to receive, apply, and reflect on feedback to support growth. Wellbeing and Student Support: Embedded access to holistic support services and strategies for success. This lays the foundation for the Level 5 Professional Development / placement experiences.

The twentieth century witnessed momentous shifts. As empires collapsed and new countries were born, technology, economic change and new societal norms radically altered the way people lived their lives. In this module, we will explore some of this social, economic, political and cultural change by looking at a diverse selection of historical episodes from around the world. In doing so, we will ask questions about the ways the changes of the last century shaped the world in which we live today. To help you gain an overview of the century and also a more in-depth understanding of some of its events, the module draws on the specialisms within the department. You will explore a range of topics relating to social, economic, political and cultural change in the twentieth century and will be encouraged to pursue your interests which may lie in changes to the position of women in society, decolonisation, activism, the role of the state, migration, changing ideas of race and ethnicity, and generational change.

You will study the changes affecting the lives of individuals and communities, and in particular how change affected working people, migrants and women. The overarching themes help us to reflect on how change, whether it was deliberately sought or suffered, affects us all, and how the actors of earlier times have drawn on resilience, adaptability and creativity, often in the face of adversity. It is therefore an important lens through which historians can train their cultural and social awareness. The time frame is a loose one, to allow scope for exploring a range of topics such as the British working class and trade union movements, labour party politics, poverty, philanthropy and the rise of the welfare state, while on the other hand viewing the upheavals of modern history through the eyes of some of those who were most profoundly affected: itinerants, migrants and refugees

This module examines a core, controversial element of modern (British) national identity: the Empire at its height in especially the Victorian era. It will examine the so-called 'Pax' from the Battle of Waterloo and Peace of Paris in 1815 to the peak of British interventionism under Palmerston, the subsequent period of 'Splendid Isolation', and the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Conflicts such as the Crimean War (1853-6) will be discussed in the context of the pursuit of a 'Balance of Power' and the breakdown of the 'Concert of Europe', as well as colonial struggles worldwide including the Indian 'Mutiny' of 1857-8, the 'Opium' Wars against China (1839-42 and 1856-60), the Ashanti Wars (1823-31, 1863-4 and 1873-4), the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, and the Boer Wars of 1880-1 and 1899-1902. Further study will also be made of the complicated nature of peace and 'gunboat diplomacy' in this period, from various Anglo-American crises including the American Civil War (1861-5), periodic 'invasion scares' of France, and the 'Great Game' with Imperial Russia over Central Asia and beyond.

Foreign Policy lies at the core of decision making for governments when they seek relationships with the outside world. Incorporating a wide array of stakeholders, it is one of the most crucial components of diplomatic outreach in not just political, but also on social, economic and cultural levels. This module combines the theoretical elements of Foreign Policy, as well as case-study analysis in a wide array of national contexts. It examines how Diplomacy is central towards State behaviour in the International System, and how Foreign Policies are made/unmade/remade in changing geopolitical contexts. It further identifies the key stakeholders involved in Foreign Policy making, encompassing a wide array of state and non-state actors which provides the conceptual framework to understand ‘why’ and ‘how’ Foreign relations are crafted. Finally, through contemporary case-studies, it examines how history and ideology shape Foreign Policy decisions of governments in both democratic and authoritarian contexts. A wide array of examples ranging from the United States, Russia, China and India will be studied enabling ample scope for establishing comparative frameworks of understanding Foreign Policy and Diplomacy.

Intelligence has a long and sometimes infamous history in securing society. Often recognised by the ‘daring do’ of espionage, or the cloak and dagger gathering of secret intelligence. Popularised by characters such as James Bond (007) and the more taciturn George Smiley; Intelligence is much more than a ‘secret’ tool for international security but utilised locally to protect communities through Intelligence Led Policing. In an increasingly digitised world - where borders are transcended easily and open-sources produce citizen sleuths - intelligence plays a pivotal role across the security domains. In this module we cover the basics of intelligence and growth of joined up intelligence in providing individual security, internal security, and national security in the United Kingdom. We will look how intelligence has been, and continues to be, used in law enforcement, liaising with well-known UK intelligence and security partners in the Security Service (MI5), Secret Intelligence eService (SIS), and Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), whilst coming to comprehend the need for transnational partnerships and intelligence liaison to meet the growing threat of organised and transnational organised crime. Throughout, stopping to recognise the legal, ethical, and practical constraints of intelligence in a diversifying threat arena.

