Military History

Military History

Discover how conflict has shaped nations, societies and ideology throughout history. Explore what drives nations to go to war and people to fight them, understand how technology and propaganda has changed not only warfare, but societies as a whole.

Study war and its effects in the inspiring location of historic Canterbury, with Roman forts and Cold War nuclear bunkers on your doorstep, as well as the battlefields of the First and Second World Wars close by.

Cover hundreds of years of history, or focus on particular eras that fascinate you. Military History is so much more than just battle tactics; you'll delve into history from the fifth century to present day, and develop an understanding of the wider social, ethical and political contexts of warfare, and how these shape our world today.

Your future

As a Kent graduate, you will be ready to construct and lead engaging arguments, be quick to recognise context and skilled to propose alternative solutions. And your wide-ranging work with historical sources will improve your ability to think critically, take part in debate and make informed decisions, allowing you to effect change in the places you want to see it.

Career prospects for history graduates are wide ranging, with our students launching careers in everything from teaching to business, research to politics. For Military History, your specialisation helps boost your prospects, with natural routes into the armed forces, archives, or organisations such as the Commonwealth Graves Commission.

The creative problem solving, critical thinking and communication skills you develop at Kent can prepare you for a career in any field. The study of History at Kent equips you with the adaptability to thrive in an exciting career in whatever area you are passionate about. This means Kent’s History graduates are ready to step into a career of limitless opportunities, from education to business, charity to government; you’ll have the talent and insight to build the career you want.

Location

Our city, your time.
It has never been a better time to study in Canterbury. Our high student population creates a vibrant, diverse and student-friendly atmosphere.
We are a hub of exciting new ideas emerging from a stunning historic city - join us and get involved!

The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations.

Stage 1:

Compulsory modules currently include the following:

Understanding Military History;
Battles in Military History;
Redcoats: The British Army and Society c. 1660-1902;
The British Army in the Age of Total War.

Optional modules may include the following:

A Global History of Empire;
Histories of Health and Medicine since 1800;
Renaissance to the Enlightenment;
War and Society in Europe, c. 1789 - 1945.

Stage 2:

Compulsory modules currently include the following:

The Modern World: Revolution and Crisis;
Undergraduate Dissertation: Design and Planning;
Armies at War, 1914-1918.

Optional modules may include the following:

A History of Eastern Europe in 10 Objects;
Armies at War, 1792-1815;
Blitzkrieg to Baghdad: Armoured Warfare in the Theory, Practice and Imagery, 1916-2003;
Cholera to Climate Change: Environment and Society in Modern Britain;
Churchill's Armies: The Armies of the British Empire and the Second World War;
Civil War America, 1848-1877;
Conquest and Resistance in Southern Africa, 1750-1918;
Europe in Extremes: Communism, Fascism and Nazism, 1917-1939;
From Crisis to Revolution: France 1774-1799;
How The West was Won (or Lost): The American West in the 19th Century;
Marvels, Monsters and Freaks 1780-1920;
Modern German History since 1918;
Surgery, Science and Society since 1750;
Telegraph to Television: War and the British Media, 1853-1945;
The Art of Death: Representations, Rituals and Records in Medieval Europe;
The Cold War;
The Crusades;
The German Wars of Unification, c. 1813-1871;
The Imperial Presidency: U.S. Foreign Policy from Franklin Roosevelt to Barack Obama;
'The Jewel in the Crown': India and the Making of Imperial Britain;
Vikings: A Global Saga;
Violence and Justice in Medieval Europe (c. 500 - c. 1400);
War and Modern Medicine 1850-1950;
Warriors: Myths and Migrants: The Early Medieval Kingdoms.

Stage 3:

Compulsory modules currently include the following:

Undergraduate History Dissertation.

Optional modules may include the following:

Fight The Power: African American History from Jim Crow to Black Lives Matter;
From Buffalo Bill to Bison Burgers: The American West in the 20th Century;
Global Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in the Modern Era;
Gothic Art: Image and Imagination in Europe;
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes: A History of the Modern Body (1800-1950);
To Do No Harm: Medical Ethics and Patient Rights in the Modern World, 1800-2000;
From 'Madness' to Mindfulness: Mental Health since 1850;
Terror, Murder and Bloodshed: The Renaissance in Italy and beyond, c. 1400- c. 1550;
The American Revolution;
Cultural History of the Great War: Britain, France and Germany in Comparison;
The Hundred Years' War, c. 1337-1453;
The Nature of Command;
Capitalism, Classes, Cultures & Conflicts;
Conquests, Cultures and Identities: England AD 800-1100;
From Mercenaries to Freedom Fighters: Transnational Soldiering, c. 1700-2020;
Ireland: A Military History since 1689;
Liberation Struggles in Southern Africa;
Loyalists: The Wrong Side of the American Independence;
Making Room for Medicine: Medical Space, Environment and Health;
Napoleon and the World, 1799-1815;
Saints, Relics & Churches in Medieval Europe, C. 500-1500;
Sex, Health and Deviance in Britain since 1800;
The Carolingians and the Invention of Order;
The Eternal Nazi: Global Legacies of the Third Reich;
The International History of the Vietnam Wars;
The Legacy of the Second World War;
The Renaissance: Nature, Magic and Knowledge;
The Spanish Second Republic and Civil War, 1931-1939;
War, Peace and Diplomacy in the Late Middle Ages, c. 1200 - c. 1450.