Human Security

Syllabus

Human Security

 JPM 559  

Room:  

Lecture room in villa on Klikatá street (address will be distributed prior to first lecture)    

Convenor:  

Doc. PhDr. RNDr. Nik Hynek, M.A., PgDip Res, Ph.D. (Bradford) (NH)   office hours: prior and after the lecture + upon request   e-mail: [e-mail]     

Teaching Assistants:  

Mgr. Katarína Svitková (KS)   office hours: prior and after the lecture + upon request email: [e-mail]  

JUDr. et Mgr. Tomáš Bruner (TB)   office hours: prior and after the lecture + upon request email: [e-mail]      

AVAILABILITY OF THE COURSE:  

This is a compulsory, second-year master-level course (the security studies program) that combines lectures and seminars in 1:1 ratio. Both lectures and seminars are compulsory and both need to be passed successfully in order for the student to qualify for the final grade. The expected maximum number of enrolled students is 25. The course can also be chosen by first-year master-level students of the program as well as an elective course by other students, including Erasmus and exchange students. However, the second-year students have absolute priority in the enrolment process to all other students regardless of the order/date of the latter’s enrolment.      

PREREQUISITES:  

None.    

CO-REQUISITES:  

None.    

ANNOTATION AND COURSE OBJECTIVES:  

This course aims at achieving three broad objectives. Firstly, it establishes a knowledge pool enabling an understanding of the main concepts, issues and contours of the paradigm of human security. Secondly, it is designed to encourage enrolled students in developing critical thinking and transferable skills. Finally, since the course is organised and taught entirely in English, it intends to improve students’ abilities connected to academic writing and oral skills in this language. With regard to the logic of the course organisation, it is divided into two main parts. The course starts with the conceptual part and the second part consists of case studies.  Although the conceptual part of this course is rooted in the field of security studies with its emphasis on different takes on humanitarian emergencies, it also offers an examination of the development of the human security paradigm in the UN,Canadaand Asian countries as well as in providing insights into transformations in state sovereignty. Its second part comprises case studies and offers an interdisciplinary perspective on key issues. Through the set of case studies, we will analyse immediate causes of human insecurity (weapons, environment), tackle the topics of the sociology and psychology of post-war reconstruction (the role of women in this).      

TEACHING METHODS:  

The course consists of lectures and seminars. Although lectures usually confer all activity to the lecturer and students listen passively and take notes, it is not going to be the case in this course. Students are encouraged to actively participate, ask questions and challenge some of the concepts and views. Additionally, there will be briefing slots in each of the lectures for students to be able to comment and analyse related issues. The seminars will be organised around group, in-class presentations of students’ preliminary findings concerning their projects. Each student will present the first stage of her/his project and these findings will be critically discussed and challenged by the classmates. It means that every student needs to be aware of the specifics of the discussed issue and not just those who selected it for a project. At the end of the semester, students will hand the final results of their project to the convenor in an e-form of a report.    

LEARNING OUTCOMES:  

After completing this course, students should be able to bridge relevant concepts with empirical evidence as far as the analysis of the most pressing humanitarian topics in world politics is concerned.        

PREPARATION FOR CLASSES:  

Active knowledge of required literature; active preparation for each of the seminars.    

CREDIT REQUIREMENTS:  

ATTENDANCE:

Attendance in the lectures as well as in the seminars is compulsory. Students are expected to prepare for active participation in the seminars by reading the recommended texts, which will be accessible in the electronic form, in advance, and their individual contributions will be assessed formatively (see below). Students’ active participation will be supported by chosen teaching methods/ activities (e.g. debates, simulations, problem-solving etc.). Potential absences in addition to two allowed (accepted are: illness – MD proof is required; serious personal circumstances, activities related to one’s future professional career in the field) will be sent to [e-mail]   

ASSESSMENT:

The following structure of assessment with three weighted elements ensures continuous active participation of students during the term and aims to decrease the usual level of stress resulting from one dominant assignment (typically an examination) at the end of the term.   

The Structure of Assessment:   1. Active involvement (20 %):

Your active involvement in discussions is strongly encouraged and will be reflected by 20 % in the composition of your overall mark.   2. Project (40 %: oral in-class presentation of preliminary results + the final report): 

Students are expected to select one theme that arises from or is inspired by and related to the course for the preparation of their group research project (3-4 students = a research group). The choice of topic must be approved by the course leader/assistants. Students are responsible for formation of their respective groups and will report a group composition and a topic to [e-mail] by October 15, 2019. Failure to do so will result in the exclusion from the course. The project consists of an oral presentation of your findings during the seminar on a given topic (8 minutes/student). In respect of information sources for the project, students are encouraged to utilise the university pre-paid electronic sources as well as familiarise themselves with so-called “grey literature” (working and discussion papers of various research institutes, international organisations and think-tanks). Each presentation will have to include additional ten sources per person found by students. By January 11, 2020 at midnight CET, each research group will submit the final report (2000 words/student). Please, note that plagiarism is a serious academic offence and is strictly prohibited. All reports will be sent by students to the Urkund ([e-mail]) and to [e-mail]    

Examples of research areas for students’ projects:

-          the campaign to regulate small arms and light weapons

-          the campaign to ban cluster munitions

-          Child Soldiers

-          State failure

-          Role of unorthodox actors in HS p

Annotation

This course aims at achieving three broad objectives. Firstly, it establishes a knowledge pool enabling an understanding of the main concepts, issues and contours of the paradigm of human security.

Secondly, it is designed to encourage enrolled students in developing critical thinking and transferable skills. Finally, since the course is organised and taught entirely in English, it intends to improve students’ abilities connected to academic writing and oral skills in this language.