This module draws upon the different sub-disciplines of historical research to explore the Great War from a variety of perspectives. In particular, it makes use of research from social, gender and cultural historians, all of whom have provided valuable insights into the war-time experience of civilians and soldiers. You will study the impact of war on British society and also trace its devastating and transformational effect on the populations of Continental Europe, examining the War’s prosecution, its social consequences, and the manner in which it has been commemorated since 1918. Along with an emphasis on the different aims and methodologies that inform historical work in this field, the module invites you to explore the period by engaging with the written, visual and artifact materials that have survived and form the primary source base for the study of this conflict and its repercussions.

This module examines the causes, course and conduct of the Second World War. The conflict’s global nature is foregrounded with close attention paid to the Far East, the Pacific theatre and the Eastern Front, as well as Western Europe. An important consideration of this module is the military aspects of the war. Why was the German military so successful initially, but ultimately defeated? Was the Red Army’s success on the Eastern Front due to sheer weight of numbers, or were other factors at play? How effective was the British Army as a fighting force in the Second World War? What impact did strategic bombing have on Germany and Japan? This module also considers the social and cultural impact of the conflict. In so doing, students consider questions such as the following: What role did ideology play in shaping the conduct of the war? What were the origins of the Holocaust and how was it perpetrated? How did belligerents mobilise their societies and how was propaganda used to support this? What accounts for the different national memories of the conflict? As such, the module provides students with a well-rounded and comprehensive understanding of this crucial period.

This module examines a core, controversial element of modern (British) national identity: the Empire at its height in especially the Victorian era. It will examine the so-called 'Pax' from the Battle of Waterloo and Peace of Paris in 1815 to the peak of British interventionism under Palmerston, the subsequent period of 'Splendid Isolation', and the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Conflicts such as the Crimean War (1853-6) will be discussed in the context of the pursuit of a 'Balance of Power' and the breakdown of the 'Concert of Europe', as well as colonial struggles worldwide including the Indian 'Mutiny' of 1857-8, the 'Opium' Wars against China (1839-42 and 1856-60), the Ashanti Wars (1823-31, 1863-4 and 1873-4), the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, and the Boer Wars of 1880-1 and 1899-1902. Further study will also be made of the complicated nature of peace and 'gunboat diplomacy' in this period, from various Anglo-American crises including the American Civil War (1861-5), periodic 'invasion scares' of France, and the 'Great Game' with Imperial Russia over Central Asia and beyond.

Changing the world, or trying to, has a long history. This module focuses on British campaigning and social action since the anti-slavery movement of the late-eighteenth century. You will explore how those campaigners faced similar challenges and adopted similar tactics to those seeking to expand democracy, liberate women, and fight racism and injustice at home and around the world.

Cyberspace has increased the opportunities for actors on the world stage, whilst complicating targeted nation’s ability to respond either timely or effectively since the ‘grey zone’ enables plausible deniability and an attribution problem. These emerging and disruptive qualities thereby allow actors to punch above their ‘position’. What allows them to do so? This module explores the world of cyber technologies and their impact on strategic competition, intelligence, and conflict whilst considering the complications created on the international stage. For instance, how a diversification of actors from developing nations to private companies - some with larger incomes than numerous States - impact governance, sovereignty, and ideas of neutrality. In turn, the threat of external influence on critical infrastructure and individuals has created a whole of society concern in the competition for power in the 21st Century. This module provides you with the tools to understand and analyse cyber statecraft by conducting innovative research towards your future profession. The module analyses how cyberspace is utilised for diplomatic relations, intelligence espionage and tradecraft, assessing the impact of offensive cyber operations are not only below the threshold of war, but across the existing domains of war to understand the threats of intangible warfare.

Most people do not learn about the past in university lecture halls and seminar rooms, once they have left school. This module offers an introduction to the field of public history, broadly defined, to cover encounters with the past outside of the academic discipline. At the same time, this module also imparts a solid foundation about the history of the subject, the long traditions of ‘writing history’ – some 2500 years – and its salient examples – and the ways in which the past and its relics are preserved for future generations and why. You will learn to be a critical consumer of representations of the past in museums and at heritage sites, in fiction, on screen and online, as well as community history projects. After surveying different public history approaches to the past, you will undertake and reflect on your own small-scale original project in curating historical materials or presenting historical insights for non-academic audiences, depicting the past in creative work or on a short-term placement. In doing so, you will be encouraged to think critically about the limits and the potential of non-academic encounters with the past.

