Module overview
Linked modules
Pre-requisite : PAIR1001 OR PAIR1002 OR PAIR1004 OR PAIR1005
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Construct independent and well evidenced arguments on the principles and concepts of international security
- Demonstrate the ability to apply theoretical and empirical analysis to contemporary security issues
- Demonstrate understanding of the key security challenges facing the world today
Syllabus
The course is an introduction to the major issues, trends and theories related to international security and their application to current challenges in world affairs. As the world evolves, the nature of security is constantly changing and the range of threats and risks requires different policy responses and actions. The module will cover a wide spectrum of security issues, including the influence of nuclear weapons, the impact of terrorism, the attempts to forge collective security through, for example, the UN, and the new and emerging challenges from extremism, nationalism, migration and the environment. We will also look at how strategic policy is made and the relationships between civilian and military decision makers. We will seek to understand whether the world is more unstable now than in the past and, if so, why.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
The module combines a mixture of lectures, seminars, presentations and group work
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Teaching | 29 |
| Independent Study | 121 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
General Resources
Books, journal articles, newspaper articles, specialised website and other internet sources.. There are many journals and websites worth looking at. The main ones are: Adelphi Papers, Chaillot Papers, Co-operation and Conflict, International Organisation, Millennium, Global Society, European Security, International Security, Contemporary Security Policy; Survival, International Affairs; International Studies Quarterly, European Foreign Affairs Review, Foreign Affairs; Foreign Policy; Third World Quarterly; The Washington Quarterly; International Studies Quarterly; The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
Textbooks
Michael Doyle and John Ikenberry, eds, (1997). New Thinking in International Relations Theory. Westview.
Barry Buzan (2007). People, States and Fear. ECPR.
Alan Collins, eds (2007). Contemporary Security Studies. Oxford University Press.
Assessment
Formative
This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.
PresentationSummative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 100% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External