Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL2105: Total War, Total Peace

This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.

Module Aims

The module aims to explore the different levels of violence and socio-economic mobilisation employed by societies during war. It differs from traditional approaches by being global in approach and in exploring warfare and societies from the much deeper past. Another key aim is that knowledge of the course material will be developed with a focus on your research, participation, and engagement, through simulations and interactive learning activities rather than through passive consumption of lectures. Thus, you will be encouraged to learn empathically by coming to appreciate the contingencies and limitations faced by practitioners when engaging in strategic decision-making.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.

On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. Understand distinctions between forms of warfare, levels of violence, and strategic context over the long term.
2. Demonstrate good knowledge of the disparities in the levels of violence and socio-economic mobilisation achieved by various belligerents in particular conflicts.
Discipline-Specific Skills3. Understand the links between politics, society, economics, and warfare.
4. Display good awareness of a range of conceptual frameworks to understand the complex and changing interaction between war and societies.
Personal and Key Skills5. Demonstrate empathic appreciation of policy decisions.
6. Demonstrate awareness of contingency in decision-making processes.
7. Study independently and manage time and assessment deadlines effectively.
8. Communicate effectively in speech and writing.
9. Demonstrate critical and analytical skills through module assessments.
10. Demonstrate proficiency in the use of the internet, online journal databases and other IT resources for the purposes of tutorial and assessment preparation.
11. Demonstrate effective applied writing.

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay outline500 words1-11Peer-assessed

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
50500

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay502,000 words1-11Written
Pre-seen exam502 hours/ 2 questions1-11Written

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
EssayEssay (2,000 words)1-11August/September reassessment period
Pre-seen examPre-seen exam (2 hours/2 questions)1-11August/September reassessment period