Security Studies

This course will introduce students to the study of security and stability as concepts within International Relations, Comparative Politics and Political Thought. This course will focus on security as a concept that goes beyond the mere balance of power within the international arena. Security in this course will be understood as a broad concept that relates not only to armed forces and armed conflicts (i.e. how countries use war to achieve security) but also to issues such as minority rights, terrorism, migration, poverty, climate change, disease, organised crime and other international social problems. Besides analysing fundamental issues that pertain to security in International Relations, this course will also examine what security means at an individual level, how the issue is resolved and how concepts such as the “national interest” shape modern democracies. In short, security will be understood not solely as a concern about states, but also as a core value and individual right.