Course Readings

Geoffrey Parker (ed.), The Cambridge Illustrated History of Warfare (Cambridge University Press, 2000).

The Cambridge Illustrated History of Warfare provides a unique account of Western warfare from antiquity to the present. The book treats all aspects of the subject from the Greeks to the nuclear age: the development of warfare on land, sea and air; weapons and technology; strategy and defense; discipline and intelligence. Throughout, there is an emphasis on the socio-economic aspects of war: who pays for it, how can its returns be measured, and to what extent does it explain the rise of the West to global dominance over two millennia. Geoffrey Parker is one of the world's leading authorities on military history and is the editor of The Times Atlas of World History (1993) and the author of The Military Revolution (1988).

John Keegan, The Face of Battle (Viking Press, 1995).

The Face of Battle is military history from the battlefield: a look at the direct experience of individuals at the "point of maximum danger." Without the myth-making elements of rhetoric and xenophobia, and breaking away from the stylized format of battle descriptions, John Keegan has written what is probably the definitive model for military historians. And in his scrupulous reassessment of three battles representative of three different time periods, he manages to convey what the experience of combat meant for the participants, whether they were facing the arrow cloud of Agincourt, the musket balls at Waterloo, or the steel rain of the Somme. Keegan was for many years Senior Lecturer at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. He is the author of several books on military history, including The Mask of Command (1987), The First World War (1999), The Second World War (1989), and A History of Warfare (1993).

 Primary and Secondary Sources

I will distribute the primary and secondary source readings in class throughout the semester. The actual reading assignment for each day is listed in the Class Schedule. All primary source readings are required.

Web Gallery

This collection of artwork is required viewing for this class. Click on the artist's palette above to access an index of the Web Gallery. Links to the Web Gallery also appear in the Class Schedule under the relevant week and day.

 Movies

During the semester, I will show two movies, both of which are required viewing. Questions about these movies may very well appear on the Final Exam. Click on the film reel above to access a description of the movies. Information about show times also appear in the Class Schedule under the relevant week and day.