POLITICS 711 : Bodies in/at War

Arts

2025 Semester Two (1255) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

War is a profoundly embodied experience, but the body is often erased in the dominant accounts. This course places the body at the centre of critical thinking on war. Examines how bodies are prepared for war, how different bodies experience war, and what happens to these bodies in the aftermath of war.

Course Overview

POLITICS 771 will begin with an overview of recent debates about how the body have been neglected in debates about war, and how this omission has circumscribed the way we think about contemporary conflict. Students will discuss how this oversight might be addressed, examining different theories about the body and the processes of embodiment that shape how people experience war. The remainder of the paper will be divided into three parts: preparing for war, experiencing war, and the aftermath of war. The first part will examine how different bodies are prepared for war, focusing particular attention on military training and how gender and race is mobilised in the justifications for war. The second part focuses on how different bodies experience war, including the embodied experiences of those who kill and injure and the embodied experiences of those who are killed and injured. We will also examine the embodied experiences of those who are detained in war, those whose bodies are transformed into weapons, and those who try to resist war. The final section focuses on what happens to bodies in the aftermath of war, with a particular focus on the dead, the wounded, and the missing. 

Course Requirements

No pre-requisites or restrictions

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism
Graduate Profile: Master of Arts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Understand and critically evaluate the competing theoretical claims about bodies in/at war. (Capability 1, 3 and 4)
  2. Research and explain specific empirical cases, using the different theories to assess these examples. (Capability 1, 3, 4 and 5)
  3. Research and communicate arguments about bodies in/at war in several forms. (Capability 3, 4, 6 and 7)
  4. Critically reflect on our roles as researchers examining bodies in/at war. (Capability 1, 3, 4, 7 and 8)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Article Reviews 20% Individual Coursework
Presentation 30% Group & Individual Coursework
Final Essay 50% Individual Coursework

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect a two-hour tutorial, four hours of reading/preparation, and four hours of work on assignment preparation each week.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities, including tutorials, to receive credit for components of the course.

Tutorials will not be available as recordings. The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable with a two-hour tutorial each week.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Students had some fantastic recommendations for readings, cases, and in-class activities, which have been incorporated into the revised syllabus. 

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 24/10/2024 08:34 a.m.