Security and Insecurity in Global Politics (Pathway elective) (L2061NE)

15 credits, Level 5

Spring teaching

Gain an introduction to the broad issue agenda that shapes the contemporary study of (in)security.

Security has been understood as the protection of sovereign territory through armed force. It has examined issues such as arms races, war and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. These issues were usually addressed through a realist lens that regarded the state and its survival as the central conceptual maxims. But contemporary scholarship on security has broadened this agenda.

New sources of insecurity have emerged outside the traditional state form. This can be seen in the rise of issues such as terrorism, as well as wider ‘complex emergencies’ on the international security agenda. Moreover, the conceptual lenses for examining these questions of (in)security have increased. This has given rise to new referent objects of security and a wider security agenda, which includes issues such as identity, genocide and the environment.

Teaching

50%: Lecture
50%: Seminar

Assessment

20%: Coursework (Test)
80%: Written assessment (Essay)

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 22 hours of contact time and about 128 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2022/23. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

Courses

This module is offered on the following courses: