Armed Drones and the Control of War: Strategy, Warriors and Technology
Study Board of Political Science, Journalism, Sociology, and European Studies
Teaching language: English
EKA: B430009102, B430009112
Censorship: Second examiner: None
Grading: 7-point grading scale, Pass/Fail
Offered in: Odense
Offered in: Summer school (autumn)
Level: Master
Course ID: B430009101
ECTS value: 5
Date of Approval: 13-03-2018
Duration: 1 semester
Course ID
Course Title
Teaching language
ECTS value
Responsible study board
Date of Approval
Course Responsible
Offered in
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Mandatory prerequisites
Aim and purpose
The armed Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), aka drone, has become the defining weapon of post-9/11 conflicts in the Middle East and Africa. Combat drones inherently create a condition of risk asymmetry in war, because their operators are able to conduct attacks with no immediate risk to themselves. The prospect of low-risk military intervention with drones is strategically attractive to military commanders and policy makers; at the same time, many contend that the highly asymmetric nature of drone warfare is ethically unjust. The purpose of the course is to equip students with the necessary theoretical and conceptual framework to allow for engagement with the technological, operational, and ethical issues associated with emerging forms of remote and autonomous weapons technologies. This will be accomplished through study and discussion of the capabilities and limitations of combat drones, how drones fit into western military strategy, how drones alter conventional wartime concepts of the battlefield and combat risk.
Content
The course comprises the following four sections (subject to change):
Section I: History - The History and Development of Military Drones
Section II: Strategy - Drones and the Western Way of Warfare
Section III: Operations - The Capabilities, Limitations, and Operation of Combat Drones
Section IV: Ethics – The Ethics and Ethos of Drone Warfare
Learning goals
The main objectives of this course are to:
Equip students with an in-depth knowledge of:
•The historical development and evolution of combat drone technology
•How remote weapon systems emerged within the context of western strategic airpower
•The technological infrastructure, operational context, and personnel challenges of current combat drone operations
Train students’ ability to:
•Identify and explain key theoretical debates
•Identify key strategic issues related to unmanned system deployment
•Analyze the potential advantages and disadvantages of remote systems in realistic contemporary scenarios
Foster students’ engagement with drone policy challenges through:
•Student project designed to encourage interaction with challenging policy issues
•Facilitating group dialogue in class with guided discussions
Literature
We will draw on a broad range of written sources. Primary sources may include policy documents from EU or NATO military and/or national institutions. Secondary sources refer to the academic literature on remote system technology, operations, policy-making, and ethics. The total reading will be approximately 500 pages.
We will use the following textbook: Drones and the Future of Air Warfare: The Evolution of Remotely Piloted Aircraft by Michael Kreuzer, 1st edition. Routledge. (250 pages)
We will also read excerpts from books and articles, to include the following:
Primary sources:
Haider, Andre (2014). Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems in Contested Environments: A Vulnerability Analysis. NATO Joint Air Power Competence Center (JAPCC). (Chapters 5-7, 60 pages)
Joint Doctrine Note 2/11 (2011). The UK approach to Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Ministry of Defence (100 pages)
Secondary sources:
Cole, Christopher (2015). What’s wrong with drones? Drone Wars UK. (8 pages)
Dowd, A. W. (2013). Drone Wars: Risks and Warnings. Parameters, 42(4) (10 pages)
Enemark, Christian (2014). Drones, Risk, and Perpetual Force. Ethics & International Affairs. (15 pages)
Sparrow, Robert (2015). Drones, Courage, and Military Culture. Oxford, Routledge, 2015 (25 pages)
Strawser, B.J. (2010), “Moral Predators: The Duty to Employ Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles”, Journal of Military Ethics, 9:4, (25 pages)
Teaching Method
Scheduled classes:
The course is an intensive summer course comprising one week of lecturing, one take home midterm project, and one take home final examination
Form of instruction:
Course lectures and discussions will be conducted in English
Course projects and exams will be completed in English.
The course will consist of four days of classroom lectures, discussion, and student presentations (0900-1600 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. There will be no scheduled classroom time on Thursday, as this time will be allotted for students to complete the midterm project.
This course is based on active learning, involving a high degree of individual and group interaction and class participation.
Workload
Lecture attendance (4x7): 28
Midterm project: 10
Final take home examination: 12
Preparation lectures and exam: 85
Total:135
Examination regulations
Exam
Name
Exam
Timing
The mid-term project and final examination will take place in August, following the course lectures. Re-examination in September. Examination form at the re-exam can be changed.
Rules
-3 is not allowed
Tests
Take home assignment
Name
Take home assignment
Form of examination
Take-home assignment
Censorship
Second examiner: None
Grading
7-point grading scale
Identification
Student Identification Card - Exam number
Language
English
Duration
12 hours.
Length
The following limitations are required: The paper must be approximately 4-6 pages, maximum 6 pages in English (each with 2400 strokes spacing, appendix and notes included, but table of content and bibliography excluded).
Examination aids
All exam aids allowed.
Assignment handover
In the course's page in Blackboard.
Assignment handin
Via SDU-assignment in the course in Blackboard.
ECTS value
3
Additional information
Internet access neccessary.
EKA
B430009102
Mid-term project
Name
Mid-term project
Form of examination
Take-home assignment
Censorship
Second examiner: None
Grading
Pass/Fail
Identification
Student Identification Card - Exam number
Language
English
Duration
10 hours
ECTS value
2
Additional information
There will be no scheduled classroom time on Thursday, as this time will be allotted for students to complete the midterm project.
The mid-term project and final examination will take place in August, following the course lectures. Re-examination in September.
EKA
B430009112
External comment
The course is a Summer course, and it is not possible to deregister from summer courses.
The student is automatically registered for the first examination attempt when the student is registered for a course or course element with which one or more examinations are associated. Withdrawal of registration is not possible, and students who fail to participate in an examination have used one examination attempt, unless the University has made an exemption due to special circumstances.
If a student does not meet the established university prerequisites for taking the exam, he or she has used one examination attempt, unless the University has made an exemption due to special circumstances.
Courses offered
| Offer period | Offer type | Profile | Education | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Master in International Security and Law - valid from September 2018 | Master of International Security and Law | Master of Science (MSc) in International Security and Law | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Master in International Security and Law - valid from September 2017 | Master of International Security and Law | Master of Science (MSc) in International Security and Law | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i statskundskab gældende for studerende optaget efter 1/9-15 | Master of Science (MSc) in Political Science | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Sidefag på kandidatniveau i Samfundsfag, gældende fra og med 2015 | Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Sidefag på kandidatniveau i Samfundsfag, gældende fra og med 2018 | Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i samfundsfag, centralfag, 2018, ved et sidefag på 75 ECTS: | Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i samfundsfag, centralfag, 2018, ved et sidefag på 45 ECTS, for studerende der har haft Economic Principles (soc) eller tilsvarende på deres bacheloruddannelse | Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i samfundsfag, centralfag, 2018, ved et sidefag på 75 ECTS, for studerende der har haft Economic Principles (soc) eller tilsvarende på deres bacheloruddannelse | Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Studieordning for kandidatuddannelsen i samfundsfag, centralfag, 2018, ved et sidefag på 45 ECTS | Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Master of Social Sciences in Comparative Public Policy and Welfare Studies valid from September 2016 | Comparative Public and Welfare Studies | Master of Science (MSc) in Comparative Public Policy and Welfare Studies | Odense | |
| Fall 2018 | Optional | Sidefag på kandidatniveau i Samfundsfag, gældende fra og med 2018 | Master of Science (MSc) in Social Sciences | Odense |