F1IS 4510 - War Studies

This course offers a general introduction to the place of war in international relations, from an interdisciplinary perspective. It starts with international relations theory – how the main approaches, realism, liberalism, constructivism and others, understand and explain war – before turning to other subdomains (intelligence studies), and practical issues such as preventive war, nuclear deterrence, humanitarian intervention and the responsibility to protect, armed drones and targeted killings, cyberdefense, hybrid and information warfare, and the future of warfare (autonomous weapons and other challenges).

Learning Outcomes

1. Understand the concept, the purpose and the limitations of War Studies

2. Develop a basic knowledge of the main War Studies issues, as described in the course description

3. analyse scenarios or real-life cases and identify the relevant political/legal/moral issues

Professional Skills

1. Critical thinking

2. Problem solving

3. Research & Analysis

Jean-Baptiste JEANGENE VILMER

Séminaire

English

- In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester

- Reading and Preparation for Class: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester

- Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 102 hours a semester

None

Spring 2021-2022

- Oral presentation (40%),

- final essay (40%),

- participation (10%).

Each session is divided in two parts: in the first hour, the teacher will introduce the theme of the day in a short lecture. The second hour is a student-led seminar, where two students will present their research and then chair the discussion that follows. The topic is of the student's choosing with teacher approval, and has to be related to the day's theme. All students and not just the seminar leaders should actively contribute to seminar discussions. On top of this oral presentation, each student should write a 5000-word research paper, including footnotes, for the end of the semester, also on a topic of the student's choosing with teacher approval. Feedback is provided in class and in individual meetings.