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DSCY10050

Academic Year 2026/2027

War: Ancient and modern (DSCY10050)

Subject:
Discovery
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
History
Level:
1 (Introductory)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Professor William Mulligan
Trimester:
Autumn and Spring (separate)
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

Wars and armed conflicts remain a subject of great topicality. From the Middle East to Africa conflicts of different sizes and levels of intensity continue, while in Eastern Europe, the possibility of war remains a permanent threat.
War has shaped much of the past and present but it has changed its character over time. This module will introduce students to the changing character of war from ancient times to the present, highlighting the latest research results on a large variety of conflicts and themes: wars, piracy and civil wars in the ancient world, the Viking conquests in Europe, the Crusades, the Wars of Religion, the Napoleonic Wars of the 19th century, the total wars of the 20th century and the current crisis in the Middle East. The module combines insights from history, classics, politics, medicine and sociology. Together, faculty from these diverse disciplines will introduce some of the latest research on the topic, including aspects of violence and gender, medical responses to the outbreaks of war and the new wars on terror in today s Middle East.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students:
1. will be able to critique texts on war drawing on the methods used by historians, sociologists, and political scientists, among others;
2. understand the major historical changes in the nature and context of war since the earliest times of human history;
3. will appreciate a variety of analytic techniques used by researchers investigating human conflict;
4. will have improved their academic writing skills.

Indicative Module Content:

Lecture 1: Introduction

Lecture 2: Warfare in Ancient Greece: From Citizen Soldiers to Hellenistic
Kingdoms

Lecture 3: The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire

Lecture 4: War in the Medieval World

Lecture 5: The Wars of Religion and the Military Revolution

Lecture 6: Napoleonic Warfare: Change and Continuities

Lecture 7: ‘Savage Warfare’: The Colonial Context of Counterinsurgency

Lecture 8: From Cabinet War to Total War, 1870-1945

Lecture 9: What Makes a Civil War?

Lecture 10: Why Soldiers Fight: Cohesion and Combat Motivation since the
Second World War

There will be a reading week in each semester.

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Advanced Beginner

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Advanced Beginner

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Advanced Beginner

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Advanced Beginner

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Advanced Beginner

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 1
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

22
Specified Learning Activities

45
Autonomous Student Learning

45
Total

112

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Students will learn through a combination of lectures, group discussions, and the completion of dedicated assignments such as research essays.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): 2,000 word research essay (end of semester) Week 14 Graded No
70
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): See handbook for details Week 7 Graded No
30
 No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Remediation Type Remediation Timing
Repeat Within Two Trimesters
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Individual feedback is offered by email or in person throughout the semester and after the research essay.

Name Role
Dr Martin Brady Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Mon 18:00 - 19:50
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Mon 18:00 - 19:50
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