This module asks you to undertake an in-depth study into a history topic of your choice. Given the diversity of the subject, there is every opportunity for you to explore your own interests, provided the topic is sufficiently historical and sufficiently well-resourced in terms of university library holdings, availability of primary sources and staff expertise to permit supervision. A traditional format for the independent study is the extended narrative analysis, but we encourage you to consider alternative formats that allow you to meet the learning outcomes while at the same time strengthening your skills and evidence portfolio for your future career, wherever that will take you. Further information, suggestions and support will be available via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Canvas.

Whilst significant attention is given to the causes of war and how they are fought, arguably less attention is given to how conflicts end. The significant increase in intrastate conflict that was a distinctive factor in the post-Cold War world led to a marked increase in conflict resolution scholarship. This module allows students to consider the questions of how conflicts end. It will consider and critique the debates around the theory and outcomes of conflict resolution. The module adopts a case study approach and critically analyses the extent to which peace processes in the modern world have followed similar or unique patterns. It will consider whether examining peace processes in a comparative manner can provide ‘models’ or ‘best practice’ that may be extrapolated from the case studies considered and potentially applied to future peace processes in different states.

The module examines the key themes of family, gender and sexuality in Britain in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, using a variety of online and documentary sources to examine both normative and transgressive behaviour within British society. Family life in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries evokes images that range from tyrannical, cold fathers terrorising their dependants, to sickly, sentimental ‘angels of the house’ overseeing the domestic hearth. You will explore both the myths and the realities of family life in this period and be asked to consider the economic and social factors that shaped family structures, as well as the ideas, aspirations and moral panics that led to understandings of what acceptable family life and sexuality should be like. This module lets you focus on core institutions to the self and community, both of which continue to be central to the lived experience.

This module allows students to study the nature of combat in the First World War with a focus on the great battles of the Western Front. The module adopts a case study approach and critically analyses the key phases of the conflict, exploring how militaries adapted to the new challenges of modern warfare. The module uses a variety of academic theories to explore how armies sought technological and tactical advantages over their opponents.

Guidance Note: this module tackles themes relating to brutality, mass murder and extermination that most historians and their audiences find deeply unsettling and disturbing. Please talk to us if you are in any doubt as to whether you should study this module. Drawing upon an extensive English-language scholarship, and through the analysis of translated contemporary sources, this module focuses on the crime against humanity which lies at the heart of the twentieth century: The Holocaust. The genesis, development and murderous outcome of the policy towards the Jews and others targeted by the Nazi regime form the core of what you will study, moving from first examining the Nazi persecution of German Jews and other groups declared racial and social enemies in the inter-war years, to charting the transition to systematic mass murder across occupied Europe during World War Two. Together we will consider the ideology which drove this, and the process of cumulative radicalization that led to their mass murder. You will study the motives and actions of the perpetrators of these crimes, and through extensive engagement with the source record work towards piecing together the experience of the many who suffered at their hands.

The module analyses the development of maritime power from the emergence of the ironclad battleship as a statement of national power through to the rise of the aircraft carrier and submarine as the principal weapons of seaborne power.  The module will focus on the influence of strategists and theorists such as Mahan, Corbett, Dönitz, Genda and Towers and will identify trends and developments in the field of maritime warfare during the period of the American Civil War and the two world wars.  It will also place the role and nature of maritime power in the context of international rivalry and great power status.

This module offers students the chance to undertake an in-depth study into a War Studies topic of your choice. Given the diversity of the subject, there is a significant scope for you to explore your own interests; as long as it is related to War Studies and there are suitably academically robust sources available on the topic, you can design your own research project. The project is usually presented in the form of a written dissertation, but other options can be discussed with your project supervisor.

This module examines the history of youth culture and popular music in twentieth century Britain. The focus will be both chronological and thematic. Sessions will explore the emergence of youth as a social problem, examine the relationship between youth culture and popular music, analyse the relationship between history, sound and place. It also explores the ways in which youth cultures and popular music have reflected, challenged, and informed shifting notions of class, race, gender, sexuality, and regional/national identities. Throughout the module you will engage with a range of written sources along with recorded music, performance, and cinematic representations of youth culture. Imagine studying Spivs, Teddy Boys and the Age of Austerity, race, racism and the 1950s, The Beatles, Mods and Rockers and the politics of counter-culture, Punk Rock and Northern Soul!