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IR3207   Wars of Decolonisation

Academic year(s): 2023-2024

Key information

SCOTCAT credits : 30

ECTS credits : 15

Level : SCQF level 9

Semester: 2

Planned timetable: 12 noon Wed

This module looks at the wars that marked the end of European Empires from 1945 to 1997. In particular, it will focus on conflicts in Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The module will look at a series of detailed historical case studies. These are: the 1947 war between India and Pakistan, the Indonesian War of Independence, the wars of Indochina between 1945 and 1954; the Malayan Emergency; the Algerian War of Independence; the Zimbabwe War of Independence; and the Wars of Independence in the former Portuguese Empire. The module will aim to look at these conflicts in their broad economic, social, political and international contexts.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisite(s): Before taking this module you must pass IR2006

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact: X1 Weekly one-hour lecture, weeks One to Eleven X1 Weekly seminar, weeks Two to Eleven X1 Two-hour office period, weeks One to Eleven

Scheduled learning hours: 22

Guided independent study hours: 154

Assessment pattern

As used by St Andrews: 100% coursework


Re-assessment: 100% written exam

Personnel

Module coordinator: Dr L F Middup
Module teaching staff: Dr Luke Middup

Intended learning outcomes

  • By the end of the module, students should have a better understanding of wars of decolonisation that have taken place since 1945, including the social, economic, and international aspects of those conflicts.
  • By the end of the module, students should be better able to carry out independent research on a variety of topics, both in preparation for their essays and in preparation for our seminar discussions.
  • By the end of the module, students should be better able to produce high quality essays, both in terms of argument and in terms of the quality of their written English.
  • By the end of the module, students will have a better understanding of the historical context behind some of the most intractable security challenges of the twenty-first century, particularly in Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East.