The Art of War in World History

History 473

This course examines the static nature, yet changing character, of strategy in war. We scrutinize the strategists such as Sūnzǐ and Carl von Clausewitz, as well as the strategies such as annihilation and attrition to counterinsurgency and nuclear deterrence. Global in scope, primary source readings cover all continents, strategists, and major empires, whilst reflecting on the sociocultural influences on war’s conduct. From antiquity to the present, this course challenges students to craft their own definitions of strategy and examine how the art of war instructs the future of American foreign policy.