MA Military History by Distance Learning

The objective of this module is to equip students with the methodological skills they need in order to engage with professional debates in military historiography and successfully complete a major research project in Military History.  By the end of the module students should be equipped to deal with the methodological and practical issues which they will encounter during the completion of their research.  Often 'debates in military history' come down to a careful analysis of proper research as opposed to measuring various 'interpretations' or 'opinions'.  The module also aims to introduce students to a range of methodologies and techniques in order that they can select those most appropriate to their studies in Military History.  This is particularly relevant to students planning a career in academia, professional analysis, or research in an applied setting.  

This module allows students to produce a major piece of independent study, normally combining original research with a thorough analysis of the established literature in the relevant area. The ability of the student to complete this successfully is a significant component in demonstrating Masters level study. As such the dissertation will combine a comprehensive knowledge of a specific issue with effective use of research skills and thorough analytical skills

Leadership, Command & Combat explores the development of modern military doctrine.  Team-taught by a reputable trio of professors of military history (John Buckley, Gary Sheffield and Stephen Badsey), this module takes both a 'top-down' perspective on decision-making in both the First World War and Second World War as well as providing a fascinating context on the shifting realities of the battlefield.  Students will be given an opportunity to delve into primary documents as well as engage with cutting-edge scholarship and debates in the field.

This 12-week module explores the roots, conduct and results of strategic bombing in the Second World War, the most destructive conflict in modern history.  From the inter-war theorists of airpower to the atomic bomb strikes on Imperial Japan in 1945 it will discuss various technological, strategic, tactical, operational and even ethical aspects.  A key theme will be an examination of how the aeroplane has transformed war, expanding warfare physically by increasing the range and capacity of actual destruction, and by increasing the depth of the experience and demands of war, by drawing in populations and societies through fear of destruction and through the demands on economies and societies made by the exercising of air power. We will analyse particular case studies in order to explore the nature of these changes and to ascertain the degree to which air power has transformed conflict in the modern world.

This 12-week online module studies the classic principles underpinning the conduct of war at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels, exploring the foundation of the art and science of the military profession in history. The aim is to use primary and secondary historical resources to explore how past theory and practice have shaped the underlying policy, strategic planning, and operational procedures in various campaigns throughout modern military history up to current events.

This module charts the evolution of various military technologies in modern wars, their theory and application.  Do superior weapons win wars? and What makes modern wars 'decisive' in the pursuit of victory? are questions which are addressed throughout this module.  Students will examine a wide range of sources from contemporary historical documents to cutting edge scholarship in leading academic books and journal articles, discussing topics from the 'Maxim Gun' to 'the Bomb'.