| Unit name | The Politics of Insecurity |
|---|---|
| Unit code | POLIM0020 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Joseph |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
We live in an age of multiple insecurities brought about by human actions and behaviours. Whether it is the threat of another devastating terrorist attack, a natural disaster or unexpected catastrophe, anxieties and fears define the global political age. More than encouraging liberal governments and security agencies to think about forms of endangerment beyond the Nation State, so we have also began to accept how our living systems are insecure and vulnerable by design. This has been in part an inevitable outcome of living in complex and globally interconnected systems that have fundamentally challenged modernist understandings of security, peace, threat and political community.
This course provides a critical evaluation of the politics of insecurity, as it may be understood through both a planetary and human-centric frame. Charting in particular the changing global security landscape, as new emerging problems demand new radically interconnected frameworks for assessing the links between regimes of power and vulnerabilities in the contemporary period, students will be encouraged to rethink the meaning of insecurity, violence and global citizenship in the 21st Century. In doing so, students will gain a more critical understanding on the ways in which perceptions of endangerment are integral to the formation of contemporary regimes of power, along with the possibilities for reimagining politics and transforming ethical relations amongst the world of peoples.
Upon completing the unit, students will: 1) Understand the contested nature of global insecurities in an age of complexity 2) Problematize the politics of insecurity in respect to perceptions of endangerment and regimes of power beyond the State 3) Critically question modernist assumptions about security, peace, enmity and political community 4) Demonstrate the ability to rethink the meaning of insecurity, violence and global citizenship
The unit will be taught through blended learning methods, including a mix of synchronous and asynchronous teaching activities
4000 word assessed essay (100% summative assessment) (outcomes learning 1, 2, 3 and 4).
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. POLIM0020).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
