CONN 381 | War, Technology, & Strategy

Technology has been instrumental in driving changes in both the decisions by states to go to war and the ways soldiers fight on the battlefield. From the introduction of the stirrup and gunpowder, to the atomic bomb, long-range missiles, and artificial intelligence, war and technology have advanced hand in-hand. This course will explore the changing nature of war and how that change is driven by scientific breakthroughs and emergent technologies. Starting with the Industrial Revolution, the course will move through the two World Wars, paying particular attention to new technologies, like the atomic bomb, and the attendant moral questions that accompany changes in warfare. The course will also consider modern warfare, such as the use of drones in Ukraine and the problem of urban warfare in Gaza.