Military Sociology Syllabus

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Syllabus - MILITARY SOCIOLOGY - University of Texas at Austin

SYLLABUS (Part 1) SOCY 464: Military Sociology (3) University of Maryland University College - faculty.ed.umuc.edu - Instructor: Warren R. Johnson
Outline: Military Sociology examines the impact of the military on society as well as the impact of society on the military. The ever-changing relationship between the two is the focus of this course. In addition to class participation and a short weekly opinion paper, a take-home exam will be required in final exam week and posted in class during a 48-hour window of opportunity.

Texts: The required text for the course will be SYSTEMS OF WAR AND PEACE by Theodore Caplow and Louis Hicks.

Recommended sources:

The Art of War by Sun Tzu, The Face Of Battle by John Keegan,

Good-bye to All That by Robert Graves,

Thunderbolt by Lewis Sorely,

Recruiting for Uncle Sam by David R. Segal,

Certain Victory by Robert H. Scales, and

War and Anti-War by Toffler and Toffler.

SOCY 464: Course Description: SYSTEMS OF WAR AND PEACE, the first textbook on the subject written after the Cold War, will serve as a guideline throughout this course. Just as in a regular classroom settings, distance education provides ample opportunity for lectures which will allow you to discuss the main topics week by week, and to write an opinion paper (500 words) each week, for a total of twelve such papers.

As you will see from your reading, experts in military sociology and military history disagree on many important points. They disagree because the world of war is open to interpretation. Sometimes different interpretations result from the weight of evidence favoring one view or the other. Which counts more, for example, organization or technology? Who wins, those with the greater numbers, or those who strike first? Sometimes, different views result from incomplete descriptions. Descriptions of one and the same battle frequently include some details and exclude others, according to which writer you read.

Each of us reads different books on the same subject and each of us is entitled to seek clarification, question long-held views, or show how a point held by many might nevertheless be difficult to defend. At the Battle of New Orleans, for instance, Americans are said to have positioned themselves along a line stretching from the levee to the swamp while firing, here and there, from behind bales of cotton. Critics say bales of cotton could not have been much of a defense because they would have caught fire as soon as the battle began. Still, the tradition is passed on as one of the numerous facts important to that fight. For us it merely underscores the more important fact that opinions differ and may be examined in order to better visualize what really happened in history.

Syllabus (Part II)
Text: SYSTEMS OF WAR AND PEACE by Theodore Caplow and Louis Hicks

Credit: SOCY 464 examines the impact of the military on society and society on the military. The ever-changing relationship between the two are a focal point of the course.

War as a Social Institution
Peace as a Social Institution
Theoretical Models of War and Peace
International Law
The Contemporary War System
The Origins of Modern Military Organization
Modern Military Organization
Military Culture
Military Technology
Military Success and Failure
The Social Effects of War
Peace Projects
Peacekeeping Organizations

Syllabus - MILITARY SOCIOLOGY - University of Texas at Austin -
(SOC309) - 3 Credits
Instructor: Morten G. Ender, Assistant Professor
Snail Mail: Gillette Hall, Department of Sociology
E-Mail: ender@prairie.nodak.edu

Required Texts
American Forces Information Services (1995). Defense 95: Almanac Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. AFIS

Moskos, C. C. and Frank R. Wood (Eds.). (1988). The Military: More than Just a Job?.

Washington, DC: Pergamon-Brassey's, 1988. MW

Segal, D. R. (1989). Recruiting for Uncle Sam: Citizenship and Military Manpower. Lawrence: KS: University Press of Kansas, 1989. DS1

Segal, D.R. (1993). Organizational Designs of the Future U.S. Army. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Army Research Institute of the Behavioral Sciences. DS2

Segal, M.W. and Harris, J.J. (1993). What We Know About Army Families. Alexandria VA: U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (Contract No. DAAL03-86-D-0001). SH

Optional Books
Burk, J. (Ed.). (1994). The Military in New Times: Adapting Armed Forces in Turbulent Times. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Burk, J. (Ed.). (1991). Morris Janowitz: On Social Organization and Social Control. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Caplow, T. and Hicks, L. (1995). Systems of Peace and War. Lanham, MD: University of America Press, Inc.

Enloe, C. (1993). The Morning After: Sexual Politics at the End of the Cold War.

Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Kellner, D. (1992). The Persian Gulf TV War. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Scott, W.J. and Stanley, S.C. (1994). Gays and Lesbians in the Military: Issues, Concerns, and Contrasts. NY: Aldine de Gruyter.

Segal, D.R. and Segal, M.W. (1995). Peacekeepers and their Wives. Greenwood Press.

Smith, W.J. (1980). Army Brat: A Memoir. NY: Persea.

