FSEM 186   War: Past, Present, Future

Faculty Profile for Professor Mundy

How can we account for the trends that have shaped the evolution of modern warfare over the course of the past two centuries? How can we leverage this history to understand issues of contemporary armed conflict and organized violence, including civil wars, terrorism, genocide, and humanitarian interventions, as well as new forms high-technology warfare involving drones and cyber attacks? In order to understand the present and future of warfare, a variety of sources and methods (readings, documentaries, podcasts, datasets, focused discussions, and interactive lectures) are used to introduce students to the fundamental transformations in the practices of armed conflict. Students engage with both qualitative and quantitative forms of information, while exploring the fundamentals of college level research, writing, and analysis. Students who successfully complete this seminar will earn credit for PCON 111 and satisfy one half of the social relations, institutions, and agents area of inquiry requirement.

Professor Mundy's work focuses on armed conflicts and foreign interventions in Northwest Africa and the Middle East, where he has conducted field research for over two decades. He has studied and published on the Libyan and Algerian civil wars, as well as the Western Sahara dispute.