Module Information
Module Identifier
IPM6020
Module Title
Russia at War since 1812
Academic Year
2020/2021
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 2
Other Staff
Course Delivery
Assessment
Due to Covid-19 students should refer to the module Blackboard pages for assessment details
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Blog post/opinion piece (1,000 words) | 20% |
| Semester Assessment | Essay 1 (2,500 words) | 40% |
| Semester Assessment | Essay 2 (2,500 words) | 40% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Blog post/opinion piece (1,000 words) | 20% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Essay 1 (2,500 words) | 40% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Essay 2 (2,500 words) | 40% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of Russia’s approach to war.
2. Examine closely one war fought by Russia during the period covered by the module.
3. Critically evaluate the extent of continuity and change in Russia’s approach to war.
4. Explain an aspect of Russia’s historical or contemporary experience of war in a style and format that is suitable for a non-academic audience.
Brief description
This module will draw on insights and approaches from the fields of military history, strategic studies and intelligence studies to explore Russia’s experiences of war over the past century. Students will use a series of case studies to explore the extent to which Russia’s approach to war has evolved and changed during this period, including the development of military technology, the structure and staffing of the armed forces, civil-military relations, military strategy, and the use of intelligence, espionage and covert operations in support of Russia’s war efforts.
Content
Continuity and change will be a key theme of the module, with students exploring how Russia’s approach to war has developed in areas including:
1. The armed forces, including the experience of being a soldier
2. Military technology and the defence industry
3. The relationship between society, politics and the military
4. Military strategy
5. The use of intelligence, espionage and covert operations
Case studies that will be examined in the module include:
1. Russia’s war against Napoleonic France
2. The First World War
3. Russia’s Civil War
4. The Second World War
5. The Soviet War in Afghanistan
6. Russia’s wars in Chechnya
7. Russia’s ‘hybrid’ war in Ukraine
1. The armed forces, including the experience of being a soldier
2. Military technology and the defence industry
3. The relationship between society, politics and the military
4. Military strategy
5. The use of intelligence, espionage and covert operations
Case studies that will be examined in the module include:
1. Russia’s war against Napoleonic France
2. The First World War
3. Russia’s Civil War
4. The Second World War
5. The Soviet War in Afghanistan
6. Russia’s wars in Chechnya
7. Russia’s ‘hybrid’ war in Ukraine
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | N/A |
| Communication | Students will develop their professional communication skills by learning how to present their ideas both verbally and in writing and how to present their arguments most effectively. They will learn the importance of information and clear communication and how to exploit these. They will know how to use the many sources of information available and how to use the most appropriate form of communication to the best advantage. They will learn to be clear in their writing and speaking and to be direct about aims and objectives. They will learn to focus on material relevant to the objectives of their argument or discussion. Seminars may involve dividing students into smaller groups where oral discussion will form the main medium of teaching and there will be a strong emphasis throughout the module on student participation and communication. Students will be expected to demonstrate effective expression of ideas and good use of language skills in their written work. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | The module aims to promote self-management but within a context in which support and assistance is available from both the convenor and fellow students alike. Students will be expected to improve their own learning and performance by considering thoughtfully the formal and informal feedback they receive from the module convenor and how they might act on it. The need to prepare for seminar discussions and to meet coursework deadlines will focus students’ attention on the need to manage their time. |
| Information Technology | Students will develop digital capability in a variety of ways. They will be expected to use Blackboard to access materials for the module, use relevant websites to access sources for assignments, use Turnitin to submit written assignments and access their feedback and provisional marks. Students will be encouraged to use Twitter, including the hashtag #Russia, which is widely used by scholars and members of the practitioner community interested in Russia, to share ideas and participate in discussions about Russia’s approach to war. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Students taking the module will develop key employability skills, such as speaking to small and large groups, listening, thinking and responding to the statements of others, as well as expressing themselves clearly in writing, including writing for non-specialist audiences. |
| Problem solving | Independent project work and problem solving will be one central goal of the module; the submission of the written assignments and preparation for seminar discussions will require students to develop independent research skills as well as problem solving skills. Students' ability to solve problems will be developed and assessed by asking them to: adopt different points of view; organize data and estimate an answer to problems posed; reason logically; apply theoretical approaches; consider similar cases; look for patterns; divide issues into smaller problems. |
| Research skills | Students will develop their critical and analytical thinking skills throughout the module. They will be expected to conduct close and critical readings of the sources assigned for seminars. In seminar discussions they will challenge the positions taken by the authors of those sources and by fellow students, as well as articulate and defend their own positions on relevant issues. The three written assignments will enable students to develop and demonstrate their critical and analytical thinking skills at length and in depth by adopting a position on a question and developing it through the presentation of evidence and logical argument. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Students will have the opportunity to develop, practice and test a wide range of subject specific skills that will help them to understand, conceptualize and evaluate examples and ideas relevant to the module. Subject specific skills include: Collect and understand a wide range of data relating to the module; Evaluate competing perspectives; Demonstrate subject-specific research techniques; Apply relevant methodologies to historical and contemporary case studies. |
| Team work | Students will work together in small and large groups in the seminars to consider different aspects of the topic and specific reading assignments. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 7