HI2C6-15 Sex and the US Military: from Cold War to “War on Terror”
Introductory description
Since World War II, the military has loomed large in the United States: significant not only for its war-waging functions and budgetary claims but as a parallel welfare state. The site of intense political contestation, the US armed forces have also formed a battleground in battles over sex, sexual violence, and sexuality: the focus of this 15 CAT module. Organised into three parts, this module will explore different facets of of sex-- as a problem and resource-- for the US military over the decades since World War II.
Module aims
Students will first consider the ways in which (heterosexual) sex has been construed, implicitly or more explicitly, as a "reward" for men's military service, and the consequences of this sexual prerogative for militarized communities in the United States as well as overseas. The second section of the module assesses how women have been recruited into and deployed by the US military since 1945, examining debates over women's inclusion in combat roles and how gender has been "weaponised" in the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The module concludes by analysing questions of sexual violence, homosexuality and transexuality in the military, allowing students to historicise present-day struggles over who is permitted to serve-- in which capacities, and under what terms-- in various branches of the US military.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
Part I: Sex and the US soldier
- Why and how gender, sex and sexuality matter in the US military
- The US military and commercial sex
- Domestication: a 'family friendly' army?
Part II: Gender in the Armed Services
4) Masculinity and femininity at war in Vietnam
5) Recruitment and training
6) Reading Week
7) Women in combat
Part III: Managing sexuality in the US military
8) The queerness of the military
9) Sexual violence: an invisible war?
10) Transgender service: the final frontier?
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the multiple ways in which sex and sexuality have structured US military service in the years since World War II.
- Communicate ideas and findings, adapting to a range of situations, audiences and degrees of complexity.
- Generate ideas through the analysis of a broad range of primary source material, including sources produced by active duty personnel and veterans.
- Analyse and evaluate the contributions made by existing scholarship.
- Act with limited supervision and direction within defined guidelines, accepting responsibility for achieving deadlines.
Indicative reading list
Reading lists can be found in Talis
Subject specific skills
See learning outcomes.
Transferable skills
See learning outcomes.
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 9 sessions of 1 hour (6%) |
| Seminars | 9 sessions of 1 hour (6%) |
| Tutorials | 1 session of 1 hour (1%) |
| Other activity | 2 hours (1%) |
| Private study | 129 hours (86%) |
| Total | 150 hours |
Private study description
History modules require students to undertake extensive independent research and reading to prepare for seminars and assessments. As a rough guide, students will be expected to read and prepare to comment on three substantial texts (articles or book chapters) for each seminar taking approximately 3 hours. Each assessment requires independent research, reading around 6-10 texts and writing and presenting the outcomes of this preparation in an essay, review, presentation or other related task.
Other activity description
Film screening
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A2
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment component |
|||
| Seminar contribution | 10% | No | |
Reassessment component |
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| 1000 word reflection | Yes (extension) | ||
Assessment component |
|||
| 1500 word applied task (source review) | 40% | Yes (extension) | |
Reassessment component is the same |
|||
Assessment component |
|||
| 3000 word policy position paper | 50% | Yes (extension) | |
Reassessment component is the same |
|||
Feedback on assessment
Written feedback provided via Tabula; optional oral feedback in office hours.
Courses
This module is Optional for:
- Year 2 of UENA-VQ32 Undergraduate English and History
- Year 2 of UFRA-R1VA Undergraduate French and History
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ULNA-R4V1 Undergraduate Hispanic Studies and History
- Year 2 of R4V1 Hispanic Studies and History
- Year 2 of R4V1 Hispanic Studies and History
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UHIA-V100 Undergraduate History
- Year 2 of V100 History
- Year 2 of V100 History
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UPDA-Y306 Undergraduate History (Part-Time)
- Year 2 of Y306 History (Part Time)
- Year 2 of Y306 History (Part Time)
- Year 2 of UHIA-V102 Undergraduate History (Renaissance and Modern History Stream)
- Year 2 of UIPA-V1L8 Undergraduate History and Global Sustainable Development
- Year 3 of UITA-R3V2 Undergraduate History and Italian
- Year 2 of UHIA-V1V5 Undergraduate History and Philosophy
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UHIA-VM11 Undergraduate History and Politics
- Year 2 of VM11 History and Politics
- Year 2 of VM11 History and Politics
- Year 2 of VM11 History and Politics
- Year 2 of UHIA-VL13 Undergraduate History and Sociology
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UVCA-LA99 Undergraduate Liberal Arts
- Year 2 of LA99 Liberal Arts
- Year 2 of LA92 Liberal Arts with Classics
- Year 2 of LA73 Liberal Arts with Design Studies
- Year 2 of LA83 Liberal Arts with Economics
- Year 2 of LA82 Liberal Arts with Education
- Year 2 of LA95 Liberal Arts with English
- Year 2 of LA81 Liberal Arts with Film and Television Studies
- Year 2 of LA80 Liberal Arts with Global Sustainable Development
- Year 2 of LA93 Liberal Arts with Global Sustainable Development
- Year 2 of LA97 Liberal Arts with History
- Year 2 of LA71 Liberal Arts with Law
- Year 2 of LA91 Liberal Arts with Life Sciences
- Year 2 of LA75 Liberal Arts with Modern Lanaguages and Cultures
- Year 2 of LA96 Liberal Arts with Philosophy
- Year 2 of LA94 Liberal Arts with Theatre and Performance Studies