Chapter 6 Course Overview
Introduction
The Dirty Wars module features a number of overlapping components. These are:
- The core lecture series (terms 1&2) that examines the concept of “dirty war” and the relationship between war and political repression. This is taught by Dr Jack McDonald.
- A research projects workshop, designed to enable you to successfully complete the research essay assessment.
- A series of 4 research lectures (term 2) that apply these concepts to contemporary warfare and international security. These are delivered by Dr McDonald, and guest lecturers.
- Two applied lectures, on cases selected by students, to explain how the concepts covered by the course can help us to understand contemporary issues of war and national security.
- Four seminar series designed to explore an element of the main course at depth in a specific disciplinary context.
- Weeks 1-4 | Categorising war and warfare (Dr McDonald), this series examines the issue of conflict classification and its relationship to war and warfare. As such it provides a way of considering the relationship between the exercise of defining war and the conduct of war itself, notably in “hybrid” or “grey zone” conflicts.
- Weeks 5-8 | Colonial Violence (Dr Condos), this seminar series examines colonial violence and the insight that it can provide into core concepts in security studies. The seminar is structured around Dr Condos’ book, The Insecurity State: Punjab and the Making of Colonial Power in British India -Condos (2017). The seminar series therefore also gives students the time and space to do close reading of a single text.
- Weeks 9-12 | Intelligence ethics and just war theory (Dr McDonald), this series examines the emergence of the field of intelligence ethics, its interaction with just war theory, and the challenges of defining ethical behaviour in the intelligence world.
- Weeks 13-16 | Self Defence in Concept and Practice (Dr Bicknell), this series of seminars explores the concept of self defence in both theory and practice. The seminar series is designed to give students experience of using theory to inform the analysis of case studies and the messy reality of the use of force in conflict zones.
- Weeks 17-20 | Sovereignty and Violence in Myanmar (Dr Plunkett. This seminar series is designed so that students can examine the relationship between power and violence in a single case study from multiple angles. It is tied to Dr Plunkett’s lecture on the subject so that students can spend the seminars using what they have learned over the course to analyse the role violence and coercion plays in the governance of Myanmar.
- Week 21 | Wrap up (Dr McDonald), the last week of seminars gives students the chance to reflect on what they have learned over the course of the year.
The Core Lecture Series: What Makes a War a ‘Dirty’ War?
This is an 15 lecture series on the concept of “dirty war.” This series with a “toolset” for ways of thinking through what counts as a war, how people and institutions judge/justify wars and warfare in normative terms, and the connection between the two. Please note that the lectures will be about two thirds lecture, and one third small group discussion/full cohort discussion.
Lectures:
- War and Dirty Wars
- War and Political Order
- Restraint in War
- Strategy and Population Control
- Historicising Dirty Wars
- Political Warfare and Political Repression
- Half Light Wars and Clandestine Warfare
- Human Dignity and Political Community in War and National Security
- Citizenship in War and National Security
- Status in War & Sexual Violence in Conflict
- The Shock of the Old
- Identity, Identification, and Intelligence Organisations
- Targeted Killings
- Detention
- Torture
Research Projects Workshop
In this workshop we will be discussing the design of research projects. I will be explaining and guiding you through one of my research projects that relates to the course to demonstrate how to understake a small self-defined research project. This is in order to prepare you for the final evaluation for this module: writing a 4000 word research essay.
Research Lecture Series: Dirty Wars and Contemporary Warfare
The research lecture series is designed to complement the main course. Unlike lectures in the main series, there are no online lectures to view prior to the class. This is so that you have more spare time to dedicate to the module’s assessment.
Lectures:
- War and Violence in Myanmar (Dr Anna Plunkett)
- Revenge, Retribution, and Reciprocity in War (Dr Mark Condos)
- Martial Law (Dr David Bicknell)
- War Powers and Contemporary Warfare
6.1 Applied Lectures
The last two lectures of the year are dedicated to specific cases/topics chosen by students on the course.