079-123: 4:40-7:10 P.M., Thursday
Spring Semester 2007
Credit Hours: 3
Classroom: Gladfelter 448
Professor: Gregory J. W. Urwin, Ph.D. Office: 931 Gladfelter Hall
Web Page: http://www.temple.edu/history/People/urwin/
E-Mail Address: gurwin@temple.edu
Office Hours: 10:30A.M.-12:30 P.M., and 1:00-2:20 P.M., Tuesday;
1:30-2:20 P.M., Thursday; or by appointment
Office Telephone Number: 215-204-3809
E-Mail Address: gurwin@temple.edu
Course Description: This course offers
students the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the historical
literature dealing with the evolution of warfare and military systems in
the modern world. It begins in the 17th century, with the emergence
of armies and navies whose officers were distinguished by a growing professionalism,
and it extends to the latter half of the 20th century. Although
much of the available literature deals with the military developments in
the West (Europe and the United States), students will also have the opportunity
to study the military systems of non-Western cultures in hopes of attaining
a truly global perspective.
Goals and Objectives:
Knowledge Based Skills: 1) Strategy, Tactics,
and Logistics; 2) Impact of Evolving Military Technology; 3) Impact of
Politics on Military Affairs; 4)War's Impact on Society; 5) Social Pressures
and the Military; 6) Recruitment, Training, and Motivation; 7) Military
Professionalism; 8) Military Doctrine.
Skill-Based Goals: 1) Spatial Awareness; 2) Writing
Proficiency; 3) Appreciation for Historical Context; 4) Improved Reading
Comprehension; 5) Sequential Logic; 6) Analytical Thinking; 7) Preparation
for a Lifetime of Learning; 8) Research Skills
French cuirassiers swirl around stolid British squares during the
Battle of Waterloo, June 18, 1815.
Marshal Michel Ney's decision to use the French cavalry by itself,
and not as part of a combined
arms team backed by artillery, allowed the Duke of Wellington to
repulse repeated attacks.
Common Texts: Russell F. Weigley, The Age of Battles: The Quest for Decisive Warfare from Breitenfeld to Waterloo. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004.
Jeremy Black, War and the World: Military Power and the Fate of Continents, 1450-2000. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000.
Jonathan M. House, Combined Arms Warfare in the Twentieth Century. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2001.
Russell A. Hart, Clash of Arms: How the Allies Won in Normandy. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2004.
James S. Corum and Wray R. Johnson, Airpower
in Small Wars: Fighting Insurgents and Terrorists. Lawrence: University
Press of Kansas, 2003.
Semester Grade: The student's final grade
will be based on the total number of points (800 total) earned in an oral
report (100 points), a tentative bibliography (100 points) an annotated
bibliography (200 points), and a historiographical paper (400 points).
Class attendance and participation will also affect the grade. The professor
reserves the right to fail any student who misses two or more classes without
prior permission or valid excuses.
Lieutenant Stephen Decatur kills the captain of a Tripolitan gunboat
in a hand-to-hand engagement at
Tripoli, August 3, 1804. The wars with the Barbary pirates
marked the first time the United States
became involved militarily with the Muslim world. (Naval Historical
Center)
Historiographical Paper: The historiographical
paper will provide each student with the chance to explore the existing
scholarly literature on the military development of a specific nation or
culture. Possible topics include:
The American Way of War (Colonial Times to 1783)
The American Way of War (1783 to 1865)
The American Way of War (1865 to Present)
The British Way of War, 1660-1914 (on land)
The British Way of War, 1914 to Present (on land)
The British Way of War (at sea)
The French Way of War
The Prussian Way of War (from Frederick I to 1871)
The German Way of War (from 1871 through 1945)
The Austrian Way of War
The Dutch Way of War
The Russian Way of War (from Peter the Great to 1917)
The Soviet Way of War
The Spanish Way of War
The Swedish Way of War
The Mexican Way of War
The Israeli Way of War
The Chinese Way of War
The Vietnamese Way of War
The Japanese Way of War
War in Sub-Saharan Africa
The Mesoamerican Way of War
War and the Indians of North America (Eastern Woodlands)
War and the Indians of North America (Great Plains)
War in the Islamic World (particularly Turkey
and other parts of the Middle East)
Instead of one of the preceding topics, a student
may choose any of those listed below.
The Military Revolution
Napoleon and His Legacy
The Rise of Air Power
Alfred Thayer Mahan and 20th Century Navalism
Nuclear War and Cold War Strategy
Unconventional Warfare in the Cold War Era
The paper should consist of 30 to 35 double-spaced
pages, including reference notes. The aim is to cover the principal secondary
works pertaining to each topic, especially the ground-breaking and controversial
literature. To make sure that the paper remains manageable, it would be
wise to focus on ten to twelve works. Nevertheless, the student is urged
to read as widely as time permits. With those topics where there is a shortage
of published monographs, a proper selection of scholarly articles will
suffice.
