Unit name | International Security |
---|---|
Unit code | POLIM3012 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Professor. Herring |
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 |
The concept of security is used very frequently in relation to international issues. This unit introduces you to the subject of international security, including theoretical, normative and policy issues. It covers traditional and non-traditional approaches. The unit begins by surveying different approaches to the study of security. It explores the idea of (de)securitization, that is, how issues are put onto our taken off the security agenda. We then examine in turn gender; the environment; nuclear weapons; conventional arms transfers; terrorism; ethnic conflict; the news media and public opinion; the invasion and occupation of Iraq and the aftermath; and the relationships between security and development. Throughout you will be encouraged to explore different perspectives in order to assist you in developing your own understanding of these issues and in deciding which, if any, you find most persuasive.
This unit aims:
On successful completion of this unit the student should have:
The unit will be taught through blended learning methods, including a mix of synchronous and asynchronous teaching activities
Formative assessment: an oral presentation supported by a handout Summative assessment: a 4,000 word essay.
A full statement of the relationship between the programme outcomes and types/methods of assessment is contained in accompanying Programme Specifications and section B7 of the Major Change to Current Programme forms for the programmes of which this unit is a part. The assessment for each unit is designed to fit within and contribute to that approach in terms of intellectual development across each of the two teaching blocks, and in relation to knowledge and understanding, intellectual skills and attributes, and transferable skills.