Course Goals

Welcome to the study of Military Sociology. In this course, we will examine the military as a social institution. With the help of sociological concepts, theories, and methods, we will analyze both the internal organization and practices of the armed forces and the relationships between the military and other social institutions. To understand the military and its place in society, it is necessary to consider the historical forces that have shaped the present. Thus, we will examine past events and policies as well as current ones. And while our primary focus is on the American military and its relationship to American society, we also investigate the armed forces of other societies. Thus, you should complete this course with a sense of some of the alternative ways that societies organize and relate to their military institutions.

As a 300-level course, this course is designed to provide a forum for analysis of a specific set of ideas that contribute to our understanding of the military from a sociological perspective. This course is also cross-listed under the Peace Studies program and focuses on issues of peace, war, and social justice. Since this is primarily a discussion course and in order for classroom time to be meaningful, you must always be prepared to participate in classroom discussions. The specific course goals that we seek to accomplish in this course are to:

Describe and synthesize sociological concepts, principles, and theories used in the study of the military;
Apply the scientific method to the study of the military from a sociological perspective;
Explain the military as a social institution in the United States and in other nations;
Analyze and discuss contemporary military issues, situations, and problems using a sociological perspective;
Evaluate sociological research findings related to concepts used in the sociology of the military.
Demonstrate the ability to communicate all of the above effectively, both orally and in writing.

These course goals represent what I expect you to be able to do upon successful completion of this course. Complete understanding of the course goals is critically important because they are the criteria by which you will be evaluated. Our major goal in this course will be to provide the intellectual background so that given an existing situation, trend, or program related to the military, you as an informed citizen can:

1. ANALYZE it, using sociological theories and concepts, in terms of the reciprocal relationship between the military and society.

2. DISCUSS the strengths and weaknesses of sociological theories and concepts with regard to understanding the situation, trend, or program.

3. PREDICT, using sociological theories and concepts, the organizational and societal consequences of a major change in organizational policy.

Introduction to the Sociology of the Military
Module Objectives: Upon completion of this module you should be able to :

DESCRIBE how we will study the sociology of the military.
DESCRIBE how sociologists approach the study of the military.
DESCRIBE the landmark sociological research and theory on the American military.
ANALYZE the ways in which the American armed forces have changed since these works were published.
IDENTIFY contemporary military issues that sociologists study.

Readings:
Period 2 Defense Almanac
Period 3 Charles C. Moskos and Frank R. Wood, "Introduction." Pp. 3-14 in MW.
Charles C. Moskos, "Institutional and Occupational Trends in Armed Forces." Pp. 15- 26 in MW.
Period 4 David R. Segal, "Organizational Designs for the Future Army." Pp. 1-21.
Period 5 David R. Segal, "Social Trends and the Citizen-Soldier." Chapter 1 in DS1.

The Sociology of American Military Forces
Module Objectives: Upon completion of this module you should be able to:

DESCRIBE the sociological issues that have been raised in the analysis of American enlisted personnel.
IDENTIFY the changes that have taken place in the American enlisted force from a sociological perspective.
COMPARE and CONTRAST the branches of the American armed forces with regard to issues of sociological relevance.
COMPARE and CONTRAST the officer corps and the enlisted forces of the American military with regard to issues of sociological relevance.

Readings:
Period 6 David R. Segal, "Changes in American Military Manpower Policy," Chapter 2 in DS1.
Period 7 David R. Segal, "The Welfare State and Military Service." Chapter 4 in DS1.
Period 8 Frank R. Wood, "At the Cutting Edge of Institutional and Occupational Trends: The U.S. Air Force Officer Corps." Pp. 27-38 in MW.

Comparative Perspectives on Armed Forces
Module Objectives: Upon completion of this module you should be able to:

DESCRIBE the way in which other nations raise, train, and motivate their armed forces.
COMPARE and CONTRAST the social organization of their armed forces with our own.
DISCUSS the positive and negative consequences, for the military and for the society, of alternative methods of raising and maintaining military forces.

Readings:
Period 9 Reuven Gal, "Israel." Pp. 267-275 in MW.
Period 10 Cathy Downes, "Great Britain." Pp. 153-176 in MW.
Nicholas A. Jans, "Australia." Pp. 211-226 in MW.
Period 11 Jan S. van der Meulen, "The Netherlands." Pp. 227-247 in MW.
Dimitrios Smokovitis, "Greece." Pp. 249-253 in MW.
Period 12 Library Visit

The Military and Other Social Institutions
Module Objectives: Upon completion of this module you should be able to:

DESCRIBE the nature of family and community life in the military.
ANALYZE the ways in which the military affects the family and community life of its members and vice versa.
Readings:
Period 13 Mady Wechsler Segal, "Enlisted Family Life in the U.S. Army: A Portrait of a Community ." Pp. 131-144 (ON RESERVE)
Period 14 Mady Wechsler Segal, "The Military and the Family as Greedy Institutions." Pp. 79-97 in MW.
Period 15 Mady Wechsler Segal and Jesse J. Harris, "What We Know About Army Families."
Period 16 The Military Life-style: Children of the Cold War (TBA)
Period 17 Organizational Responses to Death in the Military (TBA)
Period 18-19 Book Reviews Due

