Global Security
| Module title | Global Security |
|---|---|
| Module code | POLM060 |
| Academic year | 2022/3 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Stephane Baele (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 25 |
|---|
Module description
This module will allow you to develop your analytical skills when making sense of contemporary security politics. It will encourage you to appreciate the respective strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to security, and to use these approaches to critically examine a series of today’s most prominent security issues.
By taking this module you will develop an appreciation of contending theoretical approaches to security issues inspired by perspectives such as neorealism, constructivism or securitization theory, but also by theoretical frameworks inspired by the “critical turn” (mainly Marxist and poststructuralist approaches) or interdisciplinary endeavours (chiefly social-psychological approaches to conflict). These perspectives will be put to work, illustrated and evaluated against the backdrop of an array of crucial issues making today’s global (in)security environment: the migration “crisis” and the changing nature of borders; the “Islamic State” and the Iraq-Syria war; the Ukraine conflict; NATO in the post-Cold-War era; or the privatization of security. In addition, you will have the opportunity to examine an issue of your choice and to present your analysis to other students.
You do not need to be a specialist in security studies to take this module and there are no prerequisite or co-requisite modules required – yet if you come from a non-IR/Politics background, the module convenor will ask you to read a series of book chapters selected as a “common ground” for further discussion and learning. The module is recommended for students on interdisciplinary as well as disciplinary pathways as it explores issues that draw on debates in various disciplinary debates including law, sociology, geography and economics as well as politics and international relations.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module aims to introduce you to the major theoretical approaches to security, as well as to the major international security issues. . In providing you with theoretical and empirical insights into the character of global security, the module aims to assist you in the development of your own perspectives and theories. The main objective is to make students use the most pertinent theoretical/analytical framework when reflecting on security problems.
Teaching and learning will take place in a supportive and interactive environment where all students will be expected to engage fully with their peers as well as working independently. The assessment is designed so as to enhance students’ ability to tailor their writing style to specific audience – they have to write an academic essay and an op-ed.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. compare, contrast and synthesise detailed knowledge of analytical frameworks and debates within the study of global security;
- 2. apply that knowledge of debates within the study of global security to develop your own intellectual tools with which to analyse security issues and concerns;
- 3. confidently articulate your own ethical and political positions on questions of global security;
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. critically analyse both empirical and theoretical material relevant to the study and practice of international politics;
- 5. deploy theoretical arguments from the field of international relations and apply them to empirical case studies and issues;
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. identify and critically evaluate advanced research monographs and articles as well as major policy texts;
- 7. formulate your own reasoned arguments and communicate them logically and coherently in speech and in writing;
- 8. work independently and with peers to achieve goals;
- 9. write differently to different audiences
Syllabus plan
This module will be delivered through 11 weekly two hour seminar classes. Discussion from readings will provide you with an overview of the key issues and debates relevant to each theoretical approach/topic and seek to provide direction for further independent research. Students take the most active part in the discussions, whilst the lecturer’s role is to frame the debate and to sum up its key elements at the end of the seminar.
Each week we will discuss one theoretical approach to security and one security issue - for example, in week 2 we will examine the various components of the neorealist-neoliberal institutionalist debate (theoretical approach) and the Ukraine crisis (issue). In other words, we use pertinent cases to illustrate the kind of insights that each theory can bring, and conversely.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 278 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 22 | 11 x 2 hour Seminars - these will primarily consist of guided discussions where topics can be explored further through debate. |
| Guided Independent Study | 278 | Private study - reading and preparing for seminars (around 4-6 hours per week); researching and writing assessments and assignments (researching, planning and writing the essay and the op-ed); preparing the examination. |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preparation of questions | Each week you will be expected to provide answers to the questions provided in the module handbook, and further elaborate your opinion on these answers | 1-8 | Oral |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | 30 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small group op-ed (2-4 students) opinion piece (similar to those found in quality newspapers) | 20 | Written document (1,500 words) and seminar presentation (ten minutes) | 1-9 | Verbal |
| Essay | 50 | 4,000 words | 1-8 | Written |
| Take-home assessment | 30 | Three questions of 1000 words max. each | 1-8 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small group op-ed (2-4 students) opinion piece (similar to those found in quality newspapers) | Individually authored 1,500 word op-ed | 1-9 | August/September reassessment period |
| Take-home assessment | Three questions of 1000 words max. each | 1-8 | August/September reassessment period |
| Essay | 4,000 word essay | 1-8 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
Burchill, Linklater, Devetak, et al.’s Theories of International Relations (Palgrave)
Peoples & Vaughan-Williams’ Critical Security Studies (Routledge)
WALT S. (1991): “The Renaissance of Security Studies”, International Studies Quarterly 35 (2): 211-239.
BALDWIN D. (1995): "Security Studies and the End of the Cold War", World Politics 48 (1): 117-141.
GRIECO J. (1993): “Anarchy and the Limits of Cooperation: A Realist Critique of the Newest Liberal Institutionalism”, in BALDWIN D. (ed.): Neo-realism and Neo-liberalism: The Contemporary Debate. New York: Columbia University Press.
MEARSHEIMER J. (2014): “Why the Ukraine Crisis Is the West's Fault. The Liberal Delusions That Provoked Putin”, Foreign Affairs 93: 79.
WOLFE P. (1997): “History and Imperialism: A Century of Theory, From Marx to Postcolonialism”, American Historical Review 102(2): 388-420.
NEOCLEOUS M. (2007) “Security, Commodity, Fetishism”, Critique 35(3): 339-355.
BAELE S., BALZACQ T. (2014): “The Third Debate and Postpositivism”, ISA Compendium, online.
GEORGE J., CAMPBELL D. (1990): “Patterns of Dissent and the Celebration of Difference: Critical Social Theory and International Relations”, International Studies Quarterly 34 (3): 269-293.
CAMPBELL D. (2010): “Poststructuralism”. In DUNNE T., KURKI M., SMITH S., eds., International Relations Theories – Second Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp.213-237.
LAFFEY M., WELDES J. (2008): “Decolonizing the Cuban Missile Crisis”, International Studies Quarterly 52: 555-577.
KATZENSTEIN P. (ed.): The Culture of National Security: Norms and Identity in World Politics. New York: Columbia University Press.
BALZACQ T. (2011): “A Theory of Securitization: Origins, Core Assumptions, and Variants”, in BALZACQ (ed.): Securitization Theory. How security Problems Emerge and Dissolve, New York: Routledge – PRIO, pp.1-30.
BOSWELL C. (2007): “Migration Control in Europe after 9/11: Explaining the Absence of Securitization of Immigration”, Journal of Common Market Studies 45 (3): 589-610.
BAR-TAL D., HALPERIN E. (2013): “The Psychology of Intractable Conflicts: Eruption, Escalation, and Peacemaking”, in Huddy L., Sears D., Levy J. (eds.): Oxford Handbook of Political Psychology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
University of Exeter Electronic Learning Environment (ELE): http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/
Indicative learning resources - Other resources
Links will be provided on ELE to a variety of relevant policy documents, reports and websites.
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 01/10/2012 |
| Last revision date | 29/04/2016 |
