War, military and politics in sociological perspective

języki obce
ogólnouniwersyteckie

Basic knowledge of sociology and/or cultural anthropology.

w sali

The course provides the students elementary knowledge of the nature and development of military institutions in the Western world, offering them basic knowledge of the military as a social institution, an instrument and an actor of politics. The course concerns two main topics. First, it deals with the political role of war and state instruments of violence. The main interest here is the relation between political institutions and organized violence. The second topic of the course are armed forces themselves – their recruitment and socialization practices, social composition and organization forms and institutional practices, both formal and informal. It touches upon the issue of the nature and sources (ideological and/or organizational) of their combat morale.

The course provides the students elementary knowledge of the nature and development of military institutions in the Western world as seen from the perspective of the historical sociology, offering them basic knowledge of the military as a social institution, an instrument and an actor of politics.

The course concerns two main topics. First, it deals with the politi-cal role of war and state instruments of violence. The main interest here is the relation between political institutions and organized violence. The course also deals with the war and military forces as important factors of the nation-formation process and political symbols of the nation. It also touches upon their relations with the sphere of civilian politics – various types of political control of the military forces (respectively: lack of it) and the ways in which the military intervenes in politics. Among the topics discussed are the asymmetric conflicts, which are by no means recent development, as their history could be traced back to the colonial wars.

The second topic of the course are armed forces themselves – their changing recruitment and socialization practices, social composition and organization forms and institutional practices, both formal and informal. It touches upon the issue of the nature and sources (ideological and/or organizational) of their combat morale.

Special emphasis is put on the change of military organization and forms of military actions after the end of the cold war, caused by recent political, social, and technological change. They include the change of political actors involved in armed conflicts, as well as the change of the dominant forms of military activities, which today take the form of a network-centric warfare.

The course has twofold form. The opening part of eight meetings has a form of a lecture with elements of a teacher-guided discussion on selected topics (and readings). The second part, seven meetings, comprises discussion on students’ presentations, based on individual (or group) in-depth study of selected topics.

The final grade will depends on the assessment of a short test dealing with the lecture subjects (35% of the final grade), participant’s individual activity during classes (25%); the assessment of the presentations will make 40%).

Miguel A. Centeno, Elaine Enriquez, War and Society, Polity Press 2016; Martin van Creveld, Fighting Power, Greenwood Press 1982; Ute Frevert, Nation in Barracks, Berg 2004; Richard Holmes, Soldiers, Harper Press 2011; Samuel Huntigton, Political Order in Changing Societies, Yale University Press 1968; Samuel Huntington, The Soldier and the State, Natraj Publishers 2005; Morris Janowitz, Military Conflict, Sage 1975; Mary Kaldor, New & Old Wars. Organised violence in global era, Polity Press 2006; William H. McNeill, The Pursuit of Power, The University of Chicago Press 1982; Siniša Malašević, The Sociology of War and Violence, Cambridge University Press 2010; Lars Mjøset, Stephen van Holde (eds.) The Comparative Study of Conscription in the Armed Forces, Emerald 2008; Peter Smith, Why War? The Cultural logic of Iraq, the Gulf War and Suez, The University of Chicago Press 2005.

K_W01 Knows and understands basic concepts of various sub-domains of sociology (e.g. sociology of family, health, work, religion, economy, education, etc)

K_W03 Is aware of ongoing theoretical and methodological disputes conducted in modern sociology; is reflective and critical of various positions

K_W05 Has in-depth knowledge about regional, domestic and international institutions and the problem of European integration

K_W16 Has in-depth knowledge about major international and domestic sociological research pertaining to selected areas of social reality or sub-domains of sociology

K_W27 Has in-depth knowledge of the 19th, 20th and 21st ideas and social processes which have shaped the face of the modern world

K_U04 Can critically select information and materials for academic work, using various sources in Polish and a foreign language as well as modern technologies

K_U16 Knows how to interpret the role of culture in the life of the individual and society

K_U17 Can relate an academic text to the problems of social life and its empirical studies

K_U18 Can identify the kinds of research in which the scientific texts read can be applicable

K_U19 Can prepare a presentation of a selected problem or study in Polish and in a foreign language

K_K01 Can initiate, plan, organize and manage work of a task team

K_K02 Can propose a solution to a problem that requires an interdisciplinary research approach

K_K05 Can gather, find, synthesize and critically assess information about social sciences

K_K07 Can justify the choice of sources

K_K10 Independently sets directions of personal development and further learning

K_K14 Takes responsibility for planned and performed tasks

Student is able to perceive war, warfare and armed forces as social phenomena, which posess certain inherent features, resulting from their specific, social and organizational dynamics.

Student is familiar with the military as a formal organization and as a set of informal social structures, knows the way in which they function, and how the structure of the armed forces affects their combat effectivity.

Assessment of a) a short test dealing with the lecture subjects (35% of the final grade), of b) each participant’s individual activity during the classes (carried out by the teacher together with the students at the final meeting) – 55% of the final grade, and c) f of a short test dealing with the lecture subjects (35% of the final grade).

Up to two absences are allowed. Those students who have been absent more than twice (but with no more that 40% absences) are expected to prepare and send the teacher short resumes of the main readings they missed. The type and form of second term test are identical with the first one.