Sociology of war and the military 3500-SSZCZ-SWW
The course deals with the sociology of the military and armed conflicts. The issue of the origins of modern armed forces, the nature and the change of their organization forms – recruitment, training (of both common soldiers/personnel and officer corps), as well as both formal and informal institutional structure are going to be addressed. The lecture also deals with the changing esprit de corps and the sources of the combat motivation of soldiers. The social context of the armed forces is going to be discussed too, especially the relation between war, armed forces and the formation and evolution of modern nation-state. The lecture touches upon the changing goals and nature of armed conflicts, especially after the end of the Cold War, when both the political actors (often the non-state ones) and the nature of conflicts (often asymmetrical) has been changed. Another course topics is the political role of the armed forces, including the nature of the relationship between the military and civilian authorities – the civilian, political control over the armed forces in various political regimes, from liberal democracies to authoritarian and totalitarian, including pretorian regimes.
The class has a routine form of lecture, accompanied by a discussion when possible. There are 15 meetings, 2 hours (45 minutes) each. Literature (up to 40 pages of each text) will be given for each lecture, which participants are expected to read. The course ends with a written exam with four open questions, and the students are expected to select and answer three of them. What will be assessed will be not just their knowledge, but first and foremost their ability to use it. The questions will be presented in advance, and responding to them participants will be allowed their notes and materials. The total number of absences cannot exceed half of the meetings, but those with more than three absences are expected to write written essays on topics dealt with at respective lecture. The second-term exam will have exactly the same form as the first term.
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knows and understands basic sociological concepts
Has basic knowledge about social structures and selected social institutions, and their interrelations
Has awareness of various forms of social organization existing in the past and in the present
Is aware of social differentiation and existing social inequalities, as well as their impact on the life of individuals and the functioning of social groups
Has basic knowledge about the types of social ties and the rules that govern them
Understands the social nature of relationships between individuals, social groups and social institutions
Has basic knowledge about the mechanisms of social group dynamics and interdependencies between groups and individuals
Has basic knowledge of the norms and rules governing social structures and institutions
Has rudimentary knowledge about the functioning and management of various types of organizations
Has basic knowledge of politics and participation of society in the public sphere
Has basic knowledge about the processes forming the basis of social stability and change, and understands their nature
Can interpret past and present social events (political, cultural, and economic) using sociological concepts and theories
Can use basic sociological terms and categories to analyze societies, particularly contemporary Polish society
Can independently find facts and materials needed to conduct simple sociological analyses, using various sources in both Polish and a foreign language, and using modern technologies
Can independently form simple judgments on the causes of selected social processes and phenomena
Can use basic theoretical categories to describe social changes in modern societies
Can conduct a simple analysis of the consequences of the processes occurring in modern societies
Can prepare a simple, descriptive scenario predicting the course of social processes and phenomena
Can use ethical norms and rules in research practice
Can use academic knowledge acquired in social practice
Can select proper research methods and techniques to conduct an analysis of a particular problem
Can plan and carry out a social study using basic quantitative and qualitative research methods and techniques
Can interpret simple social phenomena using basic statistical methods
Can form judgments on motives of human behavior and predict its social consequences
Can comprehend a scientific text and identify its main theses and the author’s arguments, as well as discuss them
Can critically assess sources
Can properly use sources of scientific information
Bibliography
Bolesław Balcerowicz, Siły zbrojne w państwie i stosunkach międzynarodowych, Scholar, Warszawa 2006; Miguel A. Centeno, Elaine Enriquez, War & Society, Polity Press, Cambridge 2016; Giuseppe Ciaforio, Marina Nunciari (red.) Handbook of the Sociology of the Military, Springer, Cham 2018; Martin van Creveld, Zmienne oblicze wojny. Od Marny do Iraku, Rebis, Warszawa 2008; Martin Van Creveld, Wermacht kontra US Army 1939-1945, Erica, Warszawa 2011; Michael Howard, Wojna w dziejach Europy, Ossolineum, Wrocław – Warszawa – Kraków 2007; William H. McNeill, The Pursuit of Power, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1982; George L. Mosse, Fallen Soldiers. Reshaping the Memory of the Worlds Wars, Oxford University Press, New York - Oxford 1990; Siniša Malašević, The Sociology of War and Violence, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (i in.) 2010; Herfried Münkler, Wojny naszych czasów, WAM, Kraków 2004; Samuel Stouffer (i in.), American Soldier, vol. I/II, Princeton University Press, Princeton 1949; Jerzy J. Wiatr, Socjologia wojska, Wyd. MON, Warszawa 1982.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: