This course is a historical survey from the middle ages to the present, looking at the role that specific military technologies and then at the role technology in general has played in the development and persecution of warfare. We'll investigate a number of classic technological cases, from the castle and cannon to ironclads and air power and nuclear weapons and cyberwarfare, and also at some of the more 'lowly' technologies, like gas masks and the telegraph along the way.
The two primary texts are Geoff Jensen's War in the Age of Technology, a collected volume of essays that will set out our pace, and John Lynn's new Battle which is an investigation of character in war, specifically reacting to the technological determinism of other authors. In addition, articles on specific technologies or on technology in general will supplement our investigation.