Security Studies
| Module title | Security Studies |
|---|---|
| Module code | POC2087 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Shubranshu Mishra (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 10 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 35 |
|---|
Module description
This module will introduce you to the field of Security Studies, allowing you to critically engage with a range of contemporary practices in the current international system that are performed in the name of security. Popular and official discourse in contemporary international relations is littered with references to a need to protect and improve ‘security’? But what does that mean? How does an actor practice ‘security’? Does seeking more security make us less insecure? And is there a tension between securities and liberties? In this module, we will examine different theoretical and conceptual understandings of security and of security practices in international relations. You will have the opportunity to examine a range of issues, including: the politics and ethics of nuclear deterrence; the strategy of warfare; the ethics of torture and human rights, security and race; security and gender; the role of technology and the pre-emptive security practices of the War on Terror.
No prior knowledge skills or experience are required to take this module and it is suitable for specialist and non-specialist students.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module will:
- Introduce you to mainstream and critical perspectives on security practices in liberal democracies;
- Encourage you to reflect on the meaning of ‘security’ and the normative implications of seeking security;
- Train you in the skills to evaluate and constructively critique peers’ work.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Describe, contrast and analyse some competing theoretical perspectives on the meaning and practice of security in liberal democracies
- 2. Apply theoretical approaches to the analysis of empirical and normative issues related to security practices in liberal democracies, and display a competent awareness of the limitations and implications of each perspective
- 3. Use evidence to explain and defend the adoption of a particular theoretical and conceptual approach to the analysis of a security practice or issue
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Construct a logical academic argument supported by evidence
- 5. Apply on abstract theoretical approaches to new contexts in order to make sense of real world problems
- 6. Identify and apply a conceptual framework from some academic sources in order to answer an essay question, then explain the choice of this framework
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. Formulate and present information and critical analysis in both written and oral forms in a coherent manner
- 8. Understand assessment criteria, engage in constructive peer-evaluation, produce feedback and develop suggestions for improvement.
- 9. Work effectively with peers in order to present ideas and facilitate discussions
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
- "Security! What do you mean?"
- Understanding Security through Insecurity
- The Referent Objects: State, Individual, Race, Gender?
- State Security and Liberal Security
- Emancipation and Intervention
- Feminism and Sex
- Postcolonialism and Development
- Poststructuralism and Fear
- Securitization and the Everyday
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 130 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 20 | 10 x 2 hour seminars |
| Guided independent study | 85 | Research and preparation for seminars |
| Guided independent study | 45 | Revising and preparing for essays |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| News Item Presentation and Response | 20 minutes | 1-5, 7-8 | Oral/Written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-Term Essay | 30 | 1,500 words | 1-7 | Written |
| Essay | 70 | 2,000 words | 1-9 | Written |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-Term Essay (1,500 words) | Essay (1,500 words) | 1-7 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Essay (2,000 words) | Essay (2,000 words) | 1-9 | August/September re-assessment period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to redo the assessment(s) as defined above. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Peoples, C. and Vaughan-Williams, N., Critical Security Studies: An Introduction (London, Routledge, 2010)
Grovogui, Siba N. "Looking Beyond Spring for the Season: An African perspective on the world order after the Arab Revolt." Globalizations 8, no. 5 (2011): 567-572.
Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched of the Earth. New York: Grove Press, 1963.
Baldwin, D. ‘The Concept of Security’, Review of International Studies, 23(1), (1997), pp. 5-26.
Annick. T.R. Wibben. 'Feminist Security Studies'. In The Routledge Handbook of Security Studies (Abingdon, Routledge, 2012)
Walt, S.'The Renaissance of Security Studies,' International Studies Quarterly, 35(2), (1991), pp. 211-239
Shilliam, Robbie, ed. International Relations and non-Western Thought: Imperialism, Colonialism and Investigations of Global Modernity. Routledge, 2010.
Enloe, Cynthia. Bananas, Beaches and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics. Univ of California Press, 2014.
Sabaratnam, Meera. "Avatars of Eurocentrism in the Critique of the Liberal Peace." Security Dialogue 44, no. 3 (2013): 259-278.
Pasha, Mustapha Kamal. "Security as hegemony." Alternatives 21, no. 3 (1996): 283-302.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
CHALLENGE: A Research Project Funded by the Sixth Framework Research Programme of DG Research (European Commission) (http://www.libertysecurity.org/)
Critical Approaches to Security in Europe (c.a.s.e. collective): http://www.casecollective.org
Histories of Violence. (http://historiesofviolence.com/)
The Disorder of Things https://thedisorderofthings.com/
Indicative learning resources - Other resources
Battle of Algiers (1966)
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Four Lions (2010)
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 12/06/2015 |
| Last revision date | 11/03/2022 |
