Airpower and Modern Conflict

Code

POLI4210

School

Politics and International Relations

Level

4

Credits

20

Semesters

Spring UK

Summary

The invention of the aircraft fundamentally changed the ways in which wars are fought and won. Over the course of only a century airpower developed into an indispensable instrument of warfare. Today, war without airpower is an unlikely prospect and major military operations in recent decades have often been launched with overwhelming air attacks. In line with the understanding that the character of war is changing, however, the utility of ‘strategic’ airpower has increasingly come under question. Whilst technological innovation continues to strengthen airpower’s capabilities, air superiority has not always given the technologically superior side in a conflict the edge over opponents. This module critically assesses the role of air power in modern conflict within the broader framework of strategic and security studies. It will assess the evolution of air power theory since the First World War and examine the limits of its practical application with reference to specific air campaigns. Emphasis will be placed on the role of air power in the post-Cold War security environment, for example, in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency campaigns and in the war in Ukraine.

Target Students

Available to PGT and Year 4 MSci International Relations and Global Issues students in the School of Politics and International Relations. Also available to students on the MRes Politics and International Relations plan, and incoming exchange students based in the School of Politics and International Relations.

Classes

This module is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars.

Assessment

• 40% Coursework 1: 1,500-word policy brief
• 60% Coursework 2: 2,500-word essay.

Assessed by end of spring semester

Educational Aims

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and understanding:
* demonstrate an in-depth understanding of developments and controversies in airpower and strategic thought from the First World War until today. This includes knowledge of major military campaigns (World War Two, Vietnam, Gulf I, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, the war in Ukraine and others) in which airpower played a central role. 

Intellectual and transferrable skills:
* students will be able to relate the role and uses of airpower in modern warfare to relevant theoretical debates in contemporary strategic studies and security studies and relate historical/political developments 
to relevant theoretical concepts and debates.
* students will hone their critical thinking skills by engaging critically with a literature dominated largely by authors with a US military background, 
considering the implications of this for our understanding of contemporary warfare and international security. 

Practical and professional skills:
* academic writing skills; 
* independent research skills; 
* writing for non-academic audiences/professional writing skills; 
* teamwork and presentation skills.

Digital competencies:
* the module will enhance students’ ability to format and present work in a professional manner;
* research skills, such as identifying reliable information from relevant databases.

Conveners

• Professor Bettina Renz