Diversity and the Military: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation
Module Objectives: Upon completion of this module you should be able to:

DESCRIBE the patterns of social representation and processes of integration that have occurred in the American armed forces with respect to race, gender, and sexual orientation.
COMPARE and CONTRAST race, gender, and sexual orientation as they relate to integration experiences of the U.S. forces with those of other nations.
COMPARE and CONTRAST the integration experiences of the U.S. forces with those of other nations.
ANALYZE, DISCUSS, and EVALUATE the policy issues of women in combat and homosexuals in the military.

Readings:
Period 20 David R. Segal, "Race, Gender, and the American Military." Chapter 5 in DS1
Period 21 John Sibley Butler, "Race Relations in the Military." Pp. 115-127 in MW.
Period 22 Patricia M. Shields, "Sex Roles in the Military." Pp. 99-113 in MW.
Period 23 Term Paper Proposals Final Due Date (also any time before this period)
Period 24 Sandra Carson Stanley and Mady Wechsler Segal, Women in the Armed Forces." Pp. 181-187 (ON RESERVE) .
Mady W. Segal and Amanda F. Hansen, "Value Rationales in Policy Debates on Women in the Military." Pp. 188-194 (ON RESERVE)
Period 25 Class debate on women in combat. Be prepared with arguments and evidence on all sides of the issue.
Period 26 Tentative: Class debate on homosexuals in the military.

Soldiering on the Information Superhighway
Module Objectives: Upon completion of this module you should be able to:

DESCRIBE how changes in the use of communication technologies have affected morale, cohesion and well being among soldiers, units, families and the larger society.
PREDICT how technological changes and changing relations among soldiers, unites, families and the larger society are likely to alter military organization and missions in the near future.
EVALUATE the organization of modern military forces and the motivations of military personnel in terms of communication media technology.

READINGS:
Period 27 Litoff, J.B. and Smith, D.C. (1990). "Will he get my letter?" Popular portrayals of mail and morale during World War II. Journal of Popular Culture, 23(4), (Spring), 21-43.
B. Lee Cooper (1992). I'll fight for God, country, and my baby: Persistent themes in American wartime songs. Popular Music and Society, 16(2) (ON RESERVE)
Period 28 Fleming, J.H. and Scott, B.A. (1991). The costs of confession: The Persian Gulf War POW tapes in historical and theoretical perspective. Contemporary Social Psychology, 15(4), (December), 127-138.
Period 29 Larry W. Applewhite and David R. Segal (1990). Telephone use by peacekeeping troops in the Sinai. Armed Forces and Society, 17, 117-126.
Period 30 Morten G. Ender (1995). E(V)-mail to Somalia: New communication media between home and war front. (TBA)
Morten G. Ender (1994). G.I. phone home: The use of telecommuncations by the soldiers of Operation Just Cause. Armed Forces and Society, 21(3), 435-453.
Period 31 FILM: The Military-Media Debate

Armed Forces and National Purpose
Module Objectives: Upon completion of this module you should be able to:

DESCRIBE how changes in the domestic and international environment have affected national sociopolitical goals and national military missions.
PREDICT how technological changes and changing relations among nations are likely to alter military organization and missions in the near future.
EVALUATE the organization of modern military forces and the motivations of military personnel in terms of their appropriateness for missions they are likely to confront.

Readings:
Period 32 Charles C. Moskos and Frank R. Wood, "Institution Building in an Occupational World." Pp. 279-291 in MW.
Period 33 David R. Segal, "Organizational Designs for the Future Army." Pp. 22-52.
Period 34 David R. Segal, "Five Phases of United Nations Peacekeeping." Pp. 273-280 (ON RESERVE).
Period 35 In class debate on the utilization of U.S. military personnel for United Nations peacekeeping missions or Operations Other Than War (OOTW).

SECTION 3: TERM PAPER PROPOSAL AND TERM PAPER

The term paper is to be a review of the research literature on some area within military sociology. Some broad topics are:

1. Change in the military profession
2. Institutional and occupational changes in the military
3. The sociology of the accession or promotion system
4. The sociology of veterans
5. Military cohesion
6. Military families
7. Race, gender, or sexual orientation in the military
8. Social stratification and the military
9. Socialization within the military
10. Application of a contemporary or classical sociological theory to the military
11. The relationship between the military institution and another social institution (legal, religious, political, economic, the media, etc.)
12. The sociology of peacekeeping operations (or operation other than war)
13. The sociology of war
14. Popular music and war
15. Popular films and war
16. The sociology of the military of any nation other than the United States
17. The concept of war
18. Cyber-warfare
19. The sociology of simulated war
20. Military elites
21. Military Sociology related journals