The paper should evaluate the quality of the historiography
in the field it addresses. The student should compare and contrast the
works he has read, highlighting where they disagree and other matters of
controversy. In addition to surveying what work has been done, the paper
should also state what work needs to be done. In other words, the student
should presume to present an agenda for future scholarship.
Oral Reports: Each student will present
an oral report dealing with the subject covered by his/her historiographical
paper. These reports will be presented throughout the course of the semester.
The length of each report will be determined by the size of the class (the
fewer students, the more time each presenter will receive). The scheduling
of each paper will depend on its topic. Those students who have present
their reports early in the semester will not be expected to attain the
same standard as those who present toward the end.
Tentative Bibliography: On the day he/she
presents his/her oral report, the student will be expected to distribute
a copy of his/her tentative bibliography (a simple typed list of the works
he plans to discuss) to everyone in the class.
Annotated Bibliography: Toward the end
of the semester, the student will present the professor with an annotated
bibliography, containing a one-paragraph summary of every book or other
important work consulted for his/her historiographical paper. The professor
will run off copies of these annotated bibliographies for everyone in the
class, thus providing the students with a convenient reference to the study
of comparative military history.
Class Discussions: In addition to their own individual readings, students will be expected to read several works on comparative military history in common. They should come to class prepared to discuss the readings assigned for the week. If the students do not give evidence of having performed this assignment, they will be compelled to spend the class period writing essays on the week's readings.
Absence Policy: Graduate study is a group process. You learn as much from your interaction with your professor and your classmates as you do from working on your own. Hence, it is essential that all students enrolled in this course attend and participate in class. Any student missing more than the equivalent of three weeks worth of class (i.e., three classes) except under the most dire of extenuating circumstances can expect to receive a failing grade.
Academic Honesty Statement: Students are expected to do their own work on all exams, quizzes, and other exercises. Anyone caught cheating in class and/or plagiarizing will receive a failing grade in the course. The American Heritage Dictionary defines plagiarism as: "1. To steal and use the ideas and writings of another as one's own. 2. To appropriate passages or ideas from another and use them as one's own."
Americans with Disabilities Act Statement: Temple University adheres to requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability, you should contact the professor privately to discuss your situation as soon as possible. Contact Disability Resources and Services at 215-204-1280 (or 11280) in 100 Ritter Annex to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. You may also access Disability Resources and Services at this web site: http://www.temple.edu/disability/Handbook/Noframes/noframes.html.
Statement on Student and Faculty Academic Rights
and Responsibilities: Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are
inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has a policy
on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy #03.70.02),
which can be accessed through at the following url: http://policies.temple.edu/getdoc.asp?policy_no=03.70.02.
Russian women soldiers on parade during World War I.
CLASS SCHEDULE
Week 1: 16-19 January
Introduction
Week 2: 22-26 January
The
Beginnings of Modern War, 1450-1600
Weigley, Age of Battles, 1-72
Week 3: 29 January-2 February
War
in the Age of Reason, 1600-1775
Weigley, Age of Battles, 73-255
Tentative Bibliography Due (1 February)
Week 4: 5-9 February
The
American Revolution, French Revolutionary, and Napoleonic
Wars,
1775-1815
Weigley, Age of Battles, 256-398
Week 5: 12-16 February
Napoleon
and the Elements of Modern Warfare
Weigley, Age of Battles, 399-543
Week 6: 19-23 February
War
in the Nineteenth Century
Black, War and the World, 1-163
Week 7: 26 February -2 March
Warfare
and the State, 1450-1900
Black, War and the World, 165-231
5-9 March
Spring
Break
No Class
Week 8: 12-16 March
War in the
Twentieth Century
Black, War and the World, 232-91
Week 9: 19-23 March
Combined
Arms Warfare: The Triumph of Firepower, 1871-1939 and Total War, 1939-1945
House, Combined Arms Warfare, 1-183
Week 10: 26-30 March
Combined
Arms Warfare: Hot Wars and Cold, 1945-1999
House, Combined Arms Warfare, 185-286
Week 11: 2-6 April
The
Normandy Campaign, June-July 1944: A Comparative Approach
Hart, Clash of Arms
Annotated Bibliography Due
Week 12: 9-13 April
Airpower
and Small Wars before 1939
Airpower
and Insurgencies in Greece, the Philippines, French
Indochina,
Malaya, South Arabia, and Oman
Corum and Johnson, Airpower in Small Wars, 1-224
Week 13: 16-20 April
Society
for Military History Meeting (Frederick, Maryland)
No Class
Week 14: 23-27 April
Airpower
in South Vietnam, South Africa, and the Middle East
Corum and Johnson, Airpower in Small Wars, 225-439
Final Exam Week: 3-9 May
Historiographical Paper Due, May 3, 2007