77967 - International Polics and The Use Of Force

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide students with the historical and theoretical knowledge which can help them evaluate the use of force in international politics. At the end of the course students are able to understand the relationship between society and military power, the different ways force has been used in various international systems, the main strategies involving the use of force

Course contents

The course is organized in lectures and seminars, as detailed in the following program. Lectures (8 two-hour classes) aim to introduce students to the core tenets of the discipline. Seminars (6 two-hour classes) aim to provide occasions for in-depth discussions of class materials and exercises. For the seminar section of the course, students will be divided in two groups according to their preferences and according to rules concerning the current pandemic emergency: one group will do the seminar in classroom (12 hours) and another group will do the seminar remotely on MS TEAMS (12 hours), for a total of 28 hours for each student. Students are required to carefully read the assigned material before the session and - in the case of seminars - active participation through presentations of existing scholarship and case studies will also be expected.

The second part will consist in 6 seminars (each of which will be organized both online and in class), on the following topics.

1. Warfare in the modern world (Howard chapp. 1, 2, 3; Paret chapp. 1, 2) 
2. The French and Industrial revolutions (Howard chapp. 4, 5; Paret chapp. 3, 4, 5, 7)
3. World War I (Howard chap. 6; Paret chapp. 10, 11, 17, 18)
4. World War II (Howard chap. 7; Paret chapp. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
5. Nuclear issues (Paret chap. 25)
6. Unconventional Warfare (Paret chap. 25)

Readings/Bibliography

Students are required to read:

- Howard, M. (1976/2009) War in European History, Oxford: Oxford University Press, Passim.
- Paret P., Craig, G. e Gilbert, F. (1986) Makers of Modern Strategy. From Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age, Princeton University Press,selected chapters

As optional reading and as background for the seminars, students may also read:

- Freedman, L. (2013) Strategy: A Histroy, Oxford University Press

- Gray, C. (2007) War, Peace and International Relations: An introduction to strategic history, Routledge

Teaching methods

14 two hour classes.

Assessment methods

Attending students will be assessed by seminar presentations and in class discussion (1/3 of the grade) and a final take-home exam (2/3 of the grade) to be finished by the end of the course.

Non-attending students can sit a written examination in one of the exam dates (appelli) on the following materials:

- Howard, M. (1976/2009) War in European History, Oxford: Oxford University Press, Passim, .
- Paret P., Craig, G. e Gilbert, F. (1986) Makers of Modern Strategy. From Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age, Princeton University Press, Chapp. 1-5, 7, 10, 11, 18, 19-23, 25, 27.

- Gray, C. (2007) War, Peace and International Relations: An introduction to strategic history, Routledge, Passim.

Teaching tools

Moodle (Virtuale) and MS Teams.

Office hours

See the website of Filippo Andreatta