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International Politics & Military History degree

International Politics and Military History: LV2H - 3 years

International  Politics and Military History degree at Aberystwyth

Since 11 September 2001 many commentators feel that international politics has witnessed a reversion to earlier periods in military history, when the use of force as an ‘instrument of choice’ of states, as well as sub-state and non-state actors, for responding to disputes. This International Politics and Military History degree scheme enables students to conduct an in-depth investigation of the historical antecedents to contemporary conflicts and provides insights into what Carl von Clausewitz, the Nineteenth Century Prussian theoretician of war, termed ‘the continuation of politics by other means’.

As a student on the International Politics and Military History degree at Aberystwyth you will examine theories that have been offered about the use of force, and consider examples of the conduct of war by nations and by sub-national groups (such as guerrillas, insurgencies and national liberation movements) from the Nineteenth Century to the present. There is a compulsory core module in Warfare after Waterloo: Military History 1815-1918. There is also a choice from a wide range of optional modules at Honours level which may include modules on The Middle East in the Twentieth Century; Land of Ghosts - International Politics in the Balkans since 1919; and The Vietnam War. Students may also take modules that focus on the impact for warfare, strategy and international politics of broader trends such as technological advances and the rise of intelligence services.

International Politics and Military History degree course structure

Year 1

In the first year of your International Politics and Military Hsitory degree, you will take the following core modules, which are the foundation for all your further studies

• Introduction To International Politics
• Revolution And Continuity In Political Philosophy
• World Politics In The Age Of The Two World Wars
• War, Strategy And Intelligence
• Introduction To The Third World In International Politics
• Politics In Europe

Years 2+3

During either your second or third year you will take the core module for your degree scheme. In the case of International Politics and Military History this is:

• War after Waterloo

Other modules primarily dedicated to the study of Military History include:

• The Vietnam War
• The Cuban Missile Crisis
• The Cold War

In your final year you will complete a 12,000-word dissertation on a topic related to your particular interests.Foir many students, this is the highlight of their degree.

In addition to these core elements, as a Single Honours student of International Politics and Military History, you will take up to nine optional modules from the Department of International Politics over years two and three.