module specification

Security studies is a crucial discipline that examines the causes and consequences of threats to national and international security. Theories play an essential role in this field as they provide a framework for understanding security issues, assessing threats, and developing strategies to prevent or manage them. Security studies theories provide a conceptual framework for identifying the root causes of security threats, analyzing their impact, and devising appropriate responses. They also help policymakers and practitioners to prioritize security challenges and allocate resources effectively. In essence, theories are the building blocks of security studies, helping to bridge the gap between academic research and practical policymaking. Without a solid theoretical foundation, security studies would be reduced to a collection of ad hoc responses to security challenges, lacking coherence and direction. Therefore, the study of security theories is crucial for anyone seeking to understand security challenges and contribute to their resolution.

A consideration of the wide range of threats that face states and individuals is a difficult task. The module, therefore, engages with how theoretical understanding of security has evolved in the past decades beginning with an emphasis on traditional state-military centric approaches to showcasing the critical, feminist, constructivist and postcolonial turn within the discipline.

These theoretical developments are illustrated by additional analysis of key themes including the role of international organisations responsible with stabilising the international system along with an analysis of key issues affecting humanity – such as climate change, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and why war and the use of force continue to be a key feature of global politics.

The module will also encourage students to develop a range of important Generic Skills.

• The ability to communicate effectively in speech (the ability to work under pressure in seminars, where students must demonstrate the ability to respond to questions orally) and writing (writing an Essay and a Regional Report using commonly accepted standards of definition, analysis, grammatical prose, and documentation).

• The ability to work under pressure within specified time constraints, e.g., during seminar discussions and deadlines for all assessments.

• Research skills, including the ability to synthesise and analyse arguments, to read and understand texts on international relations, and to exercise critical judgement.

• The capacity to work independently, demonstrating initiative, self-organisation and time-management, as well as co-operating with other students to achieve common goals such as is achieved through group work during seminars.

None.

Available to Study Abroad students.

The syllabus will include:

1. The ambiguity of Security
2. Liberal views on Security
3. Realism and Security
4. Critical Security Studies
5. Feminist approaches to Security
6. The securitisation of threats - The Copenhagen School.
7. The Levels of Analysis and the Causes of War
8. Humanitarian Intervention and the Collective Security Mechanism
9. Deterrence and MAD
10. Post colonialism
11. Environmentalism and Climate Change
12. The future of Security Studies. The state or the individual?

All learning outcomes will be covered by the syllabus.

Teaching consists of a weekly two hour lecture followed by a one hour tutorial. Each session will involve a combination of taught lectures, videos, the use of primary and secondary documents and websites. During the module seminars will combine a variety of methods including discussion based on pre-set questions and role plays. Blended Learning will be a key component of the module. Lecture notes and primary and secondary documents for use in class will be posted online, as will web links for academic and governmental websites, as well as video links. Every lecture will also be recorded and made available for students via the WebLearn site.

Materials for use in class will be posted at least one week in advance online to allow students to reflect on the subject and prepare. Questions for class discussion will be available from the beginning of the module via the Module Booklet available on WebLearn, which will include a list of resources students can use to answer the questions and study the subject in greater depth.

Reflective learning will be encouraged at all stages of the module, with the emphasis being on developing independent learning skills. At Level 6 it is expected that students will be able to carry out independent research, deep learning, and analysis. This is reflected in the encouragement students are given to prepare for seminars prior to each session. This helps build on skills developed at Levels 4 and 5, encouraging students to expand their abilities in preparation for the workplace or postgraduate study.

At the end of this module you should be able to:

1. Demonstrate a conceptual understanding by which to critically evaluate contending approaches to international security, and reflect on the ambiguity within the concept of security and understand it in the context of the evolution of security studies as both a discipline and its practice.

2. Appreciate key issues and dynamics regarding conflict and the use of force in the international system.

3. Understand the changing nature of warfare and realise that the range of threats now facing states and individuals are both military as well as non-military.

4. Appreciate the critical, ethical and normative turn in security studies that has raised issues of morality, justice and equality, and question the ethical dimensions of the Westphalian order based on notions of sovereignty and narrow state interests and determine whether theories highlighting human emancipation need to be strengthened.

The assessment will take the form of a 3,000 word essay which will provide students with the opportunity to submit a major piece of work of their choosing on a key element of the module. This will enable students to develop further many of the employability skills highlighted during lectures and seminars, in addition to writing, reflecting on what they have learnt and making use of constructive feedback.

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/B99F8C60-5E22-A221-9C59-36B1C5075318.html?lang=en&login=1

Websites

• E-International Relations - http://www.e-ir.info - One of the best open access websites for students and scholars of International Relations and Security Studies.
• The International Institute for Strategic Studies - https://www.iiss.org/
• The Centre for Strategic and International Studies - https://www.csis.org/
• The European Union Institute for Security Studies - https://www.iss.europa.eu/
• Royal United Services Institute - https://rusi.org/
• The Centre for Science and Security Studies at Kings College London - https://www.kcl.ac.uk/csss
• Center for Security Studies - ETH Zurich - https://css.ethz.ch/en/services.html
• Institute for Security Studies / Africa - https://issafrica.org/
• Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO) - https://cup.columbia.edu/reference/ciao
• The RAND Corporation - https://www.rand.org/
• Stockholm International Peace Research Institute - https://www.sipri.org/
• Strategic Studies Institute - https://ssi.armywarcollege.edu/
• United States Institute of Peace - https://www.usip.org/