- HIST 2220 History of War and Society

  • HISTORY

Course Credits: 3
Asian Studies Major/Minor Course

Semester(s) Offered

Special Topics noted below

  • Spring 2025
    • World War II in Asia/Pacific
  • Fall 2024
    • Global Warfare in India
  • Fall 2023
    • Global Warfare in India
  • Spring 2023
    • Gunpowder & War 1300-1648
  • Fall 2022
    • World War II in Asia/Pacific
  • Fall 2021 - In person
    •  Gunpowder & War 1300-1648
  • Fall 2020 - Global Warfare in India
  • Fall 2019

Global Warfare in India: This course focuses on history of war and society in India/South Asia from a global perspective. This course is intended for students with little or no prior knowledge of the region. Starting with a discussion of the nature of Alexander’s invasion of India in 326 BCE, the course shifts its focus to the rise of Islam and the subsequent ArabTurkish invasions and conquests in India. It then goes on to deal with the rise of maritime
trading and naval powers—Portugal, Spain, and Britain—which set off fierce colonial wars that eventually led to the colonization of India by the British East India Company. As part of the history of the British Empire and its legacy, we also focus on the geopolitical Great Game over Afghanistan and Central Asia between Britain and Russia, and later between the US and the Soviet Union. The course concludes with a discussion of the Indian epic, the
Mahabharata, and the idea of war as fate. The aim of this cours is to  to understand our current global world in historical perspective.

  • Spring 2019

Global Warfare in India: This course focuses on the history of war and society in India from a global perspective. The aim is to understand our current global world in historical perspective. It is intended for students with little or no prior knowledge of the region. Starting with a discussion of Alexander's invasion of India in 326 BCE, the course shifts its focus to Islamic invasions and conquests in India. It then goes on to deal with the nature and origin of colonial warfare and India's colonization by the British East India Company. This course concludes with Gandhi's "nonviolent war" against the British Empire.

History of War & Society - World War II in Asia and the Pacific: For Asia, World War II began with the Mukden Incident (1931), resulting in Japanese domination of Manchuria and leading to a full-scale war between China and Japan in 1937. Only after the Japanese
attacked the U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor four years later did the United States enter the war. This course discusses the various socio-economic and political factors leading to the war in Asia, examines the nature of the conflict in Asia and in the Pacific, and assesses the legacy of the war for all those involved.

  • Fall 2018
    • Asia-Related: World War II in Asia/Pacific
  • Spring 2018
    • Asia-Related: Warfare in India
    • Not Asia-Related: Western Military History; Warfare in the 20th Century
  • Fall 2017
    • Not Asia-Related: Western Military History
  • Spring 2017
    • Asia-Related: Warfare in India
    • Asia-Related: Militarism in Japanese History
  • Fall 2016
    • Asia-Related: World War II in Asia/Pacific
    • Not Asia-Related: War in 20th Century Russia
  • Summer 2016
    • Asia-Related: The Case of Japan, 1894-1945
  • Spring 2016
    • Not Asia-Related: Gunpowder & War 1300-1648; War in 20th Century Russia
  • Fall 2015
    • Asia-Related: History of World War II
    • Not Asia-Related: World War I; War in 20th Century Russia
  • Spring 2015
  • Fall 2014
  • Summer 2014

Catalog Description

Focuses on war and society in a variety of global contexts. Explores the character, origins, and social, political, and intellectual impacts of war in contexts ranging from several centuries of international conflict to the experience of individual nations in specific wars. Topic varies in any given semester; contact Deptartment of History for details. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: historical context. Requisites: History (HIST) majors are restricted from taking this course.

For Additional Information

For information about the time and location of this course, please type in the information for this course in . Please make sure to enter the institution and the semester about which you are inquiring as well.

*Note: When you click on this link, it may appear that you do not have access. If this occurs, please close the window and click on the link again.