The below course plan is from a course I taught while I was teaching the Naval ROTC at Vanderbilt University. The course was open to the general student population but was setup and focused on midshipmen students who will enter the Marine Corps as Officers upon graduation. I would have normally assigned a group project consisting of multiple battle study presentations during the major conflicts of each period. Utilizing the wiki as a method for student collaboration and knowledge building seems like a very innovative way for the groups to collaborate, learn and share that knowledge with the class.
Course Title:
Amphibious Warfare
Target Audience:
Naval ROTC students commissioning into the Marine Corps
Course Learning Objectives:
1.
Know the significant events of history relating to amphibious
operations.
Comprehend their impact on the evolution of amphibious warfare doctrine.
2.
Comprehend the problems and advantages relative to employment of amphibious forces in the modern era, including the impact of nuclear
warfare on amphibious tactics and amphibious operations.
Materials Needed
(Student texts):
1. Bartlett,
M.L., Assault From the Sea (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1983), pp.
331-333, 386-395.
2. Clifford, K.J., Progress and Purpose: A Developmental
History of the United States
Marine Corps 1900-1970, pp. 65-71.
3. Isely and Crowl, U.S. Marines and Amphibious War (Princeton,
NJ: Princeton University Press, 1951), pp. 580-590 (student resource textbook,
3-5 per
Course Outline
Module I: Fundamental Concepts, Theories, Themes, and
Terms
* I 1 Introduction and Syllabus I-1-1
* I 2 Warfighting and the POW I-2-1
* I 3 Offense and Defense in Amphibious Ops I-3-1
* I 4 Themes and Types of Amphibious Ops I-4-1
I 5 Tactical
Decision Games (TDG) (Optional) I-5-1
Module II: Historical Amphibious Operations, Case Studies
* II 1 Marathon, 490 B.C.
II-1-1
II 2 Caesar's
Invasion of
Britain,
55-54 B.C. II-2-1
II 3
Hastings, 1066 II-3-1
* II 4 Vera Cruz, 1847 II-4-1
II 5 Invasion of
the
Crimea, 1854 II-5-1
II 6
Roanoke Island, 1862 II-6-1
II 7
Fort Fisher
Campaigns, 1864-65 II-7-1
II 8 Tanga, 1914
II-8-1
* II 9 Gallipoli, 1915 II-9-1
II 10 Zeebrugge,
1918 II-10-1
* II 11 The Interwar Years: Developing a Doctrine II-11-1
II 12 European
Strategy and
North Africa, 1942 II-12-1
II 13
Sicily, 1943 II-13-1
II 14 Salerno, 1943 II-14-1
II 15
Anzio, 1944 II-15-1
* II 16
Normandy,
1944 II-16-1
II 17 Pacific
Strategy and
Guadalcanal, 1942 II-17-1
* II 18
Tarawa, 1943
II-18-1
II 19 The
Marianas, 1944 II-19-1
* II 20
Iwo Jima, 1945
II-20-1
* II 21
Okinawa, 1945
II-21-1
II 22 Lessons of World
War II II-22-1
* II 23
Inchon,
1950 II-23-1
* II 24
Vietnam,
1965 II-24-1
II 25 The
Falklands, 1982 II-25-1
II 26
Grenada, 1983
II-26-1
II 27
Mogadishu, Somalia,
1991 II-27-1
Module III: Amphibious Operations, Today and Tomorrow
* III 1 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) III-1-1
* III 2 Expeditionary Operations III-2-1
* III 3 Maritime Prepositioned Forces (MPF) III-3-1
* III 4 Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare III-4-1
III 5 Expeditionary
Strike Group (ESG) (Optional) III-5-1
* Focal Lessons
Instruction
procedure/Learning procedure
A. Instructional method options in recommended order
1. Seminar
discussion
2. Lecture and
discussion
3. Lecture
B. Learning Activities
1. Tactical
Decision Games (TDG)
TDGs provide the student with an opportunity to develop decision-making
skills based on the lessons they learned in the classroom. TDGs can use sand
tables, topographical maps, or basic drawings. The instructor must keep in mind
that many of the students may not possess the skills necessary to participate in
such exercises. Therefore, it is imperative that the instructor understand
his/her students’ capabilities and make time to teach the fundamentals of TDG,
which may include unit formation, weapons capabilities, symbology, map reading,
etc.
2. Wiki group
projects
During Module II, the class will be divided into four groups
(3-5 students per group) to cover the following selected time periods:
*Pre WWII
*WW II – European Theater
*WW II – Pacific Theater
*Post WWII
Each group will construct a wiki covering the selected
periods in order to produce a consolidated, informative and innovative way of
presenting the selected time period to the rest of the class. The wikis must
cover the major battles of the time period as introduced in the first class
introducing the course and as noted in the course syllabus. The Wiki should
focus on the major strategies used during the period (noting which ones worked
and which one did not), political and geographic considerations, major military figures and any outcomes
or innovations that resulted from the period.
Evaluation
1. Class Participation - 15 pts
Class participation covers all aspects of classroom
participation and preparedness; i.e. being in class and on-time, reading all
assigned material prior to class, participating in discussions, TDG’s, etc.
2. Module tests - 60 pts (3 x 20 pts)
3. Wiki Project - 25 pts
The wiki project will be due 1 week prior to the end of
module II so that each group can present their wiki to the class and we can
discuss prior to the Module two test. The wiki will be graded on content,
presentation, group collaboration and participation (the students will grade
each other on collaboration and participation in the project, with 10 of the 25
points coming from that assessment)