Teaching War and Peace, Ancient and Modern
Forthcoming VIP
Applications will open later this year
How – and what – we learn about war and peace matters! This VIP project will make a valuable contribution to the Visualising War Project () and the Ancient Peace Studies Network () by exploring current trends and future opportunities in teaching war and peace, ancient and modern.
It has two central aims: to enhance the treatment of conflict in ancient-world studies, and to explore what use can be made of ancient case studies to enhance how war and peace are taught in other subject areas. Team members will conduct research across primary, secondary and tertiary education sectors (first and foremost in the UK; but those with experience of international education systems will have opportunities to research those too). Drawing on scholarship in Education Studies, Peace Education, Classics, War Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies, activities will include the study of current curricula and assessment approaches, surveys and focus groups with teachers and learners, and the design and pilot-testing of new teaching resources. We will draw on pedagogic theory as well as practice, and our work will be informed by relevant research in a wide range of disciplines that map trends in how we understand and approach war and peace.
You can read more about the project here:
Research topics include:
- Current practice/trends in teaching ancient war/warfare (and their impacts)
- Current practice/trends in teaching ancient peace/conflict resolution (and their impacts)
- Examples of good practice in teaching war/peace in other disciplines beyond Classics
- War and Peace teaching beyond the classroom (e.g. in the museum setting, via tourist sites, etc)
- The influence of popular culture (e.g. gaming, fiction) on students’ learning and/or teaching practice
- Creative pedagogies for teaching ancient and modern war/peace (including speculative history, critical fabulation and gaming)
- Diversifying voices/sources/themes for teaching ancient war/peace
- Relating ancient war/peace teaching to modern contexts (challenges and opportunities)
- Opportunities for employing ancient case studies to deliver contemporary war/peace education in diverse settings
Students taking this VIP will:
- develop understanding of the social, cultural and political mechanisms that shape war and peace literacy today
- develop understanding of how ancient war and peace are currently taught, and their impact on contemporary war and peace literacy
- develop understanding of different pedagogic methods, especially those that promote inclusive, creative, trauma-informed learning
- gain experience in curriculum design and policy change, including stakeholder research, resource-development, pilot-testing in classrooms, and educational advocacy with policy-makers
- gain experience in a range of research methods from Humanities and Social Science fields; in teamwork, creative thinking, outcomes-focused planning and critical reflection; and in communication skills in a wide range of contexts (via consultation processes, resource-design and pilot teaching sessions)