Contemporary Military and International History
BA (Hons)
School - School of Arts & Media
Subject area - Politics and History
UCAS Code: VV13
Start Dates(s): September
Duration:
Three years full-time
Six years part-time
Fees:
UK - £9250 per year
Part-time - Your annual fee will be calculated pro rata to the full-time fee according to the number of credits you are studying.
International - £12,000
In Brief:
- Profit from our international expertise in a range of military history, intelligence and security studies areas
- Take advantage of the opportunity to undertake a military history archive placement in the final semester
- Take advantage of international exchange opportunities, in Europe, Australia, Canada or the USA (including Wayne State University and the Virginia Military Institute)
- Part-time study option
- Overseas study available
- Work/industrial placement opportunity
- International students can apply
Course Summary
The Contemporary Military and International History course at Salford is an exciting and unique degree that examines war and statecraft from the 19th century to the present, including intelligence, terrorism and counter-insurgency. The degree offers a choice of modules on naval, air and land warfare.
The research, communication and writing skills which you will acquire during the degree will assist you in a number of possible future avenues, such as in the police, armed forces, the private security sector, teaching, further study (including research), and many others.
The course helps you to expand your knowledge and understanding of many of the major trends relating to war and diplomacy over the last 200 years. There are a range of supplementary activities such as visiting speakers from Britain and abroad providing specialist guest lectures and a military history field trip during the first year to enhance your studies.
You also have the opportunity to spend some or all of your second year studying abroad, with additional placement opportunities in the third year to boost your CV. The course offers the chance to be taught and supervised by staff who have links to many academic and professional organisations, such as: The Royal Navy, The British Army and The Royal Air Force.
Course Details
The course helps you to expand your knowledge and understanding of many of the major trends relating to war and diplomacy over the last 200 years. Visiting speakers from Britain and abroad provide specialist guest lectures. A military history field trip during the first year is part of a range of possibilities which supplement the lectures and seminars.
Course Structure
Year 1
Modules at year 1 provide you with an introduction to the study of military and international history at university level. They enable you to analyse the work of historians and political scientists in a variety of genres and to use a range of sources in order to do so appropriate to undergraduate study. You will also be introduced to the necessary study skills which you will build upon during your undergraduate course.
Year 2
Modules at year 2 provide you with knowledge of central themes in military and international history. The modules focus on a variety of subject areas which will expand your knowledge of key areas; it will also assist you in understanding how contemporary theoretical and historical debates affect the ways in which historians and political scientists engage with their subjects. In particular, you will receive training for the dissertation which you must write in semester 1 of year 3. You will use the study skills acquired at year 1, and will develop these through your classes, your individual research and your assessments.
Year 3
Modules in year 3 provide you with knowledge of specific case studies of more specialised areas. The modules encourage you to develop independence of mind in critically assessing primary and secondary sources, and expect a high level of analytic skills in discussing texts and contexts. You will further develop your study and presentational skills, researching topics independently and presenting work professionally. A key aspect of study at this level is the dissertation. This double-weighted module gives you the opportunity to study with the assistance of a supervisor, one subject of your choice in considerable depth.
Year 1
Core modules
- Introduction to Contemporary Military History
- International History 1 1890-1945
- Issues in Contemporary History
- Introduction to Intelligence and Security
- International History 2 1945-Present
Year 2
Core modules
- Theories of War
- Researching in History
- International History 1789-1914
Optional Modules
Choose four from:
- Technology, Warfare and Strategy
- Armoured Warfare
- Intelligence, Security and Politics in Britain
- The United States and Vietnam
- Air Power
- 20th Century European Fascism
- Contemporary Security Studies
Year 3
Core Module
- Dissertation - a 12,000 word dissertation on a research topic of your own choosing under the guidance of a dedicated supervisor.
Year 3
Optional Modules
Choose four from:
- Sea Power
- Pacific War 1931-45
- Kennedy, Johnson and the World
- US Foreign Relations, 1961-69
- The First World War
- Asia-Pacific Security
- Conflicts, Refugees and Humanitarian Intervention
- British Foreign and Strategic Policy
- Britain and the European Resistance
Please note that it may not be possible to deliver the full list of options every year as this will depend on factors such as how many students choose a particular option. Exact modules may also vary in order to keep content current. When accepting your offer of a place to study on this programme, you should be aware that not all optional modules will be running each year. Your tutor will be able to advise you as to the available options on or before the start of the programme. Whilst the University tries to ensure that you are able to undertake your preferred options, it cannot guarantee this.