PCON 322 - Weapons and War: Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Mustard gas, airpower, submarines, A-bombs, Agent Orange, landmines, terror wars, “Star Wars”: weapons technology profoundly shaped the science, politics, and culture of the last century. This course explores the myriad effects of the production, deployment, and use of weapons. Specifically, the course considers how the horizons of science and technology have been shaped by the quest for ever-more-powerful or -sophisticated weaponry; how the creation of new weapons changes the nature of war and peace; how new weapons may impact lives and the planet; terror as a weapon, and scientific and social responses to it; the role of media images in the public consciousness of weaponry and war; and impacts of the global arms trade. While critically theorizing the social, environmental, and philosophical impacts of war over the past century, the course also examines the place of global ethics in discussions about weapons and war.

Credits: 1.00
Corequisite: None
Prerequisites: PCON 111 or PCON 218 or ANTH 218 or SOAN 218 or PCON 225
Major/Minor Restrictions: None
Class Restriction: No First-year
Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
Liberal Arts CORE: Global Engagements

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